Avon~~NOT ADVERTISING, just a question

[smjmekg]

I know this is the pregnancy forum, but I know most of you ladies and it's the "busiest" forum I know of. I'm trying to make a little extra money at home, and through a website saw something about Avon and am meeting with a lady to talk about it and I ONLY want opinions, I am NOT advertising. So 1)have you ever sold Avon, and would you recommend doing it, and 2)would you or anyone you know buy it (Again NOT advertising, just getting a general idea of if anyone still DOES buy it so I can decide whether or not to try to sell it in my area. YES I know you all don't live around me, but your opinions are what I'm basing part of my decision on.) I've been trying to find reviews on selling it, and I'm not finding any real good ones, which should probably be my red flag right there, BUT I only found two or three...

[Kels123]

A friend of mine use to sell it, which I suppose is where my avon addiction started. I probably buy from them about once a month....I love love love their products. Never had a bad experience yet.

[hkenny]

I sold avon recently and found that all the fees and having to buy the catalogues made it hard to make any money. There were times when I bought books and never made a dime. So I ended up paying for them out of pocket. I have mixed feelings on the products, most of thing things I tried I would not buy over my old products (bodywash, mascara, eye liner,) I did try alot fo different things in hopes of finding something I liked but I honestly never did. :(
there are so many options out there I personally would look for something better......

[angela418]

MK was the company I was referring to in my previous post that I tried my hand at and obviously lost a lot of money with.  The lady that I got under was a director and was already really successful, had the pink car and all, so I thought she'd be more help, but I guess not.  Anyways, for some people it works out great and for others, not so much.  

I feel like for the make up alone, JoyRenee is probably right that MK is higher quality, but Avon has different products, like the gift type things, too, so I'd say it'd be hard to compare the two since they have a different enough inventory.  I think I might have been happier w/ Avon myself - especially since you don't have to pay up front, so you're not automatically scr*wed out of money if it doesn't work out.

Well, best of luck to you in any case.  I hope you can make some extra cash.  I totally understand every dollar counts these days.  I am new to the stay-at-home mom gig and lately since I don't work, I've been using grocery coupons to save money (a new concept for me), since I don't make any money anymore.

[smjmekg]

I actually looked into MK about three years back, but you have to invest a lot of money into it before you can actually sell anything. At the time a start up kit was $500, and I just don't have that kind of money laying around to use to possibly pay myself back, which there was no guarantee, and they have a "quitting fee".

[JoyRenee]

I used to sell it and it was very hard. Most of the time people know about 10 other people who sell some type of beauty product (sometimes, not all the time) so going door-to-door was absolutely fruitless for me, even in a busy suburban area. Trying to get people I know to buy was even hard as well. I prefer Mary Kay over Avon anyway. I haven't sold Avon for 8 years. When I met my husband's mom she was a Mary Kay rep and I ended up buying a lot of makeup and products from her. If you choose a route to go I would go Mary Kay; it's just a better product.

So that is why I voted no. Hope that helps!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I voted no simply because Avon type stuff is just not my thing....but I know people who do and even in my small town people make enuff sellin it to make it worthwhile

[kerriekab]

I like avon products but stopped buying them now. Reason being my sister used to do the Avon so i used to get free delivery rather than having to pay P&P if i bought on the internet. Also the good thing about it was i could see what was in the next month's book so i could see if there were better offers in the next month and then i could wait to order them.

Good luck though.

[smjmekg]

PM me if you want a link to my FB which will have the website, which should be up in a couple days.

[Trinitynjdr]

I have sold lingerie, perfumes, and cutlery but nothing in the angle of Avon.  I didn't enjoy it because of the pressure from the people i signed up under.  There are so many directions you can go with the selling that i would definitely look at what type of selling would interest you.  I have personally worked and experienced so many fields just out of pure curiousity that i know if you have no true interest in what you are selling then it won't work.  If you are looking to make money though it is important that you look at what you could bring in per sales transaction range for different companies.  You may find something that you like more that would be better financially. A good social network is definitely a plus in most of these types of jobs/career choices.

