Or are lots of people starting facebook businesses that are as annoying as MLMs?

[HollyGoLoudly1]

Ok I know it's a tough time for everyone right now and some people might need to make a bit of money on the side. But in the last month or so there has been an explosion of friends now doing side businesses and I feel under pressure to use/buy and promote constantly on facebook for them.

Examples: permanent eyelashes (not a beautician but has done an online course for one weekend), make up artist (no qualifications, she just quite likes make up), homemade baking (I thought you needed some kind of license to sell food), sweetie bags (around a 5 times mark up on shop prices), homemade scented candles (that are more expensive than Yankee Candles) and homemade personalised photo frames (from Ikea, written on with fancy pens).

AIBU to not spend my next year's salary supporting all these businesses? I feel bad that they are maybe struggling but I can't regularly fork out for all these things from professionals, let alone from a friend who started doing it 3 days ago!

Honestly, the only ones I'd take issue with would be food businesses who don't have a license, or anything else requiring a license that hasn't been obtained. I know it's annoying, but at least they're not desperately trying to recruit you to join their team, or posting inspirational quotes. Let them make their own mistakes. For the personalised photo frames, maybe suggest they try selling them on Etsy or something, otherwise they will eventually learn that if social media doesn't work, they'll need to spend money on advertising.

YANBU to find it annoying in general if they're being spammy about it, though.

Are makeup artists even allowed to work with people at the moment?

YANBU its wax melts and pyrography locally for me 🙄 so tiresome.

I agree it’s so annoying. There seem to be a lot of life coaches too

I'd ignore it. If you don't want it, don't buy it! If they ask you specifically, you've already done your shopping, don't have room in the budget for more, or whatever other excuse comes to mind, but I'd hope they'd not have the nerve to put you on the spot.

We have had an explosion of this, with the added irritation of raffles- win a box of brownies £1 a go 100 tickets so £100 for a box of home made cake. Now others have jumped on the very lucrative bandwagon and are raffling all sorts of tat from China. Not for charity, just to boost their own income. They’re doing it via the school pages and aren’t quick to point out it’s nothing to do with fundraising.

Ooh suggesting Etsy is a great idea for the frames. As far as I know, hair/beauty/nails are all permitted to be open now even in Tier 3? Could be wrong. I've not been to get my make up done anyway, what would be the point when there's nowhere to go? She is promoting vouchers quite heavily.

They are being quite 'spammy' about it as you say, lots of facebook posts, then texts to group chats asking us all to like and share said posts, then 'gentle reminders' that they can take orders/bookings and we get 'first dibs' as friends. Good on them for getting out there and trying but I find it all a bit awkward

@WineNoMore20 I've also seen one of these raffles! To win some sort of make up kit, that I'm sure is publicly available, it's not like some fancy salon only brand or anything. Not for charity, just as an income boost.

Need to learn to say no hide in the bushes until they go away

Does anyone know if there's a legal issue with holding raffles on Facebook? I'm not sure, but I think it's something to do with gambling laws but I don't know the rules exactly.

I don’t know.. I do sell crafts, I initially on Facebook, but now on Etsy as well. I have a separate page for my crafty stuff and occasionally share it to my own newsfeed. I have made sales to friends but I don’t think I’m pushy (I hope not )

@HollyGoLoudly1 I hope you don't think this about all people who have started business atm. I've recently started mine. I make cakes. I've been working on it for 3 years. I just happened to start it during lockdown as I finally felt good enough to make money from it.
I'm fully registered and insured to do it. I don't do raffles. Or over post. I upload a pictures of ones I've made for a customers, maybe every few days. I make professional looking cakes including wedding cakes. Not that anyone's ordered one as no one is having weddings atm.
I hope people don't think this of me or compare me to mlm schemes, it's very disheartening.

Don't raffles come under gambling laws? I believe there are rather hefty fines for illegal raffles so if you like the people running them then you might want to point them at the Gambling Commission.

Ok, I had to check cos I'm nosey. Criminal. @HollyGoLoudly1

Noooo - that was not what I meant to post. Sorry @HollyGoLoudly1 !!!

