Market America is run like a pyramid scheme. The real deal on Market America from a former distributor. Greensboro North Carolina

I am please to be able to respond to this dissatisfied former distributor.
When I first partnered with MA. I was attracted to the system the company has to offer.
This system is a real and fair system of proper duplication but you have to follow it.
I have never seen a system so simple it terms of its laid out business plan, but of course you have to work hard and apply some proper effort. There will always be people they do it there way, but when it does not turn out to be effective in a positive way there only can blame themselves.
I agree to the fact that I use my on products, why not. I also follow the system and move products to the end consumer. It has nothing to do with brand names. My customers pay for results and that brings me repeat business.
The company has a great training system to learn how to keep this business simple so the focus can be on helping others. The compensation plan is unmatched and well respected for many reasons.
I am sorry you choose to follow poor leadership instead of asking for help from those following the system. Success comes from taking personal responsibility. I have never missed a check. Mistakes are designed to learn from and not blame others for.
That is how we all learned to ride a bike or drive a car.
All success businesses have requirements. Requirement means structure.
Hope this was helpful to all readers evaluating this company.


Thank you
Very Satisfied Distributor

Very unfair, "former Market America Distributor".  You obviously were focused more on what others were doing wrong than by what you needed to do right.  There are requirements in this, as there are in any, business for a very good reason. 

Your damning this company for what YOU failed to do in no way reflects on Market America.  You even admitted that a good income CAN be made in two to three years yet you quit after just one.  Huh???  It's like quitting driver's education after taking a few classes but before ever getting behind the wheel and then blaming other bad drivers that you don't have your license!

Before you cast blame, find out the truth.  Do yourself and others, who happen to be working hard at a business they love, a favor. 

I looked at this company for a long time before I participated.  Any income I earn is not just through my own efforts but the efforts of my supportive team.  It is smarter, easier and less stressful than any traditional business.  I have had one of them for over 21 years.  So I know the difference.

 

Thank you. 

It is unfortunate that you had a bad experience with Market America and it is disappointing that some distributors choose to run their businesses the way they do.  However, being a Market America distributor myself, I take offense to suggest that MA is run like or is a pyramid scheme.  Distributors that fake receipts or have uplines that tell them to so should be reported to corporate.  This kind of behavior undermines the legitamit business that is Market America.

hello,

i'm sorry for any loss or stress with your experience with companies like market america. 

i would like to help bring clarity to this subject.  i am not a distributor and have never been affiliated with the business...market america.

i have a question for x-distributors of the market america.  would you call this a pyramid or ponzi scheme if YOU were earning an income/points from the individual's you invited to start the business?  you see, the pyramid or ponzi scheme's design is to benefit only one person...the person who has orcestrated the entire operation...and to a lesser degree the people who helped to conspire.  Bernard Madoff is an example of the pyramid/ponzi scheme...how many people benefited from the operation-ONE.

let's be clear...if you are saying that market america promised to pay you commission or points on work you did...and did not pay you, but instead paid your upline, then you've made a valid observation.  so are you saying that?  are you saying that you haven't been paid your commission or points? 

i don't agree with having to do an autoship...at the same time how can you promote a company/product if the distributor doesn't even know about the product?

if people stop to think for a moment instead of the whole 'witch-hunt' mentality...we'd all make sense of this.  if you are not aware, the commission structure of real estate agents, loan officers, and insurance sales is just like a MLM or network marketing company.  i used to be a loan officer...I know!

people often jump into this kind of business without any business sense.  you've got to have the money to handle the monthly purchase of products.  but, shame on your upline for treating you like a worker instead of a business partner.  that person should've assessed prior to you joining whether or not you are prepared for the demands of the business...shame on him/her.

not saying that scams don't exist...but if you purchase the right operate a mcdonalds and it doesn't do well...who's takes the blame?  mcdonalds?  it's sad, but most people are quick to blame the other party before really admitting the part they play in the debacle.  trust me...if you were earning money with the business...you wouldn't have sent ripoffreport a message.

market america is not a pyramid scheme...the government lost the legal battle to prove that amway was a pyramid scheme.

a matrix program is a pyramid scheme...market america is not.

sorry for your misfortune.

