Ah this thread evoked some oddly sensual feelings...I am an ex-MLM junkie, and proud to say I have been clean for 20 years.
Feel free to scold me. That which does not kill me makes me stronger.
PS - you should add "Turnkey Scams" to this discussion, as it is so similar. Someone pitches you a chance to make a ton of money, for a fee, and then you end up making chump change. I was an MLM/Turnkey junkie.
I agree with everything said here. MLM simply was not, is not, nor will it ever be, the answer to a dream. They all suck (money out yer arse)...But I think I know why people willingly and knowingly sign up and attempt to follow these "plans" (barring sheer lame brains). It is the idea of the "possibility". I was ambitious and book smart, but naive and hopelessly romantic and in a bad spot in life, and actually believed "I could be different" when I began my plan(s). For a small fee, I could at least appease my curiosity. Somewhere in my heart I wanted to believe "not
everything is a lie...". I had a baby, lived an embarrassing bottomly existence in a trailer, waiting tables, getting food stamps, hiding from an abusive man, I wanted to ESCAPE. Plus.....more importantly, I had the prescience to know early on that I wanted to
FIRE! Unlike the annoying people you speak of, though, I did not have the heart (or balls) to pester my loved ones. In fact, I was too embarrassed to do so, as I concede to knowing all along that these things are "thin", at best. I just had a HUGE sense of curiosity sprinkled with "wishes and dreams".
There wasn't the internet, there wasn't a Walmart (here), or Target. I used to buy National Enquirer and read the classified ads for fun. So much junk, looking for nuggets.
So I embarked on:
Herbalife - my first stab - never sold a single product, nor did I use the ones I got in my kit. I was afraid to "take people's money".
Went in halfsies with another poor neighbor, to buy a "jewelry kit". We could sew beaded earrings and mail them in for pay. I remember the cost - $40, a lot of money to me then. Not an MLM, but in the same "family".
Got the itch again - Discovery Toys (twice, actually, only because getting the starter kit in the mail was great fun and it included loads and loads of well-designed toys haha) - probably made enough to cover the sign up fees.
50 acrylic Candy boxes (the ones where you drop change in, and take a piece or two of candy, all for....."charity"....I won't even humiliate myself here on how I rationalized that effort). Drove all over town day after day for 6 months collecting my coins, rolling it and counting, all for about "break even". While working my day job.
Some generic "catalog company" that sold luggage and clocks and other garbazhe. Company got sued and folded shortly after I joined. Oh joy!
And I should probably include the stock I bought that would SKYrocket once the patent was approved. The tipster did say he "put his mother in it", so.....I did mention I was naive, didn't I?
Now, let me caveat my ridiculous endeavors by saying that a) it's fun to get things in the mail, b) you "NEVER KNOW" (hahaha I guess I am still a dreamer), and c) all of the above happened in the 1980's. I even have photos of the lopsided hairdo and "Outback Red" jodphur pants to prove it. Nuff said.
PSS - I did stick to it and get myself on TAR14, so dreams do come true! Is all I'm sayin'.
PSS - one of the TAR14 racers does the same annoying thing, spams us with requests to try acai juice, and join his "cellphone plan".
Peace and Noni (JUST KIDDING!)
Victoria