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AIBU?

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Original poster

MLM for the gullible

259 replies

SpringIsComingAlways · 08/02/2021 09:41

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

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

OP posts:
MuddlingMackem · 08/02/2021 19:10

@LarsErickssong, what gave me away? Wink

I love books, I like to splurge on books, and I like to share the book love with others. Not interested in make up / perfume / wax melts, etc, so don't buy from friends who do those and wouldn't expect them to buy from me if they're not interested, they'd let me know if they were so I don't need to ask them. I also find frequent posts on Facebook from friends who do those kinds of things tedious, so I rarely share Usborne stuff on mine. Grin

I have to be honest, as a parent, I did find the Scholastic bookfairs underwhelming, so I am a little touchy if Usborne is being singled out for criticism. :)

DK123 · 08/02/2021 19:54

I can't stand the MLM parties people trick you into going to - you accept an invitation, feeling flattered to have been invited to a get together by someone, thinking it was nice of them to get back in touch and you find yourself at a Ponzi tea party, politely trying to get out of buying an overpriced mascara.

A long time ago I fell for what my friend thought was simply "buy a ticket for a makeup lesson." I was really pleased to be going along, but when we got there, it was a body shop sales pitch. I didn't buy anything as I'd already spent the £20 I had to spend on the ticket and felt very awkward saying no thank you to one product after another.

Rose789 · 08/02/2021 20:03

From a department of 87 people 6 of them are doing body shop at home. They are trying to sell their wares to the same people- constantly. It’s funny though because every week one of them posts how she is in the top 50 of the area. They all post how much “money” they make constantly.
One of the people who joined just before Christmas is vulnerable and gullible and absolutely sucked in. She constantly posts sale figures and scorecards. The person who is top 50 every single week has not appeared once on these lists. She put up a photo of the top earners and how she wants to be like them. One person made over £900 a few made £2-300 and everyone else less then £100.
I was talking to her the other day about something at work and she tried to get me to sign up and be part of her “team”. I pointed out that our work is offering double time overtime currently. She spends hours each week posting videos of her washing her face, staging photos, posting inspirational messages, running raffles and lucky dips. Getting her partner to drive around here there and everywhere dropping off orders (she doesn’t drive) for £90. She could have made that in 3 hours at her actual job.

Dustyhedge · 08/02/2021 20:41

I’ve just had 5 messages in a week from someone I knew from school (and haven’t spoke to for at least 15 years) trying to recruit me to her aloe Vera business which is all super wonderful and mega successful. I feel quite sorry for her because she has small children and from previous posts her sector is one that has been buggered by covid. I don’t know her well enough to say stop, you don’t have a viable business and it’s a sham. I remember watching the Bbc documentary a while ago and all of her messages are straight out of that. Overly glossy and bouncy, life is awesome because of aloe bloody Vera etc.

BloodyDarrener · 08/02/2021 20:53

I think it totally brings people closer together! I mean, I had never met my dad's long time girlfriend's daughter (even though they were together a good 15 years!) and now she's posting on my Facebook regularly!!! How nice. Like totally, sisters! Omg!

Of course it's to buy some beauty products and had we ever met in person she would know the closest I get to beauty products is shampoo and conditioner and a deodorant stick.......

/sarcasmifanyonemissedit

kazillionaire · 08/02/2021 20:54

Avon don't strike you off for low sales, nor pressure you to recruit. You are free to pop books through doors or blast social media with multiple posts, they keep out of it

TheRaccoon · 08/02/2021 22:04

I’m in a networking group (I’m a freelancer and most definitely not MLM) and get so frustrated that they let these huns in. I have to listen to people selling all sorts of crap, namely

  • Tropic
  • Neal’s Yard
  • Utilities Warehouse
  • Magnetix
  • Some smelly candle/wax melt thing

These are the ones I can remember off the top of my head but my god, it’s so frustrating. I don’t know how people actually do this with a straight face.

ScrambledSmegs · 08/02/2021 22:18

@Maerchentante thank you - seems like Thermomix is a bit of a grey area.

I recognise some of the MLM names on here but haven't seen any travel or perfume ones yet. Stella and Dot seems to have petered out, it was huge here for a while, followed by Tropic.

Any book MLMs out there? Apart from Usborne of course. I reckon I'd be a sucker for those and should probably keep my wits about me!

ScrambledSmegs · 08/02/2021 22:20

Hang on - Neal's Yard? How is a cheese shop an MLM?

Turnedouttoes · 08/02/2021 22:24

Neals yard is also a skincare company. I’m gutted because I used to love their bubble baths but won’t buy from them anymore now they’ve gone down the MLM route

ScrambledSmegs · 08/02/2021 22:25

Oops ignore me Blush. I forgot about the little herbal remedies shop I used to go to in Covent Garden back when I was a teen, and that somehow has hit almost every high street, everywhere.

Neals Yard Dairy is awesome though pricey. And not an MLM.

Turnedouttoes · 08/02/2021 22:26

Interesting to hear about Thermomix. I have a friend who is from family money, semi famous, also has a wealthy husband and she’s become extremely preachy about Thermomix recently. I can’t imagine she needs the money though, perhaps it’s just something to do instead of getting a normal job

Horseyhorsey3 · 08/02/2021 22:30

I only voted YABU because joining one served me well for a time... By becoming "self employed" I could get 30 hours free childcare for DC so I could sort out some pretty major life stuff, the stuff I was promoting prompted a couple of people I'd lost touch with to reconnect and it gave people an easy option for friends who wanted easy Xmas gifts for awkward to buy for people along with a bit of pocket money and some free stuff that I'd normally use anyway.

