You like the idea of product sales, but you don't want to have a house full of products. Then you may want to consider a direct sales business. Direct sales are the kinds of sales where you show off a product to people. Once they decide to buy it, you let the main company know and the ship it out, with you getting a commission from the sale.

This is the kind of sales tactic you would usually see with Mary Kay or Tupperware. In those cases someone usually holds a party at their home where everyone is shown a number of items, the sales person takes all the orders and gets the items to them in a few weeks.

The online world can take direct sales to the next level.

One company called CyberWize realized what the online world offered for direct sales, so in addition to allowing consultants to sell their nutritional supplements, hair and body products and other wellness products just by person to person events, they also now offer sellers a website option to make their sales.

The benefit to this kind of business is that your initial outlay of money is low. You may be expected to pay for sample collection of their merchandise, and some companies have a website fee when they set you up online, but after that, you're ready to sell. You just order items as you sell them, and never have to worry about having too much extra inventory sitting around.

While the house parties are a good way to network, having the website side of a direct sales business available is a major boon. When you hand out information at the networking event, make sure you website is on it, so when people think they may want to purchase something they know where to go. They can view and buy your products when it's convenient for them.

You can also promote any sales or new items from the company on the website, getting that information out to prospective buyers much more quickly than if they had to wait for a flier or catalog in the regular mail. And there's no paying for stamps!

As in all business ventures, this works best if the product you are selling is a product you are energized by and believe in. Do your research. See what companies offer an online direct business opportunity. Get the information on what they expect from you, and what they give to you, which could include a website template and even an online shopping cart, making it much quicker to get your business up and running.