IS AMWAY A SCAM?

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• You already have to be making good money to even have a remote chance at selling Fagway products. The money isnt made in pushing products...its in those ridiculous tapes, books, seminars your upline is shoving down your throat. Only desperate and naive people keep throwing money they don't have at this nonsense. Unfortunately people have to be beyond broke before they realize what a huge mistake they made.

• It's hard to sell Amway. I can go shopping at Von's and get twice as much stuff than from Amway. Plus when you talk to people about Amway, you get funny stares from people. Kind of like Amway is a bad word or something.

• I was recently approached about Amway and came to this post while doing some research. I'm still not entirely sold on the idea, mostly because I'm not sure if I have enough time to invest into launching it. However, that leads me to my first point regarding MLMs: In no way can I generalize, but it appears in some instances that those individuals who label it a "scam" simply misunderstood the IBO concept. It isn't a "get-rich-quick" scheme. If someone tried to sell it to you that way, then they're the ones scamming you - not Amway. Like any business, you need to invest time and money into that. That's why I do agree with those who point out that the successful people in Amway usually had a decent financial cushion to rely on while they were launching their IBO. The couple who approached me about it were completely honest in saying that they were both raking in 6-figure incomes when they first started out with Amway, which obviously lowered their risk. However, if you are great at sales, determined enough to put the time in, and financially smart enough to budget for it (regardless of your current income), I think it has a chance of working. Also, many times it isn't Amway that's the problem. It's usually the mentoring group that wants to assist you in getting started with Amway that make it seem a little crazy. Just be smart, do your research, determine if it's the right fit for you, and make sure you're capable of backing yourself up financially in case it doesn't work out. I feel bad for people who lost "everything" while investing into something like Amway, but Amway is just a manufacturer, not an all-powerful god who came to your property and physically stole everything from you. It was ultmately your choice.
  My sister sells Mary Kay, and they're a little pushy with the whole mentoring and guest speakers and whatever, but she just ignores it. She has a steady clientele, and she simply uses it as extra cash to make her and her family a little more comfortable. You can do the same thing with something like Amway - it isn't necessarily all-or-nothing :)

• Sarah, you are right. Amway is not get rich quick, or get rich at all . Amway doesn't scam you. It is IBO's. True, but what does Amway do to prevent this or punish those who do? On the surface, I see nothing. The Amway leaders are smart. They promote that Amway's not get rich quick so it doesn't sound like a scam. But in reality, how do Amway diamonds make money? I am fairly sure that many of them make more from functions and cd's than from Amway. It makes perfect sense because the profit margin is higher on support materials than on Amway goods.

  If the real problem is the mentoring group and not Amway, doesn't Amway have the ability and authority to control these groups? And if so, why hasn't anything been done over all these years?

• My uncle is in Amway for 7 years and he works like an ass.

  I swear to god he works 24*7 and even broke every relationships with blood brothers and friends in the name of the business. He even had sent his both children to hostel and all that he cares is about making his business large and even after working so hard he plausibly can't buy a luxury cars.

  dude he's really annoying and when he comes for a visit to our home I simply visits somewhere else till the moron is gone, what I wanna say is that these sort of ponzi schemes are consequence of capitalism where the people are fooled in the name of becoming millionaire but do these millionaire are worth with no self ego and acting like some dickheads.

  these all mlm business should be banned to sustain innovation in the new generation

• Amway was a great company. Until they turned away and did nothing to the Big Downlines such as the Britt-Yaeger-Puryear and Worldwide Dreambuilders Organization. Amway was scared they would take their huge downlines and leave.
  People have to realize that.
  Its these big Distrbutor groups that are the problem. They are run like cults. Its too bad. Some Diamond Directs are nice people. But most of them are shameful monsters. I know-I was in WWDB from 93 to 99.

• I have been to a meeting with Amway.
  They call you intelligent, use chiseled words and lines to make you think you have great Amway potential.
  I wouldn't call these guys a scam.
  And I didnt like their reasoning as to why I should join them.
  They came on too hard insisting that I should spend in this venture instead of useless, expensive textbooks at college.
  Imagine that!
  I didnt like that I would have to spend way more time than I was told at the meeting for maintaining my business.
  Plus, im not a big fan of their products. I tasted their chocolate and it was like caramel and dirt.
  I personally wouldn't invest in something I dont like.
  And last but not the least i love my friends and family.
  I dont want them to compulsorily buy stuff and take advantage of my relationship with them. It would just end up being way too awkward and id end up losing way more than what id bargained for!
  There!
  An unbiased opinion.

• Amway IBO stands for idiotic brainless owners.

