Chihab, 18At a glance
Who
Chihab. The Real World’s caption gives the age as 18 and shows a French flag; Chihab doesn’t state an age or a country in the video.
Starting point
“I dropped out of high school, of college” (0:00), then “I was trying to find ways to make money online” (0:08).
Campus
Ecommerce. Chihab: “I came across dropshipping and e-commerce. So I decided to give it a shot” (0:11).
Timeline
Joined “a few months ago” (0:00); the figure is for “about five weeks” (0:25). The video gives no dates; it was on The Real World’s home page by 8 June 2023.
Result (video)
“So I made around 22,000 euros in about five weeks” (0:25). In euros; sales or profit not said in the video.
Result (caption)
The Real World’s caption: “New revenue: $4k/month”, and “Within 5 weeks” Chihab “generated €22,000 in revenue (€4,500 profit) through Ecommerce” (quoted without the pronoun).
The caption and Chihab agree on 22,000 euros in five weeks. The caption adds that it was revenue and that the profit was €4,500; Chihab doesn’t give a profit figure in the video. The caption’s headline, “$4k/month”, isn’t in the video either. The caption also says Chihab “dropped out of University” and quit a “part time job”; Chihab says “high school, of college” and doesn’t mention a job. The figures are Chihab’s and The Real World’s own; this site hasn’t seen the store’s accounts.
What Chihab said
7 lines from the interview, copied exactly, each with what it means in plain English. The times are where they fall in the video.
“I have decided to join The Real World a few months ago, after I dropped out of high school, of college.”
What it means: Where it started: out of education, before any income.
“I was trying to find ways to make money online. I came across dropshipping and e-commerce.”
What it means: Chihab came for dropshipping, the model the campus’s first course is named for.
“So I made around 22,000 euros in about five weeks.”
What it means: In euros. The caption says this was revenue, with €4,500 profit.
“there’s everything you need in there, like from the setting up the store, getting your ads done, running your ads, scaling”
What it means: What Chihab says the course covers, in order.
“it’s explained in a concise, clear way”
What it means: What Chihab rates in the lessons: short and direct.
“when people ask you questions, you respond, you also learn from them a lot of things.”
What it means: The community works both ways: answering others teaches you too.
“the value of the course is definitely not 50. Like, it’s way more”
What it means: Chihab’s view at the 2023 price of $50, after buying other courses first. Today it is $99 a month.
What Chihab did, step by step
Chihab left education
“after I dropped out of high school, of college”.
In the video at 0:00
Chihab looked for ways to make money online
“I came across dropshipping and e-commerce. So I decided to give it a shot.”
In the video at 0:08
Chihab took the Ecommerce course
“from the setting up the store, getting your ads done, running your ads, scaling”: “everything you need in order to create your own successful business in e-commerce”.
In the video at 0:50
Chihab learned from the community
“it’s good to be around people who want to succeed”; “when people ask you questions, you respond, you also learn from them”.
In the video at 1:34
Around 22,000 euros in five weeks
“So I made around 22,000 euros in about five weeks.” The caption: €4,500 of it profit.
In the video at 0:25
Full transcript
Read the full interview transcript (2 minutes)
Transcribed on 5 November 2026 from the interview audio with Whisper speech recognition (run locally): a first pass on 25 October, then two more full passes with the medium and small models; punctuation fixed, fillers dropped, nothing added; “[unclear]” marks words the passes don’t agree on (1:17 and 2:12). Elsewhere, where the readings differ, the wording two of the three agree on is used. Speaker labels are ours. The interviewer is from The Real World, not a Tate. The $50 mentioned was the price at the time; today it is $99 a month on the official checkout.
0:00 Chihab: So I have decided to join The Real World a few months ago, after I dropped out of high school, of college. You know, I was trying to find ways to make money online. I came across dropshipping and e-commerce. So I decided to give it a shot, and it worked out pretty good.
0:21 Interviewer: Can you clarify the figures you made, and in what time span?
0:25 Chihab: So I made around 22,000 euros in about five weeks.
0:32 Interviewer: How different is the material that you get in The Real World compared to what's out on the internet?
0:38 Chihab: So, like, the course in The Real World is really, it's like a complete course, you know. Like, there's everything you need in there, like from the setting up the store, getting your ads done, running your ads, scaling. Like, you have everything you need in order to create your own successful business in e-commerce. And it's explained in a concise, clear way, and the professor have done a really good job in making this course. You know, [unclear] straight into the information. It doesn't waste your time. [unclear] straight to the point.
1:29 Interviewer: Did the community have any kind of impact or effect on you?
1:34 Chihab: Yeah, so, I mean, it's good to be around people who want to succeed first. And, you know, when people ask you questions, you respond, you also learn from them a lot of things. So having a big community like this, with people who are hungry for success, want to succeed, definitely helps.
1:57 Interviewer: Considering all the value that is in The Real World, all the lessons, the community, millionaire professors, why do you think they only charge $50 for everything they provide?
