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I would like to hear from some SU hobby demos about how much you like or benefit from being a demo as opposed to just ordering from someone else? Do you have trouble meeting the quarterly requirment?
If you strictly want to use your demoship as a way to have a discount you just need to see if you can realistically spend about $300 in a quarter. You don't have any requirements to sell, host events or anything.
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I say go for it if you are already spending what would be the minimum. I was, so I signed up and never looked back. I love it...and I get a bit of a discount. I work full time too (more so really). I don't have to hold events..but I do every now and then.
Something to keep in mind: as a hobby or demo (or otherwise), you need to be careful not to post anything in your blog (if you have one) or gallery that links to other stores (online or otherwise) that sells non-SU supplies. I'm not sure how strict they are (can you MENTION other supplies or not?), but that's one reason I stopped being a demo. I didn't want any company telling me what I can/can't post on my blog.
I completely understand their reasoning; they are a company after all... so I don't begrudge them that. I just didn't want to hinder what I put on my blog.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted
Something to keep in mind: as a hobby or demo (or otherwise), you need to be careful not to post anything in your blog (if you have one) or gallery that links to other stores (online or otherwise) that sells non-SU supplies. I'm not sure how strict they are (can you MENTION other supplies or not?), but that's one reason I stopped being a demo. I didn't want any company telling me what I can/can't post on my blog.
I completely understand their reasoning; they are a company after all... so I don't begrudge them that. I just didn't want to hinder what I put on my blog.
You CAN mention "contraband" you just can't promote it...
ie talk about how GREAT products XYZ is, link to where it's sold...stuff like that. It only makes sense that if you are representing SU you're not driving people to the competition:-) So it's not quite as strict as people think...it's not like you can't say anything about other products...just don't "promote" them. Hope that helps.
I signed up as a hobby demo because I really was spending the amount each quarter that demos are required to spend. And what's great about it is that even though I purchased $300 in supplies each quarter...I only pay $240 for those supplies. (shipping and tax is on top of both)
If you find that you no longer are wanting to spend that amount every 3 months, then you can always resign. No problems.
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Yes, it's 20% off of the $300.00 plus tax/s&h. I only signed up in November because they had that great deal of getting the starter kit for only $80.00 or something close to that. I didn't have a problem at all meeting the minimum. You might get orders from friends here and there too and that will really help out. I really didn't plan on keeping my hobby demo status but it is so fun getting to see what is first, going onto the demo portion of SU and also I know the demo side here at SCS is great...I just haven't gotten around to signing up for that yet.
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Last edited by Allistamps123; 03-26-2011 at 08:12 AM..
How funny - just came on here to ask the same Q. Not to hijack, but can anyone tell me about the tax implications? Would I need to figure this spending onto my tax return?
__________________ Bexx Pyne - Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator My SU! Site My Blog
the phrase "hobby demo" is unclear. not just in your post but throughout the industry.
for some folks "hobby demo" means that you buy the starter kit and earn the right to have a discount for yourself provided you meet the minimums. this is a no risk situation as you should know now whether you can meet the minimums.
but I gather this isn't what you mean and am wondering what you mean by the phrase "hobby demo"? a lot of folks use that term to mean, I am buying for myself but don't want to spend that much each quarter and just need a few customers to help me meet my minimums.
if that is what you mean then I'm not sure. It takes work to sell, even to a few people. People asks questions about the product and then if there is an issue, a backorder, damaged goods, you have to deal with it. Are you prepared to invest some time in doing so? Only you can answer that one.
So whatever you decide, I hope it works!
Taxes are another story entirely. If you buy just for yourself. ONLY for yourself. Not making one dime from anyone ever, then you have no taxable earned income and no tax implications. You are just a hobby demo as I described it in the second paragraph of this post.
If you make a profit, that profit is taxable earned income, offset by your expenses in being a demo (the starter kit, the cost of materials to hold a workshop, etc.) Companies will send you a W-2 once your earned income hits $600 per calendar year, but regardless of whether you reach that amount, you have reportable, taxable earned income.
Do not even THINK about deducting a portion of your house as an expense because you are a demonstrator without first consultant a tax professional.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Thanks Joan for that clarification. I personally meant "hobby demo" in the context of not selling to anybody but myself! Good news that it is not going to complicate tax issues that way.
__________________ Bexx Pyne - Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator My SU! Site My Blog
Along with what has already been said, spending $100 a month doesn't get you any extras. If you save up and place one $300 order each quarter or 2 $150 orders each quarter, then you earn the hostess set and free product at whichever level your order is at.
the phrase "hobby demo" is unclear. not just in your post but throughout the industry.
for some folks "hobby demo" means that you buy the starter kit and earn the right to have a discount for yourself provided you meet the minimums. this is a no risk situation as you should know now whether you can meet the minimums.
but I gather this isn't what you mean and am wondering what you mean by the phrase "hobby demo"? a lot of folks use that term to mean, I am buying for myself but don't want to spend that much each quarter and just need a few customers to help me meet my minimums.
if that is what you mean then I'm not sure. It takes work to sell, even to a few people. People asks questions about the product and then if there is an issue, a backorder, damaged goods, you have to deal with it. Are you prepared to invest some time in doing so? Only you can answer that one.
