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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think most/all work from home/business in a box companies are a scam?

28 replies

toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 12:18

Forgive me if this isn't allowed, I don't want people to start trying to sign people up to their own.

I just wondered as there will be a lot of insight on here, whether most of these 'work from home and make tonnes of money' schemes are a scam? As in you don't actually make (much) money from reselling the products, they're more interested in you recruiting other people to pay the large upfront costs.

I've heard bad things about Younique, that aloe vera one and what not but recently people I know have started Arbonne, people who I would consider quite switched on are trying to convince me it's the best thing they ever did.

Another friend started Stella and Dot, is that another MLM or is it more like Avon?

Basically AIBU to say 'get lost' to anyone who even tries to start a conversation with me about these organisations or are some of them legitimate? Would like to hear peoples experiences.

OP posts:
CaoNiMa · 31/01/2017 12:23

YANBU. It's an absolute scourge. As well as potentially bankrupting the people who fall for it, it also creates social conflict and divisions.

user892 · 31/01/2017 12:27

I never know, if I'm invited to a mlm party by school mums, if they actually like me, or if they're just trying to get money out of me. Instinctively I feel offended if I get an invite from an acquaintance for a Partylite / Body Shop / other bollocks party Sad

MrsTarzan1 · 31/01/2017 12:30

YANBU.

Only people involved very early on will do well.

Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 12:31

Oh totally. A friend I hadn't seen for ages started messaging me asking how I am and how nice it would be to meet up, then I realised she was doing one of these and I thought - if this is what you have to do (feign interest in old acquaintances) to make any money, I couldn't be arsed.

OP posts:
Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 12:32

MrsTarzan1 I figured as much!

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Ncbecauseitshard · 31/01/2017 12:35

Before online shopping took off I think there was a place for Avon, betterwear and the like and people made a few quid. Now I can't see why any of them exist.

MothersRuinart · 31/01/2017 12:40

The only ones I know who have made any real money from these are the ones who have recruited a lot of people. I have a friend who does mlm seemingly full time and is constantly recruiting with a bit of selling as well. Even being quite successful she still makes much less than she would in a minimum wage job. I don't know if she's thought about pension savings etc, she's still very young.

LunaLoveg00d · 31/01/2017 12:40

Yes, all of those sort of "earn £££££ sitting in your pj's on the sofa" things are scams.

BUT (and it's a big but), not all work at home opportunities are scams. I have been working for myself, from home, freelance, for almost 10 years. The difference between me and the MLM companies is that you need to have some skills to do what I do, I have zero interest in encouraging you to do what I do (more competition for me), I'm not selling to friends and family, I have no "costs" associated with buying stock etc.

Also - and I'm sure other freelancers and self-employed people will agree - you may have more flexibility but you won't be able to "work as you want" as these people promise. Being self-employed doesn't stop a client emailing you at silly o'clock and asking for the moon on a stick by 9am. We've all had to work evenings and weekends to accommodate for school assemblies during the week.

namechange20050 · 31/01/2017 12:45

I have an aquaintance who has started with Arbonne and it's like a cult. All the reps post loads of 'inspirational' memes the whole time about how it's changed their lives etc. And they all worship at the idea of getting one of the 'white mercedes' that is dangled in front of them like carrots. Really weird.

Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 12:45

Ncbecauseitshard My thoughts exactly! I mean i'd love to help my friends out but realistically its less hassle for me to order Avon online or whatever.

Lunaloveg00d I am so intrigued as to what you do now! Wink But yeah I totally know what you mean, I'd love to work from home and have flexibility but I also would never be able to draw a line.

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LunaLoveg00d · 31/01/2017 12:53

It's nothing glamorous - I write content and articles for people's websites. Other people I know who work from home have small craft businesses, and one works as an accountant.

Whether your self-employed business is accountancy or cake decorating, you need some basic skills. This is the giveaway of MLM companies, they say anyone can do it. Anyone. And judging by many of their facebook pages, poor spelling and grammar is a requirement as is poor numeracy so you can't work out what a rip off it is.

seafoodeatit · 31/01/2017 13:07

If it sounds to good to be true is still a fail safe. I've been invited to these before but declined, my mum went to one not realising what it was, she came home and said her friend has started selling candles and she felt really uncomfortable so ended up buying a pack of tealights for a silly amount not to seem rude.

