Is Shaklee a Pyramid Scheme or Legit MLM? – Review

Welcome to my review. Is Shaklee a pyramid scheme scam or a legit MLM business? Should you risk it or not? Keep reading to learn more…

Shaklee is a multi-level marketing distributor of natural nutrition supplements, weight-management products, beauty products, and household products.

You can join their program, become a distributor, and/or recruit people to do the same.

And this is the number one reason why some reviews online say that Shaklee is a scam or a pyramid scheme.

So is it? I’ll share the truth in my comprehensive review today…

Before we get into this post, let me introduce myself…

Hi, I’m Ivan and I’m an online marketer who went from losing my time waiting tables to running a thriving online affiliate marketing business.

In the meantime, I have actually tried and reviewed 600+ courses, scams, MLMs, and even pyramid schemes to find the very best way to generate income online.

Keep reading my Shaklee MLM review where I’m going to show you what this company is about.

Also, I show you how it works, and I share my opinion about whether Shaklee is a scam pyramid scheme or a legit MLM opportunity.

Shaklee MLM Review

 

Shaklee MLM Review – Overview

  • Type: MLM (Multi-Level Marketing)
  • Owner: Roger Barnett
  • Price: $49 + extra costs
  • Recommended?: Read my review…

Overview: Shaklee is a multi-level marketing company that sells nutrition, weight-loss, and beauty products. You can become a part of the company’s direct marketing team to earn active or passive income.

In other words, it is an MLM (multi-level marketing) business.

For this reason, many people call Shaklee MLM a pyramid scheme in a disguise.

So is Shaklee a scam or legit? That question has been answered in detail in my review. But if you’re in a rush, I can save you time and say that this is legit MLM.

The main reason for saying so is that they offer real products. And you get a legit chance to make money selling the same.

But like every other company that uses this model, it’s got some problems. Keep reading my Shaklee MLM review to learn more before you make your own decision.

Alternative: If you’re a newbie who is looking to earn passive income online, there are other, more beginner-friendly, and cost-effective alternatives. My top-rated affiliate marketing course has helped me to go from earning $0 to $100’s per day!

 

THE BEST WAY TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE IN 2023 >>

 

What Is Shaklee?

Shaklee Company is a leading manufacturer of nutrition supplements, weight management items, beauty items, and also house products among MLM companies.

Shaklee Website

Shaklee products are largely established internally as well as sold by teams of independent representatives in the USA as well as worldwide with a multi-level marketing system.

It additionally operates in 6 other countries:

  • Canada
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Taiwan
  • China
  • Indonesia

Recently, Shaklee suppliers have actually begun to establish internet sites, allowing consumers to buy Shaklee products easily (praiseworthy).

Likewise, Shaklee provides a chance for you to earn money from the company by offering items like supplements, for example.

Who Owns Shaklee?

In 1915, Forrest C. Shaklee (1894– 1985), an American chiropractic doctor as well as a nutritional expert based in Iowa developed the first vitamin classified “Shaklee’s Vitalized Minerals” in the United States.

Shaklee established the Shaklee Corporation in 1956 to make food supplements.

Shaklee experienced amazing growth in the 1970s. By the end of the decade, yearly sales had actually climbed from $20 million to more than $300 million.

In 1972, the multi-level marketing firm adopted its existing name and went public and was available on the New York Stock Exchange the following year.

Shaklee offered 78 percent of its stake in Shaklee Japan to Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Firm for $350 million in February 1989, while keeping its licensing contract and accumulating royalties from the Japanese operations.

Yamanouchi offered Shaklee Firm $310 million in April 2004 to American multi-millionaire Roger Barnett, taking care of the companion of Triggered Holdings LLC and a Wolfson member of the family.

Shaklee Owner

Roger Barnett has actually continued to be Chairman and also CEO of Shaklee to this day.

Related MLM Review: PM-International

Is Shaklee a Pyramid Scheme?

Due to the fact that Shaklee members earn money both by marketing products and also employing new members, it is secure to say that Shaklee is not a pyramid scheme.

