I have a new job!!! (Yes, Attention Whoring)

[Nym90]

If the term "multi level marketing" is involved, I hate to say this, but that's a code word for a pyramid scheme. Not nearly as much of a scam as the last one, but make sure they don't charge you for any training materials or anything of the sort and that there is indeed a guaranteed base salary regardless of any sales you may or may not make.

Many people have lost their family and friends over MLMs. Be wary.

[Nym90]

So long as that base is guaranteed even if you don't make a single sale, it sounds ok then--make sure there's nothing in the fine print about having to hit any sort of sales quotas. I'm not saying they don't have a right to expect you to be successful at what you do, but these types of jobs can be very stressful and you will likely be under constant pressure to sell, sell, sell.

Also try to check into whether they do things like dock your pay for customers leaving the program or the like, that's another way these places will sometimes get you. Or at the very least take it out of future commissions.

Budget based on the assumption that you will make zero commission and then any you do earn is gravy.

From everything I've read about it online, I'd be very nervous about this. But good luck, my friend.

[Nym90]

Yep, as I first feared. Pyramid scheme (that's what MLM stands for).

Whether they are a scam or not is I guess a matter of opinion. Some people do indeed make money, a lot of it, and most of these companies do manage to stay just this side of legal (the company itself makes oodles of cash and so can afford good lawyers to ensure it all skates on the right side of the thin edge of the ice).

But you have to be able to convince other people to become brokers/representatives in order to make any real cash. If they cite "average" income figures, they are almost certainly a mean which is highly skewed by a tiny percentage of very well to do reps at the top of the pyramid.

I sold Cutco for one summer during college. I ended up at least making enough to pay for the knives that I had to buy to get started (I didn't actually make any profit but being 19 and on summer break I didn't really care anyway). But yeah, they are great knives, I still have them and getting them for free was I guess an ok deal (I only did it for about 2-3 weeks). It's just kinda hard to make money selling them since not many people want to pay hundreds of dollars for knives and even fewer want you to try to convince them to.

[Nym90]

And oh yeah, your "upline" will be constantly telling you that if you just work harder, you'd make money, and the fact that you aren't is your own fault and of course not the system. Get used to that.

Anyway, I hope it works out for you. Just be aware that 97 percent of people in MLMs make no money at all and usually lose money actually. The document that Meeker linked to did indeed show that there were start up fees, training kits, etc.