IS AMWAY A SCAM?

1,020 thoughts on “IS AMWAY A SCAM?”

• Amway apologists nearly always repeat the same tired themes: financial freedom; the 2 to 5 year plan; fire the boss; being ‘independent’, and so forth. They are taught to ‘believe’ in the face of some very disturbing circumstances where they are always required to ‘pay out’ and not necessarily ‘receive in.’

  Amway products are basically so priced as to be absolutely unretailable outside of the ‘distribution chain’ of ‘distributors’ who for all intents and purposes are the only retail customers that Amway can brag about. These erstwhile business men and women raid their own warehouses and stock the excess in their pantries.

  Amway believers are exposed to the illogical ‘tool and function’ business run by the Amway ‘kingpins’. This is not a benign affair as some Amway believers claim. Total expense for the vast amount of books, CDs, tapes, phone message systems, quarterly rally attendance, and related transportation-lodging expense can extend into the thousands of dollars. Yes, one CD can be about $8 dollars, but this is just a mere drop in the bucket to what I’ve personally seen people actually spend. Amway expects all these ‘supposed independent business people’ to basically cover all their own ‘over-head’ and provide many hours of personal time (for basically free) in the hope that they recruit others.

  Amway IBOs may pay lip service to the idea of ‘selling’ the badly overpriced, unremarkable products, but in the end, they are taught the ‘art’ of ‘duplication’ and the well known principle of ‘buy from yourself and teach others to do the same’ for which they believe is the ultimate key to finding riches in the Amway ‘game of greed.’ Sadly, in the end, the enrich the top of the pyramid kingpin distributors and the Ada Devos-Van Andel criminogenic swindlers based in Ada, Michigan.

  Amway apologists brag that Amway has been in existence for over 50 years and hold this out as legitimacy. They fail to mention the thousands and thousands of people who have been suckered, run through the Amway grist mill, over this period of time where the rolling failure rate for nearly all entrants approaches 100 percent. Amway has been described by Robert Fitzpatrick, pyramid scheme expert, as the ‘American Scam’.

  It is interesting to note that Amway, at the present day, founded as the ‘American Way’ does most of its business in places like Communist China. They seek to find new ‘suckers’ for their scheme outside of the U.S. because their affairs and reputation have deservedly been scuttled in the Americas. Indeed the financial and social distress of the Amway cult makes Amway a pernicious world cult, which for all intents and purposes makes it just as pernicious of a scheme as Scientology (which has recently been convicted in France of Stealing the livelihood of believing ‘adherents’ there).

  By a majority opinion of high justices in the world’s largest democracy, the Republic of India, Amway is in violation of India’s laws against money circulation schemes, similar to U.S. laws against pyramid and Ponzi schemes in the U.S..

  Amway hides behind an ever increasing ‘labyrinth’ of independent corporate structures, but rest assured, all the money extracted from this ongoing regime goes into the coffers of U.S. based racketteers. These fellows then use these ‘revenues’ to buy protection under the guise of one Richard Devos.

  Recently it has been announced that the American Way is ‘outsourcing’ many of its corporate ‘accountant’ jobs out of country. These folks after having ‘taken’ Americans for half a century are basically moving on. They benefit by taking their affairs to China and elsewhere, where differences in culture and language tends to mask the truth of how they’ve swindled the American public in their own homeland.

  To advocate Amway to others should be a crime: Intent to Defraud. Word to the wise. quixtarisacult.

• Hi Quixtarisacult,

  You have written “English” I presume….alphabets are familiar….but cannot understnad a word….either that or you are completely confused my friend. Else, pray explain your statements like “By a majority opinion of high justices in the world’s largest democracy, the Republic of India, Amway is in violation of India’s laws against money circulation schemes, similar to U.S. laws against pyramid and Ponzi schemes in the U.S.. ”

  Amway is LEGAL in the countries you mention. Is this too hard to understand or are you a kid pretending to be a grown-up??? Or maybe you have been “programmed” to say these things…after all it fashionable to badmouth Amway……

  Guys, it is futile explaining the concept to you. You say I have been brainwashed….I say YOU have been brainwashed.

  Here is a real life incident that dates back to 1977 when Amway was successful even when the model was to sell door to door……:

  One Amway businessman (he is a multi millionnaire now) was explaining the opportunity to a group of about 500 people in a posh hotel in Atlanta….circa 1977…..One smart-aleck from the audience started to speak in loud whispers…..”oh this Amway thing”…..”I KNOW it does’t work”…..repeating over and over again…causing disturbance….that was his intent…..Now read this:

  AB: You sir…you in the middle…yes you….can you pls stand up ?
  SA: (looking around…getting up) yes ?
  AB: Sir, what is your name ?
  SA: Smart Aleck!
  AB: Do you have a job ?
  SA: Yes of course!
  AB: Do you own a house ?
  SA: (proudly)…You bet I do!
  AB: Do you have a mortgage ?
  SA: Yes.
  AB: Does your wife work ?
  SA: Yes she does.
  AB: Cars ?
  SA: (proudly) – Two!
  AB: Care payments ?
  SA: Two.

  AB: Sir, I do’nt have a job, my wife does not work. I have 3 houses. No mortgage payments. 27 cars (today he has 44 cars!), no car payments…now, one of us is stupid…..can you tell me who is it ?

  Kapisch ????? No ? I guessed.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Shekhar:

  Not that a 32 year old wisecrack by a supposed millionaire isn’t impressive… but let’s talk facts. How close are you to making your first million with Amway?

  Why don’t you dazzle us with a month-by-month breakdown of how much you spent on Amway, how much time you invested, and how much revenue you generated?