Maria,

I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience with Market America. I've been involved for about 6 months and have had the opposite experience, but I can understand where you are coming from.

Market America has put transfer buy in place specifically to keep the business model legal and ethical. A true pyramid is defined as paying to join with the promise of making money when others join. A key characteristic is that no actual products are sold to end consumers and the sign-up fee directly funds the payments to people above you in the pyramid.

All legal network marketing business have a few things in common:

- They sell quality products or services to end customers who are not participating in the business.
- Nobody makes money on the sign-up fee.
- You can make money through retail without sponsoring anyone.
- It takes hard work to expand your customer base and recruit business partners.

Market America works very hard to be above reproach with their business model and the actions of their distributors. As a result, they have the following requirements:

1. All distributors must sell $200 worth of products to end customers (at least 2) every quarter. Proof must be submitted every quarter.
2. All distributors must order 150 BV worth of products (about $185 distributor cost) each quarter, which is about what you need to sell $200 retail and use some yourself.
3. All distributors must pass a certification training in order to continue to receive commissions after they've earned $1500.
4. Distributors are encouraged to have 10-15 repeat customers.

Many other direct sales companies don't require distributors to have real customers at all! In my opinion this puts them at legal risk and also provides no external validation of product quality and value. As a result, distributors pay inflated prices for products they don't really want simply because there is an opportunity to make money. Market America distributors don't have that problem because we know that customers won't reorder our products if they don't work and are not priced competitively.

The transfer buy program was established to make it easier to meet your 150BV per quarter requirement by shipping you 50BV of product every month. If you have at least 2 customers and use a few products yourself, this should not be a problem. This only becomes a burden for new distributors who don't do anything--or try to browbeat their friends into becoming customers. If you take advantage of the merchandising systems and find out what your prospects need first, developing repeat customers is easy.

If your sponsor did not explain these requirements BEFORE you joined, then shame on him/her.

As I indicated, my wife and I became Customer Managers about 6 months ago. I was very skeptical at first and thought it would be like every other network marketing company out there. After using the products and seeing results with ourselves and our children (who are immune to marketing hype), we were convinced that the products were good. I looked into the WebCenter program and decided it was a good fit for my background. I sold my first website in the first month and my customer loved it. My wife got excited about the shopping portal and the partner stores.

By leveraging the marketing systems and working consistently for the first few months, we now have about 6 customers who love the products and reorder regularly and have about 14 in our group (7 of which we personally sponsored). Our philosophy is to be very honest about what it takes to be successful and not to propagate hype. Based on the growth we see in our own team in the first 6 months, I think the 2-3 year timeline to develop a full-time income is very realistic.

I also know that not everyone will succeed. Some people try too hard and others don't try at all. We're in a product business and it takes some simple sales skills. Some people never develop the skills and the daily habits required to succeed. Those same people probably wouldn't be successful in other entrepreneurial endeavors either. But it isn't the fault of Market America or their sponsor.

By the way, to the person who said they sent an email blast to everyone they know--this technique does NOT work. One of my distributors tried that as well. Market America teaches one-to-one marketing, and that is exactly what it sounds like, one person at a time. That might be old fashioned in the internet age, but by working one-on-one with integrity, you get better results and have much more loyal customers and partners.

Jim Lange
firstclickwebsolutions.com

Maria,

I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience with Market America. I've been involved for about 6 months and have had the opposite experience, but I can understand where you are coming from.

Market America has put transfer buy in place specifically to keep the business model legal and ethical. A true pyramid is defined as paying to join with the promise of making money when others join. A key characteristic is that no actual products are sold to end consumers and the sign-up fee directly funds the payments to people above you in the pyramid.

