To think not all MLMs are bad?!

[Exhausted5487]

First off - full disclosure that I did once purchase a Neal's Yard starter set because it was amazing value and for a year my family and I enjoyed the 25% discount. I never flogged it or even considered doing so.

However aibu to think there are legit MLMs out there and it's unfair to cast them all in the same net? Obviously there are a lot of dodgy ones and pushy sellers. The main negative for me is people "investing" in them when they can't really afford to because they think they'll definitely make money. Elle Beau's blog shows how awful Younique are. However NYR, Body shop and Avon are all genuine, good quality businesses. I have a lot of friends who sell body shop...personally I have never bought anything from them but I've also never felt pressured to. I also never had any pressure to sell anything when I was briefly a "representative" for NYR.

Genuinely interested to hear why they are all the same if IABU!

What about Scentsy and Utility Warehouse? I’ve refused to buy products and services from friends who sell for those two, but when I explain my reasons they look at me like I’ve got two heads and say they’re not real MLMs. But from what I’ve researched online they do seem to be.

@Aprilx

I buy most of my skincare and makeup through an MLM company. I was introduced to the range through someone I met in a professional capacity, she has never pressured me to make subsequent purchases, even though I have voluntarily for eight years now (directly through the product website not her) and nobody has ever tried to recruit me to start selling myself. So based on my experience, I do not understand the issue with MLMs.

Are you sure it’s an MLM? Which company is it? If they’re happy to have a website where people can purchase directly it’s highly unlikely to be an MLM. Given that the point of an MLM is recruitment and not the product.

Also if a product was really good it would speak for itself! Why would it require direct sales? It doesn’t make sense as a business model for a good product.

Also to add juts relaies that some MLM’s sell online too - but I believe only certain products

Otherwise what’s the point of a rep ..? Confused now

I think they just seem so old fashioned. Why would you bother instead of just shopping online or in an actual store?

I feel uneasy how they always prey on women. Since I became a mum I get spammed constantly and I resent this.

I really like my body shop person as I email her what I want (no local shop anymore but dh likes their men’s range) and she brings it to my desk at work. I wouldn’t go to a party though!

However NYR, Body shop and Avon are all genuine, good quality businesses. I have a lot of friends who sell body shop.

YABVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVU!!

there are no! good MLMs - there are HUNDREDS of (mainly) women trying to sell off all their old BS stock on facebook, because they have been encouraged to bulk buy!

Our local facebook village group is awash with posts from Avon and NY reps all saying they are our "local rep". Yes you and a dozen others hun.

The market must be way beyond saturated. MLMs are immoral and predatory. Their is no way any of these women (and they are all women) can be making any money out of this and they are all starting to sound more and more desperate to get the Christmas sales.

Even more annoying are those who post their amazing opportunity to make money from home. PM for details. Sadly some are still falling for it.

@Beautiful3 our local Avon lady is always hassling me, I bought some skin so soft for my husband as he was advised it was decent for mosquitos by his boss when they were travelling.

I have muted the woman now but the messages are constant. I don’t want to block her because she’s a neighbour but it’s so annoying!

@Shuffalo

What about Scentsy and Utility Warehouse? I’ve refused to buy products and services from friends who sell for those two, but when I explain my reasons they look at me like I’ve got two heads and say they’re not real MLMs. But from what I’ve researched online they do seem to be.

With UW , how would a rep stockpile - you can't exactly store electricity in your garage . So I don't see the issue unless I'm missing something.

It is an MLM but I've been a customer of UW for years and happily recommend it to other people. (I've never signed up as a distributor though).

@Shuffalo

Scentsy definitely is
mlmtruth.org/2017/12/21/tiffs-scentsy-shenanigans-my-mlm-experience/

bestlifetimeincome.com/is-scentsy-a-scam/

The scentsy website shows criteria for minimum sales, and that they make people pay initial outlays

It also bugs me that they lie about their buisness model, if they think it's ethical why are they hiding it? There's even a question in their faq asking if it's mlm and the response is vague and doesn't deny it

"Scentsy is a party plan company, which is characterized by a social event — typically in a home, in person or online — where independent Consultants promote the products of their choosing within Scentsy’s product lineup. The party plan model gives Consultants the advantage of being able to help multiple customers experience the products at one time"

We had a horrible time ditching UW from the holiday let. The previous owner had signed up with them.

Despite us never having a contract with them we had to give notice and pay severance fees to get rid of them. They even wanted the 10 year old router back or they'd charge for that too! We're now paying far less for superfast than we paid for an appalling 5mbs service.

Our electricity bills are also much lower now we're not paying a monthly commission to the person who signed up the previous owner

I have muted the woman now but the messages are constant. I don’t want to block her because she’s a neighbour but it’s so annoying!