  March 7, 2009 you wrote:
  “I am turning 50 shortly.
  I have just joined the business 2 weeks ago.
  I have spent USD 318/- towards registration.
  I have received products that is having my wife jumping with joy.
  I plan to spend USD 250/- per month on buying stuff from MY OWN business
  rather than spending it in Costco or Walmart.
  I have my Amwaite friend (yes I call them friends) who, about 3 years back joined Amway…Today he makes about 2680/- a month.”

  How much did you make in March? April? May? June? July? August? September? October? How much did you spend?

  I don’t hear someone open a restaurant and say its ok not to have customers because he eats for free.

  My guess is you are still pouring money into the pit and pretending that your own purchases justify the scam you defend. Otherwise, you would be bragging about your income and not repeating some stupid anecdote.

  And by the way, the millionaire you quote… he made his millions off poor deluded souls like you who idolize those bloodsuckers who are feeding off your dreams… hoping some day you can feed off the dreams of others.

• guest (why not the real name ???),

  Siiiiigggggghhhhhh!!!! How to REASON with the likes of you is beyond my comprehension ! Actually, my whole reason is to fight the UNREASONABLE BADMOUTHING of something…..without knowledge, without information, without KNOWING what the heck it is all about. Why should I waste time with people like you sometimes pains me. But well, one more attempt to get indignated about your stupid statements like “pouring money”, bloodsuckers etc.

  – Your Boss at work is a Bloodsucker!! but you wont know that – right ?
  – You would rather make Walmart rich than yourself, but you wont know that right ?
  – You start a business, when someone asks you “Are you a millionnaire yet ?
  people like you get mad and argue that it takes years to break even.
  But you wont admit that right ?
  – Suppose you buy say a laundry detergent, you wont ask the question “First tell
  me who is making money and only then will I pay the amount”. You wont
  do that because you know Walmar is making money and you are PROUD
  to fill in the coffers of Walmart.
  But people like you are INTELLIGENT – not ignorant and “cult like” like us poor
  mortals (we have the likes of NASA scientists, PHD’s, doctors, engneers etc etc
  but so WHAT right ? we are ALL of us so stupid that we cannot equal
  ONE person’s (i.e. YOU) intelligence ! You will be the FIRST person to ask
  the question when buying Amway stuff “First tell me who is making money and
  only then I will buy!!!!!!!!!!!”.

  Wow, what intelligence, what persoanlity !

  I hate to say this (mind you, I will never say this) but here is what the SAME multi millionnaire Amway Businessman says – but yes, I AGREE to what he says:

  SA: I hate to buy Amway Stuff. They are so expensive.
  AB: (trying to reason) – well the products are concentrated……..
  SA: No I will not buy them.
  AB: Then stay broke idiot ! (and moves on to explain the opportunity to the next person who wants to make a difference in his life).

  One more example:
  Time x Rate = Salary.

  I am sure you are a math genious. Not like us. So figure out WHAT can make the Salary zero!!

  When you figure out what could be the reasons for Salary to become zero, ask yourself, what can you do (take another job? or do SOMETHING IN ADDITION to your job ).

  Go figure and only then write to me. Otherwise why bother ?

  According to you – I am stupid and an idiot.

  According to me – you are misinformed and not a fair person.

  So there.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Guys (all and sundry),

  Can you not understand:

  JOB AMWAY
  A guy can give a job/can also give pink slip. No question of pink slip.
  You buy stuff anyway (do you ask question But SAME stuff
  “Who is making money ?”) Why ask question “who is….”.
  Salary is POSITION Based. Money is PERFORMANCE based.
  You work hard. Your boss earns More. YOu work hard. you earn more.
  Salary = Time x Rate Money = how much you work.
  Salary can become zero. Earnings cannot become zero
  for 3 generations.

  Is it DIFFICULT to understand – difficult to penetrate the coconut ???

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Shekhar:

  Blah… Blah… Blah… You have been blabbing on here since last March about how much people can make selling Amway. But you won’t answer the direct question: How much have YOU made since February when you joined?

  So far all you have said is that you spent $318 to join and you have been your only customer. That confirms the suspicion about Amway: that most of the sales are just to delusional suckers with garages and spare bedrooms full of unsold stuff people can get cheaper at Wal Mart. The only people they sell to are the friends and relatives who feel sorry for them or are embarrassed for them or get cornered. But that won’t last cuz they’ll learn to avoid them quickly.

  I can guarantee the few normal friends you might still have (if any) are really sick of hearing your increasingly desperate rants and raves about how great Scamway is and about distant mythical people (who are not you) who make money.

  Forget the rest: How much have you made? How many repeat customers do you have? How much money and time have you spent?

  Tell me I’m wrong: You would have made more if you had spent the same hours working at Wal Mart, wouldn’t you?

  On second thought, don’t answer. Your silence does more damage to the Amway reputation than any of the critics can.

• Shekhar: I have a great business opportunity for you. If you had started this opportunity at the same time you went into Amway you would have netted more than $4000 by now (profit!). Best yet there is no upfront fee, no inventory and no risk. Plus, you have an opportunity to get great benefits.

  According to the KMart greeter ad “The Customer Greeter is responsible for consistently keeping the customer at the center of everything he/she does. Greets all customers as they enter the store, and is knowledgeable of the store layout and sale merchandise on hand. Knowledgeable of store, services and locations of merchandise.A comprehensive and competitive benefit program is designed to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Benefits offered include: Medical and Dental Plans, Health Care and Dependent Daycare Flexible Spending Accounts, Short and Long-Term Disability, Company Paid and Optional Life Insurance, Business Travel Insurance, Merchandise Discount, Kmart Advantage Rx, Sears Holdings Corporation Associate Stock Purchase Plan, 401(k) Savings Plan, Vacation Time with Personal Days, National Holidays…”

  At $11 an hour for 10 hours a week, you will be much farther ahead than you’d be with Scamway. Plus, you won’t annoy as many people. And you get to wear a cool uniform! Plus, I hear the people at the top have made millions.

