There are many direct sales MLM jewelry businesses like Paparazzi Accessories to choose from, including Park Lane, KEEP Collective, etc.
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All of these businesses offer their representative contractors the opportunity to make a profit by selling jewelry directly to their friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.
The profits are made when reps purchase wholesale jewelry from the business and then sell it to others at a marked up price. In some cases, the business may already have a suggested selling price that all the reps adhere to; in other cases, reps have more personal discretion at marking up their merchandise.
Most jewelry MLMs require that their reps first purchase starter packages that enable them to enroll in the business and give them some product to sell. Starter package prices vary depending on what amount and type of merchandise is included, as well as add-ons such as software, website(s), order forms, business cards, etc.
With all these jewelry businesses to choose from, it pays to shop around and compare MLM businesses on their starter packages, profit margins, commissions, and terms.
One MLM jewelry business you may have heard of is Paparazzi Accessories.
What is Paparazzi Accessories?
Paparazzi Accessories is a direct sales jewelry business that was started by sisters Misty and Chani and prides itself on offering the majority of its jewelry items for the retail price of just $5. The jewelry items range from necklaces to bracelets to rings to earrings- and more. Here are a few example pieces available on the Paparazzi website:
Paparazzi consultants who join the business and sell their products earn an impressive 45% commission, which is hard to find in direct sales MLMs. The norm for most MLMs is 25%.
Furthermore, Paparazzi consultants earn even higher commissions if they recruit other consultants under them.
Consultants can earn percent commissions from recruits that are up to three levels below them. So, first level recruits would be those individuals that were personally recruited, second level recruits would be consultants that the first level recruits recruited, and third level recruits would be consultants that second level consultants recruited.
How do you start a Paparazzi business?
Anyone who is interested in becoming a consultant must purchase a start kit from the company. There are three starter kit sizes to choose from, including preview, small and large.
This all sounds good in theory…but is it?
The good:
High commissions- Paparazzi definitely offers a higher than average commission to its consultants. This enables them to take a more liberal approach to pricing and promotion strategies. On Facebook, you can find quite a few Paparazzi online parties, with consultants advertising all kinds of discounts and freebies (e.g., buy 4 get 1 free).
High bonuses- Other MLMs pay out 2-5% on recruit sales. With Paparazzi, you instantly earn 5% on the sales generated by your direct recruits. Once you surpass three recruits, your bonus is bumped up to 10%. This makes having a downline very profitable for the consultant.
Cheap products- Jewelry is, arguably, one of the most evergreen products out there. People buy jewelry regardless of need or personal financial situation. And because Paparazzi jewelry is priced at just $5, it becomes an easy impulse purchase for just about anyone.
The not-so-good:
Required bulk purchases– Paparazzi consultants must buy their jewelry packages in bulk, after which they sell their inventory at fairs, at home parties, or online. When a consultant orders a bulk jewelry package, this is what she might receive:
Because individual pieces cannot be purchased, this leads to some inventory not getting sold due to low popularity, inability to match/accessorize, etc. For example, if a consultant had a customer who wanted 10 sets of a certain earring, necklace and bracelet, she would be hard-pressed to have that much inventory on hand to make a sale.
Update: I have been corrected. As pointed out in the comments below, you no longer have to make bulk purchases.
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Levels are sales-driven– Paparazzi consultants who wish to ascend the ranks and earn bonuses from their recruits need to not only fulfill a given amount of personal sales (or PV for personal volume), they also must eventually have a set amount of sales from their team (or OV for organizational volume). This is a monthly requirement, by the way- in other words, if in a given month you do not meet your PV and/or OV requirements, you slide down the ranks and lose out on potential bonuses.
Minimum monthly cost– According to Paparazzi, each $5 in sales provides 2 PV. So, to even ascend to the Star Consultant level, you need to sell 25 pieces of jewelry in that month. Now, if the total amount of revenue for 50 PV is $125 ($5 x 25 pieces), and the basic commission is 45%, that means you’ll need to pay $56.25 each month for a jewelry package that you can mark up.
So, while the company bonus is a ‘nice’ thing to have, it will cost you a monthly fee to obtain and maintain.
Is Paparazzi a worthwhile business to start?
Many MLMs are operated by stay-at-home parents and spouses who have some extra time on their hands. The money that is earned via the MLM is side income that is not the primary income of the household.
At least, that’s the theory.
In many cases, MLM contractors and reps end up investing significantly more money into the business than they end up earning through their sales. Also, it takes a lot of work to keep hitting people up for purchases of non-essential items like jewelry. A good majority of MLM reps are burned out and done after putting in about two years into their business. Many of these reps have extra inventory they can’t sell, or that they sell at a loss. The only sure winner in all this is the MLM itself, which has managed to clear out its own inventory to its main buyers, the distributors (i.e., reps).
