Business name: Thirty-One Gifts
Website: thirtyonegifts.com
Type of business: Fashion MLM
Price: $99
Owner: Cindy Monroe
My rating: 22 out of 100 (Pyramid SCAM)
Thirty-One Gifts was something never found in Malaysia as they operate mainly from the US and Canada so I couldn’t see how they operate it from the inside.
I came to know about it through a friend in Texas as she has been going to home parties organized by her friend promoting bags and totes.
She told me that there have been 4 people asking her to join within the same week and she had no idea what Thirty-One Gifts is all about.
I am quite used to that tactic of people trying to persuade others into joining their MLM schemes which is why I took up the initiative to do a full investigation and write this Thirty One Gifts review so do continue reading if you wish to know more on what it’s all about, what it entails and what’s the story behind it.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s the perfect opportunity for feminists.
- A lot of attractive products for women.
- They emphasize on Christianity as a unique way to sell more.
- BBB gave it an A+ rating.
Cons
- Hard to sustain and get repeat customers as not everyone would want to buy handbags every month.
- When your customer buys a product, YOU need to pay the shipping costs.
- People of other religions might not be interested to buy as they preach about Christianity a lot in bonding.
- Saturated market where there are too many consultants in some cities.
- Loads of complaints all over the internet, you’d be amazed.
- There are 64 complaints lodged on BBB alone.
- Doesn’t look attractive to men.
- False encouragement spread by members to get people to join.
- Lack of support.
Jeepers, that’s a lot of cons! Better check out my #1 recommended program here instead!
What is Thirty One Gifts? – The MLM for Women.
Cindy Monroe is the CEO and Founder.
We’ve seen Weight Loss MLMs, Travel MLMs, and Beverages MLMs but have you ever seen an MLM in the fashion niche?
Thirty One Gifts I would say is a unique fashion MLM as it is the first of a kind that I have ever come across in a unique niche.
It was started by Cindy Monroe back in 2003 from her basement in Tennessee and the company is now well-established all over the States as well as Canada.
The products are all women practical accessories such as handbags and totes but with a personal touch where you can imprint your own name or create a monogram.
One of the main ways on how the members sell is by doing home parties where they put their products in their house and invite people to come and buy and from there, they will have a chance to talk to their guests into joining them as a network marketer too.
As for the cost, $99 is all you need to pay in order to become a member but any extra shipping costs for the products will be held by you.
Do They Have Rankings? – Just Kidding, All MLMs Have.
Before we get to the compensation plan. I thought its better if I explained a bit on the membership rankings involved first so that you’ll have a clearer picture on things later on.
There are overall six rankings within the Thirty-One Gifts and those are…
Rank #1 – Consultant
In order to reach this level, you need to…
- Accumulate $1000 in PV
- Maintain $200 PV over a rolling three-month period.
Just so you know, PV stands for Personal Volume which means that it’s the amount of sales you make individually, by yourself.
Rank #2 – Senior Consultant
In order to rank up, you need to…
- Refer at least 2 Consultant-ranked down lines.
- Maintain $200 PV over a rolling three-month period.
Rank #3 – Director
To get here, you need to…
- Refer at least 4 Consultant-ranked down lines.
- Maintain $1,000 PV over a rolling three-month period.
- Generate $4,000 GV monthly.
In addition to the Personal Volume I mentioned earlier, GV on the other hand stands for Group Volume which means the amount of sales you and your down lines generate as a team.
Long story short, if your team aren’t productive, you’ll never get here.
Rank #4 – Senior Director
To level up, you need to…
- Maintain at least 2 Consultant-ranked down lines and 2 Director-ranked down lines.
- Maintain $1,000 PV over a rolling three-month period.
- Generate $4,000 GV monthly.
- Have a total sum of at least $12,000 from your PV and GV across your 1st and 2nd Unilevel Generation.
If you’re unfamiliar to the Unilevel concept, basically the levels of your referrals which looks something like this…
Rank #5 – Executive Director
We’re getting close. To reach this stage, you need to…
- Maintain at least 4 Director-ranked down lines.
- Maintain $1,000 PV a month.
- Generate $4,000 GV monthly.
- Have a total sum of at least $20,000 from your PV and GV across your 1st and 3rd unilevel Generation.
Rank #6 – Senior Executive Director
This is the last rank ever. To get here, you need to…
- Refer at least 4 Director-ranked down lines.
- Maintain $1,000 PV a month.
- Generate $4,000 GV monthly.
- Have a total sum of at least $36,000 from your PV and GV across your 1st and 3rd unilevel Generation.
There you go, the ranking system for Thirty-One Gifts.
I am a bit surprised though, because typical MLM companies like Organo Gold and Zyndio have more than ten rankings which is very confusing with impossible targets.
Still, I hate the ranking system altogether because for me, ranks divide people.
Everyone is the same and to make people more approachable, there should not be any ranks in between such as in my top ranked program here.
Thirty One Gifts Compensation Plan – The Ways on How You Earn.
Now that you have understood the ranks and what they are called, it’s high time you learn about the way members earn.
Unlike other MLM companies, Thirty One Gifts do not have a very complex earning method.
Long story short, there are 2 ways on how you earn – Product retail and recruitment.
But of course, commissions vary according to your ranks…
Method #1 – Recruitment Earnings
Believe it or not, recruiting people into joining earns you more money than selling the products which is why people are resorting to this method more than actually selling.
A typical MLM structure is Unilevel as I mentioned before, with you being on top and levels of downlines will be placed under you the more people you refer.
Commissions are paid out through generations, with a generation in a unilevel team defined when you have a Director-ranked downline in your team.
So coming back to the story, commissions vary according to your rank and they are as follows…
- Consultant – no commissions even if you recruit.
- Senior Consultant – 2% on the first generation.
- Director – 3% on the first generation and 2% on the second.
- Senior Director – 5% on the first generation, 3% on the second and 2% on the third.
- Executive Director – 7% on the first generation, 3% on the second and 2% on the third.
- Senior Executive Director – 9% on the first generation, 3% on the second generation and 2% on the third.
Method #2 – Director Rank Achievement Bonus
A director rank is the 3rd rank within Thirty One’s MLM ladder and if you reach this stage, you’ll get a one-time $1,000 bonus.
Method #3 – Developing Director Bonus
For this bonus, you get paid $1000 – $7500 when your down lines qualify at the Director or higher rank.
- Director – $1000 Developing Director Bonus
- Senior Director – $1000 Developing Director Bonus
- Executive Director – up to $3000 Developing Director Bonus
- Senior Executive Director – up to $7500 Developing Director Bonus
Don’t get your hopes up too high though, because out of 100 people, only 4 managed to get to the Director rank or higher as most people quit halfway because of the tedious struggle without proper income.
Method #4 – Retail Earnings
Members are paid an initial 25% commission on retail customer orders.
The bonuses vary as usual according to ranks…
- Director – 28%
- Senior Director – 30%
- Executive Director – 32%
- Senior Executive Director – 34%
Tired of the Tedious MLM Ways of Earning? Earn From Your Own Proper Business Instead Here!
Red Flag – Things to Look Out For.
I know I’ve covered this under Pros and Cons, but I have so many things to talk about that I thought you as a consumer need to know before making any decisions to buy or to join Thirty-One Gifts…
Red Flag #1 – Products are overpriced and of low quality
One thing great about Thirty-One gifts is that they have a huge range of products for us to buy so we’ll never be quite bored with it.
They know how to promote too as their Facebook and Instagram are filled with new pictures every week but one thing they never managed to curb is the quality of the products and their high prices.
If you look up the Thirty One product reviews on the internet, this is what you’ll most likely to find…
This customer is frustrated with the low product quality.
