Drop Shipping
The short answer: Drop shipping revenue runs from around $4k a month for one miniatures store to £40k a month for a camper van accessories store, before costs. Phil McEleney says drop shipping is "not passive," even though it "can give you financial and location freedom." (Chris Koerner; Side Hustle Nation) Because Phil and Jayden Clark built stores while employed, drop shipping suits people working evenings and weekends. (The Side Hustle Show)
| Reported part-time earnings | $4,000–$40,000/month 2 reports by 2 creators, Sep 2023–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|
| Reported startup cost | $0–$500 2 reports by 2 creators, Feb 2024–Sep 2026 |
| One creator's reported time to first dollar | 10–11 days Reported by The Side Hustle Show, Apr 2026 |
| One creator's reported hours | 0 hrs/week Reported by The Side Hustle Show, Sep 2026 |
From 15 quotes by 5 creators. A creator figure is one person's account.
Go deeper: all the drop shipping evidence
How much do drop shippers make?
Drop shipping net is thinner than revenue: Jayden describes typical 20-40% trade margins and ~15% net on high-ticket products. Phil ran Camper Nation to over £120k/month in sales. (The Side Hustle Show)
Those sales figures are revenue, not owner pay. (The Side Hustle Show)
What do people doing drop shipping say?
“I've managed to maintain a steady revenue stream, averaging around 4 grand a month.”
“Within 18 months of dropshipping high-ticket products, he took the business to £40,000 a month while still working his day job”
“dipping $500 out of your own pocket and trying to run some ads to Shopify just to say that at the start”
“I might have tried drop shipping because it required zero.”
What does it cost to start drop shipping?
Drop shipping startup runs $0–$500 by reports: one podcast speaker says it "required zero," and another talks of "dipping $500 out of your own pocket" to run ads. A Shopify store is the core equipment. (The Side Hustle Show)
- Pick a high-ticket niche using search volume and competitor counts. (Side Hustle Nation)
- Get approved as an authorized reseller.
- Set up a Shopify store. (The Side Hustle Show)
- Run Google Shopping campaigns. (Side Hustle Nation)
- Equipment: Shopify store (The Side Hustle Show)
How fast do drop shippers make a first sale?
Drop shipping first sales can come early: one Side Hustle Show seller says "my first sale happened about a week and a half in." Jayden quit his job in month nine, and Phil stayed employed until "hitting 40,000 in revenue a month for six months in a row." (The Side Hustle Show)
Who is drop shipping good for?
Drop shipping suits employed people building slowly: one seller needed "something I can do on my evenings and weekends." The miniatures founder ran that store in free time alongside a full-time job. (The Side Hustle Show; Chris Koerner)
Anyone expecting hands-off income should skip drop shipping, since Phil says it isn't passive. (Side Hustle Nation)
Is drop shipping worth it?
Pros
- Side Hustle Hero says the model offers "flexibility and scalability together with ownership." (Side Hustle Hero)
- Jayden sells $1,000+ products from domestic suppliers without buying inventory. (The Side Hustle Show)
Cons
- Jayden sold the store after burnout. (The Side Hustle Show)
- The miniatures store is slower in summer, and a stock-listing glitch took six months to resolve. (Chris Koerner)
What goes wrong with drop shipping?
Drop shipping can end with a ban: Kelan of TheSavvyCouple.com bulk-uploaded a supplier's inventory from a faulty Excel sheet, oversold items, cancelled orders and was permanently banned from Amazon. Reports differ on ads: Jayden focuses on Google Ads and Phil on Google Shopping, while the miniatures founder says paid ads did not fit the margins. (Side Hustle School; The Side Hustle Show)
What are the alternatives to drop shipping?
- Online Marketplaces side hustle: Also $100 to $1,000 to start, can go full-time; often covered together (1 shared video).
- Reselling clothes as a side hustle: Also can go full-time.
- Fulfillment-by-Amazon Reselling: Also can go full-time.
- Liquidation Pallet Reselling as a side hustle: Also can go full-time.
- Selling digital products as a side hustle: Often covered together (2 shared videos).
- Live selling as a side hustle: Also can go full-time.
Part of: Selling and reselling
What else do people ask about drop shipping?
How do you check demand before stocking?
Chris Koerner's pitch validates with paid ads to a free landing page before buying any stock. (Chris Koerner)
Does SEO work?
The miniatures founder gets traffic from long-tail SEO, a keyword-rich blog and Pinterest. (Chris Koerner)
Sources and method
Quotes are verbatim and linked to the moment they were said. A figure from one report is not confirmed by a second source. BLS figures describe employees in the closest related occupation. Every quote, the pay in each state and the full source list are on the all the drop shipping evidence.
- Chris Koerner, podcast, 13 Sep 2023.
- The Side Hustle Show, podcast, 7 Sep 2026.
- Side Hustle Nation, YouTube, 10 Sep 2026.
- The Side Hustle Show, podcast, 30 Apr 2026.
- The Side Hustle Experiment Podcast, podcast, 20 Feb 2024.
- Side Hustle Hero, podcast, 6 Jan 2026.
- Side Hustle School, podcast, 16 Oct 2026.
- Chris Koerner, YouTube, 28 May 2026.
- Chris Koerner, podcast, 13 Oct 2026.
Other data behind this page (4)
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time or part-time | full time capable | Accepted | Side Hustle Nation; The Side Hustle Show |
| Scalability | high | Accepted | Side Hustle Nation; The Side Hustle Show |
| Ongoing cost | $5–$50/month | One report | Chris Koerner |
| Time to first dollar | 0–11 days | One report | Side Hustle Nation |