Scamway?

Go to Google and type “Amway.” Just past the official Amway site and the Wikipedia article, you find one of many articles pointing an accusing finger at Amway as a scam for their money, with the use of unreliable facts to back up their claims. Cascading down amongst the list of Amway related material, there are more articles and claims of the same sort nudging its way amidst the information on locations and business websites.

If you stop to read any of those pessimistic claims, that’s fine. Just take the same time to go over the ones that aim to inform and not persuade.

My boyfriend has recently become an Amway “IBO” (Independent Business Owner). His biggest obstacle has been how to approach people because of the stigma behind the business he has decided to work with. Saying “Amway” to a stranger who is initially curious about what you are doing is like saying “Voldemort” in Harry Potter’s world. This is if they have ever heard of the company at all and, judging by their lack of an IBO membership card, means they must have only heard the bad and never considered there to be any good.

Let’s skip the business end of things and go straight to some of the more personal aspects of the company that they promote.

One of the first things that I, as girlfriend of a fledgling IBO, was informed of is the practically non-existent divorce rate of about one percent. This, combined with the efforts of the company to promote working as teams to keep each other positive and working hard, are just two examples of how Amway is much more about people working together and less about just one person at the top sucking the life-blood out of everyone below him/her. This work-hard-and-it-will-pay-off attitude combined with a stay positive outlook is only maintained through this combination of efforts from fellow IBO’s and the man or woman that stands by your side outside of the circle of business.

If one takes nothing else from Amway, meaning money, they can at least take empowerment from being surrounded by people who encourage them everyday to take a hold of their dreams and hold tight until they’re theirs forever.

Amway is not a pyramid scheme. A pyramid scheme involves people being recruited and paying to join the scheme while being encouraged to recruit others so they can make money off of their recruitment. Profit is earned this way instead of by actually selling any kind of product. Members aren’t told the truth behind the scheme and believe they will make money off of it until it finally collapses and the truth is revealed.

Amway is not a pyramid scheme because it actually has product to sell. According to their own site’s explanation of how their business works, IBO’s get credit for sponsoring others but they also earn from the retail markup on products sold to customers as well as other bonuses and rewards.

The FBI site gives the best advice when confronted with Amway or any other proposal that one might be suspicious of, saying, “Be wary of ‘opportunities’ to invest your money in franchises or investments that require you to bring in subsequent investors to increase your profit or recoup your initial investment” and to “independently verify the legitimacy of any franchise or investment before you invest.”