An unsatisfied customer on Thirty-One’s overpriced goods.
The products also have low durability.
The products break easily too.
Yet another customer unsatisfied of the product quality.
Believe it or not, there are tons more where that came from and I was shocked to find out about that because there are just too many complaints to keep track of.
Red Flag #2 – A lot of area are saturated
Take a look at these…
Too many consultants in Hampton.
Maryland is also facing over-saturation.
Yet another complaint on oversaturation.
Have you ever joined an MLM company and thought to yourself, “Will there be a day where there would be too many Network Marketers in my area?”
I’ve thought about that countless times especially since everyday there are hundreds of new members being recruited, it’s only a matter of time when your area will be as saturated.
Not everyone have heard of Thirty One Gifts but you can’t be too sure that your area is not teeming with your fellow colleagues.
Red Flag #3 – Members are making less than $600 a year!
Wondering on how much do you make selling 31?
Take a look at this…
Income earnings of members.
Remember when I mentioned before about the earning potentials of the members according to ranks?
Well the lower your rank, the lower your earning potential and for consultants which is the first level within Thirty One Gifts, you only earn 25% of your sales which is very low and believe it or not, it is definitely not enough for you to get by.
I found the table of earning disclosure of the members from the Thirty One gifts website and I’m glad that they are being transparent about it but I cringed at the thought of earning that low for the whole year.
Consultants earn an average of $598 for the whole year which is like $50 a month and as long as you are in that stage, your earning potential will be limited and I find this not fair at all.
In my opinion, your earning potential should be the same regardless of your rankings which is why this will never come close to my top ranked program where there are no rankings whatsoever.
Red Flag #4 – Loads of Customer Complaints all over the internet
Besides the countless complaints on product quality of Thirty One Gifts, there are still complaints about everything else regarding Thirty One which I picked up over the internet and I can’t help but to share…
Jeanine is doubtful on the consultants.
Tommy is having problems getting is last name imprinted.
Rude customer service.
Red Flag #5 – Using Christianity as Their Barrier Causes Tension on People
Religion is a good thing, right?
For some people, yes. But for others, this is probably what we’ll think of it…
Tension building on non-Christians.
Christianity may be the biggest religion in the United States but there are also people of various other faiths such as Muslims, Jews Hindus, Buddhists or even Atheists.
Not only will non-Christians feel uncomfortable with the product, you will also be seen as a pretentious person if you sell in the name of god.
I do believe people are entitled to their own faiths but I don’t believe that we should go about promoting or using them as a medium.
Problems may bound to arise and people will be ready to stomp on you the moment you make a simple mistake, such as this…
The controversy was featured in Live Action News.
Thirty-One Gifts made a simple mistake of supporting abortion which totally go against their Christian beliefs which is also not accepted by other religions as well and it came out in Live Action News.
Their excuse for supporting abortion is to support women but really, are they supporting feminism, or are they supporting Christianity?
It even came out in Bound4Life!
This simple mistake of supporting abortion had caused major uproar and news all over and created headlines for news all over the web, it even came out in Bound4Life.
Abortion weakens women and lowers their self-esteem and millions of people all over the world are against this so this definitely will not look good if your customer were to ask you this very issue regarding Thirty-One.
Red Flag #6 – 67 complaints in BBB alone!
Did you know that 79% of consumers check out BBB for a company’s details before committing themselves to it?
If you’ve never heard of it, it stands for the Better Business Bureau and it is where consumers refer on the legitimacy of a company before making any prior decisions on spending.
Most MLM companies such as Organo Gold, Xerveo and Zyndio did not even get an accreditation from the BBB and they were rated “F” because of their terrible service and numerous customer complaints.
Thirty-One Gifts on the other hand, receives an A+ from BBB which made me very peculiar because to date, there are 67 complaints being made in BBB alone!
64 complaints recorded within BBB alone!
We just talked about how many complaints were made all over the internet and in BBB alone there are already 67?
And believe it or not, most of the consumers would not recommend Thirty-One to others too, take a look at this…
Majority of customers do not recommend Thirty-One gifts!
This is very odd indeed, because with that many complaints, they are not supposed to give an A+ to a company… Unless something is happening under the table.
Red Flag #7 – Distribution Center closed down January 2016
Many employees will be having a hard time trying to meet ends meet.
It’s always depressing to know that companies have to close down their business or production plants because by doing so hundreds of people will be losing their jobs.
In January 2016, Thirty One Gifts closed down their production plant in Springfield which rendered 220 of their employees jobless.
I don’t know about you but people are going to question this as it shows that the company is having problems since they’re retrenching their employees.
Business is business but I can’t help but to feel sad knowing how they are able to feed their families when companies keep kicking employees as easy.
It is one of the reasons as to why I don’t work for people anymore.
Instead, I started my own Online Business so that I may have enough capital to fund my startup to grow and create more jobs for people around my area.
There’s a Better Way.
Direct Marketing or more commonly known as MLM, is getting more difficult to succeed in as they are facing huge competitions from retail stores which provide better support with more affordable prices.
Because of this, network marketers are forced to focus more on recruiting people rather than focusing on their own product retail because everyone knows how overpriced MLM products are.
Thirty-One Gifts is no different as the products are facing huge backlash with regards to their high pricing, cheap material and terrible support.
Many members are barely getting by and if you don’t have thick skin and strong perseverance, you won’t be able to survive in the MLM world as it’s a dog eat dog world out there.
percentage of people failing in MLM
Did you know that less than 1% of network marketers are actually seeing profit out of the valuable time and money that they have spent trying to recruit people?
I myself worked in various MLM firms like Dreamtrips, One Community Worldwide and Amway and I was barely getting by.
I quit because it is a dying business where only the people on top are earning money and if you truly want a sustainable business with passive income, I suggest you start a real Online Business instead.
The best program for that is Wealthy Affiliate and currently it is also my top ranked Online Business platform that I recommend you to check out.
Inside, you will get immersing lessons, dedicated hosting, free website builder, live video training, able to connect with the owners as well as interact a community of people just as enthusiastic as you and me!
Unlike MLM, your earning potential will be much more when you have an Online Business as with a website, you can get endless traffic for as long as your website is on Google.
You don’t need to do any hard sells, you don’t need to restock on products, everything is done online as you do need to do is to put in effort to create content to monetize the website which you will be learning to create based on any niche or passion you may have.
Here’s a quick comparison between the two programs to help give you a clearer look…
Conclusion
I have to admit, Thirty-One is a pretty interesting concept and it’s the first fashion MLM I have ever come across in my entire lifetime.
However with hundreds of complaints being made all over the internet on various websites, their terrible customer service, their low quality products which breaks easily as well as the fact that members are losing more money than they earn, Thirty-One Gifts is definitely a SCAM and receives my rating of 22 out of 100.
If you’re interesting in starting a real business online away from any of these pyramid schemes, check out my #1 recommended program here.
Thanks for reading this review, I would love to hear your feedback so don’t forget to share them down below.
MLM products really drive me crazy. At one time there was Mary Kay then along came Amway and a whole host of other MLM type of gimmicks.
I like that they promote women with the Thirty One Gifts, but I find it hard to understand why this type of scam is still running. Almost every MLM has a ranking. I remember when I joined Mary Kay and we were all crazy about winning the Cadillac.
I’m thinking the same thing is probably happening here.
Definitely the same Jagi, I think it all comes down to our human pshycological thinking of competitiveness. Though it’s a good thing, it also makes us vulnerable to scams such as these.
Thanks for the info regarding this program. I know my mother has fallen for pyramid schemes in the past and I appreciate it when you inform us of any programs that may be suspicious or not living up to standards. I am not fond of programs that favor one sex or look down on another.
