Is Selling Avon Worth It?
“Avon Calling!”
I was growing up in the ’80s, and from what I remember, Avon was big. One or more of my mum’s friends must have been into Avon (“Avon Ladies”) because I remember sometimes seeing the brochures and thinking how beautiful the products were. It was always so exciting to leaf through the booklet and imagine being able to have some products. I remember once I was able to get a delightful little pot of perfumed cream that I would dab on my wrist. I still remember the smell, and to me it was beautiful. I kept that little pot for years because I didn’t want to finish it! It was so special.
Then I guess over the years I forgot about Avon, and it wasn’t until a few years ago that I was learning about ways to make money from home that I wondered if Avon was still around. I can tell you that it is!! But is Avon what it used to be? It is still a lucrative business for people to set up from home? Can you make money selling Avon?
In this Avon review we’ll find out if Avon is worth your time and effort. We will answer the question ‘is Avon a scam or legit’?
Avon is a multi level marketing (MLM) company.
In most MLMs, there are two main ways you can earn money:
- By selling a product that is not sold in retail stores. In order to obtain the product you must order through a consultant, or on a consultant’s website, and
- By receiving commissions from the sales of your downline (i.e. people you recruit into your network)
What this means is you need to able to sell products to people. If you genuinely want to be successful in a MLM company, you want to be recruiting new distributors who are also selling a lot of products. In the latter scenario, as well as selling products, you need to be able to sell the ‘lifestyle opportunity’ as well.
Let’s take a look at Avon.
Some basic information about Avon:
- Website: https://www.avon.com
- In operation since: 1886 (yes, you read that right – Avon has been around for over 130 years!)
- Price to join: $30
- Recommended: Yes, but only if you like MLMs and direct selling
My Avon review will take you through the following sections:
- What is Avon and how does Avon work?
- How do you get paid with Avon?
- Is selling Avon worth it?
- My recommended way of making money from home
What is Avon and how does Avon Work?
Avon is a direct sales company in beauty, personal care and household products. In 2018, Avon brought in $5.7 billion dollars globally. I had no idea it was so big. In fact, in terms of MLM companies, the only company larger is Amway. Avon represents the fifth largest beauty company worldwide. So they are right up there with the massive cosmetics companies that are stocked on the shelves of every major department store across the globe. That’s incredibly impressive given that Avon products aren’t sold in retail stores. Avon are clearly doing something right!
Avon has a global network of close to 6 million representatives.
Avon’s mission is “To celebrate women’s power to make a beautiful and positive impact in the world.”
Their product line covers:
- Makeup
- Skincare
- Bath and body
- Fragrance
- Jewellery
- Wellness
- Men’s products
It costs $30 to sign up to become an Avon Representative and start selling immediately. For your $30, you can get a free gift valued at $80 which includes some best-selling products for you to try. You also get 40% off your first order.
You also get tools and support in your own free online store your customers can shop 24/7and a free mobile app. There are some free marketing tools, training, and free social media content for you to share, access to an Avon Representative website with information to help you manage your business, access to discounted products, and an Avon Care Centre that provides customer and rep support.
The products are reasonably priced too, so they are an achievable brand for many.
The Avon Compensation Plan
Avon compensates its representatives by paying a commission on sales. The commission rates paid by Avon will depend on the representative’s level within Avon, and your level will depend on your overall sales in previous periods together with the number of representatives who work under you in your network.
It isn’t obvious from the information on the Avon website exactly how it all works. The most they say on the website is that you can earn up to 40% on sales. I had to do quite a bit of research and then I finally came across am Avon 2018 Compensation Plan chart:
I don’t believe Avon publishes any income disclosure reports for their representatives. I did an exhaustive search and couldn’t uncover anything. This isn’t a great sign for their representatives. Many MLMs publish their representative earnings so I am disappointed not to find this information. Avon do however publish their annual reports. Here is their annual report for 2017.
Doing some very basic math, the revenue for Avon was $5,715,600,000 in the 2017 financial year. They have approximately 6 million representatives, which means that the representatives bring in on average about $950 to Avon. If each representative earns approximately 40% of what they bring in, an Avon representative is averaging about $380 per year. This does not include any costs they would incur as a result of being a representative.
This is a crude calculation in the absence of Avon reporting their figures. I have no doubt that like all MLMs, there are a few at the top who are making significant incomes and will swear to you that everyone can do the same.
Is Selling Avon Worth It? Avon IS Legit, but…
Avon is most certainly a legitimate company with a long history and proven track record.
Avon has A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. This is the highest rating available with the BBB:
MLM is a legitimate business model and Avon is no different. Whilst it isn’t for everyone, you can earn money. It is all about moving as much product as possible for maximum income, and recruiting others to do the same.
However, when the odds are so stacked against you, why would anyone invest so much time and money into a company when they will most likely fail? The reason is that MLM companies will try to convince you that you are the exception, and that failing will be your fault.
That being said, as far as MLMs go, Avon is a tried and trusted brand.
In my view, if you’re going to join an MLM, it may as well be one of the best, and Avon is one of the best.
What you REALLY need to know about MLMs
It’s important to know a few statistics about MLMs.