I've mentioned it before on this forum but I was taken in by one of the herbalife people, her website at the time seemed legitimate. I thought I was going to see a nutritionist who would help me with meal planning/eating healthy on a budget and getting support/ motivation but on the second day it was very clear she just wanted to flog her supplements, on the third session she tried to recruit me, a good amount of money wasted and self esteem through the floor for a good while!

not to mention she offered some horrendous diet advice like make up a meal and then pour washing up liquid on top so you don't want to eat it, or eat all your meals in front of a mirror. Confused

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 31/01/2017 13:25

I belong to several local Facebook groups and it feels like every day there's someone posting something trying to recruit people to their latest one of these. I think they're awful and I wish we could ban posts about them. But I also don't want everyone to hate me by being the person replying every time saying how awful they are ;)

Tudorblue · 31/01/2017 13:27

Oh my god yes! They irritate me so much. A recent 'younique fb friend' has gone full throttle with pushy selling/ cringey status updates. She even sent a private message asking if I and others would spend at least 20$ at her online party/selling thing. As it's only 20, and would really be helping her out. Just before Christmas. Erm, no thanks.

MammyNeedsASpaDay · 31/01/2017 13:30

People have tried to recruit me to these crappy things several times. I work full time and have three kids.

It's always "do you know anyone who wants to make 100s maybe 2000+ like me with my own business?"

My response "no I don't". I see all of these cringey things (one friend started doing scentsy, one Arbonne and forever living it seems like everyone is doing it!) and I just think it's a bit desperate.

wasonthelist · 31/01/2017 13:34

I quite often see a shagged out old people carrier with a load of stuff in the back window about making loads of cash on the side - it's hardly convincing.

There are no easy answers. most of these things will end up with you making nothing much and pissing off all your friends and family.

FlyWaxSleepRepeat · 31/01/2017 13:36

I hate MLM sellers, they target everyone and anyone but you'd have to be incredibly vulnerable or lacking in intelligence to sign up.

I follow a beauty blogger who recently signed up to Scentsy and is using her "fame" to flog it and sign up "consultants" to her team.

I asked her for some info, just for shits and giggles, and it took me approximately 2 minutes with a calculator to work out that you'd need to be buying about £170 of shitty overpriced wax melts per month to remain a "consultant", and they don't actually give a toss whether you manage to sell this crap on.

Most people are 6-12 months in, and have exploited every friend and family member they can encourage to buy or sign up, and are also therefore in debt, before the penny drops that they'll never make any money.

Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 13:37

seafoodeatit What the hell!? Pour washing up liquid on your dinner? That's horrible. That's what is annoying me about people doing these. They dress it up and try hide what they're doing.

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Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 13:39

flywaxsleeprepeat I have to say that's what inspired this thread. I emailed a girl just to see what the figures were etc (knowing full well I'd never do it) and found out they expect you to shell out £200 initially and then basically if you don't sell as much as they deem 'enough', then you're kicked out.

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KatharinaRosalie · 31/01/2017 13:41

99% percent of people doing those MLM schemes lose money. Most won't get any commission payments (96% of Arbonne’s sales representatives for example never earn any commissions at all), and for the ones that do, the required purchases will be more than those commission cheques.

Ohdearducks · 31/01/2017 13:42

YANBU search timeless Vie on fb, it's very revealing and informative about MLM's and quite funny.

seafoodeatit · 31/01/2017 13:47

toogoodtobetruex it's horrendous, their website still bleats on about 'nutrition' and it all being focused around eating well, no mention of the shakes that I can see and it being a pricier slimfast plus the hard sell pyramid scheme.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 31/01/2017 14:16

I know it's long, but this is well worth a watch and I want to force anyone who posts about the bloody things to watch as well ;)

Original poster
toogoodtobetruex · 31/01/2017 14:18

thehodgeofthehedge Yes! I love John Oliver.

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DJBaggySmalls · 31/01/2017 14:19

If they try to recruit you, ask them to show you their books. A legitimate business wont object to telling you how much they make or lose; MLM bots are prevented from doing that by the T&C's.