To buy from MLM scheme because it’s a friend?

[HoppingHamster]

Inspired by a skincare thread yesterday which got me thinking (sorry if this has been done before).

A friend of mine recently started selling Tropic, she’s loving it and clearly loves the product. Very passionate, but not intrusive, I think she’s doing a really good job of getting the balance right between doing something she loves for her friends and being a salesperson. It works well in our area as we are quite rural so it’s a good journey to nearest department store for a experience with cosmetics, but I think she’s struggling to keep up her sales now that the initial novelty has worn off with family and friends.

However, having seen the reactions to MLM and read a bit more about it, I’m torn. I want to keep supporting her because she’s a good friend (over 20 years) but now I’m worried that it could all end badly for her and knock her confidence.

So AIBU to continue buying as she’s a friend (products nice but 90% of reason I buy is her)?

For those of you who are / have been MLM “ambassadors”, how did you find it? Were you treated well, did you make money, was it flexible, did it cause probs with friends and family, do you think it’s ethical? Are there any which are really good?

I didn’t realise Avon has been an MLM for years! I think the only ones I’ve ever come across really are Tropic and Arbonne, Arbonne I hated as the girl was really pushy. Although maybe Stella and Dot were the same? Also, why is it always targeted at women selling to other women, why don’t men do it?

Sorry for all the questions!

I don't buy from MLMs on principle and I say this to every friend that's asked me to.

The women jeopardising friendships trying to flog this stuff are the customer. A genuine business wouldn't encourage you to saturate your own market by 'recruiting' people in the same area & friendship groups.

And I can't abide the very unsubtle "Thanks to all my friends for supporting my little business" rubbish.
I'm happy to support friends with my time, by baby sitting, providing a shoulder to cry on, providing a pie when the oven is broken.
I'm not happy to give them 25% of the price of a product I don't need, because I feel guilted by a meme.

I get you want to support her but realistically you buying a few products won’t make any difference. She’ll only make money if she recruits others under her, it’s not about actual sales. Unless you love the products I wouldn’t buy them.

Don't encourage her.

MLM is a polite way of saying ‘cult’.

@Bubbles1st

Read up on the company and make your own decision based on their ethics.
Tropic are a long way away from many mlms and their code of conduct, plus their products are award winning and industry loved.Nothing wrong with supporting your friends if there is genuine gain for you, the products, if you don't like them, don't buy them again, even better send them back.

This post is genuinely embarrassing.

Tropic can be as ethical, vegan etc as it likes but the question is still there: if it is so good, why is it using MLM model? And the answer is that it makes most money for the owners of the business (The overall business not the reps' "business") because thanks to the MLM model they don't have the expenses associated with sick pay, holiday pay, maternity pay, NI, administration of employees etc.

I seem to remember reading that Tropic get a more favourable rep ie: less pushy because it has attracted more middle class reps with other sources of income (well paid partner or well paid main job) so they can afford to just sell the product because they like it without paying attention to whether they are making profit. It still doesn't make the business model ethical (however much the product is) and along the way there will be women joining up who think they can make money from Tropic and who can't afford to just break even/lose money (which is what happens to the majority of MLM reps).

And Avon several decades ago is not comparable because Avon have changed their business model to be more MLM ie: no longer set territories and more emphasis on recruiting.

[quote LeopardHawk]@Bubbles1st

Read up on the company and make your own decision based on their ethics.
Tropic are a long way away from many mlms and their code of conduct, plus their products are award winning and industry loved.Nothing wrong with supporting your friends if there is genuine gain for you, the products, if you don't like them, don't buy them again, even better send them back.

This post is genuinely embarrassing.[/quote]
For who?

Certainly not me so why are you embarrassed by my opinion?

I buy the Tropic stuff from a friend. She likes their products so became an ambassador but she’s not pushy with it. I like some of their products so buy them from her as and when. She’s never going to make her fortune from it and I’m never going to be a profitable customer, but she knows that and is comfortable with what she does.

I am generally very anti-MLM, I know most lose money or make nothing but I do genuinely enjoy scentsy products, the warmers and the waxes are fab but a bit expensive and I do still buy them from a friend because I really like the product. I wouldn't get involved though x

Their products are award winning and industry loved

what does "industry loved" even mean?

Best way to support a friend who does this is to offer to baby sit whilst they do a job that pays them without having to pressurize all their friendship group.
If she doesn't have children then she really needs to find something else to earn some money.

@Bubbles1st
For who?

