True or False: You earn 50% of everything you sell in Mary Kay
FALSE
Mary Kay Directors are fond of telling potential recruits that in Mary Kay, you make 50% of everything you sell.
While it’s true that the suggested retail of MK products is double what the Consultant buys the product for from the Company, before you get too excited about that 50% “profit,” you need to be aware of a few things:
- Many times you will not be selling the products for the full suggested retail. You will be discounting for various reasons: to get discontinued products off your shelf; to offer incentives to your Hostesses; to rid your inventory of limited-edition items; to encourage customers to purchase more.
- If you choose to participate in the Preferred Customer program, which most Consultants do, one benefit of the program is giving your customers a gift with purchase. YOU have to pay for these gifts, and they’ll cost you $4.00 each.
- There are many expenses that come out of that 50% profit: shipping charges to get the product to you; meeting costs; samples and business supplies, like catalogs; costs of training, workshops and Seminar. And don’t forget one important expense: TIME.
Some of these expenses can be managed or avoided, but some are just part of the Mary Kay “opportunity.”


Very nice response…I liked your further expalnation and will keep your thoughts in mind! What a great attitidue you have on life! You can get more bees with honey than vinegar. Have a nice day , Sweetbriar!
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It is very interesting… I understand as a director you should set an example in everything you do. however in Utah, to be more specific, in the hispanic areas the NSD and there are two of them who are selling the products 50% of the retail price.One of them was the number 1 nationwide for 2 years.
What a shame! and that is no all… she is killing the market promoting debt, and encouraging her unit to use their credit cards, to complete productions…
This is so easy to prove, consultants and director who save in desktop orders to be paid later (the day after last day of the month which is closing date)the company could also check all the charges made the last two years ago to the same credit card number which belongs to a NSD’s friend, charging high interests to the poor blind consultants and directors who belive in her.
These is not all, also she has recruited people from other areas just changing their names or using just middle name instead. also faking SSN.
All this is happening in Utah, and it is not hard to prove. And the headquarters office could easily prove this just calling all the people who has left the former “powerful”area well called changing lives..
She was the number one, but she pretty much bought the title of NSD paying production made from fake directors who she created just to fullfil the requirement. Please someone do something about it!!!
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MARY KAY WORK IF YOU WORK,IT IS BEEN SAID.
OF COURSE IF YOU WORK HOURLY JOB WORK BY THE HOUR AND YOU WILL GET PAID,BUSINESS IS BUSINESS,TRY TO GET A FRANCHISE IT IS A NIGHT MARE,WORK YOUR OWN BUSINESS GIVE IT AT LEAST 3 YEARS TO C REAL RESULTS;SAME IN THIS ONE;TRY TO BE THE BEST U CAN BE.
WORK AND YOU WILL C RESULTS.
GOD BLESS YOU.
HE WILL PROSPER YOU.
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Proud and Successful aka Wendy, you are not fooling anyone. You are the smae person and i am so tired of trying to read and understand your posts because of your poor keyboarding skills, poor grammar, spelling.
Please if you are as successful as you say, take a business writing and speaking class, it will help you tremendously whether you are in MK or any other job, and while you are quoting the Bible, don’t forget: “Judge not lest ye be judged” You don’t know anything about us and it is unfair and rude of you to assume and post comments about people you know nothing about.
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WOW! I initially got on this website to be totally informed on a big, important, life-changing decision that I was trying to make….only to find that MK has the same “cattyness” as JR. High. No thanks! Like any other business, you get what you give and if you have been “pushed over” and taken advantage of then it’s your own fault. NOBODY said yes but you, and NOBODY made you sign your name. However…I will not be signing up…I already went to JR High and have NO desire to go back.
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PAL22, sorry you feel that way, go ahead and sign up, it will be the biggest mistake of your life. Sounds like you already drank the pink kool aid. Sorry you didn’t read and heed the warnings, you can’t say you weren’t warned!
To quote MK, the numbers don’t lie and if that is true, check out the ratio of those who succeed in MK and are happy to those who worked hard and still were unable to make any money and even went into debt trying to make a go of it. Some people have to learn the hard way! I pray you won’t be one of those who fell for the MK hype and Rah Rah.
