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Anyone work for Usborne books?

30 replies

naomi83mother · 25/09/2017 19:40

How do you find it? Do you think it's worth it? Or is it lots of hassle chasing orders and postage etc? Is the profit worth it? Could it be classed as a part time job?

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PoppyPopcorn · 26/09/2017 07:35

It could be classed as a job. It could also be classed as a scamtastic multi-level marketing scheme as you're encouraged to "build your team".

Usborne books are lovely. But WHY would any sane person buy them from a rep when you can go to websites like The Book People and get them for 50% of recommended price?

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meditrina · 26/09/2017 07:40

Yes, it's at the respectable end of MLM as there is a worthwhile product, and the price isn't excessive.

But because the books can be bought elsewhere, and sometimes at a heavy discount (from eg The Book People as pp mentioned) you need to be very realistic about how much you will make and how you wil, find potential customers at all.

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SerfTerf · 26/09/2017 07:41

A friend did it during a career break 15 years ago. It was a model that had been overtaken even then. She must have enjoyed it or made enough pin money to justify it all to herself, though, because she kept going past the point when she realised it wouldn't be an "income" as such.

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naomi83mother · 26/09/2017 20:58

Hmm interesting points... i suppose you get out of it what/how much work you put into it. I'm not sure what the commission is or if it's actually more hassle than it's worth. The product is fantastic, but yeah I wonder what would make or lure someone to want to buy books from a rep.

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Orangeteddy · 27/09/2017 07:55

I've been doing Usborne books for the last 2 years & it works well for me. It took a few months to start making much money as I reinvested the commission initially in more stock, business cards, stationery, boxes, insurance etc. But now I earn a decent top up amount from working a few hours a week. The commission is 24% but there are also additional bonuses and free books on top.

I think it depends where you live as to how much you're affected by other book sellers. I'm in a small town surrounded by rural areas & there isn't a Waterstones, WHSmith or The Works. Yes, people could buy online but we offer a much wider range than Amazon or the Book People and customers like the personal service - they can look at the books or I'll make recommendations on my FB page and I can do them special offers. It's about the convenience. I take the books to people - toddler groups, workplaces, fayres etc plus sell online. I think it helps if you have a good network to get you going. It's not for everyone & only a few people will make big earnings but it's a nice little sideline.

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naomi83mother · 28/09/2017 11:21

Wow thanks for that. It actually sounds fab.

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Orangeteddy · 28/09/2017 14:20

Just drop me a message if you want any more info

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naomi83mother · 28/09/2017 17:21

Grrr trying to do but not sure how to send you private message on here...do you know how?

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tomatopuree · 28/09/2017 17:27

I did it. Never made much and found out that tesco and WH Smith are full of the books you sell at a cheaper price than you can do. Monumental waste of time and money

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SerfTerf · 28/09/2017 17:40

naomi are you the app, mobile site or desktop?

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SerfTerf · 28/09/2017 17:43

Well if you're on the app, you can't PM.

On the mobile site you click the three dots at the bottom of someone's post and options including PM appear. Like this.

Anyone work for Usborne books?
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naomi83mother · 28/09/2017 19:52

Ah I'm on the app... that's explains it

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PoppyPopcorn · 28/09/2017 19:58

Message me hun - the classic tactics of the multi level marketer. The OP will get the spiel about the AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, how she will make a packet sitting on her arse doing bugger all, and how it only costs however much to sign up in the first place.

Might be illuminating if Orangeteddy said exactly how much she is making from her "business" and what percentage of the OP's earnings she'd get for adding her to her pyramid team.

OP - LISTEN to Naomi - "monumental waste of time and money".

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Rheged · 28/09/2017 20:03

A friend did this. As with many MLM schemes, she did quite well initially. She had lots of friends who were parents and many bought a book or two from her to support her new venture. However, there is a limit to how many overpriced books friends and family are prepared to buy in the name of being ‘supportive’. She was ended up trying to flog them at toddler groups and church fetes, which was a lot of hard work for very little return. She jacked it in after a year or so.

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Orangeteddy · 29/09/2017 07:40

Ok for the sake of total transparency although I don't go round asking you how much you earn, my income from Usborne is around £1000 per month. It will vary and would drop in quieter months like Jan and the summer and then rise above this in the autumn & run up to Xmas. I don't get paid for anyone joining but I do get 6% commission on my direct team's orders plus additional bonuses if total team sales exceed a certain amount. To be honest I don't just want anyone to join as there is no benefit in signing up people who aren't suitable and before I have told people it won't be right for them. I work very much on the basis of honesty and will tell you the downsides as well as I did in the post above (e.g. It can take time to build up an income, you may need to reinvest commission initially etc)

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meditrina · 29/09/2017 07:46

Thanks orange it's quite rare for someone to post figures.

Could you clarify how much of the £12k pa comes from your own dales, how much from commission on (how many?) other people's sales. And how much from team bonus.

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buggerthebotox · 29/09/2017 07:52

I tried it. I loved the books, but it really wasn't "me". Lots of work for no barely any return.

I gave the books away as presents and did a sigh of relief.

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user1499786242 · 29/09/2017 08:15

The books are more expensive than buying them online etc
So once you've run out of supportive friends doing you a favour you're not ganna sell many
I mean who in their right mind would spend £7.99 on a book when you can find it for £4 somewhere else
I had a friend who did it, we all bought a few books but she's now stopped as it was too much effort and not enough reward!