I know right, it always better to open it up to everyone as it will also help grow the company faster
The world at large is actually leaving the era of MLM business. People are tired of mlm because there are so many red flags to it. It’s not worth the stress at all. For a member of Thirty one gifts MLM to be making less than $600 yearly, shows that it’s not worth the stress. I don’t even need to ask questions as regards to this MLM company because it is crystal clear to me that the Pros Outweighs the Cons.
I know right, it’s actually very saddening to see that. I understand if you’re still growing from online business but a direct marketing company, that is really not a good thing, glad you also think the same way Kenechi. Appreciate the feedback!
Whenever I hear MLM I automatically avoid the program or product because I do not believe it is a viable business model. It is not possible to have a lot of success unless you are in the top tiers of the schemes and most of the people that get involved end up losing their investment.
Your many red flags for the Thirty One Gifts follows exactly my reasoning, and this one even has a few new red flags, as in their association with Christians. That is simply another ploy to tap into people’s weakness’ or vulnerabilities in my mind. I think of the gurus in that niche that fly around in jets that their followers have paid for…
Obviouslly, I am not alone in thinking this way, as evidenced by the many complaints on the BBB sites and on other similar review sites. Good catch on this one, I hope that many people will read this review and save themselves some stress and frustration, not to mention money!
That numerous complaints are just too many to read, that just shows the true colour of a specific program and sadly, almost all MLM companies face this. Appreciate your valuable feedback Dave!
I absolutely love what I read in this insightful article because it is full of great information. This is fascinating and interesting to me.MLM are real but mostly you work for the high rank people, am new to thirty knew gift MLM platform and in would love to make some research about them soon.
Affiliate marketing is second to none in making good online income from your home.I enjoy working with wealthy affiliate program as an affiliate marketers. Thanks for the review,best regards
Anytime Adamuts!
Thanks for review on thirty one gifts.i must commend you for taking your time to do your findings and research before writing this review on other not to confuse people.
Truly am not an mlm fan but reading about this review,to me it just the same as some other mlm someone introduced me to in the past where there product is over value simply because it not actually the product they are after,they are after people to join the mlm level structure which they know is possible it crash if they have no working product.thanks for sharing all this red flags about them and I hope newbies follow your recommendation which is far better.
Thanks for the kind words Ajibola!
I cannot believe that there are so many MLM for any type of business now. Before it was just Amway now we just have so many selections. I have to say that I gave MLM a few tries in my life and I was just bad at it. Some of my friends are really good at it, they can just releasing their products and recruiting downlines but I was stuck with the products and my money sinked in the products as well. However, this Thirty one gifts sounds fishy, for a A+ rating from BBB but we have to pay the shipping for our customers….interesting. I think in order for you to be successful at MLM the product at least has to be goon, this company doesn’t look like it. Thanks for the warning, I will be on the lookout for it and warn my friends and family.
Fishy isn’t it, Nuttanee? Glad to know we’re on the same boat on that one!
It was interesting that I came across this website but had to submit comments because I was a former Thirty-One consultant myself a few years ago. And while I made $$ from a few “house purse parties”, it was no different than the other direct marketing/MLM set-ups like AVON, Mary Kay and Amway that I had dabbled with as well (I still have an active AVON rep account but refer all interested customers to simply to my online store).
The Internet Quest site was remarkably accurate and very thorough in its findings. Riaz did an excellent job in showing the pros and cons and why Thirty One would be attractive mainly to a targeted audience of women. There were many visual examples, the reading was easy-to-understand and even breaking down the Thirty One compensation plan was simplified and to the point.
The marketing gimmicks used to point towards a better way of making money (like on WA) was clever without being pushy. The categories about what businesses are legit, which ones are scams and other general information is very helpful to one who is thinking about starting an online business. Overall, well done and excellent research. Content design simple and easy to understand.
Interesting analysis there Haiku, thanks for the feedback.
Hello Riaz, great review on Thirty-one-gifts. I must be honest with you, anything MLM is not for me. I hate bothering people to join one program or the other, and so doesn’t go an inch near any MLM program even if the earning is huge.
Reading through your article, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the cons you listed because they are so true and is often the characteristics of most of the MLM programs. The cons over-weighed the pros.
Thanks for your review on this, it will help some people understand what they are getting themselves involved with.
Anytime Gracen!
I’m not a big MLM person in general, bug your friends, bug your list, bug your people, bug bug bug hate it. That being said, I have to say I absolutely love the Thirty-one products. No kidding. My friend had a party for a friend of hers and she invited me and my daughter, and we bought a ton of stuff. It was so gorgeous and cool, albeit overpriced, lol. (Gotta pay everyone!). Anyway, that’s my two cents! I would never join one of these.
Their products are not bad Babs, it’s just their recruitment scheme that’s bothersome.
I’m curious as to how far your research went in the past year. Thirty-One has experiences growth, is a debt-free company, and their consultant and customer support has improved way beyond recognition of the old system. From my point of view, they have really shifted their focus to the customer and their consultants into making the best possible experience. The quality of the products has also improved tremendously over the past two years. Just my thoughts.
Good to know J
This is one of the most detailed reviews I’ve read about MLMS lately. It is well researched and informative and it shows me that you have done thorough reading about the “Thirty-one gifts”
Personally, I am new on MLM and from a general view I’m getting from your review is that they are exactly like Pyramid schemes which have robbed people a lot of their hard-earned money in my country. I’m still wondering how I can be able to identify these MLMs right away.
What about Wealthy Affiliate, I understand one still earns money by recruiting people, how is this different from the one that MLMs do?
Hey pmbaluka
They are indeed the same as pyramid schemes, the only thing different is that they have a product to mask it. in MLM, you earn money by recruiting people to join and the person on top will always be make more money than you because whoever you recruit after that, your upline will take a percentage of that himself which is not fair. And this is also the cause of stress because greedy uplines will keep pressuring you saying “Hey! please work harder so I can get some of your money!”
Affiliate Marketing on the other hand, makes you money by selling products or membership courses and is a much friendlier approach as they don’t have a pyramid structure meaning everything is equal. All the effort you put in, you reap the profit yourself and you don’t have to share it with your upline who does nothing. You also have the freedom to choose any niche you like and also the freedom to write whatever comes to mind with ease, without being bound by one product only as you are free to choose what you want to promote. Makes sense? Do let me know if you have anymore question, glad to help!
I’ve always wondered what types of things went into a home party selling things. I’ve heard of the candle parties and jewelry parties, but I haven’t heard of a purse party. Seems like a more interesting concept because it would last longer and most women love purses. Thank you for the review and opening my eyes into a new concept!
Remember the time when tupperware parties were viral? Its something like that and if you didn’t know, even tupperware is an MLM but they’ve stopped doing all those parties though. They focused on retail and they’re awesome
Actually, Tupperware still does parties and there are many consultants who are out there doing the same thing.
Right on!
Hi Riaz,
I never heard about the ‘thirty one gifts’, thanks for writing about them. I joined several MLMs in the past, with a very bad rating. I definitely will not be joining this one. Only 4 advantages against 9 disadvantages! How bad can it be? I just hope the quality of their bags are good or they will be history very soon.
Their bags aren’t quality material at that Juliet, their specialty is actually just the embroidery as that makes it personal. Remember the times when we did tupperware party? Yeah Thirty One gifts is something like that. Appreciate the feedback, thanks for dropping by!
Great writing. However there are a lot of false “facts” listed in the article. I’ve been with Thirty-One in Leadership for 4 years. I could go through with a fine tooth comb pointing out many incorrect pieces of information but I wont. Instead, my suggestion is to do your own research on Thirty-One. This company is so much more than a bag and I’m thankful for it each and every day.