Twas meant to be this:
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Fundraising-and-promotions/Advertising-and-promoting.aspx

[quote flower564]@HollyGoLoudly1 I hope you don't think this about all people who have started business atm. I've recently started mine. I make cakes. I've been working on it for 3 years. I just happened to start it during lockdown as I finally felt good enough to make money from it.
I'm fully registered and insured to do it. I don't do raffles. Or over post. I upload a pictures of ones I've made for a customers, maybe every few days. I make professional looking cakes including wedding cakes. Not that anyone's ordered one as no one is having weddings atm.
I hope people don't think this of me or compare me to mlm schemes, it's very disheartening. [/quote]
I really didn't meant to offend sorry. Was just having a rant after a facebook scroll. You sound a million miles away from the things I'm talking about to be honest and more like a professional baker. The baker friend doesn't have any particular skills/qualifications (although her stuff is nice enough), definitely isn't registered and sells mainly traybakes or cupcakes to people she already knows.

There's a difference I think between using social media to grow and promote a legitimate home business, and what I'm starting to see on Facebook.

@NotImpossible that made me chuckle! I'd never report them or anything, it's more just my own personal awkwardness about turning people down. You should see me with charity collectors in the street, I basically have to run away or I'll give them my life savings

There's a difference I think between using social media to grow and promote a legitimate home business, and what I'm starting to see on Facebook.

I wonder if it's because they've seen MLM people promoting themselves, so they think this is how you're supposed to do things? There are so many courses and free help etc about starting a business that would probably be a lot more helpful. Also people really need to accept that building up a business takes time, and doesn't happen overnight, so maybe they're being too full on instead of being a bit more patient.

I've been trying to buy things from small local businesses like this because it's good for the economy I think ??

I've only bought stuff that I actually liked and wanted and have had some gorgeous things. Pretty chocolate dipped strawberries, afternoon tea in a box (delicious and beautifully presented) hot chocolate bombs, quirky crocheted dolls and some Christmas themed bath bombs.
I'm picky and ignore the raffles and the tat but I'm not against it all.

Just to be clear, I didn't mean report them yourself necessarily, more warn them in case someone else does.

I know what you mean about the pressure. I get a weird guilt for not buying even when nobody's directly asked me to!

@HollyGoLoudly1 thank you. You didn't offend me, i think I just needed some reassurance, as the thought has crossed my mind a few times that people may well put me in that category because of when I started. Before I even saw this post.
I'd hate to have people compare the work, effort and tears over perfecting cakes to mlm or putting sweets in a box 😖
Thank you for replying.

I have noticed in the last year or so there do seem to be lots of people selling random kind of things such as bagging up sweets or making hampers out of other things and wondered if it was just me. Seemingly not. I'll happily support local businesses but there do seem to be so many not much skill / effort things going on.

@BessMarvin As long as people are doing it as a side project and haven't invested their life savings in it or anything, I'd just ignore them. The good businesses and products will be successful if they sell things that people actually want to buy.

@flower564 You'll be fine. People can usually tell which businesses are legit.

@tectonicplates

Does anyone know if there's a legal issue with holding raffles on Facebook? I'm not sure, but I think it's something to do with gambling laws but I don't know the rules exactly.

Yes, it's illegal.

You need a gambling licence to run that sort of remote raffle. A lottery can only be run for charitable purposes.

www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Fundraising-and-promotions/Advertising-and-promoting.aspx

Report to Facebook.

I know what you mean. Extortionate price tag for shit knocked up at home. Used to be that home made meant cheaper and now it means way more expensive. It might cost that in a fancy store but then they are pricing in overhead costs that a sole trader doesn't have....

Yes! Loads of 'bakers' now making things like easy traybakes and brownies that a child could make, or my personal favourite, a normal cake with chocolate fingers all the way round the outside. Which always gets lots of comments like 'omg youre so talented' and i cant see that shes done anything other than stick some bought chocs on a cake..?

And of course charging a fortune for them £2 per square of chocolate brownie for example. Not even a big square...