• Hi gues,

  Regarding your last post….you do not know the SIMPLE disctinction between a “JOB” and a “BUSINESS” – you are completely utterly confused and hence (although I hope not) you will remain where you are….I already have job thank you very much….I dont need another JOB…..so when you disguise a job a biz, that is alright….!! ha ha!!

• Hi guest,
  Your post previous to the one where you think a JOB is a BIZ:

  Why should I keep silent, I am PROUD of the fact that:
  – I have a job like you do..
  – BUT, I have SOMETHING extra which you dont have!

  So why should I keep silent.

  As to your previous question: how much do I make, blah blah blah…..

  – I told you…I am a beginner in this business so I DO NOT EXPECT to make
  any money…..I told you, “if some one does conventional biz, you guys
  argue “it takes a long time to break even” so WHY do you ask how much do
  I make in less than one year just because I am in Amway biz..
  Stick around friend and time will come when I can tell you how much I make.

  I always answer questions in this blog…problem is people KEEP REPEATING them without bothering to READ first.

  Cheer/Shekhar

• It’s been 9 months Shekhar.
  What is your revenue for the past 9 months?
  If you do not have revenue, you don’t have a business.
  You have a hobby.
  Or you are a victim of a scam but won’t admit it.

  Your revenue, Shekhar?
  Your investment of time & money?
  We’re waiting, Shekhar…

• Hi guest,

  You keep repeating the same questions….you enroll into college and want to graduate the same day – well – same year!!! if this is not true then why ask the same questions. Let me tell you something pal:
  – I have ALREADY received checks from Amway for stuff I purchased
  which I would never have got form your Walmart / Kmart.
  – I am using the stuff so I am NOT losing money.
  – EVEN IF I dont make money, consider:
  – I buy stuff that I would have purchased from Walmart anyway.
  – I get superior quality – I USE the stuff – is that a waste of money ?
  – I have a chance to make money (which I am already doing) but not
  in millions – YET……why do you keep repeating the same questions ?

  Like it or not, admit it. You are jealous that you CANNOT do the stuff I do so you are plain and simple envious.

  I am not saying you have a LOUSY job – so why should you say my business is a scam ???!!!

  Cheers/Shekhar

• We’re waiting, Shekhar…

• Amway can also give you a pink slip in case you didn’t know. Amway is basically a comissioned sales job with a complicated pay plan. There is no secrutiy in Amway.

• Check out this post http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/efusjon-is-efusjon-energy-club-a-pyramid-scam/

  It describes a class action lawsuit against an energy drink MLM. Here’s how it describes the illegal pyramid scheme:

  “…Essentially, participants are duped into believing they are buying into a legitimate business opportunity to sell a product but, in reality, the profits are derived almost solely from money advanced by new recruits inducted into the scheme. In efusjon’s case, the new recruits are under exorbitant pressure to… purchase the requisite amount of product for personal use, not for resale… the sole way to make money is for the Executive Associates to continually recruit new distributors who are also willing to buy and self-consume…”

  Personal use… self-consume… sounds familiar…

  Shekhar? Are you there? We’re waiting for those sales numbers, Shekhar…

• Hello there guest,

  You make me repeat the same things again and again….I told you that YOUR JOB is a pyramid (so is mine). first find out for yourself the difference between “position based income” and performance based income.

  If you wish to listen to your friends – who by the way drive their same old Toyota Corolla, live hand to mouth, you will remain the same…..simple thing right. Exactly. Beats me why this simple thing does not permeate some peoples’ brains. Why should there be pressure to consume….? I consume EXACTLY what I want. No one pressurises me to “BUY” stuff….it is people like you who are spreading such rumours…..or possibley some bad apples giving a bad name to the biz.

  Pal, if this biz is a scam, if it is a “Ponzi” scheme, if it s a “Pyramid” do you honestly think this company would have survived 50 years ? WHY should I check some stupid link you send me ? Why DONT YOU check resources like FORBES magazine, INTERNET RETAILER magazine, TIME magazine, comscore.com ?

  First do this and THEN send me some stupid links ? or else, have the guts to say that FORBES is a Scam, have the guts to say that TIME magazine is a scam etc etc.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Shekhar:
  You have joined Amway 9 months ago but are too ashamed to say what your revenue is. So one must assume you have sold nothing. Zero. Nada. You have wasted countless hours and continue to do so. you have alienated friends and family by becoming an annoying and unsuccessful sales drone. If you had applied the same energy toward a part time job at Wal Mart you would be $5000 better off than you are now.

  Why has the company survived for 50 years? Because there are lots of delusional people. You are the poster child.

  Since we now know that you have zero revenue other than your own purchases, why don’t you tell us how much you’ve spent, total, on your Amway business in your first 9 months? Can you do that?

• A job is not a pyramid. A job has an organizational hierarchy. Amway is compared to a pyramid because the upline makes money both direclty and indirectly from their downline. Your ability to make more than your sponsor doesn’t mean that Amway is not a pyramid. Even if you can make more than your sponsor, you will nevermake more than the old timer diamonds.

  The majorityof people make nothing in Amway. IBOs who buy tools nearly guarantee that that they will lose money. The compensation plan ensures that. I have never seen an IBO actually back up their claims of actually making a profit.

• Joecool wrote “The majorityof people make nothing in Amway. IBOs who buy tools nearly guarantee that that they will lose money. The compensation plan ensures that. I have never seen an IBO actually back up their claims of actually making a profit.”

