posted
Nothing at all against Avon--in fact they make the best hand cream I've ever used and I really like their anti-dandruff shampoo. However, how does one make money selling their products when you have to buy the products, catalogs, and any samples? Of course, the customer pays for the product(s) eventually, but after buying the other stuff, you'd be lucky if you'd break even. Six years ago, I tried my hand at selling Avon, but I'm no businesswoman (I couldn't sell a starving man a Big Mac!). Considering what I was spending on samples and catalogs, it wasn't worth it and I sure as hell wasn't pulling in any profits. What is this mathematical moron (namely me) missing?
[ 04. February 2006, 08:30 AM: snopes ]
-------------------- Leashes?! We don't need no stinking leashes!! Posts: 4771 | From: The Berkeley of the East Coast: Montgomery County MD | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I'll ask my Mum. She was an Avon lady for several years and seemed to make a (modest) profit on the deal. She always seemed to get at least 2 or 34 sizeable orders (and a few smaller ones) per catalogue though, which probably helped.
Heck, I even made a profit on the deal, as she paid me to deliver the orders when they arrived.
-------------------- "The United States Government: significantly less cruel and sadistic than the Taliban." - Dara Posts: 1289 | From: Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, UK | Registered: Nov 2003
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Avon is supposed to have the lowest profit margin for the representative of all of those companies (not sure what they're called, but you know, Mary Kay, Tupperware, etc). So it's probably not you.
-------------------- Officially Heartless Posts: 3065 | From: The Montgomery County of the West Coast- Berkeley, CA | Registered: Nov 2005
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The only person I ever knew to make money from Avon is a friend who would drop catalogues off in one part of town with a note along the lines of "I'll pop in Wednesday, if you want to try something. If you want to order but won't be home, leave me a note..."
And then she would do the "Ding-dong Avon calling" routine all up and down the block.
Never in my lifetime have I heard of anyone actually doing this, and the novelty factor, plus her super sweet bubbly personality meant lots of little orders, all at once - bigger bucks.
But when she walked, she sloshed
[Tea??]
-------------------- Windows cannot open this file. To open this file correctly, defenestrate, then try running the file again... Posts: 5383 | From: New Zealand | Registered: Jan 2003
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If Mrs. Bubba quit Avon, I would feel like I got a raise.
There's about a 20% commission. However, there's an extreme discount on demo products that the reps are encouraged to buy. These can be resold, but Avon frowns on it. Also, Avon's policy is that they will take anything back. However, the rep has to absorb the costs while the money "floats" between them and Avon. In other words, when your order is placed, you have to pay for the products, and hope your customers will pony up and pay for their orders when they are delivered.
yes, there is money to be made. But you must have a large RELIABLE customer base to offset losses, even temporary, from those who are habitually unreliable.
So stop selling to them... yes, your friends and family, whom you pestered to buy getting you started.... right.
ham "ding dong" bubba
-------------------- Fundamentally Unfundie since 1975 Posts: 7942 | From: Louisiana | Registered: Jun 2000
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My "Avon lady" gets about five or six orders with each campaign. She's also our lunch lady, and sits her catalogs out on the teachers' table in the cafeteria. I don't think she'd get any orders if she weren't allowed to do that.
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