Jon Taylor PhD, in “The Case For (and Against) Multi-level Marketing” published by the FTC, researched MLMs and his research found:
- In the first year of operation, a minimum of 50% of representatives drop-out.
- After five years of operation, a minimum of 90% of representatives have left the company.
- By year 10, only those at or near the top have not dropped out – approximately 95% of representatives have dropped out by then.
Don’t want to spam your friends and family? Want to create a genuine online business?
If you don’t want to hassle your family and friends with products that they probably don’t need, there is a much better way to start a new career from home.
My preferred way to make money from home is via the affiliate marketing model. The basic premise with affiliate marketing is that you:
- Choose an interest
- Build a website
- Attract visitors to your website
- Earn revenue when they make purchases from your site (via affiliate links).
Once you have built your own niche website and learnt how to attract visitors (using free methods), you can repeat this with as many of your own websites as you like. Think of the potential right there!
The platform I use is perfect for anyone who wants to find a way to earn money online. You don’t need experience, and you don’t need to be technical.
You will be taught everything you need to know, including setting up a website. In fact, you can set up your own website in only a few minutes.
One of the best things about it – you don’t need to sell anything to your friends and family!
Build your own website that is uniquely yours that will grow with you. The sky is the limit! To learn how, just click here:
Have you had any experience with Avon or with other MLMs? What did you think?
If you have any comments or questions please leave them below, and I’m always happy to help you out.
People going into programmes like this one is not unpopular. I have a couple of friends who do mlm bit most of them do not really make so much money in it. I think it is always better to know what works for you. For me, its a no no. I make use of some of the products from Avon in the past though and I acam say they have some top class products. Very good review here. Regards
Hi Henderson,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. Your friends would be in the same boat as the majority of people that join MLMs. Only a small minority do really well with MLMs.
Wishing you all the best.
Cheers
Melissa
Well! For a start, this seems to be a very good business opportunity that I think anyone with good sales skills could make a great income through. I like the legitimacy of Avon since they have been around for as long as 1886. That is really massive and we don’t often see mlm businesses surviving this long. Hence, this is great. However, the fact that it is an mlm business alone has made it not too good for me besides, I am not too great at selling. So, I wouldn’t want to run into losses just like the ones I joined in the past. Thanks
Hi Shelley,
I think it takes a certain personality to thrive in a MLM environment. You’ve got to be great at selling and recruiting, and that model just isn’t for everybody. I know it isn’t for me, but I also know that for the right person, they can make a very lucrative income from MLM.
All the best.
Cheers
Melissa
I’ve actually had about two experiences with these MLM companies and I must be sincere with you, it wasn’t a pleasant one at all. I can’t enrol for any MLM business again because I just don’t like the way they operate and it’s a partial business to deal with. Avon might have been of great impact in years back, might be very lucrative but I’m very sure it won’t be so different form other MLMs around nowadays and if at all it is, I’m sure it won’t make as much as it used to do. This is my opinion about it, I’ve enjoyed reading through this article.
Hi DreaJay,
You’re not alone in your experiences! Whilst some people can really thrive in a MLM environment, there are many more who don’t. The business model certainly doesn’t appeal to many people – you either love it or you don’t! Personally, the model is not for me. However, for those who love the MLM environment they can make a great living. It all comes down to preference and to a large degree, personality in my view.
All the best to you.
Cheers
Melissa
Going by all I have read here concerning Avon, I can only say that they are more than capable of paying out and as such, making money with them is very possible but then, it comes at a price of having great selling skills in network marketing. To be honest, I really found this interesting and I will share this to my friends to try this out. Atleast, I know of three among them that can thrive well with selling such quality products as this. Thanks
Hi Shelley,
Glad you liked my post, and thanks for sharing 🙂
Cheers
Melissa
Honestly I am not really a fan of selling stuffs or even recruiting members into a business because I don’t really have the skill to talk people into doing business. From selling Avon, if I’m am to view it from a different angle, I feel its really nice and a simple means to make some money because there would always be people out there who are in need of these product and by that, you have a minimal talking to do while selling and the membership fee is pocket friendly. Cheers.
Hi Benson,
Avon certainly do have a lovely range of products to sell and a strong brand so the ‘selling’ component may not be a strong as what would be required in other MLMs. However, like all MLMs, it is still heavily reliant on your ability to sell if you want to make any real money, in my view.
All the best
Cheers
Melissa
Thank you for this review on if you can make money selling Avon. I remember back in the 1980’s just after getting out of high school my sister got me into Amway, another MLM company like Avon. What I learned about MLMs from that experience showed me that unlike a lot of MLM companies of today, there are several that are legit and have withstood the test of time. Avon is one of them if not the best and longest lasting. I am going to share this post with my sister.
She is thinking of getting into an MLM for cosmetics but she isn’t sure whether it should be Avon or some other kind. I told her it should be Avon because they have a LONG and successful track record. I didn’t realize they started in 1886. WOW! But I told her that she would have to be good at convincing others to buy and to sign up others to do the same. Personally I think an affiliate marketing website in the cosmetics niche would be easier, but the decision has to be hers.
Hi Robert,
I think as far as MLMs go, Avon would be one of the better ones. But like you I think an affiliate marketing websites is cosmetics would be a smarter way to go.
All the best
Melissa