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By Kate Halim
In the past, the mere mention of sex toys makes people squirm and shift in their seats. But today, men and women are openly selling sex toys both online and on-site to meet up with the constant demands of their customers.
One of such is Moyinoluwa Onwujei. She said she started her sex toys business known as The Toy Shop in April last year. She said that what motivated her to start that line of business was the zeal to be financially independent. She added that being able to satisfy people’s sexual needs through her online business has kept her going during tough times. 
Onwujei told Saturday Sun that single women are mostly her biggest clients. However, she noted that when it comes to patronage, the percentage of both genders is 40 per cent male clients to 60 per cent female clients.
According to her, one of the challenges she faces running her online sex toys shop is using the internet to reach more people. “Instagram and Facebook bring down sexually-related content and rebuilding your social media presence is very challenging. Every business person knows that starting over is not an easy thing to do. Early this year, Instagram deleted my page because of explicit content. Even though it hurt me because I had many followers, I picked myself up and started all over again. Today, my customers are increasing on the social media app.”
Shedding light on how lucrative the sex toys business is, Onwujei, who is the only child of her parents, stated that the purpose of a business is to get profit and the profit she’s making from online sales are quite sustainable for her at the moment.
Going down memory lane, the University of Ibadan graduate recalled how some people judged her harshly for selling sex toys online. She said that she suffered harsh criticisms when she first started her business.
She however noted that some of the people who judged her for selling sex toys ended up using fake accounts to buy from her. “Their judgment is not something I take to heart as no one will feed me if I stop because of what they are saying,” she said.
But does she use sex toys herself? Moyinoluwa Onwujei said that she uses sex toys. She stated that the belief that people who sell sex toys are sexually frustrated is false. “It’s just like saying that someone started clothes business because they don’t have enough clothes. Selling sex toys is just business,” she added.
When it comes to handling difficult clients as a sex toys seller, Charles Okpala said he has learned to detach himself from his business. He said that he doesn’t allow what people say about what he does to earn a living to affect how he invests his time and money into his business.
He said: “I have dealt with all manner of people who think judging me for selling sex toys will make me feel bad. If I am bad for doing this business, it means they are bad too for patronising me. We are all bad. I am meeting the sexual needs of many couples and that is what businesses do.”
According to the father of two, he started selling sex toys five years ago after he came back from the United Kingdom where he went for his master’s degree. He stated that after seeing the way people invest in sex toys just to spice up their sex lives, he told himself that he would come back home and do something about sex-starved couples.
“Over there, people don’t judge people who use sex toys like we do here. I saw things differently while I was there. When I came back home, I said to myself that this will be a good business to do here and I am glad I took that step. My family feeds from the proceeds of this business. My children attend good schools all thanks to sex toys.”
Okpala confessed that starting this line of business wasn’t easy given his religious background and how conservative his family and circle of friends were. He recalled that telling his wife, brothers and sisters about what he wanted to do was met with stiff resistance because they didn’t agree with him.
“It wasn’t an easy thing convincing my wife and siblings that I wanted to start selling sex toys. My wife even reported me to our pastor and said I was trying to make people sin against God. I had to clear her doubts and made her see reasons why this is a business and not an extension of our religious beliefs. I did the same with my siblings and today, they are all enjoying the money,” Okpala added.
Okpala said that married women are his biggest clients. He stated that while this is not surprising to him, he added that he doesn’t know how some of these women convince their husbands to let them use sex toys. He said that this is because most men he has had conversations with frown at their wives using sex toys for pleasure.
Charles Okpala said he doesn’t use sex toys. He said that even though he makes a living selling sex toys and making couples sexually satisfied, he doesn’t use it alone or with his wife.
Okpala stated that even though he doesn’t believe in using sex toys for sexual pleasure, he said he doesn’t judge people who do so.
He said: “I’m a businessman and my duty is to provide my clients with what they need. I don’t judge couples or individuals who use sex toys. They are adults and they are responsible for what they do. My concern is to provide services and make money.”
Oluwabukola TomJones said she started selling sex toys last December. She said that she teaches people about sex and relationships and a lot of these people ask her about sex toys and she recommends where they can get them.
She stated that it then occurred to her that she could be making money from selling sex toys instead of referring her clients to other businesses. “I thought of it as a plus with what I do which is teaching about sex and relationship. Ever since then, I have made multiple sales and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.”
According to TomJones who sells sex toys on social media, many people talk down about toys and how much they will not try it on the internet but deep down they want to try them out. She said that anything about sex definitely moves because many adults are having sex.
Talking about her clients, she revealed that men are her biggest buyers. She added that 70 per cent of single men patronises her while 30 per cent of married men buys toys constantly from her.
Regarding the prices of her items, she stated that there are toys for everyone as her prices range from N7, 000 to N250, 000. She said that the business is a profitable one, noting that hardly would a day go by without someone coming to pick up a sex toy from her shop. She added that the magic wand and rose sucker sell out faster than other items.
Ebere Okpara informed Saturday Sun that she started selling sex toys because she was tired of listening to many married women lament about not reaching orgasms during penetrative sex. She added that for her, money was also a motivating factor for venturing into this line of business. But she quickly chipped in that making money while helping many women enjoy sexual pleasure is a beautiful thing.
Okpara who hails from Anambra State told Saturday Sun that married women, women whose husbands are abroad and female students are her biggest clients. She stated that selling her items to these women makes her happy, adding that the women keep coming back for more.
“The sex toys I sell are not too expensive. Some people think that sex toys are for very rich people but this is not true. Depending on your budget, you can get what you want. You can get the cheapest one for N15, 000 naira while the expensive ones cost N60, 000 and above. Vibrators sell out faster than other toys,” she said.
Talking about some of the challenges she faces, Okpara said that some people tell her that she is not a responsible woman just because she is into selling sex toys. She added that she had to shut out some of the negative things people tell her because of what she sells. She also said that one difficult customer told her that she wouldn’t pay for the sex toy she requested until she uses it first.
Even though Ebere Okpara markets and sells sex toys, she said that she doesn’t use them. She revealed that she went into the business of selling sex toys to make money and not because of unresolved trauma or sexual frustration.
Rachel Ogabor has been selling sex toys online for three years now. The mother of three told Saturday Sun that dealing with difficult clients is one of the most challenging aspects of her business. She recalled an incident where a customer demanded a refund after receiving the items she paid for a week before.
Ogabor said: “After I dispatched her toys, she called me to say she changed her mind about buying them and that I should send a dispatch rider to get them from her while I send her back her money. I politely told her that I don’t do refunds nor take back toys that were received in good condition from customers.”
She said the woman called her and started telling her that she wanted to destroy her marriage because her husband didn’t like her buying or using the toys. “I explained to her that I couldn’t take back the toys because she had already opened them and suggested to speak with her husband just to calm him down. She refused and started calling me names, threatening to call me out on social media and saying that if her husband left her, I caused it. I ignored her until she got tired and left me alone.”
Ogabor revealed that despite meeting some difficult customers, she loves helping couples get the spark back in the bedroom. She stated that married women are her constant customers and they spend money to enjoy themselves with their spouses. “In a week, I sell over 20 sex toys and the majority of my buyers are married women from different parts of the country. So, I believe that women are no longer joking when it comes to having orgasms,” she said.