Nevertheless, considering that this is still multi-level advertising, do not anticipate making money if you have no techniques for recruiting people.

Recruiting will make you significantly much more cash than actual product marketing. And this makes Shaklee appear like a pyramid system in camouflage, doesn’t it?

Before responding to that, allow’s discover what a pyramid scheme is …

What Is a Pyramid Scheme?

According to Wikipedia, “A pyramid scheme is a business model that recruits members by promising payments or services in exchange for enrolling new members into the scheme, rather than providing investments or product sales”.

You can check out a short video below to learn more…

From the video above, we can see that the continuous demand to bring in new members is a vital part of a pyramid system.

So why do so lots of people assume that Shaklee is a pyramid scheme?

It’s due to the fact that it’s possible for you as a representative to offer their items to make compensations.

It’s also because you can make cash by hiring a lot of individuals right into the multi-level advertising and marketing plan.

That’s the most significant reason some individuals call it a pyramid scheme in disguise …

Is Shaklee a Pyramid Scheme in Disguise?

As I said in my review so far, Shaklee is not a scam pyramid scheme. They promise you commissions based on the sales made by you and others you register.

However, there are no straight repayments just for getting them to sign up. That said, Shaklee, once more, is not a pyramid scheme.

To put it simply, the company sells real items for people to consume.

Having that said, although not legitimately a pyramid, whether you consider Shaklee a pyramid system depends upon your viewpoint of these schemes.

Related MLM Review: Jeunesse

Is Shaklee a Scam or Legit MLM?

Is Shaklee a Scam Pyramid Scheme

Since you can make money in two ways, Shaklee is not a scam. It’s a legit MLM business.

Shaklee items are amongst the most well-known and trusted MLMs in the industry. They have actually negotiated a deal with NASA to make rehydration products for astronauts!

They also have an online reputation for being one of the greenest, most ecologically conscious nourishment and supplement online marketing businesses around.

Shaklee Positive news

Shaklee was the globe’s first business to be licensed as Climate Neutral. They were the first firm to officially counter its very own carbon footprint, making them carbon-neutral.

Furthermore, they’ve won many honors for environmentally friendly organizational practices and green style.

And because Shaklee is not a scam, it is totally possible to build a rewarding, effective network marketing income.

Alternative: On the other hand, if you’re looking for the best business model to earn passive income online as a beginner, there are other, more suitable, and cost-effective alternatives.

My top-rated course has helped me to go from earning $0 to $100’s per day!

 

THE BEST WAY TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE IN 2023 >>

 

What Products Does Shaklee Sell?

When taking into consideration signing up with any business it’s so vital to recognize their products or services. Shaklee makes dozens of various products under the following categories:

  • Nutrition
  • Healthy Weight
  • Beauty
  • Sports
  • Green Home

Shaklee Products

Nutrition Products

In this category of products, Shaklee offers:

  • Nutrition Regimens
  • Vitamins (Vitamins for Women, Vitamins for Men, Vita-Lea Vitamins, Life-strip, etc…)
  • New Life Shake product line
  • All Protein Shakes
  • Prenatal Nutrition supplements.

Healthy Weight Products

Several of the weight reduction items under this classification are Weight reduction Sets that come in 4 choices:

  • Weight management Drinks (Plant Protein Weight Reduction Shake
  • Soy Healthy Protein Weight Reduction Shake and Whey Smoothie
  • Dish In-A-Bar & Snacks
  • Energizing Tea, and Metabolic Increase

Beauty Products

Products under this classification are:

  • Anti-Aging Collection
  • Hydrating Collection
  • Personalized Program
  • Perfecting Make-up
  • Add-on (BB Lotion Applicator Brush, etc).

