More of us then ever are looking for an extra income stream as a means of improving our financial situation. A full time job alone for many of us, no longer brings enough of an income to pay our current debts and sustain our lifestyle needs.

Although there appears to be endless opportunities to make extra money, You'd be wise to be wary, as many are scams that will leave you out of pocket and be a complete waste of your time. It's difficult to decipher the genuine earners from the phony and finding the right money making opportunity for you, can be daunting and a job in itself.

Your probably reading this because you have come across Avon as a possible extra income stream and are wondering if joining Avon is for you. I was an Avon representative for a brief amount of time however less then three months after I started, I quit. This however does not mean that you can not make money as an Avon representative, as I know many people do, it just means that it was not the job for me and may actually well be what your looking for, hopefully the following point's will help you to decide either way.

Avon is a genuine money making opportunity, the company has been running for well over a century and still going strong. Although Avon is essentially associated with beauty products like make-up, fragrance and jewellery it's always expanding it's product range and now stocks things like crafts, books, well being, health as well as gift's. They are good quality products, with a trusted name and an established brand, so essentially the product promotion has been done for you. All this will work to your advantage.

You choose your own working hours, how little or much you want to work and what times and days are convenient for you. This allows you to fit Avon in alongside another job or in and around childcare commitments.

If for one reason or another you are unable to find a babysitter, it is of no consequence as you can take the children with you. You can even get them to help you out and you never know, they may actually enjoy it.

You don't have to buy anything yourself, although as an Avon representative you will be entitled to some very good promotions and discounts, which you may want to take advantage of.

You don't have to hold any products, you only have to deal with products that have been ordered by you or your customers. All products, paperwork and catalogues are delivered to you, all you have to do is dispatch goods and catalogues to your customers.

You can sell to friends, family and co-workers.

Your designated catalogue dropping area is normally within a short walk of where you live, meaning your potential customers may recognise you and welcome a familiar face, you also do not need the use of a car.

You have to venture out wind, rain or shine, occasionally in the bitter cold or the stifling heat.

You have to pay for the catalogues, although it is not a huge outlay it is an expense all the same. Catalogues are changed fortnightly.

You can not distribute catalogues to any area other then your own, this prevents you from expanding your customer base. Especially if your area are not big Avon fans.

The income is irregular, over Christmas you are likely to get a lot of orders and make a tidy sum however the rest of the year it is likely to be fairly small amounts. Occasionally there will also be times when you will not make a profit or even break even.

On the other hand, it can be difficult if you find you do have a lot to distribute.

Paperwork and returns can be inconvenient and there may be times when things are out of stock or unavailable.

It can take an incredibly long time to establish a firm customer base and generate regular customers.