MLM for the gullible

[SpringIsComingAlways]

MLM everywhere on social media...living my own life selling tat @bossgirl

Apart from people at the very top is MLM just aimed at gullible people recruiting more gullible people?

YABU all type of people join MLM and make shedloads of money

YANBU it's just for gullible or vulnerable people

In case anyone doesn't know MLM is multi level marketing.... getting others to sell products you sell, like a pyramid with commission to those above you in the scheme...think YouNique, bodysuit, fake perfumes, smelly candles, make up that is ridiculously overpriced due to commission, etc etc..... they come and come and spread as much as covid

I loathe MLMs with a passion and I especially hate the phrase I'm building my business or support small businesses. I just always want to shout it's not your business, you're a glorified sales assistant for the company. Nothing more. I mute anyone on my Facebook who does that, loads of Juiceplus, Herbalife etc friend request as I'm active on Facebook fitness groups, always sending a starter email about if I'd like to earn extra cash. It ropes the vulnerable in big time

She claimed she got a four figure paycheck

A four figure paycheque isn't really anything unusual - if you worked full time on the minimum wage you'd get a four figure paycheque.

I reserve my disapprobation for those at the top who are preying on the poor and desperate.

Facebook could do a lot to help by banning all MLMs from their platform

It’s definitely just people who are desperate, which is a bit sad really. I don’t know why they all feel the need to post what they are supposedly making on social media either, why would I be impressed at a ‘four figure amount last month’? That could be £1001, not exactly something to get excited about. I wouldn’t start a new job and then post on Facebook look how much I took home last month!

Hate the term, Support my small business, full stop. So beggy. If you have something, I want or need and can afford fine otherwise nah.

I think they prey on people who are either desperate or very naive in exactly what MLM entails. A quick Google search would bring up results of what a sham it is.

The whole thing has a very cultish, brainwashing element to it, so l could easily see someone who is in a vulnerable situation getting sucked in to the promises of a better life.

I have a friend that says shes an entrepreneur selling for nuskin id love to know how much they actually make in a month

They never tell you online how much anything costs do they ? I see this all the time, 'how much is that weightloss tea ?' Will message you hun ' is the usual answer.
Is Avon a MLM now ? at least most of it is reasonably priced.

@LApprentiSorcier

She claimed she got a four figure paycheck

A four figure paycheque isn't really anything unusual - if you worked full time on the minimum wage you'd get a four figure paycheque.

But this is a ‘side hustle’ so I guess it’s on top of their usual monthly income

I think at the moment because your not seeing people face to face they get sucked in easier.
I have a friend who tried to convince me to host a usborne book party and if I sold £120 worth of books I would get 5%. So I would get £6 in the form of a book voucher for over priced books for hours of work. No thanks.
It would be easier in real life to explain the perils of mlm than trying to text or talk over the phone where I fear I would be condescending. I ended up unfollowing the friend on Facebook as she was sending out notifications multiple times a day. In her case I dont understand it. Her and her DH both have good jobs that have faired well in covid times. There son has started his free hours in nursery. I think there must be a combination of gullible and desperate

What's this new travel agent one? Saw something this morning that looked like a steaming pile of bullshit.

Yes Avon is one too....I have noticed the price thing on Body Shop too...why can they not post the prices on the products...why do we have to pm them...its all so murky and shady.

Some years ago a colleague at work got suckered sucked into the Women Empowering Women scheme. This didn't even involve selling anything - it was just described as "an investment opportunity". She went to one of their meetings and saw enormous sums of money being handed over to women who'd "invested" only a few weeks earlier, and she was totally dazzled by it. Only after she'd joined did she realise that it was a classic pyramid scheme, and only those at the very top of the pyramid stood any chance of making any money at all. I think she lost about £3,000.

@frumpety

They never tell you online how much anything costs do they ? I see this all the time, 'how much is that weightloss tea ?' Will message you hun ' is the usual answer. Is Avon a MLM now ? at least most of it is reasonably priced.