Sports Products

In this category of Shaklee products, you can find:

  • Performance Packs (Endurance Pack, Fitness Pack)
  • Build, Energize (Zero Calorie Energy Drink and Energy Chews)
  • Hydrate (Low-Calorie Electrolyte Drink, Endurance Electrolyte Drink)
  • Recovery (PM Recovery Complex)

Green Home Products

These are comprised of household products such as:

  • Basic H2 Biodegradable Cleaner
  • Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
  • Hand Wash Concentrate
  • Hand Dish Wash Liquid Concentrate
  • Fresh Laundry Concentrate

Are Shaklee Products Any Good?

Lots of people who have actually used and tested the Shaklee product agree that they are not just reliable but likewise eco-friendly.

Shaklee highlights that their products will not just profit individuals but will likewise assist in the promotion of a much healthier earth.

Their home cleaning products, for example, contain no chemicals as well as are for that reason reliable, mild, and also odorless.

Many individuals who have tried Shaklee items have actually been so satisfied that they have switched entirely to Shaklee.

Can You Buy Shaklee Products on Amazon?

You would think that as an online marketing company, you’d just be able to buy items from their Partner Distributors or their very own website.

However, this isn’t the situation with Shaklee. Many of their products are readily available for acquisition on Amazon.com.

Shaklee Products Prices Differences

As shown in the image above, their rates at this online retail store are much cheaper than if you get them straight from the business or distributor.

However, the downside of getting them from Amazon is that they will not be covered by the Shaklee Guarantee.

Also, a lot of users have complained about poor packaging, wrong descriptions, etc. You can read more about this later in my Shaklee MLM review.

Related MLM Review: DXN

How Does Shaklee MLM Work?

Shaklee creates a series of health as well as wellness products. But they don’t need to invest as much cash in marketing and advertising as a lot of these sorts of firms.

That’s due to the fact that they allow you to do it for them! In return, you can earn payment from any kind of sales you make.

Furthermore, you make bonus offers for using people under you to do the selling for you. This suggests that you make payments from the sales of individuals under you.

Doing this kind of advertising is among the major reasons people frequently have a tendency to connect Shaklee with a pyramid scheme.

Shaklee MLM Pyramid Scheme

However as I defined in my review, Shaklee is not a pyramid scheme. It is a genuine advertising and marketing organization.

Even if you do not intend to develop a sales team, you can still make income simply by re-selling their products to the public.

How Can You Join Shaklee MLM?

There are a number of various ways for you to enjoy the benefits of Shaklee. You can be a simple consumer of their products or choose to build your very own home office and end up being a Distributor.

I’ll focus on the multi-level marketing program in this part of my Shaklee MLM review.

Shaklee Distributors have the chance to sell Shaklee items, gain perks, and recruit others to join the business.

A Beginner Set is the most effective method to get your Shaklee service up and running swiftly. All Shaklee starter sets are created to show you how to generate income, get to know the products, and also start your very own service.

How Much Does It Cost To Join Shaklee?

It costs $49.95 to start with Shaklee. This gives you the starter kit and also your very own online store for 3 months.

Shaklee Starter Kit

If you are serious about generating income from Shaklee you definitely will have to buy the items (more about this soon!).

Also, there are more expensive starter kits on offer too. So it costs between $276-$1,000 to buy these with a load of extra items for you to try yourself or sell.

Related MLM Review: Atomy

How To Make Money With Shaklee MLM?

There are only 2 ways you can make money as a Shaklee distributor:

  1. Sell Shaklee products and earn a commission
  2. Recruit people and earn bonuses from the sales your downline makes

In my opinion, the only way you can make a consistent good income from Shaklee is by recruiting a lot of people. And in the next section of my Shaklee MLM review, I’ll show you how much you can earn.

By the way, this is exactly the reason why people complain that Shaklee is a pyramid scheme or a scam…

What Is Shaklee’s Compensation Plan?

Somehow, most MLM businesses make their compensation plan too complicated. Shaklee is no different. So I will certainly do my finest to keep this simple. There are 8 methods to make money:

  1. Gold bonus
  2. Power bonus
  3. Price Differential
  4. Personal group bonuses
  5. FastTrack program
  6. Incentives
  7. Car bonus
  8. Leadership Bonuses

Shaklee MLM Compensation Plan

Take a look at that diagram above with all the PV, PGV as well as unusual names!