I wouldn’t be writing this review if I hadn’t done my research, Trisha. And if you’ve read the whole thing, I never mentioned it as a bag. Good day, thanks for dropping by.
Hello Riaz, this is a great site. Well thought out and information packed.
I like the content, especially the in-depth cautionary tips and Red Flags
Maybe you should call yourself “Mythbusters for MLM”… 🙂
Your link to WA led me to leave a comment there for you as well.
I have a question – what is the number one product in your revenue stream?
I wish you much success,
Leon Barnes
Mythbusters for MLM? I like that Alex, if only I would have known that before I bought this domain. My number one product as I mentioned is my #1 recommended program Wealthy Affiliate which is a platform for starting an Online Business through Affiliate Marketing.
A very truthful review on the MLM company Thirty-one, Riaz. Thanks for sharing it. Personally, I will support those MLM company which the product is consumable and benefit to the user, for examples healthcare, skincare etc. Due to this, I will pay particular attention to the product quality when someone claims that their product can solve certain health or skin problem. The product offered by Thirty-One is more on handbag and tote, which I don’t think is self-sustainable. People won’t buy the handbag in short time after they purchase once. So, I agree what you point out in the cons section of your review
There are some types of people who buy handbags regularly Tan, it’s not in our culture as everything is expensive here – Cars, clothes etc. Appreciate the feedback, thanks for dropping by.
Very profound analysis and review – as always. It is a pleasure to read your reviews as I think you cover eveyrthing one would wish to know.
For me as a woman – this seemed to be quite interesting and even tempting to try out. I must admit this is the first time I hear about Thirty one gifts but I am from Europe and you mentined that they operate only in US and Canada, don’t they? You menton that price is $99 – is it montly or just one-time fee? Perhaps it is already mentioned somewhere but it has then slipped somehow through my attention.
The $99 is the price to join Arta, then every month you need to maintain your membership consultant fee. They are big in the US and Canada but back here in Malaysia, there’s no trace of it anywhere. Maybe they will branch out to other countries but I doubt that it’ll be anytime soon as there is some conflict within the management so until they’ve settled their disputes, I don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon.
Hello Riaz,
I have never heard of thirty-one gifts, though I do have experience with MLM companies. I must say most are either very scam like or they favor to those who already have money to afford the things needed, basically, the people with money use their own money to carry themselves until they are able to build out their downlines. I actually still a part of a travel MLM and must say I don’t have anything negative to say about it. I have made money (not a lot) but it is very challenging and difficult as building any business really is.
What’s truly unfortunate about most MLM companies is that they sell on hype and false hope. Preying on the young, and desperate. Though, determination, passion, and never quitting should always prevail a positive outcome.
When it comes to thirty-one gifts it seems they have made a poor quality product, which is often the case. Because MLM companies thrive off of people recruiting people and not the product being sold.
Thanks for the great post, very informative.
All the best,
JRay
Hey Jray,
That’s the reality of MLM beneath all those hype, I’m glad you managed to see it from a broader point of view. Out of curiosity, what MLM are you doing currently? Since its travel, might it be Zyndio or World Ventures?
Hey Riaz-
Another MLM I’ve never heard of… I’m really surprised Thirty One Gifts is still in business based on the reviews you provided. And the compensation plan sucks!! Unless of course you’re Senior Executive Director. This is however a great review of the business… concise and very detailed overview. Moreover, I think that it’s awesome that you’re able to provide an alternative to Thirty One Gifts for anyone looking to make extra money working online or at home.
Great job!
Hey Mark,
That as well as other positions up the ladder are the only people who will enjoy the MLM because its an industry only people on top of the pyramid can reap while others bleed out for them. A cruel reality but that’s the reality of how you succeed in a network marketing business. Thanks for the feedback man, have a great weekend ahead!
Hi Riaz
You gave an excellent review on Thirty -One – Gifts that I had to check the website out for myself. The gifts are great and have something for everybody. I also checked out the reviews from customers who bought products. It was interesting to see the different responses. I love buying goods online and Amazon to me is by far the most trustworthy and reliable.
Great Post
I too love Amazon when it comes to buying items online even though it isn’t very popular where I come from. Etsy is another choice too, the handcrafted goods there are the bomb! Thanks for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate it. Hope you have a great weekend!
Hi there Riaz,
I think that you brought up some very valid points when you mentioned the negative aspects of joining a MLM company such as thirthy one gifts. You have several to consider. The one that I saw as being the most prominent was probably when you mentioned how hard it would be to attract repeat customers because who in their right mind buys handbags each month? Its not easily sustainable.
The other point you mentioned was the supplier saturation in most cities. This is also important to consider.
Great post!
Definitely right on that one Alec,
there’s always a possibility of people doing things that we can never expect. We can expect that there are certain types of people who can buy handbags every month but what we can never expect is that there will be a huge number of them and that is what gets me. Appreciate the feedback, thanks for dropping by!
Is the $99 cost a one time payment or a monthly recurring payment to be a member of Thirty One Gifts?
I find it interesting that recruiting people generates more money than selling the actual products. You would think the products give higher commissions. It won’t be good if people continue focusing on just recruiting because nothing is really being sold.
The worst part about this program, in my opinion, is no commissions at the consultant level. If you make a sale for the company, you deserve your slice of the pie. Also, those commissions are low. You would earn more by joining a good, reputable affiliate program.
I could go on, but the gist is I don’t think Thirty One Gifts is a good opportunity for earning money online. There are MUCH better options in the fashion niche.
Hey there Martina,
It’s the registration fee but you do have to keep buying stuff there each month in order to maintain your membership. I have to correct you on the part where nothing is being sold though, because the products are actually sold each month to members as they have to buy in order to maintain their membership.
I think you are very talented, you set the content out nicely, you are obviously a very tenacious researcher – well done! Unfortunately that is not a true MLM company, it sounds like a combination between a MLM and a Pyramid scheme, as the profit margin is why to high, so if they sold it in a shop, they would not have sold any handbags – would you agree with me?
Hey Deon,
An MLM is basically a pyramid scheme but with a product or a service involved because without those, its nothing more than a recruitment organisation – A cult if you may. I can’t agree with you fully on selling the handbag part though because as high as the prices are, some salesman or salesgirl are very good at persuasion so out of 10 people who walk in, maybe one would be convinced enough to buy. If they focus on retail alone, they won’t go very far but one thing I am very sure of, is that they use those products to attract people into joining as a member so that they may buy those products at a much cheaper rate. Long story short, they join as downlines so that they may buy those products at a member price. Appreciate your kind words and feedback my friend, hope you have a great day!
Thanks for the honest review here. There are so many companies now that are using the MLM structure and sometimes it’s a daunting thought to invest time and money into a company that may not be all it’s cracked up to be. I’m happy to learn this information and I’ll be looking into it more.
Your welcome Kristin, there are countless of people actually doing this – leveraging MLM for their own selfless reasons. Thanks for dropping by, cheers!
I was going to say I am glad I live in the U.K but truth be known that there are plenty of scams similar to that here.
I suppose it was a great idea by the owner to combine the women with fashion, such as cute bags. Many women can not resist bags, as they are hugely popular as an accessory, then with the mix of women working with women, comradery…. plus Christianity thrown in, for good measure, to give it that whiter than white pure feeling of, “well, it MUST be O.K” because of all of these good points.
The savvy lady who invented it is absolutely quids in and why should she care, as long as she stays that way. Phew, I have a good mind to include a story of my own about it in my Scamdamn website if that is o.k with you?
Thank you for the warning, Riaz.
Andi.
