DireclBuy franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a DireclBuy franchise takes $359,000 – $904,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $75,000. To qualify, DireclBuy asks for $100,000 in liquid cash and a $100,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
DireclBuy franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $359,000 | $904,000 | $359,000 to $904,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $359,000 | $904,000 | $359,000 to $904,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 3% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 12 years |
See the full DireclBuy cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How DireclBuy's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where DireclBuy's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $359,000 — about 2.2× the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $75,000 — about 2× the Retail median of $36,750.
Category medians are computed from the Retail brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Retail franchises
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How DireclBuy's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2013–2015: began the window at 85 units; 11 units opened, 43 closed, ending at 33 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for DireclBuy or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask DireclBuy for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether DireclBuy is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether DireclBuy grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only DireclBuy can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the DireclBuy franchise
DireclBuy is a retail franchisor with 33 units at the end of 2015 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2013 and 2015, it began the window at 85 units; its filings record 11 unit openings and 43 closures, ending at 33 units. Its parent company is United Consumers Club Inc..
Disclosure filings report 24 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
The franchisee will establish and operate a buyer club business that sells buyer club memberships to the general public and provides merchandise ordering and related services to its members, under the DirectBuy® name.
DireclBuy franchise: quick answers
- How much does a DireclBuy franchise cost?
- $359,000 – $904,000 all-in to open, per DireclBuy's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many DireclBuy units are there?
- 33 units at the end of 2015 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have DireclBuy's units held up?
- 55.2% of units at risk between 2013 and 2015 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).