‘My Amazon Empire’ collapses into liquidation after clients allege unpaid refunds and poor delivery of dropshipping courses

Emma Cunningham’s online coaching business, My Amazon Empire, has been placed into liquidation after multiple former clients told investigators they were left without promised refunds and support after paying thousands for dropshipping training.

The collapse of the business was confirmed in filings seen by media on September 9 that show the company entered liquidation after its financial risk profile deteriorated earlier in the year. Former customers and a former employee contacted for this investigation said communication with Cunningham slowed from April and that promised refunds and services were not delivered.

Cunningham, who previously told a national newspaper she had achieved rapid e‑commerce success and moved to Dubai, launched My Amazon Empire in early 2022 to coach paying clients in a dropshipping business model. The courses and one‑to‑one services advertised shortcuts to building Amazon and Shopify stores and, in some cases, carried verbal or written assurances of a money‑back guarantee if students did not reach specified turnover targets.

Clients who spoke to reporters said they paid between several thousand dollars and, in a small number of cases, tens of thousands for courses or bespoke store‑setups and later encountered delays, limited support and, ultimately, an inability to recover money. One complainant says they paid up to $70,000 in total for coaching and services and lost the funds. Others described paying amounts ranging from $2,500 per month for three months to single payments of $7,500. Several said they were told the business began to falter in April.

One couple who paid a $15,000 start‑up fee said Cunningham’s team agreed to set up and launch a store and train them on how to run it, but the website never went live and the couple said communication ceased after a final April call. “We never heard from Emma again,” one of the clients said, according to reporting. Several other students described being removed from group chat channels, losing access to course content and being told refunds had been issued when no funds arrived.

Legal action has already occurred in at least one case. A former client told reporters he paid $60,000 and reached a settlement at an initial hearing, which Cunningham failed to satisfy within the agreed timeframe. When the claimant returned to court to enforce the settlement, Cunningham did not appear and a summary judgment was entered in the claimant’s favour.

Public company‑registry records cited in reporting show that until April the business’s default risk was assessed as "acceptable," but the status moved to "impaired" from May and the company was recorded as in default by September 10. A former employee said she was owed more than $11,000 for work performed between January and May 2025; Cunningham told reporters at the time that outstanding pay and refunds would be resolved once client refunds were settled.

Cunningham’s social media presence and website have since been removed. Her Instagram account was deleted and the My Amazon Empire website appears to be offline. In earlier profiles, Cunningham had told media she made several million dollars in a short period and planned further rapid growth, statements that helped raise her public profile and attract students to her paid programs.

Several clients recounted course content that primarily comprised video tutorials on dropshipping mechanics, Shopify setup guides, product selection spreadsheets and paid‑advertising instruction. Several students said their stores never achieved the sales targets that Cunningham had cited as grounds for her money‑back guarantee — typically phrased as a specified turnover target — and that refunds promised in writing or online were delayed or not received.

Some students reported protracted, sometimes successful, efforts to reclaim money. One student said she recovered roughly 84 percent of fees after opening a formal dispute and compiling detailed records of transactions and communications. Others said follow‑ups resulted in promises that refunds were issued on specific dates but no receipts or bank transfers were ever produced.

Financial advisers and consumer advocates warn that online courses and coaching promise quick returns but carry risks for purchasers who do not verify claims or understand ongoing costs. Helen Baker, a Brisbane‑based financial adviser, told reporters consumers should clarify the purpose of a course, research the person or company offering it, understand all ongoing costs and read contract terms carefully. She recommended paying by credit card where possible to provide an additional layer of dispute remediation.

Dropshipping — where a seller lists products online and a third party ships items directly to customers — has been popularized as a low‑inventory route into e‑commerce but often requires more capital, marketing spend and operational work than promotional materials suggest. Industry experts note that guaranteed outcomes are rare in retail, and refunds and accountability can be difficult when businesses scale quickly or relocate.

Cunningham was contacted for comment regarding the liquidation and the outstanding complaints. The company liquidation and the summary judgment entered in at least one court case indicate unresolved financial liabilities to clients and suppliers. The extent to which liquidators will be able to recover funds for creditors, including students and former employees, has not been reported.

The developments follow an earlier profile that highlighted Cunningham’s rapid rise and aggressive growth projections, and a string of client complaints about communication breakdowns, delayed refunds and unmet promises that emerged in reporting this year. As the business moves into liquidation, affected customers and employees face the prospect of pursuing claims through insolvency administrators or the courts to seek recompense.