7 ms·

Gotta wonder why these are legal.

bongoman37 4y ago
[dead]
cde-v 4y ago
Because they follow the law and publish how unlikely you are to make money with them. It isn't illegal to take money from stupid people. https://www.amway.com/en_US/income-disclosure https://www.amway.com/en_US/income-disclosure https://www.marykay.ca/en-ca/pages/earnings-representation https://www.marykay.ca/en-ca/pages/earnings-representation https://library.youngliving.com/en/us/U.S.-Annual-Income-Disclosure-Statement/134978856 https://library.youngliving.com/en/us/U.S.-Annual-Income-Dis... https://www.lularoe.com/lularoe-income-disclosure-statement https://www.lularoe.com/lularoe-income-disclosure-statement
- Dalewyn 4y ago
  I once read that business is the art of ripping someone off without pissing them off, and I've since made that a part of my life philosophy because it's very accurate. These businesses are simply more devious manifestations of that art.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - ikekkdcjkfke 4y ago
    What about creating something of value?
    - kwere 4y ago
      value is the eye of the customer and in the marketing-skills of the seller
      - testTED 4y ago
        It wasn't always defined that way. Honest effort and intent was at least somewhat common on both sides of paid service at one point. Honor is a dead concept.
- vkou 4y ago
  > Because they follow the law Because they wrote the law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway#Politics_and_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway#Politics_and_culture [1] [1] And if the surname DeVos seems familiar, that's because Betsy Devos was picked to be the Secretary of Education.
- Llamamoe 4y ago
  > It isn't illegal to take money from stupid people. I don't care, it should be. Humans shouldn't be expected to be experts in every domain of their lives just to avoid being exploited.
  - vasco 4y ago
    You don't have to be an expert, you just have to know that things that look to good to be true are scams.
    - CallMeJim 4y ago
      And if you don't know, this is how you learn!
  - cde-v 4y ago
    They should be expected to have common sense. If they don't then this is just economic darwinism in action.
    - Llamamoe 4y ago
      So the elderly, impaired, less intelligent people just straight up don't deserve to survive in our world?
- squokko 4y ago
  It's illegal for a strong person to take money from a weak person by yanking their wallet away from them, and this isn't that different.
  - cde-v 4y ago
    Except in this case the strong person fully disclosed up front that they would most likely take the wallet and run, but there is a chance they would give it back with twice the money. The weak person still made a choice.
    - d110af5ccf 4y ago
      Well when you put it that way, we have lots of regulations surrounding gambling for precisely the reason that a significant fraction of people hopelessly "fall for it".
- epgui 4y ago
  "it's not illegal because it follows the law" is a completely useless tautology in the context of the parent comment...
  - cde-v 4y ago
    [flagged]
    - epgui 4y ago
      That is a great reply! Certainly showed everyone who was smarter.
moomoo11 4y ago
It only becomes a problem when it turns into a pyramid scheme. Recruiting others to sell more stuff isn't illegal, as long as you actually have stuff to sell.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  AmWay did have stuff to sell. The problem is, only AmWay reps bought it.
  - freetime2 4y ago
    And the friends/family of AmWay reps. Until they decide to end the relationship, that is.
vkou 4y ago
Because they lobbied hard in the 80s, to prevent them from being made illegal.
hannob 4y ago
Strong recommendation to listen to this podcast (season 1 of it): https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-dream https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-dream They discuss exactly this question in a lot of detail. The FTC had started to go after some early MLMs, but then strong lobbying and political connections created a situation where you could have a "legal MLM" by following some rules, and the rules were basically written by Amway.

[dead]

Because they follow the law and publish how unlikely you are to make money with them. It isn't illegal to take money from stupid people. https://www.amway.com/en_US/income-disclosure https://www.amway.com/en_US/income-disclosure https://www.marykay.ca/en-ca/pages/earnings-representation https://www.marykay.ca/en-ca/pages/earnings-representation https://library.youngliving.com/en/us/U.S.-Annual-Income-Disclosure-Statement/134978856 https://library.youngliving.com/en/us/U.S.-Annual-Income-Dis... https://www.lularoe.com/lularoe-income-disclosure-statement https://www.lularoe.com/lularoe-income-disclosure-statement

Dalewyn 4y ago
I once read that business is the art of ripping someone off without pissing them off, and I've since made that a part of my life philosophy because it's very accurate. These businesses are simply more devious manifestations of that art.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- ikekkdcjkfke 4y ago
  What about creating something of value?
  - kwere 4y ago
    value is the eye of the customer and in the marketing-skills of the seller
    - testTED 4y ago
      It wasn't always defined that way. Honest effort and intent was at least somewhat common on both sides of paid service at one point. Honor is a dead concept.
vkou 4y ago
> Because they follow the law Because they wrote the law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway#Politics_and_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway#Politics_and_culture [1] [1] And if the surname DeVos seems familiar, that's because Betsy Devos was picked to be the Secretary of Education.
Llamamoe 4y ago
> It isn't illegal to take money from stupid people. I don't care, it should be. Humans shouldn't be expected to be experts in every domain of their lives just to avoid being exploited.
- vasco 4y ago
  You don't have to be an expert, you just have to know that things that look to good to be true are scams.
  - CallMeJim 4y ago
    And if you don't know, this is how you learn!
- cde-v 4y ago
  They should be expected to have common sense. If they don't then this is just economic darwinism in action.
  - Llamamoe 4y ago
    So the elderly, impaired, less intelligent people just straight up don't deserve to survive in our world?
squokko 4y ago
It's illegal for a strong person to take money from a weak person by yanking their wallet away from them, and this isn't that different.
- cde-v 4y ago
  Except in this case the strong person fully disclosed up front that they would most likely take the wallet and run, but there is a chance they would give it back with twice the money. The weak person still made a choice.
  - d110af5ccf 4y ago
    Well when you put it that way, we have lots of regulations surrounding gambling for precisely the reason that a significant fraction of people hopelessly "fall for it".
epgui 4y ago
"it's not illegal because it follows the law" is a completely useless tautology in the context of the parent comment...
- cde-v 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - epgui 4y ago
    That is a great reply! Certainly showed everyone who was smarter.

moomoo11 4y ago

It only becomes a problem when it turns into a pyramid scheme. Recruiting others to sell more stuff isn't illegal, as long as you actually have stuff to sell.

AlbertCory 4y ago
AmWay did have stuff to sell. The problem is, only AmWay reps bought it.
- freetime2 4y ago
  And the friends/family of AmWay reps. Until they decide to end the relationship, that is.

vkou 4y ago

Because they lobbied hard in the 80s, to prevent them from being made illegal.

hannob 4y ago

Strong recommendation to listen to this podcast (season 1 of it): https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-dream https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-dream They discuss exactly this question in a lot of detail. The FTC had started to go after some early MLMs, but then strong lobbying and political connections created a situation where you could have a "legal MLM" by following some rules, and the rules were basically written by Amway.