All legal network marketing business have a few things in common:

- They sell quality products or services to end customers who are not participating in the business.
- Nobody makes money on the sign-up fee.
- You can make money through retail without sponsoring anyone.
- It takes hard work to expand your customer base and recruit business partners.

Market America works very hard to be above reproach with their business model and the actions of their distributors. As a result, they have the following requirements:

1. All distributors must sell $200 worth of products to end customers (at least 2) every quarter. Proof must be submitted every quarter.
2. All distributors must order 150 BV worth of products (about $185 distributor cost) each quarter, which is about what you need to sell $200 retail and use some yourself.
3. All distributors must pass a certification training in order to continue to receive commissions after they've earned $1500.
4. Distributors are encouraged to have 10-15 repeat customers.

Many other direct sales companies don't require distributors to have real customers at all! In my opinion this puts them at legal risk and also provides no external validation of product quality and value. As a result, distributors pay inflated prices for products they don't really want simply because there is an opportunity to make money. Market America distributors don't have that problem because we know that customers won't reorder our products if they don't work and are not priced competitively.

The transfer buy program was established to make it easier to meet your 150BV per quarter requirement by shipping you 50BV of product every month. If you have at least 2 customers and use a few products yourself, this should not be a problem. This only becomes a burden for new distributors who don't do anything--or try to browbeat their friends into becoming customers. If you take advantage of the merchandising systems and find out what your prospects need first, getting customers is easy.

If your sponsor did not explain these requirements BEFORE you joined, then shame on him/her.

As I indicated, my wife and I became Customer Managers about 6 months ago. I was very skeptical at first and thought it would be like every other network marketing company out there. After using the products and seeing results with ourselves and our children (who are immune to marketing hype), we were convinced that the products were good. I looked into the WebCenter program and decided it was a good fit for my background. I sold my first website in the first month and my customer loves it. My wife got excited about the shopping portal and the partner stores.

By leveraging the marketing systems and working consistently for the first few months, we now have about 6 customers who love the products and reorder regularly and have about 14 in our group (7 of which we personally sponsored). Our philosophy is to be very honest about what it takes to be successful and not to propagate hype. Based on the growth we see in our own team in the first 6 months, I think the 2-3 year timeline to develop a full-time income is very realistic.

By the way, to the person who said they sent an email blast to everyone they know--this technique does NOT work. One of my distributors tried that as well. Market America teaches one-to-one marketing, and that is exactly what it sounds like, one person at a time. That might be old fashioned in the internet age, but by working one-on-one with integrity, you get better results and have much more loyal customers and partners.

Jim Lange

I joined Market America last year. I didn't last an entire year with the company for several reasons... When I was introduced to MA, a couple years ago, I went to a couple meetings with my sponsor, joined many Sunday night conference calls MA held and some webinars as well. I believed that with major effort, a vital network, and a few grand to spare, one can get their UnFranchise business off the ground. When I signed up, I had only the 'effort' because I recently had lost my job and moved to an entirely new state a couple years prior; so I really new no one.

In the beginning, I sent out email blast to everyone I knew, mostly resulting in people asking me to remove them from my email blast distributor list. I had a 'Wellness' party and one person came out of 15 invites. This one person was someone who I didn't know but had her own MA Unfranchise. I think that if you show effort to your "up-line" they are willing to put people under you who you may not even know, but I didn't even get that far. My sponsor did everything she could to keep me on board but those montly (approx. $100-120) transfer buys started to add up on my credit card. Being with out a real job, paying the mortgage became difficult. Several of my acquaintences stopped associating with me and my husband because they didn't want a MA 'sales pitch' every time we hooked up and that is basically what I had to do since I didn't have the network that MA requires. And, in this economy, it's hard enough to purchase food for the family, much less try to get your family, friends, or neighbors to buy MA product. I tried many MA products through my monthly transfer buys, as the up-lines want, and personally found a couple products I liked. Others, I felt did not stand up to the test. For me, I have to truly believe in something to sell it; or else, I am lying.

In the end, I believe the 2-3 year 'plan' sounds very enticing and yes, people are making money. Many of those individuals started in the '90's, of course, they are going to reap the risidual rewards.

