Advice from writers who actually wore resale and dropshipping — what it looks like, how it fits, and how it holds up day to day.
9 articles
Money
A paperback about the Maui fires appeared while the disaster was still unfolding. Print-on-demand makes that speed cheap, and retailer search rewards being early more reliably than being useful.
Ada Lindqvist · September 6, 2026 · 8 min
Money
The viral pallet flip has two businesses inside it. Merchandise absorbs freight, damage and disposal while the reveal earns attention, ad revenue and sometimes a sponsor.
Jonah Reyes · 7 min read
Money
A livestream return unwinds more than a sale. The creator loses commission, the seller inherits the expensive parts, and the platform’s checkout promise survives intact.
Theo Marchetti · 7 min read
Money
A click on an Etsy-funded external ad can attach a fee to a seller’s later order, even when the shopper buys another listing. The attribution window lasts 30 days.
Theo Marchetti · 7 min read
Money
Etsy may claim an ad fee when a buyer clicks one listing, returns later and buys another. On a small order, that surprise acquisition cost lands on top of the usual marketplace fees.
Theo Marchetti · 7 min read
Money
The refund button hides a chain of reversed commissions, retained costs and downgraded inventory. The shopper gets made whole because everyone below the platform absorbs a piece.
Jonah Reyes · 8 min read
Feeds
TikTok Shop search folds paid placements, commission-backed videos and seller ratings into one stream. Here is a repeatable way to separate product evidence from sales machinery.
Priya Nandakumar · 8 min read
Money
A reverse-image search can expose when a boutique dress, its product photos and even its fabric copy came from the same wholesale page. The markup buys advertising, not necessarily better clothes.
Theo Marchetti · 8 min read
Money
A label photo gives platforms searchable proof of brand, model and supposed scarcity. Fabric condition is harder to index, which is precisely where buyers get burned.
Jonah Reyes · 8 min read
Other impacts
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