Mary Kay?

[Denise_DPhiE]

For people who like Mary Kay products/Partylite stuff etc, you can usually find what you are looking for on ebay and right about the 50% price point. You don't need to sell it to buy it cheap!

I just bought three discontinued shapes of Clinique blush on ebay for very little (the three with shipping were about the price of 1 at Macy's). I am now good for a year!

Sorry for the slight hijack!

Denise

[summer_gphib]

I've sold Mary Kay for over two years, and definately would tell you to be very very cautious about building "inventory." Your upline, no matter how much you love her, will most likely encourage you to invest in "yourself." This means more money in her pocket.

The company usually creates new packaging for the product ever year, or comes out with some great inventory moving promotion, in new packaging.... and then the consultant is left with a lot of old product! Also they routinely discontinue products, so you are constantly buying new products and samples.

Be aware that when people say they had so much in "sales" that usually means thats how much they bought in inventory.

I am in the process of getting rid of all of my MK stuff, and I don't mean to be negative. Some people are very successful at it, and I wish you the best of luck. I would encourage anyone getting into MK to check out the following site. It's an eye opener, and kind of shows the antithesis of all the MK rhetoric.

Good luck, no matter what you decide.

http://www.thepinkingshears.com

[33girl]

Originally posted by summer_gphib
The company usually creates new packaging for the product ever year, or comes out with some great inventory moving promotion, in new packaging.... and then the consultant is left with a lot of old product! Also they routinely discontinue products, so you are constantly buying new products and samples.

Is this a relatively new development?

I remember that my friends in college who used MK seemed to have the same colors and shades, in the same packaging, that my next door neighbor had back in 1975. (I didn't go to college in 1975. )

[EEKappa]

Originally posted by 33girl
Is this a relatively new development?

Not really. I've been a (very slack) Mary Kay consultant for over 10 years, and they do have a fairly rapid turnover of product offerings. Sometimes it's just the packaging, sometimes it's whole parts of a line (e.g. revamping all the lipsticks at once). I'm still using my favorite lipsticks in pink tubes, which though the color is still available, is now sold in silver grey packaging.

The inventory available on ebay is likely discontinued product, or inventory of consultants who want to liquidate. I'd be wary of buying it, as goodness only knows how it's been stored or handled. Heat and time can do nasty things to cosmetics!

[AXWhoah]

I signed up to be a mark. representative a couple of years ago, it cost me 10 bucks and then I kinda decided not to do it, but I did buy a few things for myself cause they have trendier products for young people and it was so cheap, so it totally made up for the 10 bucks I orginally spent...that's one reason why Avon is a little bit better, they allow you to be as involved as you want to be...this whole "buying inventory" thing sounds a little fishy to me...Anyway, I guess I say proceed with caution maybe you'll make millions but the more likely situation is that you'll end up in the hole a couple hundred dollars...

[wrigley]

True confession: I bombed as a Mary Kay consultant. I did facials, parties, and went to meetings. My credit card at the time took a ding for it.

ASAlady you sold more than I ever did. I thought I was the only one until summer_gphib posted that website. Very interesting indeed.

FWIW I hold the late Mary Kay and her product in high regard. Satin Hands was my favorite. Her autobiography is somewhere on my bookshelf.

I had no problem achieving sales goals when I was in a retail environment. But not everyone can handle this type of sales marketing program.

Definitely pace yourself on buying product.

I'm surprised that people are allowed to ebay MK inventory. When I was involved long ago, you could get into major trouble if you were caught selling it at yard sales, flea markets, etc.

[AchtungBaby80]

I knew one or two girls in my chapter who sold Mary Kay, but I don't think they did it for long, though. I tend to agree with what kddani said about Mary Kay not being "cool" with younger people, because it's really not. I personally think it's nice stuff, but I always associate it with little old ladies. That's probably going to be the biggest issue with younger people who try to sell it, I think.

you too miss princess! i got ur invite, and believe me if I lived near you... i'd go!

i used to wear mary kay in high school, because my aunt sold it, but my basket is still pending on ur other friend's mary kay website...

[Jadey28]

I know everyone had their own opinion and experience, but here's mine...(sorry to those who weren't successful with MK...it can be hard!)

I signed my Mary Kay agreement last November~simply as a way to make extra cash. I work full time with the government and I'm making a pretty decent salary. MK was going to become my play money.