Certainly not me so why are you embarrassed by my opinion?

It is extremely embarrassing, even vicariously, that you think anyone would be stupid enough to take your posts at face value.

I really like some of the Tropic products, I would only buy them if you actually want the products!

@LeopardHawk thanks for clearing up your opinion on my opinion. As suspected I won't lose sleep over yet another keyboard basher who seems to think MN is a great forum for being rude and righteous.

Monetizing friendships is really icky and changes the dynamic. I agree with PPs; don't encourage her by buying anything. You'll prolong the agony and she'll lose more in the long run.

No I’ve learned the hard way. Having been guilted into buying Juice plus, Body shop, some wax melt thing and back in the day pampered chef and usbourne books and then watched friends ‘businesses’ crumble when the sales dried up I absolutely refuse to contribute to these schemes and delete anyone on social media who starts using their personal pages to sell stuff.

I have a friend who about 5 years ago got involved with body shop at home. I did buy stuff off of them but only stuff I was using already namely their shampoo and hair stuff. She used to only sell buy throwing the odd party so I could avoid if I wanted. Then it started to be pretty none stop with weekly raffles and no more poping around for a coffee as it always ended up with a demonstration of the latest product or offer.
I then stopped buying bodyshop products when they involved themselves with the bullying of jk Rawlings and with the social distancing of COVID I had a good excuse for avoiding. No doubt now that everything is opening up again I will start to get the party invites again but I won’t be buying as I am happy with the alternative products that I am using and they never apologised over their JKR bulling tweets.

I wouldn't usually buy from MLMs however having read the article posted up thread about Tropic specifically I think I actually would buy from Tropic if I liked something!

People buying because Tropic sells 'ethical' products...

Do you not realise a company can have ethical products but unethical business practices? The two are not mutually exclusive.

If you wouldn't support your friend scamming people/being scammed out of money via a pyramid scheme then you shouldn't support this. They are the same thing in terms of business practice, but with a product thrown in for good measure.

I also buy from other mlms, not because their friends, because I like the products. Its up the the ‘adult’ rep to decide if they want to work for them or not.

If you want the products buy them, but not just because it's her.

I buy a lot of body shop things from my rep friend but that's because I genuinely love the products.

I’m in a similar dilemma OP. A friend does Temple Spa, I’d no idea they were an MLM until fairly recently. I first used it in a fancy hotel I stayed in, then I moved to the SE and Harrods stocked them. I think they still do, but appear to have a much smaller range now. They no longer stock the bath salts, which I love, so if I want them, it has to be from a rep . They used to do a brilliant product called ‘Take a Grip’ but that’s no longer available at all now.

@Pewpew

I also buy from other mlms, not because their friends, because I like the products. Its up the the ‘adult’ rep to decide if they want to work for them or not.

Adult reps who signed up because of lies recalled by other reps desperate to make the money that they were promised by the reps above them... And the parent companies happily turn a blind eye to unscrupulous practices by reps because they are raking in money. And if they get too many complaints about a rep they will terminate their 'business, losing the rep everything, and make a wishy washy statement about rogue reps doing things the business doesn't allow. And then carry on exactly as before, turning a blind eye and making profit off (mostly) women losing money.

I've had to stop buying Tropic, because I do not want to contribute to a pyramid scheme - and that's what it is. Susie Ma and her friends at the Talented Ladies Club can pretend differently, but she and Lord Sugar could sell in a completely different way, and they choose not to, because they like raking in the profits that come from being top of a pyramid scheme. I literally think that is how she won The Apprentice. Lord Sugar saw he couldn't lose.

It's sad, because they are good products, but the only way to push for them to be made available in an ethical way is to refuse to support them as an MLM.

And they are overpriced - because MLM

I do body shop at home and don’t feel a bit like some of you describe! Ok if you’ve done it yourself but to pass judgement on everyone doing it isn’t fair. My starter kit cost £39 and I use those products a year on. I don’t make a huge amount of money from it but definitely could do if I pushed it, I just do it for fun, something extra to do and because I love the products. However, there are lots of people who are making a fortune out of it, that’s fine too.

There are also plenty of men selling BSAH products.

To the OP, I’d say buy if you want and if you don’t, then don’t. I wouldn’t want anyone buying from me out of pity. Let’s face it, for the small timers amongst us, these business options aren’t ever going to make us millionaires and I certainly wouldn’t do it as a full time job but it’s nice to have some fun, gain some skills and make a bit of money from it.