Its definitely not okay with me Andi, I’ve met so many Pink recruiters who wanted me to join Mary Kay an I’m a guy! They are desperate and they call me nonstop and wouldn’t let me go which was really getting into me. I pity those people and I hope they get a better business opportunity than there!
Hey riaz…interesting, I hadn’t seen a fashion related MLM either. But not surprised to see some of the usual problems… such as, poor quality products!! Poor average pay! Over saturation! I personally have never heard of this one, but it hasn’t really improved my overall impression of MLM’s – which was already fairly bad to begin with. Do you know of any MLM’s you’d recommend? Thanks!
I wouldn’t recommend joining any MLM companies if you’re planning to do business long-term but there are some good MLM companies which are okay by my standards – No backstabbing, no bullying, and people helping out each other.
Hello!
Great review! As a network marketer, I like to see what more is out there, and I have never heard of anything like this – emphasizing on Christianity as a unique way to sell. Usually, working with the products that you need to sell, is nothing I would do. Those red flags you give are important to know, and it is great that you point them out!
Thanks!
There are many like this where I come from too Igor, people who take advantage of religion to make money and attract people to their cause. Religion is such a powerful tool, its best to be used as guidance, not as a life choice in my opinion.
mlm’s are just something I’ve gotten into before and never want to have to experience again. As you said, usually once you join the market is already to saturated and no one in your area wants to buy anything. I have signed up with Doterra essential oils, and I sell them on my blog here on WA, but it’s not something I really promote to get people to go under me as an mlm site like I’m supposed to, I just try to get people to buy the essential oils from me because they are such high quality. But even more than that, I make my own product and when I have the funds, I buy bottles and make products and try to sell them, so that is how I use my Doterra not as an mlm but as something completely different. I like making my own skin care and makeup products and my friends like to buy them because they know they are completely organic and natural and I’m going to try to get an etsy store or sell on my new website here some things that I make. But like I said I just have to buy the bottles first. Then I can go to town. As far as your purse mlm site, do what you think is best. I’ve found a way to go around the system and make it my own. I doubt you can do the same thing because of the product that you would be selling.
Everyone has their own preferences, its great to know you’re improvising on the extra Doterra products you have, I might need to have a look at that program and possibly do a review on it. Thanks for sharing your feedback though.
Hi Riaz,
I’ve also never heard of an MLM associated with fashion, that is some great research there! Like you I joined Wealthy Affiliate and can honestly say that I’ve not looked back, so if anyone is seriously considering MLM’s over the Wealthy Affiliate program I’d say ‘Stop, and have a look at the link in Riaz’s article – you won’t go wrong!’. If after reading your research someone doesn’t choose WA then they’d be daft!
Hi Riaz,
I’ve also never heard of an MLM associated with fashion, that is some great research there! Like you I joined Wealthy Affiliate and can honestly say that I’ve not looked back, so if anyone is seriously considering MLM’s over the Wealthy Affiliate program I’d say ‘Stop, and have a look at the link in Riaz’s article – you won’t go wrong!’. If after reading your research someone doesn’t choose WA then they’d be daft!
Wow thanks man, that’s really supportive of you. Glad you liked my article, its awesome to meet a fellow WA-er here. Appreciate the feedback, hope you have a lovely Tuesday!
Hey Riaz,
This is the first time i came across such a unique MLM scheme! Looks like anything can be used as a MLM scheme as long as it involved some type of ‘rankings’ You did a great job by saving women from this scam! Hope you have a great day ahead! Cheers:)
Samuel
Correcto mundo Samuel, don’t forget the recruiting part, nothing yells out a scheme than a company that pressures you to recruit rather than to focus on selling.
I liked all the information that is on your sight, although a lot of the information kind of bled together. For me personally, a few extra pages would have helped break it up a little. Therefor it would be somewhat easier to absorb, and keep my interest up.The scam section was very informative but very long and diminished my interest a little bit,even though it was very an interesting topic
Appreciate the feedback, but its actually better to do and in depth page here rather than break it into smaller pages. It gets messy and not all of the info will be received since not everyone is going to click on different pages.
Well that’s a really good way for the CEO to make millions! But as all MLM’s go they are hard to maintain and is a bummer if you have to pay for shipping of your product!
I like how your site is framed and done, just that to post this comment I had to scroll through a waterfall of comments.. lol
Don’t know if would help if you can put an option of ” read more comments” but its your site so just my opinion.
That’s a great suggestion Shreyas, I would definitely bear that in mind. MLMs are troublesome and shipping costs are not supposed to be payed by you – Your company or the customer should be liable for that. Thanks for the feedback, hope you have a lovely weekend!
Another MLM. Thanks for highlighting to us. Some MLMs worked like in a secret operation. They are not allowed to advertise and products are recommended through words of mouth. Sales figures are manipulated to show only the best outcome. The bottom layer of people has to work so hard to support the top layer. I have never liked MLM practise. Thanks for sharing.
You’re not the only one that doesn’t fancy MLM Wesley, countless of others too. People who join these schemes are usually brainwashed into becoming aggressive salesmen and I absolutely despise that.
Thanks for the great review! It really covers everything for someone who only have a bit of knowledge of pyramid schemes. I’ve heard that there are so many different ones flying around and lots of them have bad reputation, why are people still participate them??
btw. I really like your website layout!
Hey Jaclyn,
Good question. Actually although a lot of people today are totally against MLM, there are still many innocent people who have never heard of it, and those that do, don’t even know why. Because of this, these network marketers take advantage of the situation and persuade them to join because its a good thing and that it will change their lives.
They did not tell their prospects the truth that its really hard to succeed and that many people after joining hence the high turnover rate. These prospects feel cheated because of the false promises they were offered and that’s how there are still people who got cheated.
This is an interesting read, Riaz. Have never heard of thirty-one gifts before. Based on the photos, the monogramed totes look kind of cute. But if poor quality is such an issue, then they probably won’t be in business for long and close more distribution centers. Its so weird that they use Christianity in their approach, and as a distributor you have to pay for shipping costs?! It sounds like a scam to me as well. Thanks for the extensive research you put in this so we can be wary of companies as such.
That’s right Raquel,
What kind of company makes their own members pay for shipping cost right? By right, it should be charged extra to the customers themselves because the cost varies between countries. Though the products do look nice visually, its not quality wise so its something to definitely think about. Thanks for dropping by and for the feedback, hope you have a lovely Thursday!
Well I’m not a girl haha but thanks for this awesome review. I’ll warn all of my friends to steer clear. I have almost been suckered into an mlm scam myself, I mean the perks seem awesome but in the end you are the one working to make other people rich and not yourself! Now what’s the point in that?? Nonsense
Have you ever joined an mlm company?
-Mitch
Glad to know you saw it through their flowery words, Mitch. Glad you didn’t fall into their scam and yes, I did join an MLM company. Several in fact, for over a year which is why I know so much on what to write about as I have first hand experience. Thanks for dropping by, appreciate the feedback.
Thank you for the comprehensive review Riaz. I can’t help but cringe at the fact that they include religion as one way to succeed in marketing. They should just focus on teaching their members on how to recruit and sell effectively.Also, if their products are worth the price and not overpriced, they don’t have to worry getting sales as people will come looking for the products if they are really worth buying. I am not a fan of any MLM. And the fact that the distribution factory is closing down, did it really closed down? The date said January 2016. I feel sorry for women who waster time and money.
Hey Pitin,
Yes it did close down and I feel pity for the workers there as well. Nowadays its getting hard to find work and personally I wouldn’t join a company which isn’t very stable and it that should be on everyone’s minds because they can kick you out anytime. Thanks for dropping by, appreciate teh feedback!