  Our friend Shekhar is a living example. It’s amazing how he parrots the Amway sales spiel at the same time he’s too embarrassed to talk revenue or expenses.

  Joecool you make a good point about the pyramid structure. A job represents an opportunity to sell your labor for $$$. Honest pay for honest work. A pyramid represents the dream of money for nothing and your chicks for free. I guess that’s what these IBOs like Shekky are really defending… the idea that it’s possible to sit on a beach while money pours in from other poor schmucks buying useless tools and filling their garages with Amway crap.

  Too bad they’re the schmucks.

• Makes you wonder… Can anyone make money with Amway, Quixtar, Multi-level Marketing, MLM, network marketing or any other of these so called passive moneymaking and wealth-building business formats?

  
  

• Another thing with a job, Most people apply for a job and agree to a wage or salary and they receive it in exchange for labor performed. In Amway, they attract people with promies of wealth and an easy life but the reality for most IBOs is a loss.

  In Amway, it is possible to make money but not likely. However, if you make money, it will almost always be at the expense of your downline. The compensation plan is formatted that way..

• Hi Joecool / guest,

  How can you write a statment Joecool “I have never seen an IBO actually back up their claims of actually making a profit.” You know, you DONT want to see one. If you see one you will say “Oh he is an exception”. I KNOW 19 year olds who are making 80,000 a year!!! But you simply CANNOT hear this your senses are BLOCKED for such kind of happenings because all you want to do is badmouth Amway.

  Another thing guys, your statement that “However, if you make money, it will almost always be at the expense of your downline” is so very UNTRUE and MISGUIDING that people really BELIEVE that they are true and hence shy away from superb opportunity.

  Example:
  You need a toothpaste.
  You go to Walmar – pick up a toothpaste, do you go to the counter and just before paying yell at the top of your head “HEY WAIT, TELL ME WHO IS MAKING MONEY HERE. IF YOU ARE MAKING MONEY I WILL NOT PAY…YOU ARE MAKING MONEY AT MY EXPENSE”!!!! Guys tell me do you do this ????

  But you happily PAY SAM WALTON’s descendents the profit they are charging on each commodity.

  WHAT IS THE REALITY – did you ever ask yourself this or did you try to find out ????
  Reality is that, you buy stuff anyway whether from Walmart or Amway. You buy stuff to use for yourself. For buying this stuff, Walmart DOES NOT pay you…Amway pays YOU…yes you, NOT your Upline…NOT your downline….you!!!!!

  Then, because your upline has contributed to generating volume, the company pays you some small percentage which grows with time…… IS THIS WRONG you dumbheads ???? (not you personally – so dont take me personal)

  Do you KNOW that when you buy a NIKE pair of shoes, your UPLINE Tiger Woods is making money because he contributed to generating the volume ?????

  When people like me understand this concept, we KNOW what is a SCAM and what is not.

  People like you (dont take me personal again) are so very VICIOUS (yes guys vicious), that they say “If I dont make money and remain poor, FINE but I DO NOT WHAT YOU to make money”. such people are and will remain poor. People in Amway make money and change their lives for the better – eventually.

  I gave you SO MANY examples:
  – Is FORBES a scam ?
  – Is Time magazine a scam ?
  – if Tmobile is partnering with Amway, is Tmobile a scam ?
  – if Visa is partnering with Amway, is Tmobile a scam ?
  – if Barnes and Noble is partnering with Amway, is Tmobile a scam ?
  – if a NASA scientist has given up HIS job and made millions in Amway, is HE a scam ?
  – Are all those Doctors, Engineers, Laywers, Software professionals, FINANCIAL CONSULANTS who are raking in money in Amway, are THEY a scam ?

  Why YOUR friends have not made any money – let me tell you WHY !!!
  They must be people like you – so many others like you who :
  – Do not like to WORK…and literally SLEEP during office hours,
  – Portray as if the world runs because of you.
  – You want to join Amway thinking “OK now I do not need to work” and become a MILLIONNAIRE the SAME DAY!!! – Amway never claims this, so when reality hits, when you realize that there is a huge work involved, you guys RUN AWAY and BADMOUTH Amway.

  Guys it is futile reasoning with you ! Stay where you are guys…..stay where you are!

  AT LEAST I AM HAVING A CHANCE…you DONT!!! As a result you are so jealous that you keep badmouthing this wonderful opportunity.

• Shekhar:
  Give it up.
  You’ve worked at for 9 months and have ZERO revenue.
  My 6 year old daughter’s lemonade stand outperforms your “wonderful opportunity.”

• Hi guest,

  Yeah right….may I say that your 6 year old has more entrepreneurship than yourself…..you are BOUND to your 9 to 5. Stay there and enjoy working at 65. Right now age is probably on your side so it is the hot blood talking….I was EXACTLY the same as you…..life teaches different with time. Your badmouthing may have some adverse effect on many but if my reasoning has a positive effect on ONE so that he becomes financially independent without affecting his present job, then I WILL HAVE WON and you my friend would have lost….so there.

• Shekhar writes that “if my reasoning has a positive effect on ONE so that he becomes financially independent without affecting his present job, then I WILL HAVE WON…”

  I think your words are having a very positive effect.. People who are eager to invest their time and money for a year and have zero revenue, like you, will be eager to join Amway.

  People of normal intelligence will listen to your lack of success and run away from this depressing scam.

• I say that people who succeed in Amway do it at other’s expense. The compensation plan proves it. In a 6-4-2 plan, there are 79 IBOs. 48 of them are at 100 PV. These IBOs will earn about $10 from Amway and perhaps a few bucks from selling items. If they are on the “system”, they will be shelling out about $150 to $200 a month on average for standing order, voicemail, functions, gas money, etc.