So whatever you decide, I hope it works!
Taxes are another story entirely. If you buy just for yourself. ONLY for yourself. Not making one dime from anyone ever, then you have no taxable earned income and no tax implications. You are just a hobby demo as I described it in the second paragraph of this post.
If you make a profit, that profit is taxable earned income, offset by your expenses in being a demo (the starter kit, the cost of materials to hold a workshop, etc.) Companies will send you a W-2 once your earned income hits $600 per calendar year, but regardless of whether you reach that amount, you have reportable, taxable earned income.
Do not even THINK about deducting a portion of your house as an expense because you are a demonstrator without first consultant a tax professional.
I just wanted to clarify that there can be tax implications. Even though I only order for myself on demonstrator orders, I can still make a profit on myself and have received a payment from SU!. Only if your profits are over $600/year, would SU! send an automatic 1099, therefore, you are responsible to report any income made in the form of direct cash payments. This is why you are required to provide your banking information to SU! when you sign up so that they can direct deposit your profits.
I do believe that if you can restrict yourself to only spending $300/quarter, then you are not likely to earn a profit. The free merchandise in the form of hostess sets and cash do not count as profit.
BTW - I doubt the $25 I earned in profit really had any significant effect on my taxes.
I joined in Nov also. I haven't had an issue meeting the minimum. I love the sneak peeks and the magazine that SU puts out! I chose an upline that I have learned so much from reading her blog, I emailed her and asked if I could "belong" to her, and that I would be only a hobby demo. She was very gracious and treats me like I am making her a zillion dollars!
I signed up almost 3 years ago just for the discount and I have never looked back! I love SU and using them almost exclusively has made me a better stamper.
I was a mostly hobby demo for almost 2 years and loved it until they came out with the new rules where you couldn't promote or link to any other companies. I didn't stay long after that. I like too many other companies to be stick with SU as much as they wanted.
To make the math a little more complicated, you could do two $600 orders a year if you want to maximize the hostess benefits but then you wouldn't be able to order from every mini. Each quarter is 3 months but if you don't make your minimum, you go into pending and then need to make up what you're short from the previous quarter and $100 from the next quarter. So, if you didn't order Oct-Dec, you could place a $400 order in Jan and earn the SAB benefits and get out of pending. Or, you could not do any orders in Apr-Jun and place a $600 order in July from the new catalog and be good until Oct-Dec quarter.
I think you don't have to meet the minimum $300 in your first quarter(which is usually a partial quarter). You have until the end of the 2nd quarter.
I have a quick question and didn't want to start a new thread, so I am hijacking this one!
Are hobby demos "allowed" to extend their discount to others?
For instance, if I signed up as a "hobby demo", can I give my friends the discounted price so that I could have help meeting the minimums?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan in ID
I have a quick question and didn't want to start a new thread, so I am hijacking this one!
Are hobby demos "allowed" to extend their discount to others?
For instance, if I signed up as a "hobby demo", can I give my friends the discounted price so that I could have help meeting the minimums?
Well this is a tricky subject. You CAN but that doesn't mean you should. SU will probably never know about it and it isn't exactly against the rules but they do frown upon "continual discounting" or continual specials. It's probably less of an issue if you really do just have 1 or 2 close friends that you discount for but it's definitely a problem if it's more than that. Personally, I wouldn't do it and I'm just a hobby demo....hobby or not I'm still a demo...just my two cents.:-)
Well this is a tricky subject. You CAN but that doesn't mean you should. SU will probably never know about it and it isn't exactly against the rules but they do frown upon "continual discounting" or continual specials. It's probably less of an issue if you really do just have 1 or 2 close friends that you discount for but it's definitely a problem if it's more than that. Personally, I wouldn't do it and I'm just a hobby demo....hobby or not I'm still a demo...just my two cents.:-)
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Anytime! Good luck if you decide to go for it! The new kit is really such a great deal! And if you do, make sure to sign up for the demo side of SCS. There is tons of great info over there!!
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Originally Posted by babydal57
So how long is the $99 sign up special going to last?
I want to get the new stamp pads and those aren't available to order until Jun 1, right?
It's NOT a special! :-) It's the new starter kit and it's TOTALLY customizable! No more having to get duplicates of ANYTHING you already have. I THINK you get to pick any merchandise you want totaling $125 (US) for $99. I'll go see if I can find the info...I don't recruit...or haven't I should say so I don't pay THAT close of attention:-)
And I swear I read somewhere that you can get the new style ink pads if you sign up...but don't quote me on that. If you sign up before June 1 you can pre-order them!
ETA: Yes, $125 worth of anything you want for $99!
So how long is the $99 sign up special going to last?
I want to get the new stamp pads and those aren't available to order until Jun 1, right?
After June 1st, you can order the new stamp pads in families for $49.95, saving you some money there.
