Is an online course promising to teach me to make thousands per week through dropshipping or affiliate marketing legit?
Most high-priced online courses making specific income promises are questionable at best. The business models they teach are real, but the promised earnings are typically not achievable by the vast majority of students.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Online business education courses are a legal industry, and dropshipping and affiliate marketing are genuine business models that some people do make money from. The problem is with courses that make specific earnings claims — '$5,000 per week in your first month,' 'replace your salary in 30 days' — which are presented as typical rather than exceptional outcomes.
Many courses are priced in the hundreds or thousands of dollars, rely on aspirational lifestyle marketing rather than verified graduate results, and teach information freely available in online resources. The real business model is selling the course rather than the business model described inside it. Some are structured as upsells, where additional 'advanced' content is constantly sold after the initial purchase.
This is not always fraud in the legal sense — the information provided may have some value — but the earnings claims made in marketing are often misleading. Checking for independently verified student results and income disclosure statements is important.
Before purchasing any business education course, look for independent reviews on forums outside the course creator's own community, check whether an income disclosure statement is provided, and consider whether the content is available through lower-cost alternatives.
Common red flags
- Specific high income promises in the marketing material
- Instructor's wealth is demonstrated through lifestyle imagery rather than audited results
- No income disclosure statement showing typical student earnings
- Course is heavily marketed through paid social media ads
- Frequent upsells required to access 'advanced' material after initial purchase
- No refund policy or a very restricted refund window
What to do now
- Search for independent reviews on forums like Reddit before purchasing
- Ask for an income disclosure statement showing typical student outcomes
- Check whether equivalent information is available through free or lower-cost sources
- If the earnings claims were misleading, report to your consumer protection agency
- Request a refund within the refund window if the content did not match claims
- File a chargeback with your card issuer if a refund is refused and claims were false
Frequently asked questions
Are dropshipping and affiliate marketing real ways to earn money?
Yes, they are real business models. However, typical results for most people who try them are modest, and success requires significant time, testing, and ongoing effort — not what most course sales pages suggest.
Is a high price a sign that a course is better?
Not necessarily. Course price reflects marketing investment and perceived value, not content quality or student outcomes. Independent reviews of course content and graduate results are more meaningful.