Well, since I joined, I have made about $10,000 extra! (I'm talking last November to this November). I am 25 years old, and I have no problem getting younger, college age women around me. As long as you approach the situation properly and be honest, you can make it work for you. But you have to try. You didn't learn how to read in one day, so why would anyone think they would wake up one day and be an awesome saleswoman? Yes, you have to invest money sometimes to make your business work. But all business owners have to invest when they start up. That's part of owning your own business. If you think smart and plan wisely, then everything will fall into place. Having a strong base of customers definately gets you going in the right direction because they use the product and always need to replace it.

I will agree that Mary Kay usually indicates older women. Times are fastly changing though. My unit is all women from 18 to 34~and we are breaking company records left and right. We're working smart, not hard. It's well worth it if you have some extra time to invest!

PoohsHoneyBee if you need anything, PM me and I will get into contact with you. I have a full inventory and I will ship to your location. Just let me know.

If anyone has any other questions, let me know. I'll try to help you out.

[APhi Sailorgirl]

Originally posted by Jadey28
I work full time with the government and I'm making a pretty decent salary. MK was going to become my play money.

I hope your agency counsel is aware of this. Govt employees can get in a lot of trouble if not first checking about outside employment. I experienced this with a guy who started doing real estate.

sorry about the hijack


I like mary kay satin hands stuff, but i get on ebay, my mom's sales lady is too pushy.

[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by AXWhoah
I signed up to be a mark. representative a couple of years ago, it cost me 10 bucks and then I kinda decided not to do it, but I did buy a few things for myself cause they have trendier products for young people and it was so cheap, so it totally made up for the 10 bucks I orginally spent...that's one reason why Avon is a little bit better, they allow you to be as involved as you want to be...this whole "buying inventory" thing sounds a little fishy to me...Anyway, I guess I say proceed with caution maybe you'll make millions but the more likely situation is that you'll end up in the hole a couple hundred dollars...

I just signed up with mark. I've made a couple sales, but I love how I can be as involved as I want to be. And I don't have to make a huge investment in inventory.

[Jadey28]

Originally posted by APhi Sailorgirl
I hope your agency counsel is aware of this. Govt employees can get in a lot of trouble if not first checking about outside employment. I experienced this with a guy who started doing real estate.

sorry about the hijack


I like mary kay satin hands stuff, but i get on ebay, my mom's sales lady is too pushy.

Thanks for the tip...I was actually a contractor with the government when I signed up for Mary Kay and in July I switched to government. As far as I know, it's all good and I can't get into trouble.

[gpb1874]

sounds crazy. i am a consultant for The Body Shop at Home and it's fun. I don't make much and probably won't be doing it too much longer just b/c i have other things i want to concentrate on. we don't keep inventory. you can keep a few things, but not much. i think there is actually a percentage you can keep, but i don't keep it so i don't worry about. there are sales goals to meet every quarter, but it isn't too much. and we get into major trouble if we sell on ebay, at least if you are an active consultant. not sure about any recourse if your are no longer an official consultant. my upline leader is not pushy and understands that some are in it to make a lot of money and then there are people like me who love the product and needed another thing to do.

i still use some MK products at the ripe old age of almost 30. i love the makeup compact that you can switch out shades whenever. i buy MK from a friend and she buys some The Body Shop stuff from me. it's rather funny.

[texas*princess]

Originally posted by PoohsHoneyBee
you too miss princess! i got ur invite, and believe me if I lived near you... i'd go!

i used to wear mary kay in high school, because my aunt sold it, but my basket is still pending on ur other friend's mary kay website...

Carrie recruited me! hahaha

[texas*princess]

As far as inventory goes, MK consultants do NOT have inventory as a mandatory thing. Any and all inventory decisions are made independently by the consultants based on their needs. If they don't think they will sell $3600 in inventory, it's obviously the right thing to NOT BUY it. Directors will definitely encourage consultants to purchase at least some inventory (2 reasons: they make commission, and it's also good b/c women usually like stuff NOW when they buy it and don't like waiting a couple of weeks for postage, so its good customer service ) but they can never make that decision for the consultants.

One of my sorority sisters used to sell MK and she did not have inventory at all. She didn't host parties or do facials. She just had one of those Look Books and if people wanted to buy stuff, cool!

You do need at least 1 wholesale order of $200 (minimum) every 3 months in order to maintain your discount, but if you use the products yourself, that shouldn't be an issue!

For me, I think it's just going to be one of those fun things I do to maybe make some extra play money. I make a pretty good salary for my age, and I have excellent benefits, so I have no intentions of quitting my job or anything!

I'm really enjoying all the stories so far!