Have you had experiences with Paparazzi as either a buyer or a seller? Please let us know in the comments below!
I sell for Paparazzi and I must say it’s the very best job I’ve ever had! I was able to retire myself from my full time job within 6 months and I’ve had no problem selling the jewelry! Its amazing quality💕 and just gets better and better. I have NOTHING bad to say about it! I’ve grown my own team and watched tons of women change their lives with this company!!
I have been a consultant just over 2 years now, once I got my the person I joined under to understand she was not in control of my money things have been cool. I let her know that I will buy what I want when I want and not to pressure me about purchasing inventory. I realized early her only interest was to make money off me. Now that the market is so saturated with consultants have quit. I guess they did not realize when recruiting all your customers to become consultants you are losing out. I myself after 2 years still have the same customers plus about 15 more. I don’t do lives and I am not constantly asking people to buy jewelry. I post my inventory to my group on facebook. I host a party a month and have a couple of booked parties a month. I make about $500 a month extra. You have you be careful because you can spend a lot of money. My best party I made about 1000 for a couple of hours of showing. I was not looking to get rich I just liked the jewelry for everyday work accessories. So my suggestion is know that you are really probably making $1.75 not $2.25 off of each piece once you figure in taxes and shipping.
I’m a Paparazzi Consultant and you are not required to sell anything each month. To be a current in their website you should have a 50 pv but you may still be a consultan if you have missed. Also, they do allow consultant to consultant trades. Reading comments left above by haters is irritating. Truth, it is what you make it, if you aren’t marketing you’ll fail, if you do nothing you’ll fail. Get off your couch and get busy. Quality of the jewelry…its 5 dollars. I wear it all the time and have had minimal run down but like anything like priced, your going to have to replace some here and there, just like any costume jewelry. Hello!? Loving my business.
It isn’t 5 buck jewelry after shipping AND “handling” fee. THERE ARE CUTE ITEMS BUT they are very cheap and I have had several break on me. Also turns my neck colors with the necklace. Maybe for a one time use but not everyday wear.
I don’t understand what the negatives are here exactly ? I’ve been with paparazzi for only a month and I’ve seen amazing profit from this business! I have worked other direct sales companies but nothing as amazing as this ! Also not sure if your aware but Paparazzi gives everyone an equal opportunity! Just because I have 5 girls under me (who came to me I don’t stalk anyone) doesn’t mean they won’t outrank me ! This business is what you pour into it unlike most DS ! I killed myself for another company last year and basically ended up crawling out just barely breaking even ! This is an amazing opportunity and still not over saturated ! Selling 25 items is my only requirement and it’s easy to do ! This may not be for everyone ! Those that are shy or lack communication skills and the ability to market themselves? For my family it’s been a game changer ! I’m thankful for Paparazzi and I’ve never had more success with any other company !
I tried it and spent more than I have earned. The jewelry looks great in photos but the vast majority of it clearly is not worth $5 upon receipt. Merchandise can only be returned within 7 days if it is damaged upon receipt. So the reps are stuck. Reps are not allowed to trade inventory among themselves. For example, Rep A has several bracelets that she hasn’t been able to sell but Rep B has a market for them. Rep A must sell the bracelets to Rep B for retail price, $5. As a rep you are often shunned by others if you voice any frustration with getting your business off the ground. You simply aren’t working hard enough. Paparazzi came after the Facebook Live party groups and shut them down and will go after groups/pages that allow former reps to post inventory for less than retail. Not to mention to reps themselves snitch in each other. I could go on. Some people have had great success but in my opinion, the vast majority of people just get taken for a ride.
Not true… you can trade
Yes girl, They are ridiculous… This is what I wanna know, If I spend my hard earned money for my order, who the hell are you too tell anyone how much they can turn around & sell it for! Once you (Paparazzi) are paid & it leaves your warehouse you shouldn’t have your greedy hands in the cookie jar no more… Why do you care so much Paparazzi? You got your money, some of us out here in the real world don’t have hundreds of thousands of people we can force to buy junk .25 jewelry for $2.75each every day lining our pockets like you greedy self absorbed people do… We don’t get to spend our day in lala land having our teeth whitened so bright we blind people when we talk, Nope we blue color people who gotta kill ourselves just to feed our children… So how’s about you think of that next time u go to fire one of ur “Independent Consultants” for selling under $5 just so she can get back some of her money to be able to buy her kids medicine or food, or supplies for school. Your magic train ride will come to end eventually, You can’t treat people the way y’all do and think karma isn’t watching. Had y’all stayed humble skies the limit but that isn’t what happened. Y’all MF got greedy & flooded the market place an wanted more money in ur pockets so u took cheap material & went even cheaper (any cheaper then it already has gotten an u make more money with macaroni & string)…. The lady with the above comment hit the nail on the head! I realize I’m 1 1/2 years after original comment but I just found this thread. Hehe
It should be noted that while Paparazzi Accessories is a Direct Sales company, it is technically NOT a multi level marketing business. According to INC.com https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/multilevel-marketing.html “The MLM upline earns a cut on the sales of people in the downline, called an “override.” This is not true with Paparazzi. Not only is their commission very generous but the bonus for business building (recruiting) is paid out by the company. Now you could argue this point but if you label Paparazzi as an MLM then so is Wal-Mart, Microsoft, or any other company with tiered layers of leadership.