Yeah definitely a scam. My friend wanted me to join so thats why I wanted a review and glad to have found this. I know that there is no way I could buy a handbag every month and not need a closet for just handbags lol its crazy. I can not believe I would have to pay the shipping costs for the company to ship. Thanks for the heads up 🙂
Hey Tammy,
Yeah that shipping cost is definitely a killer, who in the right mind would charge their own employees to pay for shipping fees for their own products? Shipping cost from the USA to Malaysia already costed $50 last time I checked and that’s actually very pricey. Glad you decided to stay away from this scheme, thanks for sharing your feedback! Hope you have a lovely Tuesday.
I have seen this type of company before. Many years ago i was caught up with one. Then later i fell for the pep talk again. My daughter has got herself involved in one even after i said not to. It is a jewellery MLM and the products are made in China as well. It is almost impossible to get anything returned and refunded.
All i can say is do a thorough research before joining anything.
Hey Christine,
Its sad to see how powerful words can be and in this case, your daughter’s consultant must have known the exact words to make her disobey her own mum. This is quite normal though, because I too went against my parents words to join an MLM back then when I was studying in hopes of proving them wrong.
I never got to prove them wrong in the end though, they were right. We should avoid MLM altogether, its not for everyone and its not as easy as it sounds. You are more likely to lose money than to succeed. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Christine, much appreciated. I hope you have a lovely day.
Hello there Riaz, nice review you have here.
I have read one of your review about a certain MLM scam and I can say you are really great at unveiling these BS MLMs.
I’m not particular of women’s bags and purses but I can say this is really horrible like any other MLM there is. I’m not generalizing it but majority of MLM’s are just bunch of Pyramid scams. MLM company sometimes is not really the most suited term to describe it. I would really like to call them MLM cult. LOL!
Keep it up. 😀
Thanks Norstad,
I was involved in MLM myself years ago so I know firsthand how it works and how it affects people from a member’s point of view. They are indeed a cult and they brainwash you to keep standing for them and keep paying them no matter how uncomfortable you feel with them.
You’re not the only one who think that these MLM companies are pyramid schemes though, everyone does. They don’t provide much value in their products and they overcharge them, making it hard to do retail when there are other stores which provide similar products for a much lower price.
Because of that, members are forced to resort to recruiting hence the pyramid scheme. Thanks for sharing your feedback man, appreciate that. Hope you have a great weekend!
Now tell me how you really feel about Thirty One Gifts. I always thought it may have been a good company for women to build a business. You did a good job of pointing the difficulty in sustaining their model. The product is inferior and very little prospect of repeat business.
Appreciate the kind words John, but I’m not sure what you mean by telling you how I feel about 31 gift. If you read my review, I labelled them as a scam.
Wow Riaz, I’m so relieved that I found your very helpful and critical review of this MLM. I have been looking for a female-oriented source of extra income and I was considering 31 Gifts but reading your post saved me a lot of time, money, and frustration. Thanks to you, I’ll be trying out Wealthy Affiliate instead.
Hey Julie,
So glad I was able to give you insight on 31 Gifts and save you the trouble. If its financials your aiming at, Thirty One will drain you even more. Starting your own business stream is a much better way instead.
I had sold Avon for about a year, thinking it would be the solution to all my money problems. I had thought that you could do it yourself and make money, but it soon became quite obvious that the only way to make money was to spend all your time recruiting others to work for you.
I eventually gave up on it because I am the type who would rather achieve success on my own instead of depending on others to achieve it for you. And when you have to promote a product that you may not truly believe in, it makes it even harder.
I have seen the Thirty-One products at a variety of events, and I was never really impressed with them. Sure they offer bags for a variety of uses, but unless you are a stay at home mom with a ton of kids in tow, they really do not serve a purpose to the average person.
There are definitely better options out there for making money, and these MLM programs, commonly called Direct Sales is not it. Great review!
Hey Jennifer,
I totally agree with you, Direct Marketing is certainly not the way to achieve this. In the end everyone will have to resort to recruiting because sales alone would not cover the costs since you will be spending your own money to buy stocks from them and on top of that, pay monthlies to them.
Dangerous model where only the ones on top are succeeding and the newcomers suffer. Appreciate your feedback on your experiences with MLM Jennifer, thanks for dropping by. Best of luck on your future endeavours.
Hello Riaz . My name is Nadine and like you I am wealthy afiiliate member too. I have website from about one month but it doesn’t generated any profits yet. This is why I was decided to quit, BUT after reading your site , more precisely “My #1 Recommendation” page I changed my mind. I will try harder to become successful because when someone share his/her story, like you in this case, it inspires me. Now your story makes me work harder and follow my dreams. Best wishes !
Hey there Nadine,
An Online Business takes time to grow and its okay not to make any sales for the first month. In fact, I made my first sale after 3 months. I’m glad you liked my review, perseverance is key and with consistency, you will make that sale! Good luck and if you need help with anything do let me know as I’ll be more than happy to give a hand.
Hi there Riaz,
This is definitely not the first post on MLM I have come across and it struck me like wow, there are lots and lots of MLM companies out there that I have never heard of! So I do rely on posts like yours to find out more.
While I personally would not want to join MLM, I do think that selling women’s fashion is a great idea. Maybe it would have work out better if it was not religion focused. Or if their products are of good quality.
The products can actually sell well if they focus on quality and lesser on the recruiting. Because due to all those pushy tactics, the consultants are looking more to cultists who only want to recruit you into their circle rather than actual retail.
Great Piece,
At first I thought you were the program manager for the MLM, with all the knowledge you thru at me when I first clicked on the site. Thank You I will be sure to not let my wife get caught up in this. However I am all into the Wealthy Affiliates site you mentioned. Thank You. Working on that now.
Hey Mike,
I actually get that a lot, I think it’s because of my knowledge on MLM which comes from my past experience being in the industry. Do let your wife see this review, she’s get a clearer idea on how different it is from the inside. Thanks for dropping by, do let me know if you need help with anything, or also on Wealthy Affiliate as I’ll be more than happy to give you a hand.
Hi Riaz, this is my first time reading 31 Gifts program and products. There’s nothing wrong with selling handbags, but I guess some of the issues that you have highlighted here are pretty problematic, I guess.
Firstly, it is using an MLM way. There’s only so many handbags you can buy per person and sadly, there are not much diversity of range of their products.
Secondly, complaints on low quality products. That is definitely not the way to sell products via MLM. All the best MLM company in the USA, promote and sell the best quality products in their stable. Although very expensive, the products should be at least of high quality.
Thirdly, income potential not that big. This business is suited better for ladies who looking to earn some extra bucks, but not for getting rich.
I see some more flaws, but this should be more than enough for me to show that 31 Gift is not the way to be financially free. Thanks again for your post.
Glad you agree with me Dominic,
It’s important to set our feelings of excitement aside and ponder on the facts before making a decision. I know all too well how people can just rush in when they are excited about something, I too was one of them. It is not a good venture to go into to be financially free, starting your own business is the way to go.
You have definitely identified one segment of the market to target for a potentially good MLM business. I’d be careful about using the term “feminist” because it generally connotes something different than what I think you mean here. It looks like this has a pretty good compensation plan. It would be good to see if you can find a way to also spin this toward the male portion of the market as well. Perhaps this can be sold or packaged as a way for men to provide gifts for the women in their lives. Keep up the good work.
Great idea Jared, I’ll keep that in mind. Appreciate teh feedback.
These pyramid schemes are everywhere. It seems like it is easier for this people to scam other people in order to make money rather than invest their time in creating a legitimate online business. I am sure women are finding you review extremely helpful and I hope they get to it before they decide to join that company.
