Avon VS Mary Kay

Does anyone sell either? I was thinking about doing one or the other and wanted to know about the start up fees and cost and process for both! Thanks loves!

Originally Posted by capt_jordi

Does anyone sell either? I was thinking about doing one or the other and wanted to know about the start up fees and cost and process for both! Thanks loves!

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I would avoid both unless you have lots of family that will buy... Mary Kay is far more spend y both to sign up and the products... Avon is 10 $ to start but that is no product or samples , Samples are a great way to sell ... I signed up with Avon but now have a crap load of "special deals " NO ONE wants even at bargain prices, not because the products are no good or me but they have little disposable income and many are just using grocery store stuff ... with Avon every one usually has a family member or best friend who does it

Either is a great second source of income if you are a hair dresser, nail tech or other cosmetic related field with already good clientele ... but in this economy even a friend who is a hair dresser is not moving much of her Mary Kay stuff

Originally Posted by sharky

I would avoid both unless you have lots of family that will buy... Mary Kay is far more spend y both to sign up and the products... Avon is 10 $ to start but that is no product or samples , Samples are a great way to sell ... I signed up with Avon but now have a crap load of "special deals " NO ONE wants even at bargain prices, not because the products are no good or me but they have little disposable income and many are just using grocery store stuff ... with Avon every one usually has a family member or best friend who does it

Either is a great second source of income if you are a hair dresser, nail tech or other cosmetic related field with already good clientele ... but in this economy even a friend who is a hair dresser is not moving much of her Mary Kay stuff

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I work at a doggy day care and we have a lot of people in and out that I could sell to and it would actually be a 3rd income... lol

I didn't know people still sold those things independenty, it seems kind of useless now that you can just buy it online....

Definitely send "meowers" a PM. She's just getting out of selling Mary Kay and can tell you the good and bad about it I daresay.

I used to sell Avon. To be honest there is no money to be made in it. Actually it cost me money every month to sell it.

I think the start up cost was something like $20.00 or $25.00. What you got for that was a couple of catalogs and some order forms and a tote bag.

Catalogs are pricey. The samples are pricey!

And when someone wants to return something, you have to give them the refund, including shipping and handling. Then you pay shipping and handling to send the item back and wait for your credit to be applied to your account. So it costs you money out of your pocket to return anything.

I found that people wanted to see "shades" beyond what they see on a page, because the shades on the page are so much different than the actual shade of the lipstick etc. However, as I said, the samples are very pricey. I also found that many people who used to buy Avon decades ago got used to "free samples" in their bags when they got their order (many years ago the samples were actually given to the sales reps free), and still expect to see some. You can easily spend $3.00 or more giving a few free samples to a customer with their order.

Also, you have to sell so much in order to raise your percentage discount. I think that each year the percentage reverts back to the lowest one and you have to work your way up again through sales. There are so many people selling, and they have "areas/territories" that you can't go and canvas someone else's area. For example, when I started selling I was told that my building already had an Avon Representative (I've never seen one) and that I could not canvas my building. So trying to find an area that isn't represented is pretty difficult.

I had a neighbour order about $50.00 worth of jewelry and then changed her mind once it arrived. I didn't want to pay extra shipping and handling to send it back, so I sent it in the envelope with my next order. Avon claimed that they didn't get the stuff back and refused to send me a refund. So not only was I out the cost of the jewelry but also the jewelry itself.

And then there was the time a customer bounced a cheque on me, which resulted in my cheque to Avon bouncing. I got notification from the bank before Avon even knew. I phoned them to let them know and sent them a replacement cheque immediately.

Despite my having sent a replacement cheque, Avon insisted that the replacement cheque that I sent was not adequate and that I needed to send them a certified cheque. Plus they wanted $15.00 NSF fee, PLUS they refused to ship any further orders to me until I provided them with the certified cheque and $15.00 NSF fee.

I refused. The replacement cheque I sent was completely fine and I saw no reason for me to incur even more expense having to get it certified by the bank. I did tell them that I would send the $15.00 with the next payment on the next order. However, while they did cash my cheque, they never did ship my last order. That was effectively when I quit.