So I ordered a paparazzi kit but at the last minute chickened out and cancelled my order. You can earn some serious cash online with this business. The stock is always changing and some pieces are limited in supply which makes them higher in demand . I know someone that does live videos and recruits and is able to pay her mortgage three times over. I’ve considered trying again just to see if I can make something out of it but I’m wondering if the market is too saturated now……
I think you should go for it … a lot of people still haven’t even heard of Paparazzi … myself included up until about 3 weeks ago!! I went for it!! My starter kit comes on Tuesday, and I’ve already ordered again since then. Women WILL buy $5 jewelry. Everyday, all day. Its just the world we live in !! I am already seeing that I’ll have to get the jewerlry out there in front of people (flea markets, vendor events, yard sales) – luckily – its Spring, and the perfect time to begin! Go for it – all you’ve got to lose is $99 – and you’ll have 35 pieces that you can either keep, or sell if you decide not to pursue the business itself. I personally work a full-time job, and am starting this up as a side line business just to try to make some extra money, and also have fun at the same time. Good luck!
Ava,
I am a Paparazzi Independent Consultant if you had anymore questions that you could not find please let me know. I don’t think it’s to late and to be honest the time to Join is now still good, new and the support group is amazing. If you need anything just let me know I would love to help you with any questions. You can find me on Facebook Christina Archer and Facebook @ Pink Diamond Bling.
Go to the Papa website and search for reps in your zip code. I wish I had done this beforehand.
Definitely not to saturated!! We all have different inventory and we all are different! Someone may not like you but they will love me and viscera!! I’ve been with Paparazzi almost a year and people come and go but I’m still here ranking up and making 10,000 a month!!
Steve, when I read your initial comment, I thought this was an older post. First I am a Paparazzi Consultant and have been for almost 3 years. When Paparazzi first started, you had to purchase in bulk. However, when your article was published, that was not the case. I know this because I started in 2015 and it was not the case then. That makes me question your research. We can purchase 1 item, 10 items, or 100 items. You only need to purchase 50 items a year to be considered a consultant. Now if you want to earn commission other ways then there are other requirements. However, there is no pressure from the company to do anything. The pressure may come from the consultant you sign up with but none from the company. I also noticed that people who responded positively about Paparazzi received no response from you. I would ask that you maybe research again and write a more accurate article. The facts as you have them stated, simply aren’t true. Finally, based on your theory that you run out of contacts, Walmart, Target, Albertson’s and every other store should be out of business. People purchase new clothing, new accessories, new shoes on a regular basis. Thank you for allowing me to respond.
Thank you Kim. I have updated the article to reflect that you do not need to make bulk purchases. Thank you for the correction.
Steve, i have family members that sold/sell paparazzi and since they knew i am in the jewelry business asked me to put together a true non-MLM program using sterling silver and gold so that they could actually make a good income and build their “brand” for those that wanted a full time opportunity. i would like to show it to you for your thoughts prior to launch.
Hello,, I’ve actually purchased a few pieces because of the fact that they are stylish nickel and lead free. Something that, you would more than likely not get for from other sources. I do not sell the Jewelry and have been doing research on businesses until I came across this site. Thank You Steve Razinski for creating this helpful site. I too have had my share of bummer home business. If you actually happen to know of one that actually works please keep me posted. Still in need of second income work from home. Thank you
I’m in direct sales, and love what I do, the financial freedom it has given me & my family has been life changing, if interested in more info, please feel free to email me!
If you’re looking for a real business that helps people with product and also allows you to make a good income check us out and email us for further information. We’ll be glad to assist you. We help people to feel better, live better and look better.
I’m a Paparazzi consultant and have been for almost a year. No one has ever pressured me to do anything. No one pressured me to join. I don’t pressure people. Paparazzi is nothing like other MLM companies. You get out of it what you put into it. We do not have to buy in bulk. We do not have to sell a certain a certain number of products from our website. We inspire and help each other. The Jewelry is good quality for the price. These negative comments must be from competitors. Try again!