Isn't it so cool that you can now customize your very own Starter Kit??? I highly recommend going this route for anyone who has a wishlist longer than $100. Not only you get about a 20% discount ($125 worth for $99); but there's no shipping to pay, either. So that's another 10% in savings. I love the community of demonstrators, so friendly, encouraging, and so willing to share everything and anything. I highly recommend it to anyone who may be considering getting the Starter Kit.
Okay, I will hijack too.....;)
What happens with my upline? Does she get any benefit of ME becoming a demo???? I only ordered from SU because of my girlfriend and have gotten to like it...so I kind feel bad if I stop ordering from her KWIM???
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Originally Posted by binkiemonstermom
Okay, I will hijack too.....;)
What happens with my upline? Does she get any benefit of ME becoming a demo???? I only ordered from SU because of my girlfriend and have gotten to like it...so I kind feel bad if I stop ordering from her KWIM???
She will make a little money off of your sales/purchases. But don't hold off joining simply because of that. Talk to her and tell her your concerns and she can show you the numbers if you really want to know. And if you drop you can always go back to buying from her.
And if she has other downlines, she can also promote by recruiting more so you may be helping her out that way...ask her!
She has ALWAYS been very encouraging. I have talked about it before. But I just haven't done it yet. I just wondered if she would miss out on something and not tell me!!!;) I like that it might benefit her too. And if I ever dropped I would definately go back to ordering from her.
I would just give your friend the heads up that you're considering purchasing the Starter Kit. If she's a good friend, she will help you out and figure out the best way for you to go. She may no longer enjoy the 20% instant income she earns from your orders, and she may not even have enough sales to earn the small percentage override from your sales as your upline. But if this is the best way for you to purchase, then she should be supportive. And like above poster said, if and when you do drop, you would go back to being her customer anyways.
Oh, she could also benefit, though, if you helped her promote to a different title. A higher title will get her more overrides/rebates from sales from her downlines. She may also qualify to get pre-order items at a discount or for free. Plus, depending on what's happening, she may qualify for some freebies from SU by bringing in a new recruit. Right now demos can get a free pack of DSP through 2012 every month when we recruit during May and June.
Thank you! Good to know about May and June because I think I would want to join in June to order from the new catalog.
I just walked a recruit through this last week! You actually can order all the same pre-order merchandise that demos can order right now, in your Starter Kit. Plenty to choose from, although not the entire catalog!
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Okay, I will hijack too.....;)
What happens with my upline? Does she get any benefit of ME becoming a demo???? I only ordered from SU because of my girlfriend and have gotten to like it...so I kind feel bad if I stop ordering from her KWIM???
I don't know what benefit your upline would get if you sign up. I think maybe a free stamp set. Others will be able to help with that.
But I wanted to share my experience with you, since you seem to like your demo so much. I liked mine, too. She wasn't a personal friend, but I loved being invited to stamp camps at her home, and elsewhere, and I always bought product when I attended. She encouraged me to become a demo, and finally I did (September 2007).
Here's the problem: Now your demo gets 20% of whatever you order. Once you become a demo under her, she'll only get a teensy percentage (3%?) of what you sell (to yourself or others), and then only if she is selling $300 per *month* of product herself. That means if she isn't selling that much, she won't make a penny from your sales. Hence, your becoming a demo will cost her $$$.
Ideally, uplines support their downlines with periodic meetings, encouragement, little gifts, etc. It is not required by SU, but is encouraged.
From the moment I signed up under my demo, she dropped me like a hot potato. Where she had always been sweet, warm, welcoming and encouraging, now she was totally absent. I *never* heard from her, not for any of the 4 years I was a demo. I originally thought I'd go back to ordering from her if I ever dropped, but after 4 years of disappointment, she is the last person I'd ever order from.
I apologize for this long post, but obviously this is a sore point for me. And for you, something to think about if you care about your demo as a friend.
__________________ Barbara Splitcoast Dirty Dozen My website: Inky Fun SCS Fan Club Member Color Challenge Team Member QFTD215
Question - what about tools that I already own that don't have the SU logo on them. Can they still be used if I should do a workshop as a hobby demo?
No, you can't. That's clearly called out in the demo agreement. To clarify, though, not all SU products have the SU logo on them. What you're not permitted to do is use products that have another company's logo on them.
The only exception would be if you use something that SU doesn't sell. For example, if your guests are to decorate a glass jar, you could use any kind of jar you want, since SU doesn't sell glass jars.
And BTW, if you do a workshop and are open to taking orders from your guests, you're not a hobby demo! ;-)
__________________ Barbara Splitcoast Dirty Dozen My website: Inky Fun SCS Fan Club Member Color Challenge Team Member QFTD215
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bejoyce
No, you can't. That's clearly called out in the demo agreement. To clarify, though, not all SU products have the SU logo on them. What you're not permitted to do is use products that have another company's logo on them.
The only exception would be if you use something that SU doesn't sell. For example, if your guests are to decorate a glass jar, you could use any kind of jar you want, since SU doesn't sell glass jars.
And BTW, if you do a workshop and are open to taking orders from your guests, you're not a hobby demo! ;-)
That is incorrect!!!! By all means if you already had the tools and they still function fine then you can use them.
Thinking of becoming SU hobby Demo
