started working now we are left with nothing

mummy232

no not really ive only got my nan who couldnt afford to help us out

angelsmomma

I really feel for you. You have been given really bad advice. In my opinion no one can start doing avon and straight away earn enough to live on. Your first two campaigns are non profit as there are admin fees to pay of £7 50 each time. that might not sound much but when you factor in the bags you have to buy to put your orders in at around £1. Then you have to start buying the brochures as well at a minimum of £4 86 for 15 brochures which won't be anywhere near enough to get orders in from. This comes out of your orders so for example sell £200 worth of avon = you make £50 minus costs above = your profit = £42 50 for a months work. It will be difficult in the beggining to make even £200 of sales especially at this time of year.

Edit. the adviser who signed you up gets paid for signing you. It is not in her interest to tell you the downside. They have targets to meet so will say anything imo.

mummy232

maybe it was a stupid idea to do avon i was going to do selling on ebay aswell but that also comes with fees and paying for stuff before i make a profit....the lady i spoke to at the job centre made it sound so easy and i thought i would be ok for the first few week with self employment credit coming in and working tax credit but was never told i would have to make my children go without for weeks till claims come though or theres no way i would of signed the form.
now if i make a claim for income support again its going to take weeks to sort out

DaisyFlower

Can the father not help out?

Whilst the benefit office can advise what benefits you would get, they would not know the income from Avon and Ebay so its not really their fault it didnt take off.

Perhaps you need a job with an employer and build up your SE business on the side and when you are actually making enough to live on you can give up the other job.

angelsmomma

I don't think it was stupid. You took advice from someone who's job it is to get people off benefits. She obviously did not know what she was talking about. I don't know much about benefits to be honest but surely they can't leave you without any income at all.

mummy232

if the claims came though like she said they would we would be ok because the self employment credit is ment to help you start up

mummy232

i dont have contact with my childrens father ive not seen or heard off him in over a year

vicki_b

I'm sorry to be so harsh and i really hope heads roll at the benefits agency but i think they have stitched you up...my friend was in a similar situation when she was working as a consultant for Slimming World, they kept passing her from pillar to post etc as they couldn't decide if she was self employed etc....anyway HOW are you supposed to know what your hours are going to be/how much your earning when you've not even started?

whereabouts in the u.k do you live?
hopefully someone will be along that lives near you(if i don't)that can help you out more!

Sambucus_Nigra

mummy232 wrote: »

i dont have contact with my childrens father ive not seen or heard off him in over a year

Have you instigated CSA? It sounds like you are getting a little bad advice from all angles. What happens if Avon and ebay don't make you enough to pay the rent?

mummy232

i was told i could claim housing benefit i put a claim in and explained i was starting up and wouldnt be earning much if anything i'm just waiting on them getting back to me but they did ask for a tax credit award which i dont have....its all such a mess now and i dont know what to do