To get fed up with friends trying to sell me stuff

[Sunshine51]

Does anybody else find it annoying to constantly be asked to body shop, party life, younique, forever living, get 20% off your shopping etc etc via private message on Facebook?
I get so fed up with it. I feel it's like somebody cold calling you about double glazing who you would normally hang up on, but you can't as it's your friend and although you don't want to hurt their feelings you don't want to buy anything either.

I'm in the same boat with a friend who does Younique. She started up a Fb group and messaged us all to say she would only add us to it if we wanted to be which I thought was nice of her. No spam thought I.

Only now I get invitations to flash sales, or see endless statuses about how blessed she is running her business, and what new charm she's got and how we should inbox her for details of an offer she is super excited about but can't post publicly about....

I was invited to a joint event where she was selling it alongside someone from juice plus, who reckons that stuff can cure alopecia and has meant she doesn't have to take any medication anymore for some unknown or unnamed issue. I had to leave the group after that.

If it was separate I wouldn't mind, but her fb is full of motivational quotes, how lucky she is and how much she's gained from running all this and how she wishes she'd done it sooner. All liked by other younique sellers... I've binned her from my newsfeed as I'm fed up of it! If it was so good it'd be available on the high street.

Yes OP I met my friends girlfriend the other day, was saying I didn't know anyone who actually used JuicePlus as I thought it was just a scam and people stuck in contracts trying to make money off scamming their own friends... Well she sells them

I am very lucky that none of my friends do this sort of thing. I don't go on selling/buying groups on FB either so manage to steer pretty clear of it.

Multi-level marketing is one big con though. Just read through some of te postings on the Money Matters board: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2698973-MLM-Bot-Watch-25-Powered-by-Twunks-Yazoo-Tragicomic-cultic-wampum-flogging-scamalangadingdongs-like-Forever-Living-Ariix-Herbalife-Younique-Juiceplus-LifeTreeWorld-RIP

The number of people who actually make a living out of this sort of thing is miniscule. And most of them live in Utah. People tell you they're making money, but only tell you what they're selling, without deducting the amount they spend on products for themselves, training event costs, etc etc etc.

What I hate the most about them though is that they deliberately set out to target pregnant women or new mums with their shit about "being there for your baby".

My friend posts her younique cash quite a lot - which she can only spend on more make up!! My face is only so big lol

Oh God. Jamberry nails are everywhere. I have one friend who has gone through Virgin Vie, Body Shop, Jewellery making etc. etc. I know they are only trying to make a living, and it is really hard to make any sort of decent money from these things but when you have 4-5 people popping up on your timeline constantly flogging stuff it does get really annoying.

One friend who is doing the Slim Tea thing put up a status the other day 'Where are all the MLM Men at?? Say hi!' And no one replied. Funny that as they're always aimed at women. Are they more gullible? It's depressing

YANBU

I hate this. IMO it takes advantage of people (mainly women) feeling obliged to their friends and agreeing to buy so as not to fall out. Horrible.

I won't ever even ask friends to do any kind of sponsorship for the kids or those things like offers where they join the gym and I get a free month etc. Because it makes people feel uncomfortable and pressured.

I did buy cards and wrapping paper from a neighbour who used to do Phoenix cards, but they were nice and the difference is you do actually need a regular supply of them, so it was quite handy. And like a PP I quite like the idea of a tupperware party :o

But not silly face creams, shakes and whatnot. I once went with a friend round to see a mate of hers for what I thought was a drink and it turned out to be her trying to sell us make-up and moisturiser etc. I like that stuff and I'm not averse to a whirl around Boots but this all had really ugly packaging. I refuse to part with 40 quid for something that looks hideous. So I didn't buy anything and it was all a bit awkward.

You have to stay strong and just say no thanks. It's grim though.

Oh yes I agree if it was Tupperware I would definitely be interested! We still have all my mums stuff she bought 30 odd years ago.

Has anyone heard of utility warehouse??? I have a friend who was already selling FL but has now started with this as well and she works full time. To be fair to her she never really pushed the FL apart from all the inspirational quotes but is pretty full on a out the utility warehouse thing, constant updates about the fantastic meetings with like minded people and how proud she is to be part of such an amazing team.

She recently came to see me after I had been in hospital, spent the whole time telling me about her new venture and has now sent me messages about helping me reduce my bills as I am trying to save money (aren't we all)

Yanbu, I want people to see me as a friend, not someone they can make money off

I've had four messages on linked in trying to get my involved in these types of businesses now. Its driving me insane. They have clearly cottoned on to the maternity leave on my profile. Its all a bit sad really that this is their method of recruitment.

