Getting started
Party plan companies. The store comes to the living room.
Updated Oct. 4, 2026 · 8 minute read
The model
Three people make every party work: a host, a consultant and the guests.
A party plan company is a direct sales company whose main way of selling is the group demonstration. Instead of approaching customers one at a time, an independent consultant shows the line to a room full of people at once.
The host offers their home, or an online group, and invites their own friends. The consultant brings the products, runs a short demo and takes the orders. The guests try things, ask questions and buy. In return for filling the room, the host earns host rewards: free and discounted product based on the party’s sales.
The consultant earns a commission on what’s sold. Most party plan companies also pay a smaller amount on sales by consultants you bring in, which makes them multi-level companies as well. That’s a feature to understand, not the reason to join. A healthy party business is built on product sold to real customers.
The engine of the model is the booking. A guest enjoys the party, wants the host rewards for themselves, and books a party of their own. One good party leads to the next, which is why consultants talk about their “calendar” more than their inventory. Our party plan selling guide walks through a full party cycle.
The short version
- Party plan means selling to a group at a host’s party, in person or online.
- The host earns free and half-price product based on party sales.
- Tupperware made the model famous, building on a method developed at Stanley Home Products.
- Compare companies on host rewards, startup cost and personal commission, not team income.
History
From Stanley Home Products to the Tupperware party.
The home party method is generally credited to Norman W. Squires, who developed it for Stanley Home Products of Westfield, Massachusetts. Stanley’s dealers demonstrated household products to a group gathered in one home rather than knocking on one door at a time.
One of Stanley’s top sellers was Brownie Wise, a single mother in Detroit. In the late 1940s she began selling Earl Tupper’s plastic containers at home parties, where she could show guests how the airtight seal worked. In a store, the product sat on the shelf.
In 1951, at Wise’s suggestion, Tupper took Tupperware out of retail stores and sold it only through the party plan. Wise was vice president of Tupperware Home Parties from 1951 to 1958, and the “Tupperware party” became the template other companies copied.
The model has kept changing. Parties moved online, Facebook’s Live Shopping feature was switched off on Oct. 1, 2022, and in 2024 and 2025 several well-known party brands closed or ended their consultant programs. Tupperware itself filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and now sells through stores and its website as well as consultants.
Host rewards
Why anyone hosts: free product, earned from the party's sales.
Free product credit
Half-price items
Booking bonus
Online orders count
How a host rewards ladder is shaped
Illustrative only. The levels and percentages are not any real company’s; check your company’s current chart.
- Below the minimumUsually a thank-you gift only
- First levelFree product credit starts
- Middle levelsBigger credit percentage + half-price items
- Top levelMost credit, most half-price items, plus booking bonuses
Party sales rise from left to right. In most programs the host’s reward steps up as sales pass each level, which is what makes inviting a few more friends worthwhile.
Product categories
What sells at a party: things people want to try first.
Kitchen & food
Cookware, tools, pantry mixes and food storage. Easy to demo because guests can taste the result.
Home fragrance
Wax, warmers and diffusers. Scent sells best when people can smell it, which is why parties work.
Beauty & nails
Nail strips, makeup and skin care. Try-ons and swatches do the selling, in person or on camera.
Jewelry & accessories
Trunk shows where guests try pieces on. Styling advice is part of what they come for.
Books, clothing, tools, wellness and more also sell at parties. Browse every company and filter by category.
How to compare
Six questions to ask any party plan company.
| # | Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Would guests want this at a party? | Products people can touch, taste, smell or try on make the demo do the work. A product that's hard to show is hard to book. |
| 2 | What does the host program pay, and when? | Ask for the current host rewards chart in writing: the sales level where rewards start, the free-product percentage, half-price items, and any booking bonus. |
| 3 | What does it cost to start and stay active? | Kit price, monthly or quarterly minimums, website fees, and what happens to your discount or rank if you miss a minimum. |
| 4 | What do you earn on your own sales? | The commission on personal party sales is the number that pays you every week. Team overrides are extra, not the plan. |
| 5 | Are online parties supported? | Look for a party link guests can order from, host credit for online orders, and shipping straight to each guest. |
| 6 | What happens if you quit? | Check the buyback policy for unsold, resaleable inventory, and read the income disclosure statement for what typical sellers earn. |
Be honest about the demo itself
Party plan suits people who enjoy hosting a room, even a small one. If speaking to ten people makes you freeze, start with smaller online parties, or look at a company that also supports one-to-one and link selling.
And remember the host’s side: a company whose products guests don’t want, or whose host program feels stingy, makes every booking harder. Ask a few past hosts what they thought.
Sources: Party plan (Wikipedia, on Norman W. Squires and Stanley Home Products); National Women’s History Museum, Brownie Wise; Hagley Museum and Library, Tupperware: The Party’s Over? (1951 move out of stores, Wise’s 1951–1958 tenure, 2024 bankruptcy); TechRadar, Facebook Live Shopping shutdown; AOL, Thirty-One Gifts to close by the end of 2024; FTC, Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing. Company closures are documented on each company’s Direct Sales Aid profile. The rewards ladder is illustrative.
Find a party plan company that fits.
Keep reading
More getting started guides
New to direct sales? Start with What is Direct Sales?, Direct Sales 101 and Direct Sales vs Pyramid Schemes, or browse all articles.
