What is an independent home seller?

Self-employed doorstep salesperson: what does it involve?

The status of "Vendeur à Domicile Indépendant" was created in 1993 by the Fédération de la Vente Directe.

The independent door-to-door salesperson, also known as VDI, works with private individuals rather than professionals. They go to their customers' homes to organise sales from one person to another. This may involve door-to-door sales or private sales meetings organised by the VDI.

As an independent door-to-door salesperson, you can work for a wide range of brands in fields as diverse as childcare, cosmetics, IT and fashion. At Elora, we offer you the chance to sell our ready-to-wear collections.

Find out more about home fashion sales at Elora

What is the status of an independent home seller?

VDIs are treated in the same way as employees. As such, they are covered by social security but are not entitled to unemployment benefits.

Working as a self-employed home seller can be your main source of income or a complement to working as an employee.

There are three types of self-employed home seller: VDI mandataire, VDI acheteur/revendeur and VDI courtier, but the first two are the most widely used.

If you want to become a VDI prêt-à-porter, you can choose between VDI mandataire and VDI acheteur/revendeur.

• VDI agent:

By choosing the VDI mandataire status, you take orders from your customers in the name and on behalf of the brand for which you work.

Our article on VDI agent status

The company sets the price of the products you sell and the amount of commission you receive. The advantage is that you don't manage any stock and don't buy collections: no financial commitment on your part is required. VDI agents declare their commissions as non-commercial profits (BNC).

• VDI buyer/reseller:

As the name suggests, a Buyer Reseller is responsible for buying products from the brand with which they have a contract. They therefore manage stocks and deliveries.

They set product prices based on recommended prices and demand. They therefore receive a margin on their sales, which they declare as industrial and commercial profits (BIC).

You choose your status according to the brands you want to work with and your personal preferences. At Elora, we offer the status of VDI agent to our independent home sellers.