I didn't go to the endless brain washing, sorry training sessions or try and get pally with my "teamies" as that's when you can start to become another bot...
If you go into it with your eyes wide open and don't get sucked into becoming a hun bot/talking about nothing else except your "business"/pissing everyone off by trying to recruit them/investing all your savings into buying stock then it can work for you. Definitely not a long term thing though

mootymoo · 08/02/2021 22:32

To be be fair to these companies, they do vary. If the product is something people actually want to buy then it can be useful for sahm's etc extra income. I sold Avon and made £3-400 a month profit for around 5 hours work a week, but you need to be in an area which isn't oversupplied with reps, they were strict about this when I sold it and I had a defined area. I bought things from the local body shop rep today as the shops are closed.

Whattheactual20201 · 08/02/2021 22:35

I once had a juice plus rep who was a old friend tell me that juice plus would save my daughter and will give her the nutrition she needs ( I should add my DD has absolutely no small bowel after contracting NEC due to heart failure )
She also has an unsafe swallow and is IV dependant is not allowed to eat.
She told me it was fine she knows that I can crush them up and put them in her IV ?????
I explained that obviously she was talking dangerously. I told her I am sure my daughters consultant would go for it if it would have worked 🤣 - she then requested our consultants details and she would inform him of the benefits 😳

Runawayrain · 08/02/2021 22:44

What horrifies me is how some of the otherwise intelligent women I know have started this. In the last few weeks, a teacher friend is selling Forever Living and a former accountant, now sahm is peddling stationery through an MLM. Both call themselves business owners.

CrocodileFondue · 08/02/2021 22:53

My friend lost a lot (never dared ask how much) money from doing Forever Living a few years ago. She gave me a few lotions and soap and I was pleasantly surprised but still not daft enough to buy any or get involved. I'd love to ask her more about the experience but I get the impression she's really embarrassed about it so i don't like to.

Another friend seems to have given up pushing Bodyshop at Home and is now declaring herself a "Supervisor at Herbalife Nutrition"....Hmm

Generally, anyone on my Facebook feed just gets muted if they post any of this crap.

ufucoffee · 08/02/2021 22:56

I buy Avon from someone at work and she never tries to recruit anyone. She just sells it.

CurlsandCurves · 08/02/2021 23:04

I got sucked into Forever Living about 17 years ago, before social media was a thing. I’m quite glad of that.

Now I’ve got about half a dozen fm people inviting me to their group on Facebook. Buy your perfume from me! No, come here and buy it from me!

A few of them I know really well and they’re currently unable to work due to their trade being the health and beauty industry. So I can see how they’ve took to it and thought if I can make a few quid selling this to tide me over then why not? But I do hope that MLMs will take a nosedive ASAP.

I’ve no need to buy from them because my day to day fragrance is from next and costs £14.

Frazzled2207 · 08/02/2021 23:06

Since lockdown it seems almost everyone i know has signed up to either Usborne or Body shop. Is depressing. I really hope as it gets more widespread more people realise what a con it is and it just ends up being one of those fads that goes away.

OTOH I do know at least 3 people who’ve done very well out of Arbonne

YouokHun · 08/02/2021 23:12

@mootymoo

To be be fair to these companies, they do vary. If the product is something people actually want to buy then it can be useful for sahm's etc extra income. I sold Avon and made £3-400 a month profit for around 5 hours work a week, but you need to be in an area which isn't oversupplied with reps, they were strict about this when I sold it and I had a defined area. I bought things from the local body shop rep today as the shops are closed.
They don’t really vary in terms of outcomes for most sign ups. Those joining thinking they’re going to make a consistent profit from selling product are misled. In Avon territories don’t exist these days so there’s no control over whether your neighbours are all signed up to Avon too. Those slightly higher up just want to recruit everyone they can so they don’t care either. The market for Avon, FM and BSAH at the cheap price end of the MLM scale is totally saturated. In MLM some products are OK, some are good, lots are meh, some are dangerous but most are overpriced but at the end of the day the product isn’t relevant, it’s only there to bring the pyramid scheme within the law and many of the biggest successes in MLM have never been near the products they claim to sell.
Original poster
SpringIsComingAlways · 08/02/2021 23:13

I feel sorry for people who do this.
Someone mentioned by being 'self employed ' they got free childcare...I remember a friend doing this years ago and large tax credits since her profits were none but by saying she 'worked' over x hours per week she qualified for tax credits top up. The inland revenue quite rightly closed that loophole and assume a minimum wage now for people saying they run 'businesses ' 🙄 Hmm

OP posts:
YouokHun · 08/02/2021 23:18

OTOH I do know at least 3 people who’ve done very well out of Arbonne

Doing well in any MLM is a matter of recruiting as many people as you can, to do that you need to set aside any kind of decency towards others. Arbonne is notorious for bullying of downlines into purchasing to help uplines achieve rewards. Uplines are not paid on what their downlines sell, they’re rewarded on what their downlines purchase (allegedly to sell) so many Arbonne people end up with a garage full of product they’ve been encouraged to buy.

Turnedouttoes · 08/02/2021 23:30

Is the free childcare/tax credits thing the same as people advertising things for sale on marketplace and then their friends buying them to make it look like they’ve got money going in and out?

YouhavenoauthorityJackieWeaver · 08/02/2021 23:36

My DM had a bit of a breakdown after she lost her job so started up with Kleeneze. Oh my god what a scam. She was putting in so many hours delivering leaflets and had all this crap in the house. She made it work for a year or so but I'm glad she stopped. I tried to help her as much as I could but I was only 15 at the time.

MLMs should be banned. She's happy now in a job for life that's not a pyramid scheme and I'm so proud of her but they really do prey on people who are vulnerable