Even After 3 Years of Dropshipping, the Unease Never Went Away

If you feel uneasy about dropshipping, you shouldn't take that feeling lightly.

The unease I'm talking about here is not
something simple like
“it's not as profitable as I thought” or
“the work is a hassle.”

It's a more difficult-to-explain, yet hard-to-ignore sense of discomfort.

I didn't just dabble in dropshipping.

I was very careful to keep out-of-stock cancellations to a minimum, and I didn't do my research sloppily.
I was also conscious of differentiation, such as targeting one-of-a-kind used items that many dropshippers don't touch.

From the first year, I was making about 200,000 to 300,000 yen in monthly profit, and eventually, it grew to around 500,000 yen.

So, I'm not saying this out of sour grapes from someone who couldn't get results with dropshipping.

Hearing this far,
you might think,
“What are you talking about? You're doing just fine.”

But even as my monthly profits grew, I never felt like my own skills were building up.

Looking back, what I was doing was just casting a wide net for products that would sell.

My product knowledge increased.
I gained a lot of superficial information about what sells and where the price gaps are.

In fact, even when I looked at the lists circulating in the eBay community claiming “this sells,” I had already seen almost all of those products.

But even so, the unease didn't go away.

My knowledge was increasing.
But I didn't feel like my judgment was developing.

Even if I gained the ability to cast a wide net, I felt little sense of developing the ability to read things deeply.
Even when I made sales, I didn't feel like I was becoming stronger.
Rather than reading the market, I was left with the feeling that I was just processing things on the fly.

This always felt wrong to me.

Another thing I couldn't ignore was the guilt over using stolen images.

I kept telling myself that in dropshipping, it couldn't be done without this.
But deep down, I always felt uneasy about it.

What was especially tough was when a buyer asked,
“Why are there so many sellers using the same photos as you?”
I would make excuses or lie on the spot.

Every time I had an interaction like that, I knew deep down.
This isn't a legitimate business, I thought.

But even so, I couldn't quit.

The reason is simple: there is no inventory risk.

I didn't have to hold inventory.

The financial fear was small.
So even if I felt uneasy, I could just cover it up by saying “well, it can't be helped” and keep going.
It wasn't that I was convinced.

I was just able to keep going.
I don't want to completely deny dropshipping itself.

I think it suits some people.
But if you have a persistent sense of unease, you shouldn't dismiss it as a lack of grit or weakness.

It's possible that the method itself doesn't align with your sensibilities.

In my case, the true nature of the unease was clear.

The lack of a sense of building up real skills.

And the guilt of it as a business.
Even with results, that unease didn't disappear.

If you feel uneasy about dropshipping, you shouldn't ignore that feeling.

It might not just be dissatisfaction, but a sign that there is a different way of fighting that suits you better.