The E-com Cash Burn

I tried to catch the tail end of a trend, thinking it was "easy money." I set up a Shopify store and started running Facebook Ads, despite not understanding CPA, LTV, or supply chains. I spent over $3,000 on ads to sell product I didn't have in hand. The supplier in China was overwhelmed and shipped 6 weeks late. Customers issued chargebacks. PayPal froze my account. I ended up $5,000 in the hole with a garage full of useless plastic toys. It was an expensive MBA in "how actual commerce works." I learned that if barriers to entry are low, competition is brutal.