Phoenix Trading - Advice Please

ramk_

Hi all,

Firstly, please accept my apologies if this is not posted in the correct place but I was looking for some advice regarding Phoenix Trading. I'm looking to make a wee bit extra income and like the look of this company and their products. However I am unsure about the £45 initial outlay to get the starter pack - is it worth the money?

Also, from studying the site it appears that you can create your own website within Phoenix Trading - does this incur an additional cost, and is it worth it to boost sales?

Any opinions/advice greatly appreciated. Thank you.

destiny_star2006

As always never pay to start a job they should be paying you why not have a look around the threads in thisforum and find a better job thts free to do

geordie_joe

Had a quick look and you actually buy the cards from them then sell them on. Not sure how much help they give you with this, a web site etc. But I suspect that once your friends and relatives get sick of buying them from you your orders will dry up.

destiny_star2006

defo geordie

ramk_

Thanks for your advice guys! Very good points - will have a good look through the forum.

lou11_2

Hi there,
I like you had been thinking of doing a flexible job to earn some extra money. And in the end i chose Usborne Books. And it is the best thing i ever did i just wish i had done it sooner!!! At the moment it is just 19 pounds to join and you get over 100 pounds worth of kit!! Unlike Phoenix there is no outlay, you just order what you sell. I have now got hundreds of books and have not had to pay for any. It really is a fantastic company and easy too, the books sell themselves!!
I hope this is useful let me know if you want more info, i am allways looking for people to join my team and share in selling a great product.
Lou

megadishu

Due to have to stop full time work due to ME/CFS I started Phoneix about 1 year ago - my sister-in-law has been doing it for a few years.

It was started by a few housewives who were forking out loads of money each week for cards, wrapping paper etc. for kiddies parties.

I have done virtually nothing but have found well worth the initial outlay. You basically get your money totally back as the cards are very high quality and sell very easily as they are only £1 or .90 pence if someone buys ten or more. New cards are brought out several times a year.

Family and friends have bought cards - I just take the samples and cards I have whenever visiting or put them out when family round or just give to friends for a few days. Whoever has bought asks for more - so just give them a brochure and weblink.

I sold alot of cards at a horse point to point - set up a stall for free - people loved them - I just sat there and took the money. As I have been very ill - I have not been able to make much effort - I have left once at a hairdressers and again that was easy money.

The kit is very very complete - I was impressed. Personally now I would not bother to put the sample brochures together - as if you have some cards to sell people can see the quality and can then at leisure browse their brochures or look on the web. There is a variety of kits - would recommend the one that has cards as the dominant bit. Kit has totally everything you need - including pen, glue folders etc. to make up sample books.

Like anything if you want to sell alot then there is effort but to me it has given me some income and has been fun.

I thought worst case I will have some lovely cards to use. Christmas was also a good sales time. Bonus is that I have become very good at sending cards.

Do ask any questions - hope this helps.

geordie_joe

ramk_ wrote: »

Also, from studying the site it appears that you can create your own website within Phoenix Trading - does this incur an additional cost, and is it worth it to boost sales?

I knew I'd forgot to mention something about this, just gone back and checked. Here is an extract from their FAQ

Q: Can I advertise on the internet or in publications?

A: Any advertising or promotion, direct or indirect, must be approved by one of the company directors. Permission to advertise on the internet is always refused. This applies to internet trading sites such as eBay, personal/commercial websites and the use of forums. We have no objection to Traders using forums to air their views on Phoenix, negative or positive and we have no wish of trying to curtail people’s freedom to say what you like about us but we do wish to curb the unauthorised use of the internet to promote our business, product and opportunity. When traders advertise without our authority, there is a real danger that, inadvertently, claims are made about our proposition which misrepresent the offer and do not comply with the statutory notices that someone promoting a direct selling business needs to adhere to. There is also an issue of artist's copyright where images are used without permission.

Seems to contradict them offering you a web site?

ramk_

Thank you all so much for your replies, they are all very useful, thank you for your time.

Lou11 - I had thought about Usborne but I got the impression that they revolved more are parties, and I'm not too keen on that idea. Am I correct in thinking this, is this how they operate? I do love books though so I'm sure I could get really into it. I also had the concern that people can pick up books so easily on amazon etc these days, is there really a good market for this? I'm sure there must be or they wouldn't do it but I'd really like to hear your take on this.

megadishu - I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been keeping well but I'm glad that Phoenix has been working out for you. From what you describe in your post it really is the kind of thing I was looking for. I have sent off for an information pack but if I have any more queries I will definitely get back to you - thank you. Could you maybe clarify something for me though - do you get webspace with the company? As geordie joe says this seems to contradict what is says in their FAQ. Also, is this at an additional cost?

Thank you all again, I really appreciate your help!

lou11_2

ramk_ wrote: »

Lou11 - I had thought about Usborne but I got the impression that they revolved more are parties, and I'm not too keen on that idea. Am I correct in thinking this, is this how they operate? I do love books though so I'm sure I could get really into it. I also had the concern that people can pick up books so easily on amazon etc these days, is there really a good market for this? I'm sure there must be or they wouldn't do it but I'd really like to hear your take on this.

I don't do alot of parties to be honest i tend to go to toddler groups, fairs and try and sell to schools. You can sell any where and anyway you like really what ever suits you. I joined because i love books and there were too many i wanted and from joining i now have loads of books for my daughter and haven't paid for any of them.
People can pick up books from amazon and you do get that sometimes but usborne is about personal selling, so people can view the books before they buy and get advice on what may be a suitable book for the age of the child.
Hope this helps
Lou

ramk_

Thanks very much Lou, that's definitely given me something to think about!