My advice to those researching MA is to really research the business plan; it seems simplistic, however; isn't so cut and dry. Also, KNOW your sponsor for MA. I think that helps if you know their charecter and intergrity, because, I saw many good salespeople in the business, after all, that's what you are doing is selling the product.

And, regarding the statement that MA 'looks good on paper'; I will say that at the 11th hour, before I pulled out, my sponsor offered to pay for my monthly transfer buy until I got on my feet. I personally didn't think that was integral since she knew for months I was struggling to make ends meet. Why wouldn't she offered this before? There are a great deal of unknowns, and I didn't appreciate having to figure everything out along the way...

I hope this helps and was a neutral voice...

I joined Market America last year. I didn't last an entire year with the company for several reasons... When I was introduced to MA, a couple years ago, I went to a couple meetings with my sponsor, joined many Sunday night conference calls MA held and some webinars as well. I believed that with major effort, a vital network, and a few grand to spare, one can get their UnFranchise business off the ground. When I signed up, I had only the 'effort' because I recently had lost my job and moved to an entirely new state a couple years prior; so I really new no one.

In the beginning, I sent out email blast to everyone I knew, mostly resulting in people asking me to remove them from my email blast distributor list. I had a 'Wellness' party and one person came out of 15 invites. This one person was someone who I didn't know but had her own MA Unfranchise. I think that if you show effort to your "up-line" they are willing to put people under you who you may not even know, but I didn't even get that far. My sponsor did everything she could to keep me on board but those montly (approx. $100-120) transfer buys started to add up on my credit card. Being with out a real job, paying the mortgage became difficult. Several of my acquaintences stopped associating with me and my husband because they didn't want a MA 'sales pitch' every time we hooked up and that is basically what I had to do since I didn't have the network that MA requires. And, in this economy, it's hard enough to purchase food for the family, much less try to get your family, friends, or neighbors to buy MA product. I tried many MA products through my monthly transfer buys, as the up-lines want, and personally found a couple products I liked. Others, I felt did not stand up to the test. For me, I have to truly believe in something to sell it; or else, I am lying.

In the end, I believe the 2-3 year 'plan' sounds very enticing and yes, people are making money. Many of those individuals started in the '90's, of course, they are going to reap the risidual rewards.

My advice to those researching MA is to really research the business plan; it seems simplistic, however; isn't so cut and dry. Also, KNOW your sponsor for MA. I think that helps if you know their charecter and intergrity, because, I saw many good salespeople in the business, after all, that's what you are doing is selling the product.

And, regarding the statement that MA 'looks good on paper'; I will say that at the 11th hour, before I pulled out, my sponsor offered to pay for my monthly transfer buy until I got on my feet. I personally didn't think that was integral since she knew for months I was struggling to make ends meet. Why wouldn't she offered this before? There are a great deal of unknowns, and I didn't appreciate having to figure everything out along the way...

I hope this helps and was a neutral voice...

I joined Market America last year. I didn't last an entire year with the company for several reasons... When I was introduced to MA, a couple years ago, I went to a couple meetings with my sponsor, joined many Sunday night conference calls MA held and some webinars as well. I believed that with major effort, a vital network, and a few grand to spare, one can get their UnFranchise business off the ground. When I signed up, I had only the 'effort' because I recently had lost my job and moved to an entirely new state a couple years prior; so I really new no one.

In the beginning, I sent out email blast to everyone I knew, mostly resulting in people asking me to remove them from my email blast distributor list. I had a 'Wellness' party and one person came out of 15 invites. This one person was someone who I didn't know but had her own MA Unfranchise. I think that if you show effort to your "up-line" they are willing to put people under you who you may not even know, but I didn't even get that far. My sponsor did everything she could to keep me on board but those montly (approx. $100-120) transfer buys started to add up on my credit card. Being with out a real job, paying the mortgage became difficult. Several of my acquaintences stopped associating with me and my husband because they didn't want a MA 'sales pitch' every time we hooked up and that is basically what I had to do since I didn't have the network that MA requires. And, in this economy, it's hard enough to purchase food for the family, much less try to get your family, friends, or neighbors to buy MA product. I tried many MA products through my monthly transfer buys, as the up-lines want, and personally found a couple products I liked. Others, I felt did not stand up to the test. For me, I have to truly believe in something to sell it; or else, I am lying.