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I just started my mk business and so far so good, i’m not trying to become a director or be a star consultan, i just want to make a few dollar on the side and enjoy the 50% discount wich by the way is more like 40% after expences and the 6% taxes i have to pay for my product , i made about 300 a month 5oo on busy month and that for me is enough if you want to make more money get a full time job
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The truth is you do NOT make 50% commission that you get to KEEP. The amount doesn’t take into account the samples that you have to pay for, the shipping on your order (which they TAX you on–in California that’s 9.75%), the catalogs that people ask you for, the supplies needed to run a class. It doesn’t take into account the “prize” if you play any games at your party, the gift for the hostess. It doesn’t take into account that you lose money when you use ProPay to process the credit card that all the materials say we accept.
I believed in this opportunity and I tried my hardest to do it the “Mary Kay way” and I found out that the only one who had an unwaivering profit margin was the company. I did the $1000.00 Day because my Sales Director encouraged me to do it. Well, that was one of the saddest mistakes I ever did. I spent $54.00 to mail out the flyers to my 134 customers. I got just under $900.00 in orders (in a $1000.00 Day you offer huge discounts) After I purchased the product I needed and paid for the shipping to deliver to my out of town customers, I came away with a whopping $120.00. The frustrating thing was, the company still made the same amount on my order that day and my SD still made her commission. Nobody took a blow on that sale, except me. Thanks for the great idea Sales Director who has been doing this for 15 years. She should have led me better than that–she knew I was trying to get money to fix my son’s car while he was in Africa.
Wendy, you sound really defensive of MK and a little hateful towards those who are frustrated with their experience. I am just curious, if you like your MK so much, why are you on this site? It seems that this site epitomizes all that your Sales Director despises. Everything I learned in MK is that you have to be Suzie Sunshine all the time–the mindset in MK is completely New Age in it’s foundation. What you think about you bring about…blah, blah, blah. Your SD would not want you on this site and she would probably say that the reason you only made $300 last month is because of the energy you put into this site.
You are either in or out. If you are in (truly in MK), then you shouldn’t be on this site. If you are out, why are you so defensive? You said that if people want full time money, then get a job. Well, some people believed that this was a full time job and worked it into their lives with that purpose in mind–because that is what NSD’s and SD’s told them was possible. Not everyone wants to do the MK thing as a hobby to make a little extra cash, you do and that’s great–but don’t hate on others for believing that they could have what other’s “seemed” to have.
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Jackie, I’m on this site and in MK. I don’t give a fat rats *%!@ if my director wants me on this site or not. I’m on this site because I learn things and because it teaches me what to avoid. I started like Wendy. I didn’t have anything negative happen to me and I was happy with my thing. I have since scaled down to a personal use consultant. I don’t think Wendy was negative in what she said and I think its a good thing for her to be on the site. She said if ppl want MORE money then get a full time job. I believe she said that because MK won’t earn you enough money. I know things come across funny when typed, but this is what many people on this site say. MK WILL NOT MAKE YOU FULL TIME MONEY. It’s the truth and if people start telling the truth about this business then the swindler directors out there will find fewer victims. So I say stay on the site Wendy and learn, learn, learn and don’t fall for any hype.
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Thank lunamom for you comments that’s why i like this site because it keeps things real for me , just today my director was telling me that i should recruit people and bla bla bla i told her i want this as a part time job and i’m happy with a little extra money, sorry if i make anybody feel bad i was just trying to express my point of view
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“So I stay on the site and learn, learn, learn, and don’t fall for any hype.”
Wish I found the site sooner than I did! I didn’t (at first) realize all the lines that were used in MK b/c I was going on the “God First, Family Second, Career Third”. This site has so many posts on all different topics and so much information on what to avoid! Not only on the home page, but in the forum as well! Come on in and join us there – click forum on the top left and register ~ then log in! You won’t be sorry!
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Oh my!
I just tryed to report this comment, but it didn’t work for some reason. This is so wrong on so many different levels. WOW!
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Your report of the comment worked. It’s taken care of.
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ohh my gosh
it’s so true, i am consultang, i did never get contract or agrement (rina is true)
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I am missing something what do you mean you didnt get a contract or agreement?
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