MLM’s - what’s the deal? (Multi-level marketing/aka pyramid selling)

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There’s a girl I’ve followed on Instagram for years who has recently got involved with the Ketones pyramid scheme that’s doing the rounds at the moment.
I’ve followed her for at least 6 years, she used to be a personal trainer at a country club near me and I loved her content. She was always posting nutritional advice and workout ideas and has built a following of about 40k people.
Then, just before lockdown, she started to lose her way a bit. Weird to say because I don’t know her personally but when you’ve followed someone for that long and view their content every day, you can just tell. She left the country club she was working at and has now deleted all traces of it from her grid. Then she started posting vague references to “a massive business opportunity” she’d be revealing soon on her stories and screen shots of “team meetings” she was having with people from the U.S and I knew then there was going to be a pyramid scheme coming. She then started tagging Danielle Lloyd into her stories and posts and sure enough, the “business opportunity” turned out to be those Ketone drinks every man and his dog is flogging at the moment.
Since then, I almost feel sad to watch what she’s become. She’s started an OnlyFans and keeps uploading videos to her stories about the benefits of these ketones, trying to appear really high energy and happy, when she actually just looks wired and really stressed. She’s said that since she started this ketone “business” she’s been able to buy a Range Rover and a new house (seems to be a common theme) when she’s had this Range Rover for years, she was driving one back when I first started following her so that’s a lie.
I feel sad for anyone who finds themselves at such a low ebb that they get sucked into things like this and I hope that the appropriate research has been done about the long term effects of these ketone drinks because I can’t see any way that pumping chemicals into your body can be a good thing but who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️ All very bizarre!
And thus ends the sermon 🤣
 
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I have a ‘friend’ that did utility warehouse years ago and was pushing it all the time with us, even messaged me 15 minutes before midnight one night saying she needed one more customer to get her bonus of £250 before midnight and could I please swap energy suppliers for her to reach her target. I mean 😳 I said no anyway and she made me bloody guilty for it! For ffs! Anyways, we swiftly started avoiding her then as I felt like she was being taken over! Definitely get like she was being in a cult. We fell out (over something else too) she quit Utility warehouse and started a full time job.
3 years later we kinda got talking on snap chat saying we should meet up like old times and then we start talking about diets and how she uses forever living and is using their clean 9 tit and she loses lots of weight with it! Ok fair enough, I said I’m not getting sucked into that as I have a bad relationship with food so it’s not a good idea for me to do it. She advertises raffles for products on Instagram for £5 per number, she barely gets any response from her posts, barely even 1 like. She messaged me asking if I could buy a number, I said ok cos I felt sorry for her and she said I didn’t win but I could buy a product at discount rate... no it’s ok thanks.....
The week after, she messages me, she remembered me saying about how my periods are so bad and “if I had my calculations right, you’re due on this week aren’t you?” 😳 I have a sample here you could try and help your periods... oh my bleeping god!!! I haven’t spoken to her again since. These things put you off people and they don’t even know they’re doing it! I’m sure they start with friends and family as they think they can easily manipulate them but all they end up doing is pushing them away!
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Agree with everything you said.I have a friend like this although nowhere near as bad .Ive recently had a baby and have pnd,now she doesn't even know about the pnd because I avoid talking to her now tbf because of her pushing her MLm on me but whenever we do speak it leads to 'oh you need to join my team'.Fgs I could really just do with a normal chat.ive told her several times it's not my thing ,don't want to do it etc so it's not like I haven't declined about ten times already.Also every other day I'm requested to join some MLm group on Fb and even when I decline I still see all their posts ,anyone know how I can stop this?I only have about 300 friends on there and I must see posts from at least 8 body shop groups ,swear I know their products better than them the amount of times I've seen that pissing calomine makeup remover being advertised ,I can't open the ap without seeing some twit posing with a body shop face mask on .Then there's Anne summers ,no I do not want to buy some edible body oil from my younger sisters best mate from primary school who I haven't seen since she was 10.The other one I see loads of is scentsy ,Jesus what a rip off for a few wax melts!
 