In the end, I believe the 2-3 year 'plan' sounds very enticing and yes, people are making money. Many of those individuals started in the '90's, of course, they are going to reap the risidual rewards.

My advice to those researching MA is to really research the business plan; it seems simplistic, however; isn't so cut and dry. Also, KNOW your sponsor for MA. I think that helps if you know their charecter and intergrity, because, I saw many good salespeople in the business, after all, that's what you are doing is selling the product.

And, regarding the statement that MA 'looks good on paper'; I will say that at the 11th hour, before I pulled out, my sponsor offered to pay for my monthly transfer buy until I got on my feet. I personally didn't think that was integral since she knew for months I was struggling to make ends meet. Why wouldn't she offered this before? There are a great deal of unknowns, and I didn't appreciate having to figure everything out along the way...

I hope this helps and was a neutral voice...

I joined Market America last year. I didn't last an entire year with the company for several reasons... When I was introduced to MA, a couple years ago, I went to a couple meetings with my sponsor, joined many Sunday night conference calls MA held and some webinars as well. I believed that with major effort, a vital network, and a few grand to spare, one can get their UnFranchise business off the ground. When I signed up, I had only the 'effort' because I recently had lost my job and moved to an entirely new state a couple years prior; so I really new no one.

In the beginning, I sent out email blast to everyone I knew, mostly resulting in people asking me to remove them from my email blast distributor list. I had a 'Wellness' party and one person came out of 15 invites. This one person was someone who I didn't know but had her own MA Unfranchise. I think that if you show effort to your "up-line" they are willing to put people under you who you may not even know, but I didn't even get that far. My sponsor did everything she could to keep me on board but those montly (approx. $100-120) transfer buys started to add up on my credit card. Being with out a real job, paying the mortgage became difficult. Several of my acquaintences stopped associating with me and my husband because they didn't want a MA 'sales pitch' every time we hooked up and that is basically what I had to do since I didn't have the network that MA requires. And, in this economy, it's hard enough to purchase food for the family, much less try to get your family, friends, or neighbors to buy MA product. I tried many MA products through my monthly transfer buys, as the up-lines want, and personally found a couple products I liked. Others, I felt did not stand up to the test. For me, I have to truly believe in something to sell it; or else, I am lying.

In the end, I believe the 2-3 year 'plan' sounds very enticing and yes, people are making money. Many of those individuals started in the '90's, of course, they are going to reap the risidual rewards.

My advice to those researching MA is to really research the business plan; it seems simplistic, however; isn't so cut and dry. Also, KNOW your sponsor for MA. I think that helps if you know their charecter and intergrity, because, I saw many good salespeople in the business, after all, that's what you are doing is selling the product.

And, regarding the statement that MA 'looks good on paper'; I will say that at the 11th hour, before I pulled out, my sponsor offered to pay for my monthly transfer buy until I got on my feet. I personally didn't think that was integral since she knew for months I was struggling to make ends meet. Why wouldn't she offered this before? There are a great deal of unknowns, and I didn't appreciate having to figure everything out along the way...

I hope this helps and was a neutral voice...

I would like to post a rebuttal based on the report I just read. It amuses me to hear from a former distributor such invalid claims. I apologize that your experience with the company was anything less than amazing, apparently you were not on a good team.

The pupose of our networking concept is to keep everyone economically connected to increase our buying power with our 3500+ retail partner stores. The transfer buy that this x-distributor spoke of is for the sole purpose of meeting our requirements without having to remember each month to place an order. These items can be used personally or retailed out to customers.

