What South Africans are being sold — and whether the numbers work

Every day people are offered starter packs, franchises and "ways to earn from home". Here is what they actually cost, what you would really keep per sale, and how many sales it takes just to get your own money back.

Anonymous. No company is named. Just arithmetic.

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The three questions that save people the most money

1. "What does it cost me to replace one unit?"

Almost nobody asks this, and it decides everything. If a bottle sells for R150 and costs R110 to replace, you keep R40 — not R150. Your whole profit lives in that one number.

2. "How many must I sell just to get my own money back?"

Take what you paid and divide by what you keep per sale. If the answer is more units than they gave you, you cannot break even on the first batch — no matter how hard you work.

3. "Where does the money come from — selling, or recruiting?"

If most of the income depends on signing up other people rather than customers buying the product, ask for the company's published average participant earnings, in writing. A confident business will show you.