What's a realistic outlook on the upside of getting into dropshipping/ecom?
I'm fairly new to the concept of dropshipping, and have not yet launched my first attempt. I do plan to do so once I've done sufficient research, if for nothing else than to at least expose myself to the process and develop my personal understanding/skillset. But I want to know if I am working toward something that is still potentially sustainable and lucrative.
I have read through every one of u/Mindshaped's posts, as well as watched through a number of videos from various gurus and smaller creators to try to understand different methodologies and perspectives, whether grounded and well-meaning or clearly scammy. The extreme gaps in the pictures being painted by the gurus and scammers, the actual posters, and the realists/pessimists have left me pretty uncertain as to the actual upside of dropshipping/ecom as a path to pursue.
I believe I am well-situated in understanding that dropshipping in the current year is an extremely competitive endeavor that involves a ton of time, research, trial-and-error, business acumen, and failure, in order to chase fairly slim margins within narrow windows. But at the end of that chase, is there still a worthwhile payoff?
I would love to hear from anyone experienced and actively dropshipping. How much are you actually making? Or how little? How much time do you spend on it per day, per week? After the initial pain and grind and learning, can dropshipping still level out to a point where it provides strong semi-passive income? Or is this a full-time job that ultimately leads to no more financial freedom than working toward a salaried job?