I hope they do Juan, I was scammed and there weren’t many reviews during my time so I hope this detailed one will help many women all over the world. Appreciate the feedback, hope you have a great Thursday.
Riaz, your website is so cool, I love the concept and the rich content you provide to deconstruct some of the stuff circulating out there. I personally am not a fan of any MLM initiatives, I think it can create an unbalanced obligation when this is introduced between families and friends. You really provide such a thorough overview of the Thirty One Gifts MLM – I am sure that you will help so many people understand the facts and the honest truth behind what they may be getting involved in unknowingly. Great work, keep it up!
Thanks Bri, I write my reviews as detailed as possible to give my readers the best info they can get on the internet to help them decide better. I do hope they can decide better now that I’ve exposed the company’s secrets. Hope you have a lovely day!
Jeez, that’s a lot of red flags! An MLM for women? Already sounds like an awful thing to exclude an entire gender. It’s a shame because some MLM programs actually work if you approach it with a strong willingness to succeed. Wealthy Affiliate is definitely a better substitute. I’ve heard of them and I know a lot of people who are involved with it. I need to jump on the bandwagon clearly :p
Hey Michael, I totally get what you feel. A female only MLM will definitely create tensions between the two genders as the woemn who joins tend to change for the worse – They become pushy, easily agitated and a lot more stresses than before.
I loved the article, have you ever heard of something called Amway? It seems very comparable to the service called Thirty One Gifts.
I have tried a service just like this and the issues you mentioned from you post seem to replicate with what I had tried.
This article about Thirty One Gifts is a must read before you sign up.
I’ve heard of Amway Tom, it’s very rampant here in Malaysia too – Their Multi-level marketers are everywhere! The market is so saturated and a lot of people are complaining about the unethical tactics used by their members too, I might need to go and take a look. Appreciate the feedback friend, hope you have a great wednesday!
Very informative website you got here.
First off loved the pros and cons you included straight off the bat which made it easy to understand what the content will be revolved around.
I see this as an honest review of Thirty one gifts and agree with most the criticisms for the most part especially how it deters men from trying it out due to it’s feminist nature.
All in all, great website well done!
Thanks Usman, those pros and cons help us understand the situation better. I am no sexist but feminism is something that’s going to separate us sooner or later. Thanks for dropping by, cheers!
Awesome review you have provided on this post Riaz!
Buying a gift is not always an easy thing to do as most of the time you can’t really know exactly what women want.
I definitely recommend this site to anyone who plan on buying a gift for a woman this everything you need to know, Thanks again Riaz.
Thanks Tebatso.
Hey
I visited your site before and had the privilege of reading up about Organo Gold.
Boy, was I glad that I read it.
Now, you got another wonderful piece about a women’s MLM.
Its just amazing what things, people will come up with to make money.
I was never one for MLM, and just looking at the small monies that one would make as a consultant in ThirtyoneGifts shows you how hard one has to work to make it a success.
Thanks for this, will be telling the wife to watch out for this one.
Regards
Roopesh
Hey there Roopesh, it’s great seeing you here again. MLM does work but it takes a huge deal of your time, money and motivation because its so hard to succeed in it today as people are getting skeptical. It’s definitely not as easy as they promised and you definitely cannot earn much if you work 2 hours a day as they say.
Hi Riaz,
It was an education for sure to read your post, What is Thirty One Gifts? – An MLM for Women by Women.
I am not familiar with MLM companies, but your in-depth review of this particular one has offered great insight.
It’s apparent that you have spent a great deal of time researching this organization and I feel confident in trusting your review and I hope others will too, so they can avoid this program.
This is a thorough, valuable, and well written review and I thank you for providing it.
Warmly, Heather 🙂
Wow thank you so much for your kind words Heather, I really appreciate that. I try to be as detailed as possible when writing my review so others can see the true nature of a certain company before making any rushed decisions. Thanks for dropping by, hope you have a lovely Sunday!
Hey Riaz,
Great looking site.
I completely agree with your findings and I think your review was written from a place of integrity and the level of detail that you have gone into will prove to be valuable to anyone researching this opportunity.
The main problem isn’t the business model(MLM) but it is the quality of the products. Network Marketing can an excellent opportunity for home business owners to earn a sustainable residual income but the problem is that there are too many companies out there who offer poor quality” me-too’ products sold by distributors who know nothing about marketing.
I think that your post will save people a great deal of wasted time, energy and money.
Great stuff.
Hey Braxa,
Its true that the MLM system alone does work but without a product to compliment that, the system is nothing but a recruiting scheme or more commonly known as a pyramid scheme which resembles very much like a cult which is why the FTA bans the very nature of it.
However even with the products, MLM fails to focus on product selling by overpricing their products so that the members can focus more on recruiting which is where the money lies and that’s when corruption starts.
Hi Riaz,
It’s difficult to compare MLM and WA, because one is consumptive and the other being educative. Definitely the MLM will pale in comparison. All MLMs are the same, products have to be overpriced, some with mediocre-good qualities, and the bad ones with poor quality otherwise they won’t be able to generate enough margins to fill the pyramid.
Your page is exceptionally long and extremely detailed. It’s good and it’s bad, and I ended up skipping parts where the details were too overwhelming.
Overall it’s a good review. Thirty one gifts definitely pales in comparison to WA, especially when I saw the chart.
Good luck in your endeavours,
Apeng.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Apeng, not everyone reads in full but there are some people who do which is why I wrote my review as detailed as possible. Hope you have a great Sunday, thanks for dropping by!
Yeah I always try to keep away from these kinds of things because i’ve seen too many of these mlm programs flop in the past, and even the ones that don’t flop get shut down by the FTC. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more reviews. Great site by the way.
Definitely JP,
Vemma for example, is under current investigations and will be bound to close down which is why the owner ran off and started Zyndio. A lot of MLM companies become illegal when they let their greed take control of them and focus on recruiting rather than retailing which is why the FTC are getting cautious.
Wow I have never seen such a incredible review about a MLM company like your site, I am sure it took a while to get the stats like you did here, I am very impressed, I dont think you left anything out. I am for sure not joining them. I actually had an aquantance of mine who worked with thrithy-one gifts and she went pretty far earning $200.000 a year. I havent heard from her in a long time but I guess there is definitely poential if you stick to it.
I’ll go check out the wealthy affiliate that you are suggesting, seems interesting. thank you for your help.
$200 a year is not an amount to be happy about Benedetto, people earn more than that when they work so it’s not a good business model that you can earn that much even after a year. Sure, in business you start small but revenue by end of the year should be a whole lot more because you have all the time in the world to make things work.
Hi there Riaz,
I love this site, awesome, informative and balanced
more people need to be warning other about known scams. +1 in terms of karma to you for that.
I think, this particular MLM system is playing on middle America and their moderate Christianity and a woman’s desire (and need) to socialise and appear to be at the top of the tree (socially speaking).
Why else would many of these companies that focus around woman encourage the organisation of parties, from UK-based Tupperware to Ann Summers.
(clue is the wording, not so sure many would turn up for a Ann Summers/Tupperware/31 gifts event if they were called what they really are..sales events!)
You’re definitely right on that one Derek,
MLM companies are always targeting on people’s need to socialize and from there, hook them to promote instead. Parties are great but sales parties are something I can never get used to and if their prices are no better than that in malls, why not we go there instead right? Appreciate the feedback man, thanks for dropping by!
This is really quite interesting you know. I was astounded at 64 complaints lodged on BBB alone! There certainly are a lot of cons and not many pros. The whole review really is very very good. Incredible knowledge shown and the writing looks like it came so natural to you! Really great job, was thoroughly enjoyable to read
Thank you Daniel, I really appreciate that. I write based on what I was thinking and feel towards the company of so I guess it’s a more casual approach rather than doing everything in a strict manner. Thanks for the feedback, hope you have a great Wednesday.