  The layer above 100 PV are the people at 300 PV. In 6-4-2 there are 24 of them. These nice folks will make about $36 a month from Amway with the same expenses as the 100 PV folks.

  So that’s 72 out of 79 people losinbg serious money month after month.

  The first layer, or the folks who are the “6” will make a little for break even and the one guy on the top will make a profit.

  A diamond consists of 6 at least of these groups. As you have more platinums, you have more people losing money, if they are on the system.

• Joecool / guest,

  This is fun……guys. Joecool and guest, basic basic pricnciple of ANY BUSINESS:
  First PROFIT has to be made. Companies like Walmart and other retailers are not here for CHARITY. Knowing this well, all you guys go OUT OF YOUR WAY to pay them the profit that they demand – and dont ask questions…..

  When a company comes by and says “you generate volume” I will share the profit with you…..you guys say “WHAT! are you nuts….we DONT WANT any of your money”.

  You guys will never understand the FACTS as they are…BLACK and WHITE…..HOW can one generate the volume ? by introducing your friends and family into this opportunty….but does this mean you TAKE their money ? How can people be so childish ??? I gave an example earlier (but went above the heads of these fine gentlemen)….You generate volume in Walmart etc and WHO makes money ? likes of Tiger Woods (a fine player and a gent mind you). Not just that, you guys tell your friends “go to Walmar – there is a deal going on there”…do you seriously think you are not generating volume for others ???

  How many examples do you want before it sinks in ?

  Your friend A: needs to buy toothbrush…..what difference if he buys from Walmart of from a shop in Timbucktoo ??? what is the DIFFERENCE ?

  So why ask the question “tell me who is making money…..only then will I pay for this toothpaste” !!!!

  When you understand this SIMPLE fact, you will realize why there are people from ALL WALKS of life who now realize how the money is made….NOT from my own friends/family/downline/upline but from the profit sharing with the company.

  I need not defend Amway, for defending an 8 billion dollar company you will need a team of lawyers.

  Lastly, dont you think that Grade-A companies like Barnes and Noble, Sears, American Airlines, Visa, All cell phone companies know SLIGHTLY better than you do ? They may not be as knowledgeable as you guys but have SOME SENSE ? Will they partner with Amway ?

  And, guest, I had asked you if FORBES / TIME magazine was a scam ? you have not bothered to reply.

  Cheers/Shekhhar

• Since Amway has always fought against it’s own sleazy reputation, it seems that a common Amway tactic is to try to somehow associate itself with respectable brands. But the associations are always worded very vaguelly, like shkars, and seem to imply endorsement of Amway without outright saying it. Can anyone explain specifically what the relationships between the companies Shekar mentions and Amway? How have these companies endorsed Amway:
  Barnes and Noble,
  Sears,
  American Airlines,
  Visa,
  FORBES
  TIME magazine
  IBM,
  Microsoft,
  DELL,
  AT&T,
  Dish Network
  Tmobile
  I don’t know but I suspect this is like trying to imply that GM, McDonald’s & the Beatles all endorsed Charles Manson because he once ate a cheeseburger while sitting in a Chevy with the Beatles on the radio.
  Shekhar would ask: Could GM, McDonald’s & the Beatles all be wrong?

• Hi Victim,

  Now I know why you call yourself a “Victim” – it is quite evident.

  If you did not understand my question, then I can elaborate it further…..but do not give stupid examples as Charles Manson…..I will tell YOU about the companies that I have mentioned.

  Barnes and Noble, Tmobile, Dell, Dish, Ace Hardware, Sears, AA – have PARTNERED with Amway…..do you understand now ?????? Do you think these companies will “partner” with Ponzi schemes ? do you think they do not have lawyers to check a company out ? Do you think they will partner with a Scam ????
  Tmobile writes off 12% of your MONTHLY bill “VICTIM”…..sprint/nextel write off 18%…..that is savings to us NOT TO YOU because you experience JOY and GLORY upon being a “VICTIM”.

  Forbes has featured AMWAY and have called the owner of Amway a “REVOLUTIONAY MILLIONNAIRE” …….”victim”…..

  If only you bothered to find out instead of wallowing in your “victimization”.

  Time has given the back cover to Amway….try asking a SCAM company to have the back cover VICTIM!!!!!

  Ha Ha.
  Cheers/Shekahr

• The difference between Amway and WalMart? Walmart is way cheaper for similar or same products on average.

  If Satinique shampoo costs $9.00 for 10 ounces and I can get a similar shampoo from WalMart for $2.49, who care if I get a few more pennies from Amway to refer family and friend.s

• Shekhar:

  I could detect that you had a rare potential from your first comment – that you are a baby eagle surrounded by turkeys. Do not listen to these brainwashed infidels. They do not have the millionaire mindset like you and I! It’s sad but they have lost the ability to believe in opportunities too good to be true. But we Believe!

  I would like to invite you to join one of my Billionaire-in-Training groups and to introduce you to the best mlm multilevel network marketing moneymaker ever conceived. Learn about it here:
  Introduction to BELIEVE. Greatest Opportunity EVER!

  Joecool, you are invited, too. We sell Believe shampoo – which is better than Satinique – for $1.99 as opposed to $9 Amway or WalMart for $2.49. And yet it nets our distributors $2.50 in profit. That’s the magic of Believe!

  See you on the veranda!

  Richard Quick, Esq.
  FranWorst.com

• How do you mak a net profit of $2.50 on a bottle of shampoo that sells for $1.99?