I sell paparazzi and I’ve never had to purchase in bulk if I want to purchase 10 pieces I can and it’s ok. Selling 25 pieces a month is honestly pretty easy most people buy $20 at a time because it’s so cheap. Not being active causes you to not get commission but that’s it nothing else is affected. I ‘ve been selling a little over a year.
I agreed with rachelle
Your article is very negative and doesn’t reflect on the thousands of people that are making money selling paparazzi jewelry! Every business isn’t for everybody so just because something isn’t working for someone doesn’t mean you bash it for others! People have to find what works for them but there’s no point in you only showing the negative side of paparazzi but not the side that I’ve seen which is a lot of people succeeding in this business and I’ve seen the checks to prove it! It’s your business and like any business you have to work hard to make that business work! You can’t sit on your ass and think the moneys going to come to you! We don’t know the full stories of the why it works for some and why it doesn’t for others! I’m sure you can find more positive things to write about! I hate negative people!
I’m a Paparazzi consultant and I love it. I was able to include my kids so they get to help out with our family business. It works around my schedule and I look adorable doing it. The jewelry is Affordable so you can have customers willing to buy more than one piece. I also sold more than $100 in my first week. Like any business you get what you put out. I have a Facebook page sparkling Divas $5 Boutique and it’s working for me. If you have any questions check out my Facebook page and message me
PV’s & OV’s, here we go again..
Yeah, that’s what MLM does do people – Immense psychological pressure, plus everything else bad & ugly on top of it.
You get a monthly timer to sell your stuff, if you fail to do so, technically you fail to earn any real revenue..
..doing so consistently, you’ll burn out & end up in total net loss.
You’re making a good point telling that many items you sell might not even be popular enough to turn them into profit. That’s a bummer & it’s also reality.
In fact, any MLM business (haven’t seen one that doesn’t) starts right off the bat with net loss – That’s the starter package you have to pay for.
If you manage to turn it into profit for yourself, is non of their business anymore.
Legit it or not, to put it with blunt honesty, I hate MLM’s. They’re criminals, just looking legally correct on paper.
MLM damages people’s integrity – Forces people to lie, even to family & friends, to survive that vicious every-month-timer cycle.
What kind of person would monetize their own family members purely in the sake of their own financial gain LOL?
If I recall it correctly, there is even a dedicated concentric circle in Dante’s Inferno for such folks..
Yup, unfortunately this is where the darkest part of the dark-triad thrives.
I’d go with affiliate marketing any day.
You make a lot of good points Henry and I agree with a lot of what you are saying. The harsh reality to a lot of MLMs is that most people will lose money and never make it past the first level while the people above them profit off of their losses. Recruitment, parties, and sales timers are all part of the pressure to stay involved and force people to invest MORE when they are having trouble selling their stock in the first place.
I’ve seen MLMs give out scripts for their sellers that advise them to fake success in order to recruit others. Recruitment mostly involves friends and family. I’d be willing to bet more than one relationship has been tarnished in an effort to move up the ladder.
Agreed. The market is so flooded now that it’s almost impossible to do well.
I sold Parklane Jewelry years ago and liked it a lot. This is the first I have heard of Paparazzi. Apparently, they started the MLM in late 2010 so they are still somewhat new. Also, I noticed on their website their products are lead and nickel free which is good. To have success with MLM, a person really needs a large base to initially sell to like friends and family that like MLM products and will help refer sales. I am not against MLM, but there are better ways to earn extra money as far as I am concerned. ~Gina
Thanks for the comment Gina. I agree, you definitely need a wide social circle in order to make some money here. I just don’t see MLMs in general as a long term business strategy because you will eventually exhaust all of your contacts and be left with product you can’t sell and the only way to continue is to recruit others to follow in your footsteps. There are just better ways to focus your time and energy.
Eeeek cheap jewellery by the bucket load and the pressure is on YOU to sell this junk.!
I have a friend with a fashion store which sells this cheap stuff for 2 bucks a piece….which means she buys it bulk for about a dime a piece.
I dont think this is a stand alone home business, but maybe a side line.
Who needs the pressure over plastic and glass? No thanks.
You could buy enough inventory for under $100 from China via AliExpress and not have to worry about the high-pressure, bulk purchases, or minimum monthly sales targets.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the article as I’ve heard about this company. An acquaintance of mine is pushing this on my wife…which seems to always be the case with MLM haha. People make you uncomfortable trying to get you to join, it’s just inevitable. Granted there is always a small percentage that can actually make it work and make good money. Unless you’re an incredibly outgoing person then I would stay away from MLM in general.
I agree entirely Daniel. There is some money to be made and there are definitely legitimate MLMs, but you need a wide social circle and you likely have to switch between programs once dry up your current influence. I do not like the high pressure “JOIN MY TEAM” tactics that a lot of MLMs push on to their users.