2:08 Chihab: I mean, the value of the course is definitely not 50. Like, it's way more, you know. I bought [unclear] courses before this one, and I can tell you this one is like the best one I've had for this amount of money, you know. Like, 50 is not a lot. And if someone is, like, wondering if she should take the course or not, if they want to get in the e-commerce space, you know, we should take it, because the value that you get in there is just impressive.
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E-commerce in context
Chihab’s store is one business in a market that governments measure every quarter. The figures below are the latest official ones on 25 October 2026, with the date each was checked, because they move.
What it is
- E-commerce is selling goods or services where the order is placed online. The US Census Bureau counts sales “where the buyer places an order, or the price and terms of the sale are negotiated over an Internet, mobile device … or other comparable online system. Payment may or may not be made online.”
- Dropshipping is a way of running a store without holding stock: the supplier ships each order after the customer pays. Shopify’s definition: “Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where online stores sell products without keeping them in stock.” The campus’s first course is named for it: “Start Here: Learn how to start dropshipping”.
- Where Chihab fits. Chihab came in through dropshipping (0:11) and describes a course running from “setting up the store” to “running your ads, scaling” (0:50). The campus’s courses follow that order: Start Here (“Learn how to start dropshipping”), Store Setup (“Learn how to build a high-converting Shopify store”) and Paid Traffic (“Learn how to get sales with Meta Ads”). Chihab doesn’t name the products or the platform.
A short history
- 1999: the first official count. The US Census Bureau’s first estimate of retail e-commerce was $5.3 billion for the fourth quarter of 1999, 0.64% of US retail sales (released 2 March 2000).
- 2007 to 2025 in the UK: internet sales went from 3.4% of all retail sales to 27.5% (Office for National Statistics, series J4MC, released 23 October 2026).
- 2026: US e-commerce was 17.1% of retail sales in the second quarter (Census Bureau, 18 August 2026), and 28.3% of UK retail sales were online in September 2026 (ONS).
How much is spent
US online sales, Q2 2026
$340.2 billion (seasonally adjusted), 17.1% of all US retail sales. US Census Bureau, 18 August 2026; checked 25 October 2026.
UK retail sales made online
28.3% in September 2026; 27.5% for 2025 as a whole. ONS series J4MC, 23 October 2026; checked 25 October 2026.
Sales through Shopify
“$1 trillion+” of sales made by businesses on Shopify (Shopify’s own about page, checked 25 October 2026). Its Q2 2026 results reported “more than 30% growth in GMV” (5 August 2026).
What a new store earns
Nobody publishes it. The figures above are market totals, not what one store makes. The only member figures on this page are Chihab’s and the posts below, each one person’s own account.
The Census Bureau’s third-quarter figure is due on 19 November 2026 and the next ONS release on 20 November 2026.
What The Real World offers for e-commerce
What the Ecommerce campus looks like from a member’s account, how a new member starts, and what the support is like. The Ecommerce campus page covers what it teaches, and the Ecommerce campus review covers the costs and what can go wrong.
How you get started
Join and pick the Ecommerce campus
One membership covers every campus: $99 a month or $996 a year on the official checkout. Inside the app you choose a campus; the Ecommerce card reads “Learn how to start and scale an ecommerce business”.
Read #start-here
The first channel you see. Prof. Shuayb’s pinned post: “Start going through the courses by clicking below. More channels will open once you complete the COURSES.”
Work through the Learning Center in order
Six courses: Start Here (“Learn how to start dropshipping”), Branding (“Learn how to find winning products to sell”), Store Setup (“Learn how to build a high-converting Shopify store”), Paid Traffic (“Learn how to get sales with Meta Ads”), Artificial Intelligence Masterclass and Knowledge Hub. The later courses stay locked until the earlier ones are done.
Unlock more chats as you go
The roadmap in #start-here shows three stages, Introduction complete, Branding complete and Paid traffic complete, each opening more channels: “Complete courses to unlock more chats”.
Give it a shot
Chihab came across dropshipping while “trying to find ways to make money online” and “decided to give it a shot” (0:11). Chihab’s five weeks were the result The Real World chose to publish, not a typical one; the member behind this site found the first product rarely works.
What support is like
- Chats. From day one you see #start-here, #new-student-chat, #wins and #GM-daily; more open as you complete courses. Chihab: “when people ask you questions, you respond, you also learn from them a lot of things” (1:40). That is Chihab’s account. The Real World publishes no response-time promise.
- Professor. Inside the app the Ecommerce campus is run by “Prof. Shuayb”, whose pinned post opens #start-here; the public campus page names no professor. Chihab doesn’t name the professor, but says “the professor have done a really good job in making this course” (1:12).
- #wins channel. Members post their results there, and every post has to include a screenshot. The five posts below come from it.
- No guarantee. The Real World’s Terms of Use say it doesn’t guarantee any financial outcome. Every campus starts from the fundamentals and assumes no prior knowledge.
Real wins and reviews
Posts from the Ecommerce campus’s #wins channel, captured on 25 October 2026 from the owner’s own member account. Each is that member’s own post with its date; names and avatars are blurred. Tap any screenshot to see it full size. They are individual results, not typical ones, and not a promise: The Real World doesn’t publish average member earnings.