It’s a marvel anybody actually understands exactly how they will earn money.

Can You Make Money With Shaklee MLM?

Yes, you can earn money with Shaklee MLM. Product sales pay distributors anywhere from 16 percent to 36 percent. The team commission price arrays from 12 to 20%.

This is significantly higher than numerous other MLM compensation plans.

Keep in mind that you have to earn a specific part of PVs to keep your status as an active representative as shown below…

Shaklee MLM Requirements

Shaklee additionally uses some rewards, such as a $100 benefit for selling a details plan that is paid out weekly.

As you can see from my Shaklee MLM review, fringe benefits are available based on the point system of the company for ranking its suppliers.

Shaklee MLM Reviews and Complaints

One of the best ways to learn whether Shaklee is a scam or legit is to read some testimonials online. Most Shaklee reviews online are directed toward their products and are generally positive.

Shaklee Positive Review

Here are some examples…

Positive Reviews

  • “This is a good multivitamin and I have taken them on and off for years. I like Shaklee’s whole line of products. This company has been around for years and they make quality products. I have more energy when I take these every day (2 a day). Their vitamin B Complex is great too for energy.”
  • “I have taken a lot of vitamins over the years. I really think that this is the most complete multivitamin that you can buy for the price. I have taken the Vitalizer before but it is too expensive to continue. This is a great value and high-quality vitamin. I will continue taking this one for a long time.”

Negative Reviews

  • “Absolutely love Vita-Lea…have taken it for years…but this is the second time I have been sent “with Iron” and I cannot take it…I am very unhappy that I am going to lose my money on something my body will not tolerate…..It DID NOT specify “With Iron” and I did not realize there was iron in the vitamins until I started having problems and reexamined the vitamins…SOOOOO sad…am I going to lose my money on this????”
  • “The headline says it all. The price is too steep. MLM suppliers make too large a profit. I wish Shaklee would become internet and retail-based, and throw out the high commission structure for their associates.”

To be honest, there is a small percentage of negative Shaklee reviews online. Those few that exist are referring to their stingy MLM program and issues with products.

That said, this is proof that Shaklee is not a scam.

If people are generally satisfied with their products, this means that there is a need for these items and distributors could fill it in.

But the MLM complaints are something that I can’t neglect in my Shaklee MLM review…Let me first go over the pros and then I’ll reveal these complaints too.

Related MLM Review: Ambit Energy

Shaklee MLM Review – Pros

Shaklee is a Tested & Proven Company

You may not know that 1 in 3 MLM businesses do not last for more than one decade. However, Shaklee is around for greater than 100 years. You can not call it a scam or an unlawful MLM business.

Shaklee 100 Years Of History

If it was something like that, it would certainly be banned from America by FTC several years ago!

You Can Make Money Selling Shaklee Products

In the long run, yes you can generate income. Despite tiny revenues, you can not say that there is no chance to make money from Shaklee. But it is very hard to earn $1000/month with this business.

There are numerous reasons behind it. The primary one is that the majority of you reading this review are newbies in marketing and sales. Shaklee might be too big of a bit for you!

Shaklee’s Got Positive Product Reviews

I located numerous favorable reviews about this multi-level marketing company, but once more I do not urge you to make a decision on these reviews. Though, it is good to see them…

Shaklee Positive Product Reviews

Because I have actually reviewed several online marketing companies in which individuals simply give a positive testimonial due to the fact that they have a prejudice behind this. Most of the moment they are agents of the same MLM company.

Related MLM Review: Oriflame

Shaklee MLM Review – Cons

Most People Lose Money With Shaklee MLM

When the major emphasis to generate income from any kind of company is by hiring people into it you end up with a handful of people that make some terrific money … and everybody else will lose money.

