re: My 15-year-old kid wants to start dropshipping

There’s no margin in dropshipping. It’s good tool to see what sells so you can determine what inventory to invest in but you’ll make no money with it.

No sure about the other but it sounds dubious.

I admire your sons entrepreneurial spirit though.

I know this won’t be seen by many people on the 3rd page but OP this is for you.

He’s watching a lot of YouTube and these guys that say money can be made hand over fist by dropshipping. Can it be done? Yes. Is it difficult and a lot more to it? Yes.

Let him try and see if it works. You never know. I’ve had tons of business ideas that fell on their face the first few months so I scratched it out and went to the next. Encourage his entrepreneurial mindset. But don’t let him raise money from strangers before having goods shipped to them.

Basically my jobs before 16 was reffing youth sports and mowing lawns and I purchased my own vehicle when I was 16.

First, congrats on having a 15 year old that is showing some entrepreneurial business initiative, and thinking beyond a 15 year old. Second, do not squash his confidence and initiative by dismissing it. Use this to further his education of business by making him provide the research and outlining the positive and negative of his plan. Pay him to do the research if you can.

As for drop shipping, this is basically what most online shopping sites are these days. The person selling the merchandise is not the manufacturer or keep an inventory, they just sell the merchandise using their marketing skills and business sense. The perils are dealing with returns and credit card charge backs.
The other peril is that the sites he sells through will make it easy and take care of the transaction headaches, but the seller has little control over returns, charge backs, and cost of return goods.

If he has thought of all the negative and has a good plan for it, let him try it out small and see where it goes.

quote:

---

My son has been trying to come up with ways to make money since getting a "real" job

---

He should manage some ATMs. I hear there's big money in them.

quote:

---

He’ll be running drugs by 17.

---

I figured that is what he was talking about dropshipping.

quote:

---

i dunno anything about dropshipping but i love all the non business people saying...why cant he cut grass or work a donut shop....jesus some people desire more, even at a young age.

---

Appreciate the fact that there are some of you who get that there are other, less traditional avenues. We don't live in a neighborhood or where there's anything within biking distance (nor would I let him just bike off down the road to work every day with the way asshats drive). Some of these folks could come try and mow my or any of my closest neighbors' grass with a push mower. They'd take a look and quit on the spot. It isn't feasible for everybody.

Become a stool donor, for FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplants) or research

sell poop to human microbes.org

quote:

---

He’ll be running drugs by 17.

---

no, sounds like he will be doing it by 15

quote:

---

No one knows or wants to do shite anymore. You can charge someone $200 to change a freaking door knob.

---

The truth of this is stunning. I fix stuff for my friends all the time and their women look at me like I am a tucking Wizard because I know how a screwdriver works and I can repair a toilet. My buddy is a master operator in a skid steer. He wants to retire but can't because people keep throwing money at him he can't refuse. Every time he tries to quit his boss just gives him a raise. It's almost sad.