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Orangeteddy · 29/09/2017 08:42

Income breakdown: I would estimate 20% from my own sales, 30% commission on direct team, 30% bonuses on wider team building bonuses & 20% from additional sales productivity bonuses. I have around 35 first line team members & around 120 in my entire downline although not all will be active in any one month.

As you can see the majority of my income is derived from the team as I focus more of my time on recruiting & mentoring. I don't just sit back for this money though, I spend my time creating training material for my team, on coaching calls, advising on team pages, supporting at events, taking courses myself on social media & on leadership, making contact with schools & event organisers and also still selling myself. Other people within the business may spend more of their time on sales & events and make their money this way. It really depends what other commitments you have and your style as to what suits you.

I started it whilst working full time so focused on social media in the evenings & occasional weekend fayres. It also played more to my experience as a leader in my day job to focus on building & developing a team. Other organisers may have more time in the day so focus on building their incomes from sales - specifically working with schools- where they can get large orders. So someone else's £1000 income could be split as 75% personal commission, 15% commission on team, 10% sales productivity bonus for example.

Someone starting out realistically may make £100 a month or less (especially if they end up reinvesting their commission in more stock or sales aids), it can take time to build up to a bigger income whether through sales & making inroads with schools (which can take time) or in building a team. There are also people who just do it more as a hobby and are happy to make a few quid a month doing a local fayre or a party as a way of getting out the house or building up their confidence meeting new people.

What I like about Usborne is there is not the pressure to sell or recruit, it's your business your way. I sell & recruit because I enjoy it and am motivated by the incentives & financial rewards but I have team members who only order every 6 months to get books for their family or team members who sell regularly but don't want to build a team. This is how it differs to some other MLMs I have heard about - we don't promise high earnings, we have an actual quality product to sell and we don't bully our team members to order every month.

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PoppyPopcorn · 29/09/2017 08:47

Could you clarify how much of the £12k pa comes from your own dales, how much from commission on (how many?) other people's sales. And how much from team bonus

And how much of the commission is "reinvested" in the "business". It's all very well saying you earn £1000 per month but what expenses do you need to take off that? Petrol, stall fees, postage, tax, NI, other miscellaneous expenses.

at 24% commission that's around £2.50 on a £10 book sale. To earn £1000 a month you'd need to be selling 400 books a month. Or fewer books yourself, and hoping your minions sell a lot more. Also will depend on the saturation of the market in your area - every school fair I have ever been to round here has at least one Usborne person and they're all competing for the same market.

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PoppyPopcorn · 29/09/2017 08:49

I focus more of my time on recruiting & mentoring

Building your pyramid, in other words. Hmm

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Orangeteddy · 29/09/2017 09:28

How much commission is reinvested in my business? Of £1000 a month I would say up to £100 a month on some of the costs you mention e.g. Petrol, stall fees, public liability insurance, NI, advertising etc.

Due to health issues and my previous employer rejecting my request to reduce my hours I had to give up my FT role so now just focus on this plus studying part time. So not sure yet whether I will earn enough this financial year to pay tax, partly depends on earnings over the next few months. Obviously this was different when I was PAYE & this was earnings on top as then they were all subject to income tax. I am registered as self employed & complete a tax return every year.

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Orangeteddy · 29/09/2017 10:05

I'd also just like to add that I think it's important not to muddy the waters by calling every MLM a pyramid scheme as it actually makes it harder to identify the ones that are!

There are businesses masquerading as MLMs that are simply pyramid schemes, nothing more. Where income is solely derived from recruiting others and getting them to pay a fee to you. For example, ads recently for an 'email processing' company. Basically you pay $25 to join and then repeat the same ad in FB groups and when people join you 'process' their email and take their $25 and so on. No product to sell

Legit MLMs must have a genuine product to sell and it must be possible to make an income just by selling the product. There are also other DSA guidelines they need to adhere to so people aren't left out of pocket, for example if they choose to leave the company will buy back their stock etc. And it doesn't matter who your mentor is, if you do well you can earn more than them. Yes, one of the income streams at all MLMs is based on team building but it has to be an option not the only way to make money. It's definitely worth any individuals who are considering joining doing their research.

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PoppyPopcorn · 29/09/2017 11:22

There is no such thing as a legit MLM!

botwatch.blog/
timelessvie.wordpress.com/

Yes some are worse than others - I would definitely place Forever Living and Younique at the "worse" end and things like Avon and Usborne at the "better" end - but they ALL encourage building your pyramid. You're starting to churn out the usual platitudes about DSA registration which means fuck all, and earning more than your mentor.

Nearly everyone who signs up to a MLM loses money.

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Orangeteddy · 29/09/2017 14:32

DSA registration does mean something. If your MLM is not DSA registered then they do not have to adhere to any guidelines. This means you could join, be pressured into buying a load of stock and then be stuck with it. At least if you join a DSA registered company this won't happen as they are obliged to buy back any unsold stock if you choose to leave.

Usborne's direct sales arm is perfectly legitimate, it has been running for 36 years! If it was illegal or not legitimate it would have been shut down by now!

Whilst Timeless Vie & Botwatch do a good job of identifying unscrupulous practices in some MLM's, it is unfair to tar all with the same brush.

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