Once your business is up and running, one customers typical monthly order will be more than your transfer buy minimums. Each monthly requirement begins at 50 pts...an average customer spends 150-400 pts per month. So, the idea of getting stuck with products and having to falsely create receipts is insane to me.

This business just like any other works if you work it. It's not a get rich quick scheme or a pyramid. The idea of a pyramid is the person on the top making all of the money. This business concept was created as a networking concept without the negatives of your typical MLM or pyramid. The reason we are different, we are capped at a certain dollar amount per week. This way the extra money gets redistributed among the organization so everyone has a fair share at being successful.

Please, show me another business that was thought out this carefully and allows the average person to be successful.

I ask that everyone really research the entire business plan prior to making a decision on this compnay. Don't make a one-sided decision. You owe it to yourself to get the truth. I did! I'm 28 years old, retired, and love my life.

Hi Maria,
I was involved with Market America too, years ago. They pretend to not be an MLM yet operate just like one, using the same system, principles, and nuts and bolts. They merely shift their labels around to hide that fact.

And of course, they use the standard brainwashing tactics, such as using emotional hype rather than facts to inhibit your judgment so that you will go along with anything they say and not think about it too much.

I wrote an informative article about this on my site and explained why mathematically, Market America and other MLM's are guaranteed to fail or lose money for the majority of its members.

Here is the link to it if you're interested.

(((ROR redacted)))

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

I joined Market America first of all paying $635. I brought in someone up under me and we planned on working hard at the business. Things were going well when the lady that brought me in trick us into signing something that would make us loose everything that we have worked for. When I called the corporate office in Greensboro, they acted like they didn't care that my team was mislead. This was very discouraging. I continue to still try the business, but it seemed to me that nothing was straight forward. Since, I have joined in May 08, I have spent about $1500 and have made zero. $635 is already steep, but to not get any customer service with it. Everytime I have had an issue, it has never been resolved. All I heard was I am sorry, there is nothing we can do. This is unacceptable!!!!

I was talking with someone the other day who went over the philosophy about this company.

I can't really find any major ups or downs but want to talk to someone who is doing it in this business.


It is a pyramid, b/c you have to find others out there who have to do what you have to do.

You have to meet requirements to this company.

Why should I work all these hours when I am working and not the other way around.

After being asked to attend a presentation about Market America, I am currently researching the organization and found the original posting from Maria informative about Market America's business practices. It was a candid description of her first-hand experience.

Maria was new with the organization and relied on guidance from her Market America "up-line," who I presume enrolled her into Market America.

The response from "Making Good in Ma" did nothing more than dismiss Maria as a failure after following the guidance a Market America "supervisor" provided her. It did not answer Maria's observation that Market America appeared to be a pyramid scheme.

Maria, you are not a failure for refusing to compromise your ethical standards. It may be that you successfully protected your reputation, self-respect, and assets.

"Making Good in Ma": I am open minded. Prove what you say. I challenge you to substantiate your claim that 180,000 people are succeeding with Market America. Let's define success: what are the mean and median net profits of all Market America distributors (including the earnings for those who are "failures," as you say) after 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of joining? What percentage of those earnings are from commissions for goods and services sold to customers versus income received from downstream enrollment fees? You say 180,000 people are succeeding -- how many did not succeed with Market America? What percentage of distributors and "preferred customers" stay with Market America for more than one year, more than 3 years, more than 5 years? Are your claims verified by reputable audit?

Maria, good luck with your future endeavors. You are right to be cautious with multi level marketing "opportunities."

After being asked to attend a presentation about Market America, I am currently researching the organization and found the original posting from Maria informative about Market America's business practices. It was a candid description of her first-hand experience.

Maria was new with the organization and relied on guidance from her Market America "up-line," who I presume enrolled her into Market America.

The response from "Making Good in Ma" did nothing more than dismiss Maria as a failure after following the guidance a Market America "supervisor" provided her. It did not answer Maria's observation that Market America appeared to be a pyramid scheme.