Shaklee Earnings Chart

This is why Shaklee produces an “income disclosure” that appears like this and also misses off on the number of individuals who are at this degree or the number of individuals doesn’t make a cent

Keep in mind exactly how they seem to have actually failed to remember to place exactly how much the beginner distributors make or the number of people at each “rank”.

Shaklee MLM Includes a Lot Of Hidden Monthly Expenses

Shaklee is among those MLMs who do unethical advertising and marketing while offering them to their suppliers. First, they did not tell us about their income disclosure, now they once again hide truths.

They have a lot of stringent regulations which in my viewpoint appear extremely impossible to accomplish.

They strike you with a 100PV objective to remain an active affiliate. What happens then? You keep paying them $$$ up until you shed hope. That’s how these schemes make money off you!

Shaklee is a Pyramid Scheme in Disguise?

With all that being said above in the previous paragraph, Shaklee is a pyramid plan in camouflage.

Why? Since they are focused on recruiting as their business model. While reading their settlement strategy I thought it resembles an excellent business. However, after digging deep into it, I saw things differently.

For example, you can see the video below to learn more…

Shaklee Still Recommends Door To Door Marketing

You are selling Shaklee door to door, and having discussions with unusual individuals every day to make sales. In practice, you need to speak to 1000 people prior to getting to $1000/month.

This requires lots of hustle and effort. I am not versus effort. However, I do not promote this type of advertising and marketing. It’s old and ineffective.

Today, you can easily sell tons of products right from your home!

How? By using the internet. And in my opinion, MLMs like Shaklee should focus more on training their sales representatives to do so.

Shaklee Products are Seriously Overpriced

Shaklee got very pricey items. The rates are 125% more expensive compared to Amazon. There is nothing in the Shaklee shakes that isn’t in the shake from Amazon.com.

Shaklee Overpriced Products

However, it doesn’t end with the costly shakes. For example, the Shaklee “Prove it” expenses $248.15 or $159 at a unique discount rate!  That is nearly 300% more than ranked equivalents on Amazon.

Therefore, despite the “unique price cut” Shaklee’s products are 200% more expensive!

The Company is in a Downward Trend in Google

Google patterns recommend that many people are disliking this network marketing company. It seems to hit the rock bottom in the following year.

I’m an experienced marketer so I know that I don’t want to be a part of a business that’s dying…

Shaklee MLM Review – Conclusion

Multilevel marketing, as practiced by Shaklee, requires a network of independent salespeople selling straight to consumers, commonly in their houses.

You as a salesman are paid commissions, in addition to specific as well as group perks on both your own item sales and also those made by salesmen you recruit.

This makes Shaklee a legit MLM. Not a scam…

Pyramid systems, on the other hand, which are regularly a scam, promise settlements entirely for bringing in brand-new recruits as opposed to actually selling items.

In this regard, Shaklee is absolutely not a pyramid scheme.

Thanks for reading my Shaklee MLM review. What is your opinion? Is Shaklee a pyramid scheme/scam? Were you a part or maybe still are a member of this business?

Feel free to leave your reviews at the end of this page!

Why I Don’t Recommend MLM…

  • Virtually 99% of individuals in all multi-level advertising and marketing firms shed cash, according to the FTC.
  • There are 38% even more opportunities for you to make money from your own work
  • The odds of you winning a lottery worth $10k among 10,000 people is 300 times higher than making money from MLM.
  • According to the AARP foundation, 47% of distributors of all MLMs lose their money.
  • Of the remaining 26% that really earn money, 53% of them earn less than $5000/year.
  • 39% of that 53%, that are making $5000/year stopped because recruiting and offering lousy products to loved ones members threatened their relationships.
  • You can forget about building a long-term organization with MLM because 50% of all participants stop within one year.
  • 75% of individuals that joined MLM claim that they will never ever join any kind of multi-level marketing.
  • A poll was carried out in 2018 among 1050 online marketing distributors as well as it was ended that the majority of them made 70 cents an hour and 20% of them did not make a sale. 60% of them made less than $500 in sales over the past 5 years and also 32% of them generated credit card debt to fund their network marketing participations.

