Don't Get Caught In A Pyramid Scheme

While you must generally purchase items in a legitimate multi-level marketing program, if the business has a no-return policy or charges large “restocking fees,” it is a big red flag. If the business accepts returns, get the policy in writing. In a pyramid scheme, Jimenez says you start by paying an initial joining fee, sometimes up to $500. The main characteristic of a pyramid scheme is that participants make money by recruiting more members. Also, a multilevel marketing organization lacks control over its salesforce. It may experience damage to its reputation if some of its distributors are acting irresponsibly or not keeping trustworthy to customers.

While most of the focus has been a battle between hedge fund managers, what is often overlooked is the actual impact on the often low income individuals who were lured into this “business opportunity”. After spending a few thousand dollars to start their business, the distributors are incentivized to recruit new members, and build their “downline”. Upon advancing to higher levels within the pyramid, distributors must continue to buy certain levels of inventory each month. At these levels, it becomes increasingly challenging to sell the product. Eventually, distributors realize how pointless is it to keep throwing money away and it is estimated that 90% quit within one year. The article noted that most distributors lose between $1,000 and $10,000 with the average distributor losing $3,000.

Make sure the product or service offered by the company is something you would buy without the income opportunity and the product or service is competitively priced. Illegal pyramid schemes often sell products at prices well above retail or sell products that are difficult to value, such as health and beauty aids, new inventions or "miracle" cures. MLM companies are designed to make profit for the owners/shareholders of the company and a few individual participants at the top levels of the MLM pyramid of participants. Federal Trade Commission , some MLM companies already constitute illegal pyramid schemes even by the narrower existing legislation, exploiting members of the organization.

Yet, the sales from his downline distributors are also attributable to him. The distributor is compensated by a certain percentage of the sales from his downline team. MLM schemes may use high-pressure sales tactics to play on your emotions to get you to sign up, discouraging you from taking time to do research on the company. Some MLM schemes will encourage or require you to purchase more inventory, even if you already have more products than you can sell. Without doing this, you may be unable to maintain your status as a seller, get paid, or qualify for bonuses.

Traditional MLM programs are legal because there is a real product that is being sold through the channel. There is a growing rumble of discontent against multi-level marketing businesses. As well as a growing backlash from former MLM recruits, regulators are getting involved, too. Unfortunately, however, these businesses that have been likened to legal pyramid schemes are unlikely to disappear altogether. Unlike MLM businesses, affiliate marketing programs cost nothing to join and don’t require that you recruit anyone into a network.

Scammers use the legitimate business model as a mask and convince this group of people, they fall for the scams. The imbalance caused by pyramid schemes and the world’s economy is thus highly interlinked to each other. The above data explores the U.S economy and the people live there, a similar course of circumstances exists in other countries. Together they bring down the economy and cause an imbalance. As per the survey, 31% of the basic typology of pyramid schemes evolves from chain letters, 21% are from general pyramid schemes, 12% of gifting clubs, and finally, 7% of them from Ponzi schemes.

One study by AARP found that 73% of sellers either don’t earn a dime or actually lose money from the venture. One highly-circulated report from the Consumer Awareness Institute puts that number at closer to 99%. At some point, you’ve probably been contacted by a family member, friend or Facebook acquaintance who fancies themselves a budding entrepreneur. Maybe they want to offer you the “amazing business opportunity” of joining their team and becoming a seller too.

Money is an independent, advertiser-supported website and may receive compensation for some links to products and services throughout this website. “There are really only two groups of people who are positioned to crack down on shady MLMs,” says Teel Lidow, an attorney and CEO of the consumer protection startup FairShake. That includes regulators, like the FTC or the Securities and Exchange Commission , or former MLM distributors themselves. Network marketing is a business mlm scam model that depends on person-to-person sales by independent representatives, often working from home. Kirsten Rohrs Schmitt is an accomplished professional editor, writer, proofreader, and fact-checker.