Success With Sam Review | eBay & Shopify Dropshipping Pros, Cons, & Alternatives in 2025

What are the Success With Sam Pros & Cons?

Sam is a legit dropshipper. His YouTube channel has over 500 videos with very useful information, many of which are not on his course. He gives many tips, like email marketing and running ads on social media to supplement your business. His affiliate link also gives you a discount on tools you can use for dropshipping. You can definitely learn the needed skill plus a thing or two from Sam.

How Much Does Success With Sam Cost?

Success With Sam costs a one-time payment of £197 (about $247) for Project eBay and three monthly payments of £79 (around $99 each) for Project Shopify. There are no hidden upsells or recurring subscriptions within the base courses, which is a plus compared to many dropshipping programs that gate advanced modules behind premium tiers. Students receive lifetime access to all training videos, templates, and future updates once enrolled.

What are the Main Courses of Success With Sam?

Project eBay Course

Project eBay is a step-by-step training program on how to dropship on eBay. The training materials are in short video format (mostly under 10 mins). The lessons are compiled into 13 sections.

Section 1 - Introduction

The first section has 3 short videos of Sam explaining why he started the course and what you’ll get out of it. He also reveals his eBay sales revenue to give you an idea of what you can achieve.

Section 2 - The Fundamentals

This section is a 4 minute video that answers frequently asked questions on the basics of selling on eBay.

Section 3 - Setting up your eBay Business

The 3rd section has 5 short videos that teach you how to create and set up your eBay seller account. You’ll be guided through the steps of signing up and you’ll learn all about eBay’s feedback rating and how to build your feedback score.

Sam also explains eBay’s selling limits and how you can increase it (new sellers are limited to 10 items with a total value of up to $500 per month). Lastly, you’ll learn about eBay shop subscriptions and which one you should go for.

Section 4 - eBay Managed Payments (2022 update)

This section is a 4 min lesson on how eBay managed payments work. With eBay managing your payments, your selling fees and other costs automatically be deducted from your payout.

Section 5 - Product Sourcing

In the 5th section, you’ll learn what types of items sell best on eBay. The lesson will go through effective ways of doing research to find profitable winning products. Sam teaches 4 ways of product research:

1. Free methods such as using eBay’s Terapeak tool.
2. Searching on your competitors eBay stores.
3. How and where to search for trending products.
4. A complete 20 min tutorial on how to use Zik Analytics.

Section 6 - Finding and Contacting Suppliers

Once you find a winning product to sell, you need to find suppliers and strike a good deal that will give you the best ROI. Section 6 lessons will teach you how to structure your emails to your supplier, and how to deal with their replies. You’ll also learn how to check Alibaba for products and suppliers.

The section will also cover the important lesson of calculating your ROI before proceeding with deals. Sam also provides you with a spreadsheet to use for your calculation. Lastly, you’ll learn the methods of transferring funds to your suppliers.

Section 7 - How to Brand Your eBay Store

Branding is important to building a long-term business with repeat buyers. In this section, you’ll learn how to create a logo by hiring a freelancer or for free on Canva. You will also learn about eBay templates and why it is important to use them.

Section 8 - Listing Products

Now that you have your products and suppliers set, you’ll move on to listing them for sale in your store. You will learn how to create a listing picture using Canva and how to find eBay listing templates. Sam gives a step-by-step tutorial on editing an eBay listing template and how to rank your listing on the search results.

Section 9 - eBay Dropshipping

The 9th section starts with a list of the pros and cons of dropshipping on eBay. You’ll learn which suppliers are best to use when dropshipping on eBay. Sam also gives you a list of all the software and tools you’ll need to dropship on eBay as well as how to connect your eBay store to an automation software.

Next, you’ll learn about the risks you should avoid when dropshipping on eBay. The lesson also includes further lessons on product research, listing dropshipping products (single and bulk). Lastly, you’ll learn about dropshipping automations.

Section 10 - Profitability

This section lists all the eBay fees you need to know about. You’ll also learn about import VAT and postage costs (UK).