The next screenshot is so far today. The bounce back happened and I didn’t have to mess with anything. Sometimes less is more…
What members said on Trustpilot
Trustpilot has since removed The Real World’s profiles. These excerpts come from archived copies of those pages, read on 25 October 2026, with the reviewer’s first name, country and date as shown; “Invited” is Trustpilot’s label for reviews that came through a business link. The jointherealworld.com.de profile was not run by The Real World; reviewers used it anyway. They are other people’s words, not this site’s findings.
“The biggest thing for me, besides the lessons and the professors, is the community. You have a problem, ask a question in chat, fixed in 5 minutes.”
“after a month, I informed them that their services were not suitable for me. Despite my clear communication, they attempted to withdraw a significant amount of money from my credit card for an additional two months.”
The Real World replied: “turn off auto-renew before your next billing date.”
“Most the informaton you could find for free online in other places but you'll spend more time trying to find a simple step by step guide then using this platform.”
“Despite paying $49 per month (around $300 total), I didn't make any money or gain valuable insights. Much of the content was outdated and U.S.-focused”
“the campuses are also perfect if you are completely new to these methods of wealth creation but it'll take you some time before you see results.”
“The courses themselves are okay, but they're difficult to apply, and getting real clients is even harder. Overall, I don't think this works.”
For the record, the scores on 27 February 2025: the profile at trwstudent.com showed 2.9 from 23 reviews, and therealworldeducation.com showed 4.4 from 82, most of them invited through a business link over two days. Both profiles have since been removed.
Is this path for you?
It may suit you if
- You want one course that runs in order, from setting up a store to running and scaling ads, as Chihab describes it.
- You like lessons “explained in a concise, clear way”, as Chihab puts it.
- You learn by helping others: Chihab learned from answering other members’ questions.
- You have a small budget for a store and ads. The Real World groups Ecommerce with “a small budget and an interest in products”.
- You are patient and willing to test more than one product. The member behind this site found the first product rarely works.
It may not suit you if
- You have no budget at all. Hosting and ads cost money before any sales arrive; for no budget, The Real World points to Client Acquisition, Strategic Marketing or AI Automation instead.
- You want quick results. Testing products takes time, and one of the #wins posts above lost $450 on ads before its first orders.
- You read 22,000 euros as take-home pay. The Real World’s caption says the profit was €4,500.
- You need a guaranteed return. The Real World’s Terms of Use say it doesn’t guarantee any financial outcome, and Chihab’s figures are Chihab’s own.
Chihab’s numbers are one student’s account, given in an interview The Real World chose to publish. For the campus itself, read the Ecommerce campus review, written by a member who built a Shopify store with it.
What happens after you join
The member behind this site went through these steps himself. This is his own account, from 25 October 2026.
Choose a plan on the official checkout
You go to the official checkout and choose a plan. Only Conquer ($99 a month, or yearly at 17% off) can be bought now: Vanguard ($499 a month) shows “Sold Out” on the checkout (checked 25 October 2026).
Get the sign-in email
After you pay, you get an email with a link to sign in.
Set your password and log in
On the sign-in page you click “Forgot password”, which emails you a link to set your password. Then you log in.
Choose the Ecommerce campus
You choose your campus: Ecommerce, the one this page is about. Every campus is included.
Start the courses
You start the courses: watch the lessons and take notes. Finishing lessons unlocks the next sections and chats.
The choice is yours
Includes the Ecommerce campus and every other campus.
Take action
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Sources
- The Real World: Chihab’s student interview video (Cloudflare Stream) — transcribed November 5, 2026
- jointherealworld.com home page with the interview and its caption (Wayback Machine, June 8, 2023) — checked November 5, 2026
- Inside The Real World app: the Ecommerce campus Learning Center, #start-here and #wins channel (screenshots from the owner’s member account) — captured October 25, 2026
- The Real World: Ecommerce campus page — checked September 12, 2026
- The Real World Terms of Use (no guaranteed outcome) — checked September 14, 2026
- US Census Bureau: Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026 (release CB26-133, August 18, 2026) — checked October 25, 2026
- US Census Bureau: Retail E-Commerce Sales for the Fourth Quarter 1999 (release CB00-40, March 2, 2000) — checked October 25, 2026
- Office for National Statistics: Internet sales as a percentage of total retail sales (series J4MC, released October 23, 2026) — checked October 25, 2026
- Shopify: about page (“$1 trillion+” sales made by businesses on Shopify) — checked October 25, 2026
- Shopify: second quarter 2026 financial results (August 5, 2026) — checked October 25, 2026
- Shopify: What is dropshipping (updated November 21, 2025) — checked October 25, 2026
- Trustpilot reviews of trwstudent.com, archived February 27, 2025 (Wayback Machine) — read October 25, 2026
- Trustpilot reviews of therealworldeducation.com, archived February 27, 2025, pages 1 and 2 (Wayback Machine) — read October 25, 2026
- Trustpilot reviews of www.cobratate.com, archived December 28, 2022 (Wayback Machine) — read October 25, 2026
- Trustpilot reviews of jointherealworld.com.de (not run by The Real World), archived February 27, 2026 (Wayback Machine) — read October 25, 2026