My cousin tried to recruit me to one of them, I declined and she got stroppy, asked for a price list instead. She doesn't even do it anymore.

One of my relatives (many moons ago) did fantastically well out of Tupperware - regional manager or something. Wasn't pushy that I can recall as we never went to any parties or held any. But there again that's a really useful product so that could be a clue!

I can remember the party planners of the 70s - stainless steel, clothes - there is much more of a make-up vibe nowadays!

I think one of the big draws for MLM is the positivity - it's always very upbeat and cheery, so if you like that it is an attractive proposition. I know someone who does a make-up MLM and she really likes the meetings and stuff.

I suspect that some of the products are good, but it's difficult to access them without having to sit through 'the opportunity' 'business information', whatever so that puts people off! And some of it is just too bloody expensive.

Be aware that there is another makeup brand coming out that has been set up by former Younique people, it's coming to your FB timeline soon

I refuse to buy from any MLM on principle. I will happily support friends who set up small businesses on their own (have bought more cakes than I care to admit!) but I am not spending a lot of money on makeup/skincare that I don't know is any good. Also juice plus is like a cult, it scares me.

Diglet- sadly every time someone has told her where to go, my grandmother has got involved and become very upset (very complicated). Unfortunately there is a lot worse to my aunt than her money scheming ways. I have pretty much cut her off now though!

My FL bot was pestering me weekly at one point to join her team. She finally desisted when I reminded her that I'd worked in sales before, hated it and been fired after flatlining week after week (I cheered when it happened).

I have a friend who gets involved in all this crap. It worries me; she is extremely intelligent (I met her while we were both doing PhDs and hers is maths, so she isn't dim by any stretch of the imagination) and she gets suckered in. I have made it clear that I won't be joining in. I have commented on the '6 books' rubbish, too; even if no money changes hands it is still illegal, as it's a pyramid scheme.

I used to buy from Vie quite a lot as a friend had make up parties - but we're talking once every three months or so when stuff needed topping up. I liked the product and at no point was there any pressure to buy anything or start selling it. It was a night for us to get together with friends and have wine and nibbles.

This Facebook stuff is too pushy

YANBU
I can't stand it. I have no interest in buying any overpriced aloe Vera shite.

Recently I was a bridesmaid for a friend and the hairdresser we had tried to sell us FL aloe vera toothpaste. No, just fuck off. It's someone's wedding day why is our attention being turned to fucking toothpaste. They are like robotic obsessed zombies.

And I was raging when my cousins girlfriend tried to sell FL skin cream to my (95 year old) grandad as a treatment for dry skin he's got after a skin graft. The cream is £15 and my grandad was convinced he needed it he asked me about so I said I'd get him some, went to Holland and Barrett and bought pretty much the same thing for £4. They don't care who they rip off, they just want to sell sell sell. it makes me so cross.

What makes me angry is the marketing people who dreamt up this very cynical form of exploiting people. I can see how people get sucked in, especially if it's at a vulnerable time in their lives.

Those doing it should still have enough of a moral compass not to exploit friends and family.

I have a friend on FB who is a Younique rep. Every fucking status is products or telling me about 'amazing, life-changing make-up' and 'I'm an amazing mummy because I can work when I want to.
She's recently tried to foist some mascara that gives 400% more volume onto a person, they told her they were allergic to the fibres in the mascara and yet she still tried to sell it to her!
All these pyramid schemes (or is it multi-level marketing now?) can fuck right off.

"I can't believe I didn't do this sooner"

"Super excited to reveal something amazing later!"

"I love running my own business!"

"Who says you can't be a mummy and work!"

Bore off!!

YANBU
I hate any of this kind of selling! As well as a few friends doing Avon I get bloody catalogues through my letterbox all the time, usually with a specific day to leave on the doorstep for them to collect!
I usually just recycle them. I felt bad at first in case they had to buy them but then I remembered I didn't ask for them!

I'm not on FB anymore and thankfully, even when I was, none of my friends did this. I liked the page of my local swimming pool though I never saw messages from them, my husband said it kept coming up on his FB feed that I liked their promotions even though I had never actually seen them . Wonder if some of the spam messages are automated like that.

I have a FB friend who's just started selling Juiceplus. She keeps adding me to her group and I leave the group again straight away. If she carries on I'll just delete her because she isn't a close friend more an acquaintance now.

It's really irritating.