Section 11 - How to rise in the eBay search results

This lesson is a 6 min video on Sam’s strategy to rank your listings high on the eBay algorithm.

Section 12 - eBay Advertising (eBay Paid Ads)

You’ll learn about everything you need to know about eBay paid ads in this section.

Section 13 - Removing Negative Feedback

Ratings are very important when selling items online. This last lesson will teach you all about product and customer reviews and how to get negative feedback removed by eBay.

Project Shopify Course

Project Shopify is a step-by-step training program on how to dropship on Shopify. The training materials are in short video format (mostly under 10 mins). The lessons are compiled into 7 sections.

Section 1 - Introduction

The introduction has Sam explaining why he started the course and what you’ll get out of it. He also reveals his Shopify sales revenue to give you an idea of what you can achieve.

Section 2 - The Fundamentals

In this section, Sam explains why dropshipping is better on Shopify as compared to other models that require you to hold inventory. You’ll also learn the difference between one product store and general stores and which one would be the better choice.

Section 3 - Product Research

Finding the right products that would prove profitable is important. This section walks you through the methods of finding winning products. You will learn how to use CJ dropshipping to find suppliers from the United States, and methods of finding products in Alibaba. In addition, you’ll also learn how to check if products are available to sell on Aliexpress and Alibaba.

Section 4 - Supplier Research

In section 4, you’ll learn how and where to find the best suppliers and how to contact them. You’ll learn how to deal with their replies. You will also learn how to calculate your ROI.

Section 5 - Building Your Shopify Store from Scratch

This section is a step-by-step course on building your Shopify store from the ground up. The first lesson is about how to choose a good domain for your store. You’ll then have a walkthrough on how to sign up and connect your domain to Shopify. Sam also suggests that you pay a freelancer to create your logo. The section includes an outdated lesson on how to connect your Shopify to Oberlo, which you can skip.

In the next part of the section, you’ll learn how to connect your products to the store, how to list your products manually, and how to update your product images and descriptions. You will then go through the step-by-step process of choosing your Shopify theme, editing your footer, adding a free menu app, and adding pages such as About Us and Contact Us. Lastly, you will learn to pick what Shopify plan to choose.

Section 6 - Google Ads Introduction

The section begins with a comparison between Google and Facebook ads. Sam will then teach you the different types of Google ads. You will then learn the process of how to set up your Google Merchant Center and Google AdSense and how to link them together.

You’ll also learn how to connect your Google Shopping app to Google Merchant Center and how to set up your conversion tracking for your store. Lastly, you’ll learn how to set up your first ad campaign on Google Shopping.

Section 7 - Optimizing Your Google Ads

The last section will teach you how to optimize your Google ads to save money on ad spending. You will receive a step-by-step walkthrough on how to optimize your Google ads.

Who is Success With Sam Best for?

Sam’s 2 courses work for people in any country who want to sell on eBay or Shopify. His courses are for:

1. The courses provide step-by-step guides that are perfect for beginners who have no knowledge of dropshipping on any platform
2. Included in the courses are many strategies and methods that have proven effective with Sam’s business. A current dropshipping business owner that is not performing well may find this helpful.
3. This course has no time limit and can be taken by those who work full-time jobs. Dropshipping is a business model that you can do part-time. Sam started dropshipping while he was working a full-time job.

Are Students of Success With Sam Successful?

There are a few video testimonials on his site, along with 3 screenshots. Other sources provide no information about the effectiveness of his course, so take this with a grain of salt.

Who is Sam?

Sam is a successful entrepreneur from London, England. He generates over £1.3 million in revenue by dropshipping on several eBay and Shopify stores that focus on different niches. Sam has been selling on eBay for over 10 years and on Shopify for over 6.

When he began dropshipping on eBay, Sam worked full time as an accountant for a big company in London. Today, he does his own accounting for his ecommerce business while managing a team. In 2020, he created his YouTube channel, Success With Sam, to post mostly eBay and Shopify tutorials. With over 46.4K subscribers and 500 videos, Sam also sells 2 online courses for dropshipping on eBay and Shopify.