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Has anybody noticed how many nurses seem to be into flogging MLMs? I’m talking registered nurses. I’m seeing a huge influx of it, especially the ketone drinks. I’d really like to think nurses would know better
 
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We have a big family with at least 4 people doing MLMs I’m so fed up seeing their posts I’m now off Facebook. I hate the screenshots of messages saying how amazing products are ,it’s all the same images being used by all the sellers , even if the products are good the false sales pitches really put me off . We have a family occasion they now sell on the group chats. I think it’s good to have ambition but it’s not fair to pressure family.
 
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Has anybody noticed how many nurses seem to be into flogging MLMs? I’m talking registered nurses. I’m seeing a huge influx of it, especially the ketone drinks. I’d really like to think nurses would know better
well they haven't been given their pay raise have they :ROFLMAO:
 
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So rude. If I want to call it a business I will. You did not need to comment


Perfume is not copyrighted. They have a logo and a number. High street shops are doing this with designer clothes day in and day out it’s not illegal
I prefer "factual" rather than "rude", and did you miss the part where I said that I was glad it was working out for you?

FM is a MLM, aka a pyramid scheme. There is no dressing it up as anything else and if I'm going to be accused of being rude, I might as well be genuinely rude. FM is someone's business alright, but it's definitely not yours and if you think otherwise, I'm afraid you're deluded. I can call the sky green if I want to, but that doesn't make it true, does it?

I would urge you to read up on FM and other MLMs and in particular, how they work and only make money for the people in the upper tiers. It hasn't been updated since last year, but Timeless Vie is a great blog to start with

https://timelessvie.wordpress.com/
 
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I prefer "factual" rather than "rude", and did you miss the part where I said that I was glad it was working out for you?

FM is a MLM, aka a pyramid scheme. There is no dressing it up as anything else and if I'm going to be accused of being rude, I might as well be genuinely rude. FM is someone's business alright, but it's definitely not yours and if you think otherwise, I'm afraid you're deluded. I can call the sky green if I want to, but that doesn't make it true, does it?

I would urge you to read up on FM and other MLMs and in particular, how they work and only make money for the people in the upper tiers. It hasn't been updated since last year, but Timeless Vie is a great blog to start with

https://timelessvie.wordpress.com/
Alexis (completely explains your massive attitude problem)
I know what MLM is, I don’t see what your problem is. People are free to buy whatever they want from who they want.
I’ll also be factual. I am making money - you are not. My down lines are making money - you are not and my upline is making a whole load of money. So thank you for your concern sweetie but while I’m making money for not doing much I’m gonna carry on.
 
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MLM is a recruitment business. I have, many times, fallen into the trap of buying things to support my friends. A knock off perfume here, an eyeshadow palette there. It’s never enough, and never long before the Huns are lovebombing you, demanding you join their team. I actually think many of them prey on those who want friendship and to “belong”.

I am in a couple of due date and twin pregnancy/ baby groups, and the Younique, keytones, FM reps are BUSY in those. Obviously a lot of twin mums give up their jobs due to childcare costs for 2, which are in excess of £100 per day. I know those who are doing well, yes, but I know far many more who aren’t.

another strange thing - why are a lot rebranding themselves as “lifestyle blogs”? It often takes a while to find out which MLM the higher-up ones belong to? Is there a reason for this?
 
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MLM is a recruitment business. I have, many times, fallen into the trap of buying things to support my friends. A knock off perfume here, an eyeshadow palette there. It’s never enough, and never long before the Huns are lovebombing you, demanding you join their team. I actually think many of them prey on those who want friendship and to “belong”.

I am in a couple of due date and twin pregnancy/ baby groups, and the Younique, keytones, FM reps are BUSY in those. Obviously a lot of twin mums give up their jobs due to childcare costs for 2, which are in excess of £100 per day. I know those who are doing well, yes, but I know far many more who aren’t.

another strange thing - why are a lot rebranding themselves as “lifestyle blogs”? It often takes a while to find out which MLM the higher-up ones belong to? Is there a reason for this?
It’s so you don’t know what they do as it turns a lot of people off, they need to reel you in a bit first. I will tell you from my experience they all genuinely believe they’re going to make it and some do, but yes the money is in your downline. I cringe now when fb flashes with memories from 5 years ago, it totally went against who I am as a person and nothing is worth not being your true self for.
 
