Petitioners Thomas P. Norton, Jordan Ashley, Inc., Gold Coast Developers, Inc., and National Vending Systems, Ltd., Inc., were involved in the distribution of greeting cards through business ventures that they marketed to customers. For a payment of between $5,000 and $15,000, petitioners would supply their customers with an initial inventory of greeting cards and display racks. Customers were also informed that a professional locator service would assist them in finding suitable retail locations for the greeting card displays.