What Makes Sam’s Dropshipping Courses Different from Other Programs?

Their simplicity and hands-on practicality are what makes Sam’s dropshipping courses different from other programs. Unlike programs that overwhelm beginners with theory or high-ticket funnels, Success With Sam focuses on step-by-step, short-form video lessons that walk you through the entire process, from creating an eBay or Shopify store to sourcing products and running your first ads. Sam’s courses are also more platform-specific, offering one course dedicated to eBay (Project eBay) and another to Shopify (Project Shopify), so students can focus on one ecosystem at a time.

Another unique factor is that Sam is an active dropshipper himself, not just an instructor. His lessons are based on his own real-world experience running multiple six-figure stores. This makes his teaching more relatable for beginners who prefer actionable strategies over abstract e-commerce theories. However, unlike more advanced mentorships, Success With Sam focuses on solo operators and doesn’t dive deeply into branding, analytics, or scaling teams, making it better suited for entry-level learners.

What are the Top 9 Reasons 90% of Dropshippers Fail?

Statistics say that about 90% of dropshippers fail. In a video he posted, Sam discusses the top reasons most dropshippers don’t succeed.

1. Profit Margins - Dropshipping yields lower profits compared to wholesaling, as the price per unit you pay would be slightly higher. Dropshippers who don’t completely understand profit margins before spending on ads or pricing their items don’t make enough profit to succeed in the business.

2. Design - You need a well-designed site in order to build customer trust in order to persuade them to buy from your store. A poorly designed site can make a potential customer wary of the quality of your products. If you don’t know how to design your store, it’s an excellent investment to hire a professional freelancer to do it for you.

3. Project Research - You need to know how to do efficient research methods or how to use tools to find products that sell. Finding the right product should be the top priority for any online seller. You need to find a product in a niche you have knowledge or are interested in. You will need to do some research about the products to answer questions the customer may have.

4. Audience Research - Many dropshippers make the big mistake of not understanding their target audience. You need to consider the demographics of your target audience when choosing what type of advertising platform to use.

5. Optimized Ads - Understanding your product and audience will also help you optimize your ads. Many dropshippers make the mistake of just running poor ad choices without optimizing them.

6. Supplier Research - Many dropshippers make the big mistake of just getting the cheapest suppliers without checking the quality of their products, which leads to negative reviews. Focus on the quality of the product and shipping times instead of profit.

7. Obstacles- A lot of dropshippers quit when reaching an obstacle, such as payment processor issues or their ad account getting banned. There will be obstacles in any business, and you should keep going at it if you want to succeed.

8. Quick Money - Many dropshippers start their business thinking it’s a get rich quick scheme and quit when faced with the reality. Dropshipping is a business that takes time and effort to reach success.

9. Dropshipping Forever - Most people start their dropshipping business intending to do it for a long time. Dropshipping is not a sustainable long-term business model, and there are many risks involved with it. Marketplaces, ad platforms, and even payment processors don’t allow dropshipping, and the more you sell, the higher your risk of getting banned. You need to eventually move to other models, such as wholesaling, in order to increase your profit margins and scale your business.

There are other dropshipping courses, each with their own strategies, if you want to check them out:

Low Hanging System by Rachel Rofe specializes in print-on-demand dropshipping.

Free Shopify dropshipping course with paid membership by Nathan Nazareth .

Is Dropshipping Worth It in 2025?

Dropshipping is a risky business to start in 2025. Many of the big marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Shopify have strict rules against dropshipping. You can only get away with dropshipping for some time, but as you achieve success and your business grows, you need to move to less risky methods of selling online.

Many people choose dropshipping because you don’t need a large amount of capital to start. But the risk of your account getting suspended or banned is constantly rising. As Sam says, you can use dropshipping as a stepping stone to earn capital to move to wholesaling. Dropshipping also has the lowest ROI profit margins compared to other online selling business models.