They cashed the cheque I sent them. About a year later, they had a lawyer send me a letter demanding payment of that $15.00 NSF fee or they were going to sue me. I sent the lawyer a return letter with an itemized statement of the expenses (long distance, postage, photocopying, and my time billed at Account's rates of $65.00 per hour at that time because I was working in accounting) that I had incurred dealing with the matter. I closed by demanding that they forward a cheque to me in the amount of something like $175.00 and that I would consider the matter closed. I completely turned the tables on them and never heard from them again.

It was a huge hassle.

I still buy Avon, but I buy from a girl at work. I would never sell it again.

I don't know anything about Mary Kay sales. But I'm assuming it's along the same lines. You really need to dedicate many hours per day selling otherwise you really don't make any money at it.

Oh, one more thing about Avon. You as a representative have to call the same customer service number (not toll free) that everyone else uses. As a result it can mean outrageous long distance charges because there were some times that I was on hold for upwards of 20 minutes before anyone took my call.

I've known people who've done both, and my impression is just as others have said -- not much money to be made, and not much support from the corporation.

At Mary Kay, I'm told you really have to "drink the Kool-Aid" to get along in their culture, which operates a lot like a religion. But Avon is the one that really upsets me: Some years ago (on Sixty Minutes, I believe), it came out that Avon was enrolling people to go out and sell in tiny, poverty-stricken backwater villages, particularly in South America.

They were (and may still be) selling to women so utterly naive that some of them honestly thought this $26 bottle of lotion was going to magically transform them to look like the blonde on the package! Women who had absolutely nothing to begin with were desperately cutting back to try to buy Avon, and the biggest problem was with baby formula: they started mixing it with water instead of milk to save money, and their babies started dying.

That's why I stopped buying Avon, even though four friends of mine were selling it.

Thanks guys. I was just wondering because I want something else that I can do soon. I may be moving a few hours away on very little notice (1 month or so) and while 1 of my jobs will transfer me the other is a small business so there isnt even that option. And even though I am starting to train to become a dog trainer I will have 40 weeks of training to finish (although I can start training dogs before that) and then building up a client base and everything.
So I dont know. I guess I will just keep my eyes out for something that can provide a little extra cash on the side.

I tried selling Avon last year. It just cost too much and I wasn't making much money. Then the economy slowed and everyone stopped buying (and I certainly don't hold that against them, you have to look out for yourself). I also had problems with my orders being correct. When I bought those "special deals" for reps, and they didn't sell, it was a circus and a half trying to return them.

I no longer sell but I do like several products. Anew Rejuvenate Night lotion is amazing! So I order online but give an out of state relative credit for the sale.

Quick and dirty answers:

Mary Kay is much too expensive.

Avon isn't bad.

Having said that - you can get just as good products at a drug store like Shopper's Drug Mart. I've read some consumer reports that have proven none of the expensive products on the market including Clinique, etc. are any better or do anything to slow/prevent aging than the cheaper products. It's all marketing and I think people are catching on.

The very best face cleaner is SpectroJel - I don't know if you can get it in the US. I used to get it for my SIL in Missouri. If you google it you will find that it's recommended by dermatologists for people with acne but it is also a gentle cleaning for anyone.

So bottom line, in this economy I wouldn't recommend putting all the money into getting set up for either of them.

The Doggie Day Care centre you work at might not appreciate you soliciting the customers either. I know in the building where I work solicitation is not allowed so if anyone enters the suites selling anything, they are reported to the building management who then escorts them off the property.

I have never bought anything from Mary Kay but have been buying Avon for years. Out of the approximately 15 reps i have had, only one actually made money from it. She was my sisters best friend Mom who was the “Paris Hilton†of housewives, she knew everybody, and everyone loved her. She is the only one I know of though. Normally I lose my Avon reps after a few months due to them not making money.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Quick and dirty answers:

Mary Kay is much too expensive.

Avon isn't bad.

Having said that - you can get just as good products at a drug store like Shopper's Drug Mart. I've read some consumer reports that have proven none of the expensive products on the market including Clinique, etc. are any better or do anything to slow/prevent aging than the cheaper products. It's all marketing and I think people are catching on.

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That is so true..I only buy drugstore products b/c if you look at the ingredients and compare with the more expensive brands, they are very close to the same, and the active ingredients are always the same..