• Here is a Father's Amway horror story: My wife and I have been pitched several times over the years by Amwayites. We always listened politely and said No. We suffered through the lairs: "No, this opportunity is not Amway. No need to take two cars to the presentation, I will drive you. “The psycho/emotional attacks: “Don’t’ you have a dream you want fulfilled? This business opportunity will give you all the money you need. Your children will benefit from your improved lifestyle.” “Joe Blow was living in a dumpster in an alley behind Pizza Hut. He worked the plan for a year and now owns Condos in Kapalua and Ipanema.”
  Our son is a midget. Fully matured, he stands 4'2". As a result of this he is always trying to find some way to "fit in." A "friend" of his who attends karate classes with him was in Amway. In October of 2012 this "friend" induced him to join Amway. My wife and I told him he was making a mistake and that Amway was a scam and a cult. Although he continues to require our financial support to survive, we did not exert extreme parental authority over him to get him to quit; we felt he might learn something.
  We, at first told him we would not buy any product from him, period. However, he persisted and we would watch him “suit-up” and go off to his Amway indoctrination sessions; driving 130 miles round trip to attend several of these Amway infomercials; not only would he incur the gas expense, but would pay to attend. On one occasion he drove 650 miles, round trip, to an event where he spent hundreds of dollars on autographed books, and the latest motivational tapes.
  Noticing his persistence, we thought we would soften our attitude towards his Amway participation. We told him that we would consider buying product from him once he demonstrated he could make money. We said we want to see one of those famous Amway checks: You know, one of those checks that prove God loves you and finds you a winning, worthy human.
  As the months went by we watched as his world started to come apart. Since all the “successful” uplines need full time jobs to support their Amway addiction, their meetings are at night: starting at 8:00pm and ending at 10:00pm. We watched as he came home late at night after his meeting arising the next morning tired and going off to his trite non-Amway job. We watched as his bedroom became more and more cluttered; his car more neglected; as his good friends avoided him. We watched as he was put on probation by his employer for being late to work (the job that actually earned him money) and using their place of business as a recruiting center. We watched as he started constantly asking for money: for gas, for food, for karate tuition.
  Then he had a flat tire and the spell for his mother and I was broken. We asked him why he was not getting his tire fixed (no money). We told him he cannot be driving around on a tire that is a donut spare, that it was unsafe. On this very same day we got a collection call to our home asking for our son. I began thinking that he had become addicted to some drug. Also on that day, my wife was fed up with the filth in his bedroom and began cleaning it up. That is when we found the collection letter from his insurance company; the company was demanding payment of $889.00 for past due premium. I then checked the policy and found it had been cancelled several months earlier; that he had been driving his car all that time without insurance.
  My wife and I confronted him with an alternative. Either he tells us what is going on, and were is all his money going or move out of our home. Then the stories came out: In order to maintain his pv/bv he had been spending his entire paychecks buying Amway product. When we looked inside the trunk of his car there were cases of Nutralite, power drinks and vitamins. We learned that he had more product in the garage of a fellow Amwayite because his trunk was full.
  While trying to get a handle on his actual indebtedness and how to come up with the money to insure his car we found another disheartening issue. He had been going into my office and taking the savings bonds that I had been buying for his college education and cashing them in to cover expenses. He literally cashed in all his remaining savings bonds.
  In seven short months, his Amway “business” has coast him over $5,000.00; added 10,000 miles to his car and consumed a portion of his college savings. Most amazing to me, not one of his “successful” uplines has offered to pick him up and drop him off at home, now that he cannot drive his car. I sat and listened as he called Amwayite after Amwayite asking for a ride to either pick up his product or attend a indoctrination session. Each saying no, except on one occasion.
  I wish I could conclude this with a happy ending but I cannot. He is still delusional about Amway. However, since millions are not flocking to him to buy power water, power bars and vitamins he is not making money. Predictably, he is blaming his mother and I because we are not buying those things we would buy anyway from him. My wife and I will most likely have to kick him out of the house. We cannot stand watching him self destruct. And, to be honest, just like a drug addict, I do not trust he will not steal from us to cover his pv/bv points.
  As to the assertion Amway is a business, it is a lie. IBOs are glorified straight commissioned sales people assuming all risk associated with the venture. But even better for Amway they are forced to buy product every month. They lurk and skulk around malls and other places looking for that one person who knows winners never quit and quitters never win and Amway will make you rich if you just milk the sh!t out of your friends and family and eat power bars until your gut splits.

• I have to smile at all these comments, each according to their individual experiences and also beliefs derived from other means.
  I, myself, spent 8 years as an Amway distributor (that's what they were called back then) and I had nothing (financially) to show for it. But am I vindictive? No way, because for me it was very tough emotionally. I had a lot of growing to do. I had no self-confidence or people 'skills', and if it wasn't for Amway, I would have not succeeded in the work and business opportunities that came along following this period in my life.
  Whichever angle you look at it, the facts remain...
  1. No company would have existed and grown so much as Amway has if they weren't doing something right.
  2. Yes, it is a 'people business' and you have to put others first before yourself. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and it is not for everyone.
  3. Many 'mis-guided' people, companies and huge corporations have tried to pull Amway down, but to no avail.
  4. Most people who are vindictive towards Amway would be those who have been in Amway and were not prepared to put others first and/or put in the effort in the recommended and proven way. If you look at a road map and follow some other route, you won't get to your desired destination.
  Eight years and no financial success - No, I am not vindictive - I am THANKFUL!