What are the Alternatives to Success With Sam?

• Dropship Lifestyle by Anton Kraly is one of the oldest and most reputable high-ticket dropshipping programs online. It focuses on selling premium-priced products ($300–$2,000) rather than cheap impulse buys. You’ll learn how to pick suppliers in the U.S., build a Shopify store, and run Google Shopping ads profitably. While it’s one of the more structured and beginner-friendly programs, it still depends heavily on ad management and constant optimization, making it less passive than models like local lead generation.
• Ecom King by Kamil Sattar is a comprehensive Shopify dropshipping course by Kamil Sattar, also known as The Ecom King. This course emphasizes brand building, influencer marketing, and content-driven ads. It’s a more modern spin on traditional dropshipping. Students learn how to identify winning products, create branded creatives, and automate fulfillment with vetted suppliers. However, success relies on mastering paid traffic strategies like Facebook and TikTok ads, which can be volatile and costly without experience.
• Ecom Success Academy by Adrian Morrison is a Shopify-focused course that teaches store creation, email marketing, and Facebook ad scaling. It’s known for its over-the-shoulder tutorials and focus on data-driven decision-making. Adrian provides advanced modules on upsells, conversion tracking, and automation tools to improve order volume. While it can produce results with enough budget and testing, it still requires high ad spend and ongoing optimization, which means it’s not a true passive-income model.

Final Verdict: Is Success With Sam Worth It?

Success With Sam is worth it if you’re new to e-commerce and want to learn the fundamentals of dropshipping, then yes. You’ll gain practical skills that help you launch an online store faster. It’s ideal for beginners who want structured, step-by-step guidance on eBay and Shopify dropshipping. The courses are straightforward, beginner-friendly, and backed by Sam’s proven experience in generating over £1.3 million in e-commerce sales.

However, for those looking for scalability or passive income, the constant ad spending, supplier issues, and razor-thin profit margins make it hard to sustain long term.

If you’re seeking a lower-risk, compounding model that doesn’t depend on paid traffic or inventory, local lead generation is far better, you build digital assets once, rank them organically, and collect passive income every month without ad costs or supplier headaches.

Is Local Lead Generation More Feasible in the Long Term Than Dropshipping?

In my experience, local lead generation is more feasible in the long term than dropshipping because it builds sustainable, low-competition local assets that generate recurring income without dependency on inventory, ad costs, or volatile global markets. There are no ad costs eating your revenue, and leads come organically through SEO. You don’t pay for traffic, you own it, much like building your own New York State Thruway where it takes effort upfront, but once it’s paved, you can drive forever without paying. Unlike the constant hunt for the next trendy product in dropshipping, local lead gen involves local services that aren’t fads. They’re needs that never go away. Predictable niches mean predictable paychecks. Plus, you control the website, lead flow, and client relationships (no supplier dependency). Once your site ranks, no one can cut you off. You’re owning traffic pipelines that print leads. It’s a real, sellable asset with zero middlemen risk.

Dropshipping is definitely not a passive income business model. You need to constantly look for winning products and suppliers, and design and run optimized ads. You need to hire and pay a team to automate your business. There’s also the ever-increasing risks of getting banned for dropshipping.

Why Local Lead Generation is My Best Biz Model Pick

Local lead generation is my best business model pick because it offers higher stability, lower overhead, and sustainable recurring income. I’ve been making lead gen sites for over 10 years. My site, Orange County Master ADU Construction 809 East Katella Avenue Orange, California 92867 949-991-6116 https://ocmasteradu.com/, brought in 11 high-value leads worth $39,107 to my client’s business. Since I get a 10% commission for the leads I send their way, I earned $3,910.70 even without constantly checking my site.

With local lead generation, you don’t have to worry about dealing with customers, suppliers, or shipping issues. There are no sellers’ or listing fees. You get to keep the entire income. All you have to do to scale your business is to repeat the process. Learn more about local lead generation for a business that can bring you time and financial freedom.