About In-Home Assembly Work
In-home assembly companies may occasionally pay their workers, but many such companies never have any intention of paying at all, relying instead on the misguided employee to purchase expensive building materials to build products the company will never buy. Entrepreneur reports that even legitimate in-home assembly jobs may pay only $400 to $500 monthly for part-time assemblers putting in 20-hour weeks. Job seekers determined to give this industry a try should inspect work-at-home assembly companies closely to ensure their legitimacy.
Other People Are Reading
-
Types
-
Work-at-home assembly jobs may involve practically any kind of light assembly work. The simplest form may put the employee to work "stuffing envelopes," assembling marketing or instructional materials for mailing. Other jobs may require physical craftsmanship, such as assembly of birdhouses, jewelry, signs, shoes or other items of clothing, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Process
-
To perform most work-at-home assembly jobs, employees must purchase the raw or pre-measured materials or starter kits for the work, then assemble the products to exacting specifications and send them to the company. In some cases employees may even have to purchase machinery such as sign-makers or sewing machines to enable them to assemble the products. Once employees have sent the finished products to the company, the company may or may not buy the products, depending on product quality or the company's own legitimacy.
-
Earnings
-
Entrepreneur reports that earning even minimum wage may prove challenging in the home-assembly field unless employees work efficiently at top speed, assembling products well enough for the company to actually buy them. A part-time work-at-home assembler can pick up an extra $400 to $500 per month under these conditions, assuming the company operates ethically. While employees in isolated rural areas may find this extra money helpful, many urban employees can earn better and more reliable pay from a standard minimum-wage job.
Problems
-
While some work-at-home assembly companies run an ethical operation, the ones that do not have tarnished the industry's reputation, with envelope-stuffing frequently dismissed as a scam by the general public. Some companies will pay for properly assembled products, but in many cases companies reject them, citing quality issues. Some companies make the majority of their money selling the materials to the employee. This process puts employees at further financial risk because they must invest money up front with no guarantee of payment for their finished products.
Considerations
-
Entrepreneur recommends that workers screen work-at-home businesses carefully. A trustworthy company will usually have a verifiable phone number or street address instead of just a post office box. Work-at-home companies must have a viable business model, an array of retailers and distributors, and prospective and current customers who genuinely need the company's products or services. These companies should also have a good record with business associations such as the Better Business Bureau.
-
References
- Photo Credit background image by tansy from Fotolia.com
