“For those of us who work at SexToys247.net.au,” says Chris, picking up an ice-pink, beaded prostate stimulator and waving it at me, “these things are nothing but widgets. They’re stock items. Barcode numbers. We’re not sitting here thinking about sex all day, it’s just … business.”
Adult toy stores are part of the sex industry and to most Australians that term conjures images of brothels, strip clubs, pornography and sleazy back alley stores frequented by lecherous middle-aged men in long coats.
Chris wrinkles his nose. “That’s not us at all,” he says. “For a start we’ve been an online business since we first opened in 2009, so no one even has to leave the comfort of their own home to visit us. And secondly, we’re actually a family business. My mum is my office manager! We also get a lot of referrals from doctors, for patients who’ve had some kind of surgery that’s affected their sexual function. All we do is provide people with the tools to improve their sex lives. It’s really very ordinary, but people have a lot of misconceptions.”
Chris busts five common myths about selling sex toys for a living
Myth #1 If you sell sex toys for a living, you must be some kind of sex fiend.
“That’s really not true! Our distribution centre is in Richmond, near a pub that has topless waitresses. I’ve had delivery drivers wink at me and say, ‘I bet you’re in there all the time, right?’ I’ve actually never been in there, it’s not my scene, but when you work in this business, people think your whole life is sex, porn and everything kink.”
Myth #2 Most of your customers are sleazy single men
“Definitely not. We get a lot of business from the remote mining towns where men are doing fly-in, fly-out work, away from their partners. We also have customers who are recovering from prostate cancer, who are looking to retain that intimacy with their wives. Most of these guys aren’t single and they certainly aren’t sleazy; they’re using sex toys to help maintain their relationships.”
Myth #3 Only people with lousy sex lives buy sex toys
Judging by some of the product reviews we get, we have a lot of couples buying toys to play with together. They’re looking for longer, more intense orgasms, or just something a bit kinky to spice things up in the bedroom. These are people with good sex lives who want to have even more fun. What we see is happy couples wanting happier, healthier sex lives.”
Myth #4 There are good sex toys and bad sex toys
“There are sex toys to suit all budgets. As with everything else, the higher end of the market tends to be better made and longer lasting, but none of our toys are ‘bad’. What is bad is when people use things as sex toys that really weren’t designed for that purpose. There’s actually a TV show about people presenting to the ER due to sexual misadventure with strange objects. We say, buy real sex toys; they’re purpose-designed. Pressing the ‘add to cart’ button on our website is not as embarrassing as a trip to the ER with something stuck somewhere it shouldn’t be. And you’ll have a lot more fun with a real sex toy too!”
Myth # 5 Sex toys are harmful
“Used properly, sex toys aren’t at all harmful. Obviously you have to know your limitations. If you’re new to anal play, don’t start with the largest butt plug available! Instead, try a small beginner’s plug. For most adults, good sex is an important part of good health and sex toys are merely tools to help you achieve that. That’s the very opposite of harmful.”