Direct selling refers to selling products directly to the consumer in a non-retail environment. Instead, sales occur at home, work, or other non-store location. This system often eliminates several of the middlemen involved in product distribution, such as the regional distribution center and wholesaler. Instead, products go from manufacturer to the direct sales company, to the distributor or rep, and to the consumer.
The products sold through direct sales are usually not found in typical retail locations, which means finding a distributor or rep is the only method to buy the products or services.