Best Quick Cash (page 3 of 7)

Throw a Party!

Are you patient, organized and outgoing? If so, you could join the estimated 14 million Americans who sell products at home-based parties and person to person. Hot trends in direct sales include wine, gardening tools, pet products and scrapbooking. And companies like Taste of Home Entertaining (a subsidiary of the Reader's Digest Association) offer cookware and other products for the home.

While it's possible to make a six-figure income working full-time in these enterprises, most people just want to supplement their regular paycheck. They average about $13,000 annually, according to Direct Selling Association research.

Men have joined the party, making up about 20 percent of direct sellers. "People often laugh when I tell them I'm an Avon representative," says Billy Kolber, a writer who sells beauty and other products part-time in New York City. "It's an advantage for me because it's a little bit of an icebreaker."

A sizable portion of his customers are guys who buy a men's skin-care line. Kolber chooses his hours and works 15 to 20 hours a week. "My Avon work pays for all the luxuries in my life -- my travel and the occasional splurge at Neiman Marcus."

For a sampling of opportunities, check out the Direct Selling Association's website (dsa.org).

• Best of America

• See all Business & Finance
• 
• See all Best of America 2007
•