The local one at our old house shouted at my husband when he said he had thrown the catalog away. She put it through the door (ignoring the sign saying no sales), asking for it to be left out by a certain day. She came back for it two weeks after that date and my husband didn’t want it lying on the doorstep so he binned it. The whole business of leaving a catalog and asking people to leave it out on a certain date is irritating. We just bin them straightaway now.

@Exhausted5487

You KNOW that YABU. For all the reasons listed by previous posters. MLMs are a massive MASSIVE con.

@BoredZelda
It used to be because they buy the catalogue. Obviously its an initial outlay in the hope they will use them multiple times to generate sales, I also know people when sales were struggling were strongly encouraged to buy more catalogues (because how can you sell more with out more stock?) Including to go into debt to do so
I get why they want them back but if its precious why put them unsolicited through a door?!

There is no such thing as a "legit MLM". They are all utter shite, all exploitative, all depend on scamming the people blow you in the chain and every single fucking one SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.

There's an interesting documentary series on Prime called Lularich - which is about the US MLM Lularoe (which sells leggings) it's a good insight into how MLM's work and how they can go disasterously wrong.

@FluffyBooBoo

I would say Neals Yard is different to some others I've heard about because they don't make claims on earnings, your minimum spend to remain a consultant is about £80 in one month, once per year, and there are no sales targets to hit. They are quite happy for you to sign up in order to get discounts for your own purchases only.

Usborne books are the same. I never had sales targets or was pushed to sell more or recruit my friends. I made £120 orders twice a year and enjoyed the discount and freebies.

@littledandelionclock no I did not know I was being unreasonable, however I suspected that people would think me so and I was really interested to hear why. Until now I've viewed body shop, NYR, Avon etc as different to other MLMs because, whilst they still essentially work on the same model, I never experienced any scammy undertones. When I signed up for NYR I was well aware of what I was signing up for and never felt like they were trying to fool me or convince me otherwise. Others have explained really clearly their reasons as to why they still consider them "bad" and they are really good reasons. I wondered if I was missing something about them and now I know what. I still think that NYR sound like they're more transparent than others and therefore slightly more ethical however they are all still profiting from people essentially working for free/minimal payout...which is completely unreasonable.

Avon and Mary Kay used to be direct selling instead of MLM.

This is very true. An elderly relative was an "Avon lady" in the 70s. She had her patch. Avon guaranteed that nobody else would be able to sell on her patch. Internet selling was not a thing - if you wanted Avon, you went through your rep. I do not know Mary Kay but assume similar.

But along came the internet... If I want Skin so Soft or other Avon stuff, I'll order it online. Same with Usborne books. I can get their "See inside your body" book which my kids loved, delivered to my door tomorrow for £6. Why am I going to pay a rep a tenner for it? Same as Body Shop, I can go to the shop, or the outlet store, or order it online,

Avon abandoned its model and it's now a free for all, MLM pyramid selling scam. No more protected territories. But they continue to tap into people's ideas and memories of "Ding dong, Avon calling" and explain that they're not like those other nasty MLMs and they are different - which they are not.

Good luck with this. Your not going to get anywhere with the anti MLM judgmental MNs lot. I’m assuming this has been sparked by the friend derailing the weekend away thread.

Personally I don’t have a problem with them. Not something I’d be interested in, though I will admit I did throw a few Ann Summers parties in the 90s, but they were mainly for fun, the fact I got some freebie from it was just an added perk. I’m certainly not going to put down or judge anyone else for wanting to give them a go.

All the same, all shite, all scams, all bollox.

I don’t understand the point of many of them, like body shop or Avon, what’s the point in that, you can just order on line.

None of them are ethical, they are all a bag of shite.
As LolaSmiles said, they are all based on a business model that is inherently exploitative, regardless of whether they are just a little bit shite or full-scale shite it’s all the same shite in the end.

@Marjoriesdoor

None of them are ethical, they are all a bag of shite. As LolaSmiles said, they are all based on a business model that is inherently exploitative, regardless of whether they are just a little bit shite or full-scale shite it’s all the same shite in the end.

100% this. ^

I briefly did usborne, definitely an MLM. But I never recruited anyone and sold little, just a few friends and one Christmas stall. I did use the discount to get lots of books for my kids and stock up on ones I thought they would like in the future and stocking the present cupboard. I think you have to place an order of at least £50 or something every 6 months to stay as a rep and get the discount. So in the end, I stocked up and left it.
I am currently a tropic "ambassador". Another MLM. I've sold a few things to people (friends, friends of friends etc) that know I can get them tropic things. I get maybe one "sale" every few months. You need to spend £1 every year to keep going with tropic and the discount is 25% so I do find it's worth it because I rate the skincare and make good savings without having to sell anything. It does take being quite strong to basically ignore my "upline" when she's asking me to join zoom calls to get all the business updates etc etc. You also have to buy catalogues etc which I think is quite cheeky. You are encouraged not to hold stock though which is quite good, it's in the terms and conditions.