The door-to-door selling involves soliciting a customer in a place not normally intended for trade to sell products or services. The customer can be solicited at his domicile, on its workplace or during a excursion organized by the seller (e.g. tour travel).

Door-to-door selling involves simultaneous physical presence of the seller and the customer, unlike distance selling (e-commerce, for example).

The home seller acts asmiddleman between the customer-consumer and the company of direct sale whose products he distributes (e.g. ready-to-wear, jewelry, cosmetics, household appliances, windows, insulation, solar panels, electricity, gas, etc.).

Doorstep selling is a business practice strictly controlled by law. Thus, door-to-door selling excludes the following cases:

• Sale by telephone or internet (specific distance selling scheme)
• Sale at markets, trade fairs, fairs or any place usually intended for trade
• Sale of certain products: health services, food, gambling or financial products (banks, savings, insurance).

The independent door-to-door salesperson (IDV) must enter into a contract with a direct sales company that entrusts him with the sale of his products or services.

It exists 2 different types of contracts :

• VDI Contract representative
• VDI Contract buyer-reseller

The sources of income of the home seller differ depending on the nature of the contract.

The independent home seller (VDI) uses the name, logo or trademark the company entrusting it with the sale of its products or services. However, the independent home seller exercises independent.

He is not the holder of an employment contract in respect of that activity and exercises without subordinate relationship with the company. However, it does have a written contract specifying, in particular, his status as self-employed person, the nature of those services, the conditions governing the exercise of those services and the detailed rules governing remuneration.

It freely manages the organization of its work and determines its level of activity and financial objectives alone without the company being able to give it directives.

However, the company can offer assistance at start-up and/or in-service:

• Provision of documents necessary for the activity (purchase orders, technical data sheets of the products sold)
• Advice on product inventory management and provision of accounting models
• Provision of specific training
• Promotional and advertising actions in the form ofsamples, catalogs or gifts for customers.

The company may invite him to meetings to exchange information on the state of the market, customer needs, competitive situation, network results or any other information useful for the exercise of the profession.

The company may also communicate a recommended public tariff or a maximum price above which the product cannot be sold to the consumer. On the other hand, it cannot impose on it a geographical sales area.

He is can accumulate the activity of self-employed home seller with another activity (employee or self-employed). Generally, home selling is carried out as a secondary activity, in addition to a core activity.

However, account must be taken of the incompatibilities related to certain regulated liberal professions (doctor, lawyer, bailiff, notary, architect, accountant, court administrator, etc.).

Other incompatibilities may be linked to the status of official, the length of working time or the existence of a exclusivity clause in the employment contract.