One of the biggest changes I’ve documented on Steve Flips is structural, not tactical: splitting one eBay store into three.
That decision wasn’t about growth.
It was about friction.
Scale Amplifies Problems
As inventory grows, small issues get louder:
- mixed categories become harder to evaluate
- pricing logic overlaps
- sourcing decisions blur together
- it becomes unclear what deserves attention
Adding more volume doesn’t fix this. It makes it worse.
Structure Creates Clarity
Separating the business into:
- vintage & second-hand clothing
- prints & postcards
- golf clothing & equipment
didn’t immediately increase revenue.
What it did was:
- make decisions easier
- reduce context switching
- clarify sourcing priorities
- turn each store into a discrete asset
That clarity is worth more than scale.
Structure Is Reversible
This isn’t a permanent choice.
If the structure stops making sense, it can change again.
The goal isn’t to “get it right forever” — it’s to reduce friction now.
Closing
Growth gets most of the attention.
Structure does most of the work.