• Does Richard Quick, Esq. still use the same law firm? — That is, the esteemed firm of Quick, Cheatham, and Hyde? I understand they are doing really well these days and have reduced their fees from $300 to $200 per hour because of the increase in business. Did this increase come about because they are now representing both franchisors and franchisees in a depressed market?

  http://thegreatfranchisingrobbery.blogspot.com

• Joe Cool writes How do you mak a net profit of $2.50 on a bottle of shampoo that sells for $1.99?
  Volume, Joe. And cutting out the wasteful retailer/distributor/middleman and enabling our billionaire-in-training partners to sell direct to loved ones, coworkers and invalid neighbors. And many other success secrets you’ll learn from our program when you’re ready to leave your poverty, reason and logic behind and… Believe.
  You didn’t watch the video, did you, Joe? Now that’s not cool.

  Carol Cross writes: Does Richard Quick, Esq. still use the same law firm?
  I am founding partner of the firm Quick, Duhk & Hyde. Yes, we have reduced our hourly rate during these tough economic times. We have also reduced the number of minutes in a billable hour to 37.

  See you on the veranda!

  Richard Quick, Esq.
  http://www.franworst.com

• I don’t need to watch the video. If you claim you are getting $2.50 “net” profit for selling a product that costs $1.99, then I call BS on you. Your supplier would be taking a loss for each bottle of shampoo that you sell.

• Your “calling BS” on me might be upsetting if I weren’t gazing off the deck of my yacht as the sun sets on the coast of Nungwi, the island jewel just off the coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania. A bikinied twin types these words as her nubile sister fixes me a Mis-Taki, an exotic drink made from the fruits of endangered plants.

  As a BELIEVE distributor, Shekhar may one day enjoy this view on deck with me. Yet Joecool won’t even watch the video. Unfortunate for Joe. And his family.

  Joecool, you are a prisoner of rationality, logic and common sense. Free yourself from those shackles and… Believe.

  See you on the veranda,

  Billionaire Richard Quick, Esq.
  Author, What is Success?

• Guys,

  Richard (billionaire) Quick, thanks for your offer to check out believe.
  We believe firmly and loyally in Amway. Amway is the best opportunity ever. It is NOT a get rich quick scheme and pays for hard work.

  We are getting sidetracked from Amway in this post.

  Richard (billionaire) Quick, all the very best to you – but if you know what is best, it is Amwayglobal. No one else.

  Cheers/shekhar

• I’m sitting in the Bahamas sipping a cool one. Everytime I write blog entries, the cash rolls in.

• There are many paths to wealth, but Amway hasn’t been one since the 1970s (Yes, Shekhar, that was me you quoted in your Amway convention story.)  Those who followed my links from here discovered QuickCo’s many paths to wealth, including such franchises as iSTOLE It:  eBay auctions, BUDGET BRIDES: Love 4 Less!, Enviro-Ad product placement (formerly Mr. Litterbug), and STARBUSKJ Cofe ‘N’ ROP.  We welcome the future millionaires who have adopted the “Believe & Succeed” mentality and abandoned the everyday pragmatism, common sense and so-called “sound judgement” that restricts so many to the suffocating confines of “reality.”

  Do not criticize nor pity joecool. My tech department tells me he is posting not from the Bahamas but from a small apartment in Terra Haute with the shades drawn and a pile of bills at his front door. And that is OK.  Not every child grows up to be an astronaut… or a billionaire… or even financially solvent.  And that is OK. For there to be us Yins, there must be Yangs.

  The triplets are calling from the helipad on C Deck, so I must bid adieu. 

  See you on the veranda!

  Millionaire Richard Quick, Esq.

• Mr. Quick:
  Blatant business solicitation is not allowed in the comment sections. Please consider this your first warning.

  As a reminder, the topic is “Is Amway a Scam?”

• Actually Mr. Quick, I sell shampoo for 50 cents a bottle. Because of my high volume, I get paid $7.50 for each bottle I sell. I am sitting on a beach in Hawaii with a laptop sipping a Corona while I tap out this message on my laptop.

  I have no debts. Aloha!

• Shekar said:
  – Is FORBES a scam ?
  No, but Forbes said Amway was a scam.

  – Is Time magazine a scam ?
  No, but they didn’t say Amway was a good opportunity.

  – if Tmobile is partnering with Amway, is Tmobile a scam ?
  Amway partnered with Enron and Worldcom. Enron and Worldcom were scams.

  – if Visa is partnering with Amway, is Tmobile a scam ?
  If Enron and Worldcom were csmas and partnered with Amway, is AMway a scam?

  – if a NASA scientist has given up HIS job and made millions in Amway, is HE a scam ?
  He might not be a scam, but he probably made millions from his downline instead of from an employer.

  – Are all those Doctors, Engineers, Laywers, Software professionals, FINANCIAL CONSULANTS who are raking in money in Amway, are THEY a scam
  They may not be a scam, but they could make more money in their professions than from Amway.

• Joecool,

  Finally you have responded to my questions – and I can only praise your negative mindset and utter hatred for something which is quite simple. All your statement are blatant lies calculated to misguide the general public.

  You say Forbes has saie “Amway was a scam”. Please check Forbes issue of October 18, 2009, pages: 182 – it has called the owner of Amway Richard DeVos as a “Revolutionary Billionaire” with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs (know who they are PAL ?????? Do you call this “Forbes has said Amway was a scam”?????? Grow up.

  NOW, TELL ME ONE REASON WHY YOU ARE HELL BENT ON TELLING / SPREADING LIES ????

  You say Time magazine did’t say Amway was a good opportunity.
  I NEVER said Time said that. What did I say ? Will a magazine like TIME give the back cover to a SCAM ???????

  Tmobile incident – I have no inclination to find out if Amway partnered with Enrom and Worldcom (please send me proof like I did about Forbes). But admit that you purchased from Circuit City right ? now that has gone bankrupt – does that make you associating with Bankrupt companies ??????