I worked with a lady you had sold Mary Kay for like 15yrs and she was like over a region or district and so she made really good money.  She had to work up to that point but they give her a car every 3-5 yrs i don't remember exactly and i think they pay insurance.  She was working purely because she was bored at home, didn't need the money from the job at all.  She put in the work to make it work for her.

[smjmekg]

Ok, well I decided to try it. I didn't have to pay anything upfront and I got 20 books from the lady. I asked a lot of questions in regards to possibly getting scr#wed over by it. I was up front and honest with her, and I'm not afraid to be kinda snotty about it. I did NOT want to have to put money into something that I was doing 1, for fun, and 2, to have a little extra cash, and by little I mean I know I probably won't make a lot, but in the economy today every dollar counts! I could use it for our Sunday brunches after church, or if it was a bad month, for the tip, lol. Anyways, she said if after six weeks I don't make a sale they automatically deactivate my account, and I'm not charged for "quitting". SO...as of now, I have nothing invested and can only MAKE money from here, if I do good, if not oh well, it was worth a free shot.

[angela418]

I have bought Avon in the past when I knew someone that sold it.  I do like the products.  I can't offer advice on getting in with the company, since I have no experience with that, but it sounds like some other ladies have given you a pretty good idea of what it's like.  I wish you the best! :-)  

P.S. I tried my hand at another beauty supply company for a couple of months and totally failed and was out like $2,000.  I was a horrible salesperson for it b/c as it turns out, makeup products really didn't interest me enough to sell them to other people.  But, I was right out of college and needed something to start making money with while I was looking for a job - obviously that wasn't it for me.  Though there are plenty of people that make a fortune.  I do hope it works out for you.  

[NicMom]

I love to buy it, but.... I sell it and wouldn't suggest signing up. They really nickle and dime you on the fees. There are some weeks where I put in a $400 order and end up making $30 after the fees.

If you want to sell it just to pay for your own products then you'll be really happy! I just wouldn't count on making a real income from it.

[5n1]

I used to buy avon, and I will still sometimes...but, I dont use a local rep or anything!! We actually have an avon store in our mall, and they usually have alot in stock, so there is no wait...

I would call around and make sure they dont have anything like that around you before doing it...

I am sorry I am not trying to sound so negative...I just dont want you to not enjoy a new adventure lol

[DarkRaven]

I used to sell it, but unless you have a big social network or have really good skills to sell to random people it doesn't really work that well.

[vacuumprincess]

I have purchased Avon for about 10 years.  I absolutely love it!  There are some products that aren't worth the money (just like any other beauty brands)  There are also some that are part of my daily routine.

My daughter & I LOVE getting our "goodies" in the mail & looking through the catalog.

I did sell avon about 6 yrs ago myself.  I enjoyed it.  didn't make a whole lot, but I was able to support my own Avon habit ;).  It is only $10 to get started & you don't have to buy anything to start.  I do believe it is what you make it.  I ended up quitting because I moved away.

Good luck.  it will be fun!

[amandamae1126]

I have bought Avon in the past, but haven't recently. My mom buys it often. My sister used to buy it often too. When deciding to do this or not, take in the pros and cons. And don't let anyone pressure you. I sell jewelry and it was a tough decision to make. I didn't want to deal with holding any type of stock - the jewelry is delivered directly to the customer. And I didn't want to meet outragous goals (I have to have one party every 3 months for one year - after that, no commitment). I did my research (like you are) and decided it would be good for me. I only had to invest $150 for personal items that I get to keep. The cost of replacement items (books, order forms, ect.) are minimal and worth the hassle. I only rely on it as a partial income (just for fun stuff) and never try to force anyone to get anything or to host a party.

I hope you are able to weigh the pros and cons and come to a good conclusion! Good luck!