Maria, you are not a failure for refusing to compromise your ethical standards. It may be that you successfully protected your reputation, self-respect, and assets.

"Making Good in Ma": I am open minded. Prove what you say. I challenge you to substantiate your claim that 180,000 people are succeeding with Market America. Let's define success: what are the mean and median net profits of all Market America distributors (including the earnings for those who are "failures," as you say) after 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of joining? What percentage of those earnings are from commissions for goods and services sold to customers versus income received from downstream enrollment fees? You say 180,000 people are succeeding -- how many did not succeed with Market America? What percentage of distributors and "preferred customers" stay with Market America for more than one year, more than 3 years, more than 5 years? Are your claims verified by reputable audit?

Maria, good luck with your future endeavors. You are right to be cautious with multi level marketing "opportunities."

After being asked to attend a presentation about Market America, I am currently researching the organization and found the original posting from Maria informative about Market America's business practices. It was a candid description of her first-hand experience.

Maria was new with the organization and relied on guidance from her Market America "up-line," who I presume enrolled her into Market America.

The response from "Making Good in Ma" did nothing more than dismiss Maria as a failure after following the guidance a Market America "supervisor" provided her. It did not answer Maria's observation that Market America appeared to be a pyramid scheme.

Maria, you are not a failure for refusing to compromise your ethical standards. It may be that you successfully protected your reputation, self-respect, and assets.

"Making Good in Ma": I am open minded. Prove what you say. I challenge you to substantiate your claim that 180,000 people are succeeding with Market America. Let's define success: what are the mean and median net profits of all Market America distributors (including the earnings for those who are "failures," as you say) after 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of joining? What percentage of those earnings are from commissions for goods and services sold to customers versus income received from downstream enrollment fees? You say 180,000 people are succeeding -- how many did not succeed with Market America? What percentage of distributors and "preferred customers" stay with Market America for more than one year, more than 3 years, more than 5 years? Are your claims verified by reputable audit?

Maria, good luck with your future endeavors. You are right to be cautious with multi level marketing "opportunities."

After being asked to attend a presentation about Market America, I am currently researching the organization and found the original posting from Maria informative about Market America's business practices. It was a candid description of her first-hand experience.

Maria was new with the organization and relied on guidance from her Market America "up-line," who I presume enrolled her into Market America.

The response from "Making Good in Ma" did nothing more than dismiss Maria as a failure after following the guidance a Market America "supervisor" provided her. It did not answer Maria's observation that Market America appeared to be a pyramid scheme.

Maria, you are not a failure for refusing to compromise your ethical standards. It may be that you successfully protected your reputation, self-respect, and assets.

"Making Good in Ma": I am open minded. Prove what you say. I challenge you to substantiate your claim that 180,000 people are succeeding with Market America. Let's define success: what are the mean and median net profits of all Market America distributors (including the earnings for those who are "failures," as you say) after 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years of joining? What percentage of those earnings are from commissions for goods and services sold to customers versus income received from downstream enrollment fees? You say 180,000 people are succeeding -- how many did not succeed with Market America? What percentage of distributors and "preferred customers" stay with Market America for more than one year, more than 3 years, more than 5 years? Are your claims verified by reputable audit?

Maria, good luck with your future endeavors. You are right to be cautious with multi level marketing "opportunities."

If you can not follow a plan then Market America will not work. It's like any thing else in life.
College (no show for classes, no studying, no listening in lectures, will not follow class schedule) then you fail.
Work (late for work, sloppy work, rude to people, do not follow company's business plan) you get fired.
Driving (speeding, running stop lights, road rage, driving under the influence) no license.

Life is pretty simple. Follow a good plan like then you succeed. But as in all things there are exceptions to the rule. Some people can follow plans and some can not. Some are leaders and some are followers. Not a criticism just a fact. You should not criticize something that you failed at and 180,000 other people are succeeding at.

You can tell by my grammar that I am not the smartest person on the planet and I am succeeding in Market America.

Sincerely

Pretty Simple