  NASA scientist episode.
  People like you never want to admit that you other people like Tiger Woods, all famous film stars, Radio Hosts who are SELLING you stuff are making money from YOU!!!!! So the question of “making money from downline” is an ALLTIME LIE calculated to misguide other people and make them stupid. Do you go to Walmart and ask them “Tell me who is making before I pay you ?????” they why do you ask ONLY in the case of Amway ? Because you DO NOT understand the concept and it is good that we are not having to associate with people like you. We ARE finding intelligent people PAL!!

  You say Doctors, engineers, etc make more money in their profession!!! Good for you. Please stay where you are. DO NOT go after Amway – you may find yourself richer than your wildest dreams – and ofcourse YOU DO NOT want that now, do you ?????

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Joecool,

  In my excitement that people like you have NO CLUE what Amway is all about, I have made some spelling mistakes in my earlier post – apologies.

  Thing is, you just cannot say “Amway is a scam”. Prove it. I will prove it to you that it is the best opportunity ever and that people hate Amway for NO REASON. Just because SOMEONE ELSE hates it, they do too….When people like you find out that there is hard work involved, you cry foul and say negative things about Amway.

  You might wonder why a person like me is literally wasting time with you. My biggest grouse is that you guys are giving a GOOD opportunity a bad name without any rhyme or reason and spreading rumors. Ask yourself:

  Will you take advise from a person who:

  – has failed (not just in amway, in any/all areas of life).
  – has succeeded in SOME area but is NOT willing to share with you
  his secret of success.

  OR

  from a person who:
  – has succeeded in what he does and is WILLING to teach you how to succeed.

  Read some good books pal, grow up. If not, please do not badmouth Amway.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• Guys,

  I am in the mood to back-bash today – grrrr – so beware!!! ha ha.

  I completely forgot to respond to one “Victim” (is it any wonder why he calls himself that…he will ALWAYS remain a victim, of his job, of his boss, of his family, of his fincances – sorry folks, lets take a vacation after 2 years) who asked this “Question” HOW have companies like Barnes and Noble, At&T, Tmobile, Dell etc endorsed Amway”.

  Simple – my dear Watson.

  Do you think that these companies have a team of lawyers who will check out ALL THE FACTS about ANY company they associate with ???? Or do you think their lawyers are stupid and not as intelligent as you ???????? Answer me please.

  When these fine companies partner with Amway is it NOT endorsing ? otherwise why partner ? One more time – hope this sinks in at least now – else, PLEASE STOP your foulmouthing Amway….OK ? – When I purchase goods from these fine manufacturers, they PAY me good money !!! You may NOT want money when you buy at Walmart – but I most certainly do!!! Tmobile gives me a clean 12% discount EACH MONTH – kapisch????

  So please do not try to TELL LIES again ok and misguide the fine public.

  cheers/Shekhar

• I searched Forbes for stories on Amway. Here’s some of what I found:

  “The rebranding strategy doesn’t always work. In 1999, multilevel marketer Amway changed its name to Quixtar in North America. In doing so, Amway hoped to tap into the e-commerce boom with a tech-y sounding name. It also tried to distance itself from the shady associations that dogged the company.” “Companies Seek A Fresh Start With New Names” Forbes 08.20.09

  “Roger Lareau, a Michigan alarm company employee, says his wife has rung up $20,000 in debt buying Team sales tools and Amway products… Their marriage has fallen apart as a result.” “Climb to the Top” Forbes 07.17.08

  “Woodward quickly realized how important sales tools are to multilevel marketers. Tools encourage recruits to reject doubters and, if money fails to materialize, to blame themselves and keep trying. Tools can themselves be a gold mine. That was a lesson Woodward learned from Dexter Yager, a former beer salesman and Amway distributor who set up a highly successful sales tools business.” “Climb to the Top” Forbes 07.17.08

  “…a report Amway produced for a top distributor indicating that a mere 3.4% of its U.S. products are sold to unaffiliated users.” “Climb to the Top” Forbes 07.17.08

  “A U.S. District Court in Cincinatti announced Tuesday that Procter & Gamble … had won a jury award of $19.25 million… in a civil lawsuit filed against four former Amway distributors accused of spreading false rumors linking the company to Satanism to advance their own business…. Amway distributors allegedly revived the rumors in 1995, using a voice-mail system to tell thousands of customers that Procter & Gamble profits went to support Satanic cults. Procter & Gamble’s suit was based on the Lanham Act, which prohibits unfair competition and false advertising.” “The Devil Didn’t Make Them Do It” Forbes 03.22.07

  The references to DeVos alluded to by Shekhar were not endorsements, but mere statements of the wealth he accumulated from deluded individuals like Shekhar. Just because the people at the top make billions doesn’t mean the peasants will get more than scraps of bread.

  I’m sure if you dig deep enough you’ll find some reference in a puff Forbes piece that says Amway (and Meleleuca, Mary Kay, and other cults for suckers) is legit. Why? Because Forbes, like all biz mags, survives on advertising… they are, after all, a capitalist tool.

• Hi Victim,

  My friend, you are doing the same mistake that many other people who think they are smart and know better – basically know-all types:

  – YOU HAVE SEARCHED THE WEB – you have NOT conducted RESEARCH.
  For researching something you need to go to authentic sites.
  Example: I put up a website and say that “xxx cheated me of 100K US Dollars”.
  then you google “xxx” the name of the person – what will you find ????
  Google is a search engine and not a RESEARCH engine.
  It is like a toilet bulletin board.

  Had I not had 100% conviction about a 8 Billion dollar company which disburses 42 cents for every US Dollar to it’s IBO’s I would have gone ahead and purchased the Fobres magazine you (MIS) Quoted.