Gotta confess never heard of 31 gifts. Sounds like every other MLM out there which you outlined very well. I like how you outlined every facet of it and provided pics to back up your claim. Kind of crazy that BBB gives it an A+ rating when they have so many complaints. Really makes you wonder about the ratings that BBB gives. Nice job of reviewing it; I live in Texas so I’ll be sure to be on the lookout and advise my lady friends!
Texas is a hotspot for 31 gifts Houstoer, appreciate you keeping out on the lookout! I have been thinking of BBB’s manner of work for a while now as well, I’ve noticed how some companies get A+ rating despite their many complaints. Something is definitely up there, would have to take a look inside. Cheers and thanks for dropping by man!
Hey, Riaz! I am not a typical purchaser of purses, but even for a man these are awful! Even if it was a legitimate business these would be hard to sell; as is, it’s hard to call it anything other than a pyramid scam. Good catch and keep unmasking these bad boys!
Agreed Daniel, glad to know you find my review helpful. Thanks for dropping by!
That is a very impressive and thorough review of Thirty One! Personally, I never liked the bags and parties where I feel obligated to buy something make my stomach hurt. This is a great introduction to Wealthy Affiliate. It is definitely the way to go if you want to be involved in selling something!
Thanks Candace, glad to know you liked my review. Not everyone likes to spend but sometimes we are just forced into buying through schemes such as this. Thanks for dropping by, hope you have a lovely day!
Hi Riaz
Well the concept looks like a fantastic idea but the overall rating you have given is really proof in the pudding!
I like the way you have written a thorough and extensive review so that newbies to internet marketing like me don’t get caught up in the scam! Thanks for your help.
Ethan
Awesome to know you found my review helpful Ethan, I too was scammed a couple of times when I first ventured online so I took up this initiative to help other people avoid the pitfalls I went through as well. Thanks for dropping by!
Hey man this is a great website and a neat niche. I like the way you put your whole article together and how you write to your audience and how you interact with the people. You were made to do this, are you successful in this niche or are you still building? Keep up the good work,
AJ
Hey AJ, I would say that I’m still building though, I still haven’t achieved my goals yet. Thanks for he kind words, cheers!
This is the first I have heard of thirty one gifts and I’m glad. Sounds like this business does not put their customers first. And to use religion as a way to sell is just terrible. It sounds like it could of been a great company if they had thought about more than just making money for themselves. Great review . Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Gloria, they definitely will and can go far if they put service on top of money. Thanks for the feedback. cheers!
Hi Riaz, I hope a lot of ladies find your review and are saved by it. Ha ha! I can report Bible studies are often accompanied by Avon books and Pampered Chef catalogues along with the current church fundraisers. Churches are communities and the members support each other, but this sounds like a bad program. When it comes to MLM, it is probably best to stick with the tried and true and for most people they are a supplementary income. Many women like them also for the social aspect. There are social butterflies out there that like a party whatever it is for and enjoy the variety of friends it brings. Thank you for the thorough review. If I run across it, I will warn my friends. ~Gina
Thanks Gina, I appreciate your kind words. I do hope i can save a lot of women their time and money from this scheme and judging from your comment, I’m halfway there. Hope you have a lovely day ahead!
Hi Riaz
Thanks for the detailed review. I am currently looking for additional programs to compliment my online revenue prospects. From what you have shared Thirty One Gifts won’t be apart of my portfolio success any time soon!
Programs like this really annoy me because they play on people’s weaknesses. For what appears to look like a legitimate way to earn money online from home is nothing more than a hoax! At least their BBB ratings and feedback demonstrate where their true ethics reside.
Excellent reading Riaz.
Kind Regards
Michelle
A lot of companies thrive on other people’s weakness Michelle, its very disappointing to know but this the reality of what’s happening. Thanks for dropping by, appreciate the feedback!
Hi Riaz,
I considered 31 Gifts once because I had a friend that was doing it. I never attended a party or anything I just considered the idea momentarily and never pursued it. I can definitely cross this one off of my list now, thanks to you! I think it sounds like they’re using Christianity as a marketing tool and that’s juts a shame. If I were to purchase from them, or even be a consultant, I would be highly annoyed with the lack of quality in their products and would probably quit. Thank you for sparing me the time and energy!
~Kris
Hey Kris,
Religion is great but nobody likes it when they are being pushed into accepting their beliefs. When you use religion as an excuse to make money, that is totally unethical no matter what our faiths are wouldn’t you agree? Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. Hope you have a great Sunday!
Impressive website!, Lots of information for the newbie marketer, personalized, and good and honest reviews of what is working in the internet industry and what is not…I liked it!
Wondering how do you get the reviews? from your personal experience or do you collect reviews from other people? Nice work!
Thanks Jorge, I write reviews through personal experience – That’s how I was able to give proof and write long articles. Writing would be much easier that way and people would be able to relate to me better as I try first before sharing my experiences. Hope that helps, thank you for the kind words!
Nice honest review. I dont know much about these MLM’s to be honest, but Its good to see that you’ve taken the times to research the program well! Hope more people see this review and avoid wasting time with the program!
Do you have any suggestions for MLM’s that are worth looking into?
keep up the good work!
thanks!
Thanks James, I usually take a week to do my research before deciding on writing. As of now, there aren’t any MLM companies that I would recommend as all of them seem to be followed with bad influence where they go.
Hmm.. interesting. I’m a committed Christian myself and I’m thinking if this MLM company is really living by the example of Jesus.. At least their support for abortion is quite controversial.
I watched your chart about their earnings. First I thought that those are monthly incomes and I was thinking, “those are quite good!” but then I realized they are annual income. It seems that about 500 of the members are earning quite decently. Even though it’s not so much measured in percents of the members, 500 is still quite a lot. Or what do you think?
-Roope
Hey Roope,
500 is definitely a great number to look at but out of 143,000+ people? That’s a very low conversion rate of success and it’s definitely giving the impression that not everyone can succeed with the program as less than 1% of people are actually seeing some decent profit. Good question by the way, appreciate the feedback. Hope you have a great Thursday!
Hi there Riaz,
I’ve always wondered what all these ladies home parties are all about so it’s interesting to read them in your article this time around.
Selling bags and perfume is one thing, but preaching about Christianity, really?? I know religion is good for the soul but I think there are better places to do that (like the church) than doing it at home parties. Combining the two together feels rather odd and somewhat pretentious.
Even though I like women’s fashion, I also like practicality and I don’t see the point of attending home parties every week. I would rather create a better business opportunity such as becoming an affiliate fashion blogger OR set up my own online clothing retail, which can reach more people regardless of their religion background.
Now that’s a great idea Cathy,
Setting up your own clothing store or online business is definitely a better way to take control of you life, your finances and the amount you earn. Home parties are great but I agree, there’s no point in doing them often as accessories aren’t something people buy regularly as compared to food so its a difficult niche to sustain in. Thanks for the feedback Cathy, lovely seeing you here again!
Great website and great niche. Love the way you write to your audience and how you interact with the people. Did not know this information and I sure am a bit wiser now. For how long have you been doing this? Are you successful in this niche or are you still building? Keep up the good work and talk to you soon
Thanks Maurice, I’ve been doing this for close to 2 years now and I would say I am still building. Glad to know you liked my review, thanks for dropping by.
I think the layout of your website is perfect as it is simple yet easy to read. The images go really well with the niche and theme you have chosen and they break up the text well.
The context is good and looks very detailed which is great if someone wants to know more about the product. I like the way you have pros and cons which give the reader both sides of the story
Glad you liked my review, thanks for the feedback!