I think Avon has gone from the person popping a catalogue out around their local area to recruitment of others and those dreadful....who wants to buy a number to win some prizes....please support me by buying a raffle ticket....

Yes I used to love Avon when it was just catalogs occasionally/ now I refuse to buy anything from it.

@ProfessionalWeirdo

Some years ago a colleague at work got suckered sucked into the Women Empowering Women scheme. This didn't even involve selling anything - it was just described as "an investment opportunity". She went to one of their meetings and saw enormous sums of money being handed over to women who'd "invested" only a few weeks earlier, and she was totally dazzled by it. Only after she'd joined did she realise that it was a classic pyramid scheme, and only those at the very top of the pyramid stood any chance of making any money at all. I think she lost about £3,000.

Wow!

I was talking about these losing smaller amounts by buying up products or start up packs etc.

That is pure pyramid selling. The ones at the start really do make money but huge numbers below lose their money....basic maths

Is Avon considered to be in the same
League? I grew up with a local lady doing and she made few extra quid but nobody was under the illusion she would be going on a cruise any time soon.

Sorry - hadn’t seen page 2 replies. Bad Avon!

@Akire

Is Avon considered to be in the same League? I grew up with a local lady doing and she made few extra quid but nobody was under the illusion she would be going on a cruise any time soon.

It’s 110% an MLM, scammy and predatory. They tell their “partners” that they will own their own business etc, turns out their commission scheme is one of the worst, plus if you don’t recruit enough/put enough sales through you can get “struck off”

I admin a local fb group where one of the rules is zero tolerance of mlm pushing. We do have some members who do body shop etc but they know the rules and keep it out of the group. Join requests from obvious mlm huns are declined. I had to remove a woman who’d drunk the arbonne kool aid who kept trying to get round the rules by just casually mentioning her amazing caffeine drink etc etc on ‘help my dc are knackering me out’ type threads. Well, you’d have thought i’d gunned down her entire family and shat in her handbag after. The other admins and i all received walls and walls of text on messenger about how she didn’t think she’d broken any rules and how the group was a lifeline to her and could we please readmit her so she could ask for urgent advice on xy and z, and various other emotional blackmail type stuff. I suggested she seek support in her amazing arbonne #bossbabe sisterhood and blocked her on messenger, then she found my professional insta and messaged me there as well. It proper creeps me out and disgusts me, how they prey on people.

I have a forever living Hun on my FB.
A group of us at my church have a WhatsApp group, mostly for prayer requests. She spammed all over it. Thankfully it went down like a lead balloon. Also nobody wanted to join her on an aloe juice cleanse.

Many years ago a perfectly intelligent friend of mine told me about a fabulous new scheme aimed at empowering women. It was called Hearts I think. You paid £1500 to join a ‘ group’ of 20 women and then recruited for your own group. As you moved up the chain you received the money from lower down. That was it. Simple. She took out a bank loan.

She was mightily affronted when I refused to join her group.

I then did the maths for her.

Oh apparently only around 25% of people that join make any money....that's sad

That is a massively inaccurate figure. Most MLMs will see around 98% of people make no money whatsoever. A large proportion of those will lose money.

I'm getting annoyed with my MLM friends who are 'kindly' selling their wares and donating them to NHS workers on your behalf. Guilting people into levelling them up giving them large sales results by using the NHS and charity as their sales pitch.

No Betty, I don't want to buy your bodyshop shit to donate to nurses so you can get paid. I'd rather buy from a shop which is at least not bullshitting me about their reasons for selling it.

(Plus I wouldn't buy Bodyshop again after TRAs got the words woman, women and girls from their websites but still sell multiple products for men.)

I see so many and it’s usually young mums with children who obviously are looking for money to help get by. It infuriates me that they are being taken advantage of and will lose their money.

The latest one which I was so horrified by is a MLM to sell children’s books. She did a raffle with prizes like £10/£5 to spend at my ‘store’. Barely anyone bought a ticket so her family filled in the gaps and spent £20 each on tickets.
She’s been very quiet recently so hopefully she’s moved on but I know she spent a fair amount on initial stock.