My Starter Kit is Here!

I received my Paparazzi Starter Kit today. I was like a rabbit bunny, hopping to the door at the sound of any truck. It didn't make matters better that my husband said UPS usually comes around 2-3 and they came at 3:45, making 2 hours of my life completely wasted on waiting. So maybe I'm a little too excited. But I am proud of myself for doing something. Anyhow, here is a very poorly lit picture of my 100 pieces of jewelry displayed for my upcoming launch party in 2 days!

Fun right? Nevertheless, I wanted to post a breakdown of what I got in my box because I struggled finding out what was really in there before I signed up. I am going to save my opinions until the end, but as I said from the beginning I promise I will be honest. Here is the breakdown of what comes in the Paparazzi Small Starter Kit with Hair Accessories (at least for the moment)...

My Starter Kit:

Accessories: 

• 50 Necklaces: 7 Black, 5 Silver, 6 White, 5 Brown, 6 Pink, 5 Purple, 6 Blue, 5 Green, 5 Red
• 10 Rings: An assortment of silver flowers, pretty handmade looking pieces, and 3 very kiddie looking rings
• 5 Bracelets: 1 Multi-colored shell, 1 pearl and metal, 1 almost chain link, 1 chunky beads, and 1 simple green bracelet. 
• 5 Earring: 1 crystal chandeliers, 1 black diamond shaped, 1 metal flowers, 1 very large brass flowers, 1 strange industrial looking earrings. 
• 15 Hair Clips: Great assortment of color, style, size, and material. 
• 15 Headbands: Another great assortment of color, style, size, and material.

Business Materials:

• Master Repair Kit: Great and necessary. I used the pliers a few times on my necklaces right out of the box, and if you are traveling with your jewelry this would certainly come in handy.
• 50 Sales Bags: I would highly recommend them with or without a kit.
• Paparazzi Book: I've read it thoroughly and though I am glad to have it. Lots of good information, regulations, and ideas. I think you can get away without it, but you may learn some things the hard way that could have been avoided with this book. 
• 25 Display Hooks: If you plan on using peg board these will come in handy but there are so many cheap alternatives to the hooks (like paper clips).
• 25 Pack of Receipts: I don't think I will ever use many. I think this is more of a personal preference though and you may want them.
• 25 Party Invitations: Cute and useful, though I could as easily print some out...
• Compensation Plan Brochure: I find this pretty unnecessary since I could just print out the PDF on the site, but I also know I will use it in soliciting people to join. 
• New Consultant Application: I find this almost totally unnecessary but maybe someone somewhere will use it...

Overall: 

OK truth time... I believe that the kit is good for many people, however I don't think that it will work for everyone. For me, I think I would sell more if I had hand picked the inventory. I 100% believe spending at least $300 on inventory to begin with is the way to go no matter what. But for the North East this collection missed the market a bit I think. The proportion of other jewelry to the necklaces was off for me and my friends and family (my first customers). I'm sure in other areas it would sell differently but I was overall a little disappointed with their kit choices for necklaces since 4 very similar styles were duplicated in 5 colors, limiting the diversity. I truly think, again in other areas, that these might be their best sellers... but they are not really the North East style which is unfortunate because Paparazzi really does carry a lot of styles that are. With a little more variety and cutting back on the necklaces to make room for an extra bracelet and earring kit this box would be perfect. And this box could be completely perfect for you. But since my goal is to get people started off on the best foot possible I had to be honest.

Like I said, I do however think that this kit would be good for some. If you are worried, here is an alternative plan and what I would have done (but again, don't go out and do this thinking I know what I'm doing... I'm new too).

Sign up cost: $40
7 Necklace Kits: $96.25
3 Hair Clip Kits: $41.25
3 Headband Kits: $41.25
2 Bracelet Kits: $27.25
2 Ring Kits: $27.50
2 Earring Kits: $27.50
100 Bags: $4.00
Master Repair Kit: $5.95
Paparazzi Business Book: $12.95

Total Product: 95 Pieces plus 4 hostess rewards
Total: $324.15
Tax: $33.25
Shipping: $10.00
Total: $367.40

Difference from buying the starter kit: $22.40 more 
(or cut out the book and borrow one from your sponsor, I have one!)

It's up to you, and I would talk to your sponsor honestly before signing up, it's their job to set you out right. I don't think that this kit will stop my sales, but I do think I would get a lot more if my collection was hand picked in my case. And with that Paparazzi suicide I will bid you good night!