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Alexis (completely explains your massive attitude problem)
I know what MLM is, I don’t see what your problem is. People are free to buy whatever they want from who they want.
I’ll also be factual. I am making money - you are not. My down lines are making money - you are not and my upline is making a whole load of money. So thank you for your concern sweetie but while I’m making money for not doing much I’m gonna carry on.
Alexis is a fictional character from a Canadian sitcom. Not sure how this explains my alleged massive attitude problem?

You know nothing about me or how I make my money so that's speculation on your part rather than fact, "sweetie".

I wished you well in my original post and meant it. I've seen so many friends suckered into MLMs (including FM) and seen them come out of the other side broken, in debt and with far fewer friends after constantly trying to recruit them. I genuinely hope this doesn't happen to you but I'll say it again, FM is not your business. Keep your eyes wide open and enjoy completing the tax returns for all your amazing profits. For avoidance of doubt, that is not sarcasm.
 
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Those FM fragrances are god awful. They smell kind of similar at first but it wears off within an hour. Plus god knows what the ingredients are

Had someone try selling me monat today 😂 it never ends
 
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Those FM fragrances are god awful. They smell kind of similar at first but it wears off within an hour. Plus god knows what the ingredients are

Had someone try selling me monat today 😂 it never ends
The lady who teaches my fitness classes got into FM and bought the sample kit thing to a class to try and get us all to buy. To me every one smelt the same and nothing like the perfumes I normally wear. The whole hall stunk for the duration of the class. But she got about 50+ orders out of it. None from me though thanks 🙅🏼‍♀️
 
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The lady who teaches my fitness classes got into FM and bought the sample kit thing to a class to try and get us all to buy. To me every one smelt the same and nothing like the perfumes I normally wear. The whole hall stunk for the duration of the class. But she got about 50+ orders out of it. None from me though thanks 🙅🏼‍♀️
I doubt any of them will be returning customers when they realise it wears off almost instantly! I think the FM fragrance market is even more saturated than the body shop home one
 
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A friend of mine was selling FM like 7 years ago now. I bought some then and it was ok, nothing special and I guess fine for like work but yeah FM went quiet for ages and now it is back. The girl has been involved in like 100 pyramid schemes just doesn't want to properly work.
 
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I doubt any of them will be returning customers when they realise it wears off almost instantly! I think the FM fragrance market is even more saturated than the body shop home one
Yeh I agree. Thankfully none of my feed have signed up to bodyshop yet.

I know about a dozen people who are doing FM though. I'm fed up of blocking their "business" pages

The best one I saw was a girl recruited by my gym instructor, who said 'my unique business name came to me one night and I KNEW I just HAD to sign up'. Her "business" is called "Katie's FM fragrances" or something similarly uninspiring that a 5 year old could have come up with.
 
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If a gym instructor tried to peddle me an MLM I’d be fuming! You cannot go anywhere without people trying it. It’s so unprofessional to use your place of work to try and sell MLMs. A beautician tried to sell me body shop while she was doing my treatment. Nearly head butted her
 
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Surely most beauticians sell beauty products?! Like in the hairdressers you can buy shampoo etc?
Well yeah but it’s usually on a display you can peruse at your own leisure. Not harped on about into your face while you’re having a treatment
 
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If a gym instructor tried to peddle me an MLM I’d be fuming! You cannot go anywhere without people trying it. It’s so unprofessional to use your place of work to try and sell MLMs. A beautician tried to sell me body shop while she was doing my treatment. Nearly head butted her
Yeh wasn't impressed. She's a self employed instructor who books halls etc. So wasn't at my gym (would have complained if it had been)

As it was I just told her I wasn't interested. And she thankfully doesn't pester me
 
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