/Market Analysis & Strategy
Discussion
Is it even possible to succeed with dropshipping in 2025 or is the market too saturated?
Posted by •10/25/2025
I keep seeing conflicting information and I'm honestly losing motivation. Half the people say dropshipping is dead and oversaturated, the other half are showing their "results" (which could be fake for all I know).
Here's my situation:
Started 2 months ago
Tested 3 products, spent about $1,100 on ads total
Got 8 sales total across all products
Currently losing money on every sale due to high CPAs
I feel like every product I look at already has hundreds of other stores selling it. Every Facebook ad I see has comments from people saying "I can get this on Amazon for cheaper" or "this is from AliExpress."
My questions:
Is it actually possible to build a profitable dropshipping store in 2025 or has the market moved on?
Are the people showing success stories just the lucky 1% or is there something they're doing differently?
Should I pivot to a different business model or keep pushing through?
I'm not looking for get-rich-quick, I'm willing to put in the work. But I need to know if I'm working toward something achievable or just wasting my time and money on a dying business model.
For those of you who are actually profitable - is it because you found some unicorn product, or is it really about execution and optimization like people say?
Here's my situation:
Started 2 months ago
Tested 3 products, spent about $1,100 on ads total
Got 8 sales total across all products
Currently losing money on every sale due to high CPAs
I feel like every product I look at already has hundreds of other stores selling it. Every Facebook ad I see has comments from people saying "I can get this on Amazon for cheaper" or "this is from AliExpress."
My questions:
Is it actually possible to build a profitable dropshipping store in 2025 or has the market moved on?
Are the people showing success stories just the lucky 1% or is there something they're doing differently?
Should I pivot to a different business model or keep pushing through?
I'm not looking for get-rich-quick, I'm willing to put in the work. But I need to know if I'm working toward something achievable or just wasting my time and money on a dying business model.
For those of you who are actually profitable - is it because you found some unicorn product, or is it really about execution and optimization like people say?
3 Replies
•10/26/2025
This is actually really encouraging. I think I've been so focused on product research and ad strategies that I completely neglected making my store actually trustworthy and professional.
Going to stop testing new products for now and focus on building a proper store foundation. Thanks for the honest perspective!
Going to stop testing new products for now and focus on building a proper store foundation. Thanks for the honest perspective!
•10/25/2025
adding to this - I hit my first $10k month last month after 7 months of trying.
The difference between when I was failing and now? I stopped treating it like "dropshipping" and started treating it like a real ecommerce business.
Better store design, professional product photography, actual brand identity, faster shipping options, real customer service. Yeah it costs more upfront but the conversion rate makes it worth it.
It's not about finding the perfect product, it's about building something people actually want to buy from.
The difference between when I was failing and now? I stopped treating it like "dropshipping" and started treating it like a real ecommerce business.
Better store design, professional product photography, actual brand identity, faster shipping options, real customer service. Yeah it costs more upfront but the conversion rate makes it worth it.
It's not about finding the perfect product, it's about building something people actually want to buy from.
•10/25/2025
I'm going to be brutally honest with you because I was in your exact position 8 months ago.
Dropshipping isn't dead, but the way most people do it is.
Here's what's actually happening:
The "dropshipping" you see on YouTube (find random product on AliExpress, throw up generic Shopify store, run ads, profit) is basically dead. That model relied on:
Customers not knowing about AliExpress
Less competition for ad space
People accepting 3-week shipping times
Lower customer acquisition costs
All of that has changed. Now:
Everyone knows about AliExpress and Amazon
Facebook CPMs are 2-3x higher than 2019
People expect Amazon-speed shipping
Customer trust is harder to earn
But here's the thing: ecommerce is NOT dead.
The people making money in 2025 are doing it differently:
They're building actual brands, not dropshipping stores
Branded packaging
Custom product photos/videos
Actual brand story and identity
Fast(er) shipping via US/EU suppliers or warehousing
They focus on conversion rate optimization, not just finding products
Stores that convert at 2-4% instead of 0.5%
Professional design that builds trust
Optimized checkout flows
Real customer service
They understand their numbers
Know their break-even CPA
Track lifetime value, not just first purchase
Build email lists for repeat business
Actually calculate profit, not just revenue
Your specific situation:
"8 sales from $1,100 ad spend" = $137.50 CPA
Unless you're selling $300+ products with huge margins, that's unsustainable. But I'd bet my savings your issue isn't the products - it's that your store converts at like 0.5-1% when it should be 2-3%.
Think about it:
If your store converted at 2% instead of 0.5%, you'd have 4X more sales
Same ad spend, same products, same traffic
Your CPA would be $34 instead of $137
Suddenly you're profitable
Bottom line:
Stop looking for magic products. Start building a store that actually converts traffic. The opportunity is still there, but it requires:
Better execution
More professionalism
Focus on conversion optimization
Building trust with customers
The bar is higher than it used to be. But that also means less competition from people who won't put in the work.
Dropshipping isn't dead, but the way most people do it is.
Here's what's actually happening:
The "dropshipping" you see on YouTube (find random product on AliExpress, throw up generic Shopify store, run ads, profit) is basically dead. That model relied on:
Customers not knowing about AliExpress
Less competition for ad space
People accepting 3-week shipping times
Lower customer acquisition costs
All of that has changed. Now:
Everyone knows about AliExpress and Amazon
Facebook CPMs are 2-3x higher than 2019
People expect Amazon-speed shipping
Customer trust is harder to earn
But here's the thing: ecommerce is NOT dead.
The people making money in 2025 are doing it differently:
They're building actual brands, not dropshipping stores
Branded packaging
Custom product photos/videos
Actual brand story and identity
Fast(er) shipping via US/EU suppliers or warehousing
They focus on conversion rate optimization, not just finding products
Stores that convert at 2-4% instead of 0.5%
Professional design that builds trust
Optimized checkout flows
Real customer service
They understand their numbers
Know their break-even CPA
Track lifetime value, not just first purchase
Build email lists for repeat business
Actually calculate profit, not just revenue
Your specific situation:
"8 sales from $1,100 ad spend" = $137.50 CPA
Unless you're selling $300+ products with huge margins, that's unsustainable. But I'd bet my savings your issue isn't the products - it's that your store converts at like 0.5-1% when it should be 2-3%.
Think about it:
If your store converted at 2% instead of 0.5%, you'd have 4X more sales
Same ad spend, same products, same traffic
Your CPA would be $34 instead of $137
Suddenly you're profitable
Bottom line:
Stop looking for magic products. Start building a store that actually converts traffic. The opportunity is still there, but it requires:
Better execution
More professionalism
Focus on conversion optimization
Building trust with customers
The bar is higher than it used to be. But that also means less competition from people who won't put in the work.