  By the way, check your facts, there is no issue dated 8.11.08 as you say!!!!

  Then in the end you say, it is a “Capitalist tool” – my friend, that is the beauty of this greatest country on earth! I cannot buy something with “love” – I cannot go to your Walmart and say “I love Walmart” – to pay for my groceries!!!

  Every one needs cash – money – dinero !!

  If you want to be a socialist – FINE – but why badmouth AMWAY.

  Guys, I keep repeating my questions, WHY DO YOU BADMOUTH AMWAY when you have NO CLUE what it is, how it works.

  I gave you the page number AND the magazine edition as proof, please do not be vague when you quote a resource.

  Now you are implying that the great Forbes is a scam (under same logic, EVERYTHING is a scam).

  Come on “Victim” – do your own research – how can you feel proud to be called a VICTIM ? Why not strive to be a VICTOR ? Why be a COUPENEE instead of becoming a COUPONER????

  BUT PLS DO NOT MISQUOTE AND MISGUIDE THE PUBLIC.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• What I always find interesting about folk like “victim” is their blatant selective quoting. They quote a Forbes article on Woodward – but neglect to mention Woodward was kicked out of Amway for bad business practices. They quote a figure on Amway’s percent of “outside customer” sales from that same article – but fail to mention Amway said the figure was wrong.

  Here’s a nice video – Respected People, Respect Amway – it includes, amongst others, Rich Karlgaard, the published of Forbes, saying nice things about Amway. Readers may also want to reflect on This (incomplete) list of the many, many independent awards and recognitions Amway and Amway products have won around the world.

  As I wrote back in April last year Amway is not a scam but you can still be scammed. “Victim” may have had one of those experiences. It’s a shame he doesn’t really how BIG Amway is, and how his experience may not be universal.

• Ibofightback,

  Yes, people like Victim celebrate being victims.

  They search Google, find some bad things posted by some bad apple who found out that Amway is not a get rich quick scheme and then starts posting bad things about Amway…..the quote from Forbes is also fictitious.

  Wonder why people STILL want to listen to the likes of Victim and THINK that Amway is not legit……what proof more guys ? 8 Billion Dollar Company located in Michigan for heavens sakes, not some underground outfit….

  So quit trashing Amway VICTIM – if you wish to remain Victim – so be it.

  Maybe I am wasting my breath and time here but like I said if ONE person benefits from this then I will be happy.

  Cheers/Shekhar

• ibofightback, A few points:
  1) The context of my selective quoting was as a response to Shekhar’s inane claims that everyone from Microsoft to Time Magazine to Forbes to Sully Sullenberger are publicly endorsing Amway. He contends Forbes magazine loves Amway and asks “Is Forbes a scam?”
  He points to a Forbes article as if it’s a validation of Amway at the IBO level. But the article is just about how rich DeVos has gotten off the trained monkeys like Shekhar. My admittedly one-sided quotes were to demonstrate that it’s a freaking magazine, not consumer reports or Ralph Nader’s newsletter. Forbes reports the good bad and ugly, but they do so in a way that will not lose Amway, Mary Kay, etc.as advertisers.
  And in the end, who cares what a for-profit mag says about one of its advertisers?
  Part of what gives Amway a bad name is deceptive BS arguments like this, when the Shekharites try to kid themselves that Amway can gain legitimacy by associating the name with respected brands.

  2) The quoted articles are interesting in that they demonstrate that there have been and most likely are a lot of unethical scumbags within the upper ranks of Amway. Woodward came up thru and operated in conjunction with Amway for years. The PG libel was done by Amway distributors. You contend Amway is not a scam but its members might scam you. Since Amway is made up almost entirely of members, what’s the difference?

  3) Why does Amway have a bad reputation? Because of people like Shekhar. He’s been trying to sell for a year and hasn’t made any money. No doubt he’s annoyed all the people who have turned him down – ex-friends, family co-workers. He keeps buying crap, singing the company song, and getting worse off financially. Every one on the outside can see how this works but him.

  Amway can deny the report that most of the purchases are made to the Shekhars of the world and not unaffiliated users, but most people’s experience confirms that fact.

• victim, are you an American? I’m not. I’ve met some American’s who are ***holes and crooks though. Does that make you an ***hole and a crook? Woodward was an Amway Executive Diamond – there are *thousands* of Amway Executive Diamonds – and there are millions of Amway business owners. One would have to be incredibly naive or a complete idiot to think there aren’t some dishonest or just plain stupid people in their somewhere.

  As for endorsements, if any company *publicly* partners with another company then it is indeed an endorsement of that company. No company wants to publicly link itself with a disreputable firm. Virtually every week companies come out with press releases advertising their services and list Amway as one of their major clients – they’re using the fact they have Amway as a customer to advertise their own services! Do you really think they’d do that if Amway had the reputation you believe?

  Several years ago the University of Westminster undertook a global survey of peoples attitude towards direct selling companies. Virtually all of the companies they included in the survey were MLMs, and Amway was one of them. Do you know what they found? People who had actual experience with a company, it’s reps. or it’s products had positive views of the industry. People with negative opinions tended to be people who had no direct experience but had based their opinions on hearsay. Sure there’s been people with bad experiences, but given the millions of people who have been involved with Amway over the years there’s remarkably few negative reports around.

  I wonder were you fit in? You claim to be a “victim” yet also claim Shekhar is “buying crap” – I assume you’re referring to Amway products. Anyone who has actually used Amway products know they are far from “crap” – they’re some of the best in the world – I’ve already provided a link to many of the awards they have won.

  So how much of what you are saying is your personal knowledge and experience, and how much is simply repeating what you’ve heard from others?