To think that lockdown is partly responsible for the explosion in MLM?

[Nickelallergy891]

Every day, I mean every day, I log on and another Facebook friend seems to be pushing Scentsy/Body Shop/Avon/Yoooounique. I've really noticed it more in the last couple of months. As much as I find these posts annoying (I unfollow immediately), I can't help but worry that many women are getting themselves caught in a horrible trap, and I feel so angry that these sort of schemes even exist!

In my opinion, any "Job" that requires someone to pay for a start up kit isn't a job at all.

Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in these sort of things, and do you think it's mostly down to lockdown?

I can’t say I’ve noticed it but the financial hit some have taken due to lockdown would perhaps make some more likely to be suckered into an MLM.

Oh tell me about it. The new one is the perfume one, FM something? Fake perfumes anyway. I've seen so many new 'reps' appear. I keep getting added to a group for it, and I keep declining - normally I would unfriend but the woman doing it is really nice. Unfollowed until she comes out of the the side....

@TazSyd I agree. I have a few close friends that seem to have been sucked in so far. I don't want to be negative towards them but I have one friend who is particularly vulnerable so I'm generally worried! I really hope I'm proven wrong and they don't end up worse off in the long term.

Oh yes, I've seen the FM one too! Isn't it rip offs of big brands?

90% of my friends have signed up to Tropic, which they assure me isn't MLM, I beg to differ but could be wrong.
It actually makes me giggle a bit, now they have signed each other up and joke about paying each others mortgages actually none of them make any money from it because they have signed up their entire potential customer base (you know friends, mums, aunties and sisters)to be fellow ambassadors.

@tennisbutterfly Tropic is 100 percent MLM. No two ways about it!

I hate MLM but a friend who sells FM perfume keeps uploading shots of her income and it’s colossal. She’s just got a brand new Mercedes. It’s easy to see why people are impressed. I’m hard of heart and I’m impressed!

Yep I've noticed it too - had to snooze a couple of friends because of it. Not even just the perfume one but some of the "old" chestnuts still doing the rounds - and women I thought were more intelligent than to go for it - and who've obviously now hit the point of being told to aggressively follow up every potential link by their upline as they're spamming totally inappropriate group chats.

Their whole business model is preying on the vulnerable. I think they should be subjected to much stricter regulation.

@thehop I would either think your friend is one in a thousand in terms of luck, or that her income from MLM isn't quite as big as she says it is. I don't know a single friend that has made any money from theirs by talking to them!

Is it like the Arbonne Mercedes?

Yes, it’s actually really sad. People I know who have lost their jobs/had their hours cut have resorted to MLM’s to try and make some cash. These are usually sensible people who are just bloody desperate.

@TennisButterfly

Never heard of that one, usually this website is good for identifying them but it’s not there: isthisanmlm.com/

I suspect you are right , I was a bit gutted to see an ex colleague who I had a lot of respect for start selling weight loss coffee of all bloody things. So frustrating , she is smart , capable and usually remarkably savvy. I get why she was vulnerable, put on furlough and frankly with that company everyone knew those on furlough were probably not coming back (have since been proved right ).

I get why they targeted her but blimey.....I hate seeing it.

Yes, quite a few of my friends that I thought would be intelligent enough to see through it have been converted. Many of them posting mindlessly on totally unrelated groups and pages. Some have had devastating changes in circumstance so I guess they're resorting to it out of desperation.

Yes, I’ve noticed this too!

Yep. Three selling juice plus, two selling some sort of perfume, one selling body shop, one selling bath bombs. All in the last couple of months.

The only ones that appear to do well out of it are those with wealthy husbands. Hint: it isn’t the money from an MLM that’s paying for the house and holidays.

Yep. Glad l have stepped away from Facebook for other reasons, there is lots of bombarding going

@Rhayader that's interesting, my friends have told me it's not. It seems to have all the features, they sell skincare and makeup from a catalogue, one started they all bought bits off her then slowly became 'ambassadors' themselves, the one who signed each one up gets some of their sales money.
It might not be MLM but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ...
It's pretty harmless to my friends at the moment, they all have proper jobs, so won't worry yet and wait for it to run its course.

Yes! A friend is doing the exercise leggings one. The person who signed her up as a rep made a right song and dance about choosing her new reps, had them all tagged in posts ‘making the decision tomorrow!!!’ type stuff, such a song and dance. The friend does Tropic as well. She’s v sociable and I think quite enjoys it.

@TennisButterfly it sounds exactly like an MLM to me!

Thehop it's not real. They are told to do that.

@TazSyd yes the Arbonne Mercedes!
An acquaintance tried to recruit me for Arbonne and the Mercedes was casually dropped in to the conversation.

The ones i see have been furloughed from their real jobs so it's that they have more time. Thankfully no leeches that visible now!