Joker wrote: You can utilize social media, especially Facebook, and define your demographics (age groups, income levels, and areas close to you). That is a nice feature of Facebook. You can really get down to the nitty gritty when figuring out who to target.

I think a lot of people have successful home party businesses using primarily facebook and other social media

You can utilize social media, especially Facebook, and define your demographics (age groups, income levels, and areas close to you). That is a nice feature of Facebook. You can really get down to the nitty gritty when figuring out who to target.

Being a man, I do not participate in home parties even if they are online. I am a real pushover for a good salesperson so I just never put myself in the fray.

Agreed, seems like a big waste of time to me.

CentsibleSaver wrote:

FrankN wrote:
That is a very good point. I think if I were invited to one of these in person, I would politely decline

Do men get railroaded into these things too? I was under the impression that it only happened to women. I have to say that I get invited to home parties and online pop ups often, but my husband has never been cornered.

That's exactly what it is - railroading! I don't know about men going to actual home parties, but I can see them getting sucked into the online parties when a "host" decides to invite everyone on their friends list regardless of gender or interest.

FrankN wrote:
That is a very good point. I think if I were invited to one of these in person, I would politely decline

Do men get railroaded into these things too? I was under the impression that it only happened to women. I have to say that I get invited to home parties and online pop ups often, but my husband has never been cornered.

FrankN wrote: The one I did was through Skype but it was not a good experience at all. I did not enjoy it.

I don;t know if it is much the same but I've seen a company host an online convention to pitch their goods, using Skype and IM with a website. It really didn't work well because the online system formed a barrier between the users. There wasn't any of the social part or a chance to chat privately to other visitors about it, rather than to the sales rep.

FrugalFran wrote: I think when the party is an actual party in someone's home, the pressure is on to buy something. With the online parties, it's much easier to avoid spending money on the overpriced products. I have never been involved in one of these things, whether online or in person, when the products have been reasonably priced.

That is a very good point. I think if I were invited to one of these in person, I would politely decline

I think when the party is an actual party in someone's home, the pressure is on to buy something. With the online parties, it's much easier to avoid spending money on the overpriced products. I have never been involved in one of these things, whether online or in person, when the products have been reasonably priced.

Going through skype and or Facebook is a whole different animal. I still get messages on fb from people trying to sell me makeup and skin care. They list their original pitch as an event but it is totally online. Not for me. I like the human interaction face to face. Not screen to screen.

FrankN wrote: The one I did was through Skype but it was not a good experience at all. I did not enjoy it.

Doesn't that take the party aspect of it away? I thought the point was to be in a room with other people discussing the goods, with food and drink, to get people to relax and maybe buy something they wouldn't otherwise.

The one I did was through Skype but it was not a good experience at all. I did not enjoy it.

I've never been invited to an online party before. I think it sounds like a great idea and it most likely gets you more people that way. Since some of you have attended parties like this, what do you have to do? Is it interactive through Skype or do you just get to look at the catalog and pick out what you want?

I have been to one of these parties and bought 2 handbags that were just a cute as they could be. Face book would be a good place to advertise your wares for local people. When you deal with ebay and itsy, you also have to deal with shipping. What about putting them in some local boutiques in your area and offer a small commission to the owner?

Surprisingly some people can do very well with this. I have heard of some even making $100K per year.