Greening Up the Downline

[tayndrewsmama]

Greening Up the Downline

Since the 1950s, multi-level marketing (MLM) companies like Amway have sold billions of dollars worth of products to consumers through independent individual distributors, who take a cut on every sale they make as well as on the sales of other “downline” distributors they have recruited. These days, a new crop of green companies has adopted the MLM business model to sell various types of environmentally friendly merchandise.

I don't know if this has been posted here before or not, since I cannot search, but i figured it would be good info those who might be looking at any of these companies.

www.pyramidschemealert.org

Pyramid Scheme Alert offers information about the deception and harm of multi-level marketing (MLM) pyramid schemes. We enable consumers to identify, avoid or escape pyramid scams. Hundreds of MLM scams operate openly. 99% of all consumers who join the schemes never earn a profit. Many suffer devastating financial losses. Only the top perpetrators make money -- off the losses of all the others.
State and federal Govt officials receive millions in campaign contributions from product based pyramid scheme companies and lobby groups. PSA has been formed to counter this imbalance at the national and state level, and to educate consumers directly of the fraud and abuse of MLM. If you want to do something to help others from falling into the trap of MLM, educate yourself with our resources and consider supporting PSA.

[RiverSky]

Interesting link.

[mamamelia]

miessence is a MLM company and i have seen some of thier ads on mothering. i was going to join them and then did some research and decided against it. first -- the money i would be earning just didn't add up for the work i'd be doing. plus i had the intention of selling the product rather then recruiting because i wanted to get the product OUT THERE at a low cost price. when i told the mentor that was assigned to me, what my plan was with the miessence products, she said that the boss of miessence doesn't reccomend this because its not the goal of the company -- the goal is to get people to work under you and get them to earn the money for you. in one of thier newsletters they said that they are not fond of miessence workers selling the products on ebay (which many do). they also charge you to advertise thier products (which is hideous to me) and they are only available through a phone call (which is international for me). no thanks.

thanks for posting this by the way!

[tayndrewsmama]

Miessence? Hmmm, was that the ad that had a whole row of their product pictured? I think I remember that, if that's the right one. I have seen boatloads of Melaleuca ads here as well. Most of the time people don't recognize it because they aren't allowed to use the company name in any advertising, only when speaking directly with someone.

Honestly, I wish Mothering would just make it a rule not to allow advertising of any MLMs at all.