Kirby Vacuums are sold via door-to-door or though arranged-scheduled in-home demonstrations via their website[3] and the company is a member of the Direct Selling Association.

The Kirby website can also take vacuum cleaner orders and ship directly to the customer as well, without having to arrange for a scheduled in-home demonstration.

[11] Another feature of the Kirby system is the modular design of both vacuum and accessories, allowing machines to be configured for numerous uses, from normal floor cleaning, tile surface scrubbing, wet floor mopping, to furniture shampooing and as a compact, handheld vacuum with extension hose attachments for various cleaning chores.

Starting in the late 1940s the carpet cleaning floor nozzle with the brush roller could be removed, and the 1948 owners manual for the Model 508 called it the "Triple-Cushion Vibrator",[12] which was powered by a removable rubber belt that was in contact with a metal shaft extending from the vacuum turbine blades, powered by the electric motor, and reattached to a brush used to polish floors, or an extended plastic hose that could accommodate a furniture dusting attachment.

With the introduction of the Generation 3 model in 1990, a HEPA certified dirt containment filter bag, labeled as "Micron Magic" which minimizes dust being expelled into the air from the machine.

In the months to follow, VHS tape and DVD box sets of that years "Kirby World" convention were later sent out to Dealers and distributors to help aide in training of new sales representatives.

"[17] As of 2003, Kirby was the largest source of revenue and profit for Scott Fetzer, with approximately 500,000 sales per year, about a third of which are outside the United States.

[18] As an incentive to new customers, Kirby offers the Service Center Vacuum Rebuild Program for original owners who have been registered with the company.

As long as the customer owns the machine as the registered owner, if the cleaner needs repair, they can send it back to the Rebuild Department and have it restored to "like-new" condition.

[19] In 2021, Berkshire Hathaway sold Kirby to the Chicago, Illinois based Right Lane Industries, ending its nearly century long history with Scott Fetzer.

A major facelift was done to the Kirby line with the Generation 3 series in 1990, with G3 and later models maintaining a traditional form, but with a modern look and tech-drive transmission.

Internal improvements between models have continued (such as HEPA filtration, beginning with the Gsix in 1999), but outward changes throughout the entire Kirby production have been mostly in color scheme or minor detail.

Pricing of new, used and older Kirby vacuum models sold online or by secondhand thrift stores can vary widely based on overall condition and what number parts; attachments & accessories are included with it in the sale.

[5] The Wall Street Journal records examples where an elderly couple was unable to remove three Kirby salesmen from their home for over five hours; in another example, a disabled woman who had been living alone in a mobile home on $1000/month in Social Security payments and suffering from Alzheimer's disease was discovered to own two Kirby vacuum cleaners, having paid $1,700 for the second one.

"[5] Kirby compares the price difference to that between luxury and economy cars, yet "luxury-car dealers don't make house calls in trailer parks.

"[5] The Kirby vacuum cleaner is "marketed exclusively door-to-door — often to people who cannot afford a $1,500 gadget, but succumb to the sales pitch nonetheless.

[21] In June 2004, the Arizona Attorney General filed suit against Kirby distributors for violations of the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, seeking an injunction against any other home sales.

[25] In that case, the court found that, had the employee's references been checked, Kirby would have discovered complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior at his previous employer and an arrest and deferred adjudication for indecency with a child.

[26] The North Dakota Supreme Court also held Kirby liable in a similar rape incident, where the salesman was hired after being convicted of assault and with charges of criminal sexual misconduct in the third degree pending against him.

[27][28] A federal class-action lawsuit is pending against Kirby under the civil action provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), for allegedly selling used vacuums as new; the complaint alleges that "Not only is Kirby aware of this practice, it 'participates in the scheme by, among other things, selling to its distributors duplicate or replacement "Original Purchaser's Registration" cards to be given to secondhand purchasers.

[36][37] Kirby's parent lost another such suit in Minnesota based on trademark infringement and other related state law claims.

[39] However, Kirby has prevailed in cases where unauthorized retailers went farther than using the name and logo to identify the vacuum cleaner, misrepresenting themselves as the manufacturer and claiming the existence of factory warranty.