Now, we are talking about Amway – the grandfather of MLMs(Multi-Level Marketing). However, are you still thinking “Is Amway a Scam?” Let’s read on and find out more details.
First of all, I want to encourage what you have done today. You googled Amway and came here to know whether this is a good opportunity to invest your time and money.
This step is important to avoid being scammed before making any decent money online, so you are doing the right thing. Congratulations!
But, I won’t recommend Amway to anybody since they got some issues in the past. I will explain more details further down. Shall we dive deep for Amway?
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What is Amway?
-Summary of Amway-
Product Name: Amway
Founders: Richard DeVos and John Van Andel in 1959
Product Type: Health & Wellness MLM
Price: less than $100 annually in every country(one-time) & $119 starter kit(optional)
Rating: 30 / 100
Recommend: No
Amway is an American multi-level marketing company that sells health, beauty, and home care products. It is founded in 1959 by Richard DeVos and John Van Andel, so it is a 61-year-old company as of this writing.
It conducts business through a number of affiliated companies in more than a hundred countries and territories. As for its products, Amway has more than 450 products and they launch new ones on a weekly basis.
What’s inside Amway?
Since Amway is a 61-yea-old company, the product lines have extended to every corner of our houses. You could get anything you like from Amway, and Amway has a lot to offer.
I won’t go through each item one by one, or it will become a very long paragraph. I will only talk about the most famous and important product lines from Amway.
Product Lines
Household Cleaners: It pretty much explains itself. As I could remember, my mom uses Amway’s multi-purpose cleaners to make our house nice and tidy. So, I guess your family might use this too.
Artistry: skincare, anti-aging creams, serums, and cosmetics.
Nutrilite: This is the largest-selling brand from Amway, and you will find it as Nutriway in some countries. The health supplement section includes protein, vitamin/mineral, and dietary packs.
eSpring: Amway’s eSpring water filter was introduced in 2000 and it became the first home system to achieve certification for ANSI/NSF Standards.
XS Energy: energy drinks and snacks.
How Does Amway Work?
Amway has the old-fashioned way of making money, and there are three ways to make money with it:
- Sell Amway’s products and get your commissions
- Recruit people to earn team bonuses
- Incentives for new independent business owners(IBOs), helping others succeed, and one-time cash awards
Getting Started
First of all, you need to become an IBO by paying a one-time registration fee(less than $100) and buying many Amway’s products for both personal & promotional uses.
There is no need to worry about the number of products you can promote and sell from Amway. It has more than 450 kinds of products and it’s safe to say you won’t run out of things to sell as an IBO.
The Compensation Plan
Here comes the most important part of making money with Amway, and it’s better to know the rules before we play the games.
- Retail Margin: You purchase Amway’s products for yourself and your customers, and you earn commissions from the gap between the price you sell & the price you get from Amway.
- Monthly Bonuses: Points from the products you and your team sell will earn you monthly performance bonuses. The more products you and your team sell, the more bonuses you can earn.
- Discretionary Incentives: Accumulated points and additional rewards for consistent growth may earn you extra cash, business conferences, or trips.
For more details, you may watch the below video for a better understanding:
What I Liked About Amway
TOP#1 Grandfather of MLMs
Like I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, Amway is the grandfather of MLMs and it survives and thrives through time. Meaning you don’t need to worry about the opportunity from Amway.
Amway and its sister companies under Alticor reported sales of $8.8 billion in 2018. It is very enticing for people who want to make money by an MLM company like Amway.
To be honest, Amway’s sales revenue goes down in recent years, but people still feel safe to be part of it!
TOP#2 The Best-performing Products
I don’t need to be one of Amway’s IBOs to know how good the products are. Amway’s products are known for their high quality.
In the January 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Amway’s SA8 with Bioquest was rated the best-performing laundry detergent.
So, if you choose to become an IBO, you can be proud of what you are selling product-wise.
TOP#3 A High Rating on BBB
Amway has been accredited with BBB since 1991, so there is almost 30 years. They currently have an A+ rating.
Having an A+ rating is quite normal for all large MLM companies, this could be done by all distributors around the globe.
It doesn’t mean Amway is perfect while I found most of the negative feedback is about the refund process.
Ugly Truth About Amway
TOP#1 Low Income Potential
Although Amway is the grandfather of MLMs, it doesn’t mean it’s easy to make money with it. According to Amway’s Overview Business Brochure, there are only 48% active IBOs who can make $207 per month. $2,484 per year.
So, ask yourself “Whether you can quit your daily job by becoming one of Amway’s IBOs?” I guess you won’t, right?
TOP#2 History of Lawsuits
Amway has many lawsuits in history, and I personally think it’s better we avoid a company like this since it might eventually impact your earnings.
In 1982, Canada brought criminal charges to Amway’s co-founders and two other top executives. The reasons were Amway underreported the value of goods brought into the country and had defrauded the Canadian government of more than $28 million from 1965 to 1980, and Amway paid a fine of $25 million CAD for alleged tax fraud.
In 1996, Amway was sued by The Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) and paid a fine $9 million USD for using copyrighted music for its “highly profitable” training videotapes.
In 2017, the Vietnam government determined that Amway had violated federal regulations by engaging in unauthorized multi-level marketing.
TOP#3 Recruiting and Face-to-face Selling
What I don’t like about Amway is that they depend on recruiting and selling products in person.
I remember an IBO came to my house and pitched to my mother for all the great benefits of Amway when I was a kid. But, I only saw the embarrassed and shy face from my mother.
I also had many experiences that my friends want to sell me something, but I kept avoiding them in the end. It’s inevitable to join NFL(No Friends Left) club if you start your business with most MLMs.
I am not saying that you cannot achieve your goal by becoming one of Amway’s IBOs. I am just not into this kind of business model and will find other ways to make money online.
Is Amway A Scam?
Definitely, NO! Amway is neither a scam nor a pyramid scheme. I can go to my storage room and find an Amway’s product easily, and Amway does provide many high-quality products for every house.
If you like to join Amway, I would suggest you think about the three things I dislike from Amway.
The low-income potential, you can make a $207 per month to pay your bills. Amway has many lawsuits settled with a fine in history. The last, you might lose all your friends and family if you try too hard to promote Amway.
My Alternative Way to Make Money Online
My alternative way to make money online is through Affiliate Marketing.
The best part of affiliate marketing is you don’t even need to buy any physical or digital products and sell to someone face to face. You also don’t need to convince people to join you as your downlines to build a team.
You only need to create a website or YouTube channel with quality content that makes people trust you then purchase them through your links.
The platform I am using currently is Wealthy Affiliate. The reasons are all the training courses, every Friday night LIVE training courses, 24/7 sitesupport, and the most friendly community.
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I hope you enjoy this review and you are more than welcome to share ideas or leave your comments below. I will reply as soon as I can, thanks.