Related MLM Review: Total Life Changes

Is There a Better Way To Make Money Online?

I know how hard it is to trust websites these days.

There are too many scams out there, especially in the make-money-online world.

I know, because I reviewed over 700+ sites so far!

Why did I review so many sites? Well, I wanted to find the best (and cost-effective) way for a beginner to start income online.

While searching for this information, I bumped into affiliate marketing.

Thanks to a decision to learn more, I went from waiting tables in restaurants to earning a full-time passive income online.

And today, I like helping people as you follow in my footsteps,

Keep reading…

How I Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

I earn online by creating simple affiliate websites that I use to connect people with products they are already looking for.

It requires no special skills or previous experience, which makes it the best way to start online.

The best thing about affiliate marketing is that it is passive in terms of results and income.

In other words, you could be earning an income from your affiliate website for years and years to come, even when you sleep.

If you want to learn more about how you can start making money online with affiliate marketing, click the button below!

After evaluating over 700+ programs on the web, my conclusion is straightforward. This is the best way to start earning passive income online.

And if you’re looking for the very same, I’ll see you on the next page…

 

THE BEST WAY TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE IN 2023 >>

 

And don’t forget to share this review with your friends and family!

Thanks for reading my review of the Shaklee MLM!

All the best, Ivan. contributor @freeaffiliatemarketingbusiness.com

Related MLM Review: Herbalife

9 thoughts on “Is Shaklee a Pyramid Scheme or Legit MLM? – Review”

  1. Thank you for this comprehensive review. In order to be successful in MLM, one must know how to attract people to it, which is very difficult, because most people do not believe in it. In addition, sales skills are important. It is quite certain that this company is legitimate, but it is difficult to succeed in such a business. I know people who were employed in such companies and who were not satisfied. I think it would be easier to hire people in this company because they are engaged in the production and sale of weight control products, cosmetics, etc., which are in high demand on the market.

    Reply
  2. Great and thorough review, Ivan!  I have been involved in several mlms and I really believe that although they might be able to avoid the pyramid scheme designation because they actually sell “real products”, those products are overpriced and promoted as an investment into one’s business.  The best customers in these companies are the distributors.  Very problematic.  Again, you have written a superb explanation of the facts here.  Thanks for your insight! 😊

    Reply
  3. I’ve been involved with MLM before and I believe that this is the hardest business model to get up and running as you have to rely on others for success. I’ve never heard of Shaklee before but MLM business model is totally legit and is not a pyramid scheme. Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes are illegal and unfortunately for MLM or Network Marketing, it falls under this category when trying to get prospects to join or customers to buy products from you by saying “is this a pyramid scheme?” If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I would be a millionaire by now lol. After severe burnout trying to build a team with MLM I quit in the end as my efforts were not matching my income so turned my eyes over to Affiliate Marketing and never looked back. 

    Reply
  4. Shaklee has been around for many years and make legitimate weight loss and nutritional supplements. But my problem with them is that they use the multilevel marketing business model to sell and distribute their products. To me MLM is outdated, and if one can buy a product online, then there is no need to do it from a distributor and pay inflated prices. As is the case with Shaklee being available on Amazon.

    I worked for a MLM company and know that it is almost impossible to make money from just selling the products. If you are not continuously recruiting new team members and building your downline, then you don’t earn enough to justify the time and effort. 

    Shaklee might be commended for their eco-friendly products, but there are better ways to earn passive income than with MLM. If you want to sell nutritional supplements and weight loss products, you can do so with affiliate marketing and not be limited to just one product. Thank you for this in-depth review. 

    Reply
  5. I was quite surprised to read that Shaklee allows their products to be distributed on Amazon. Surely this would make making sales for their sales reps more difficult, especially if it is cheaper. I am sure a lot of people who like the product already would rather go that route to save a buck.

    It is quite expensive to promote the products if you have to buy a kit of your own, although it does make sense to do so. I think if you want to enter this business model you need to be very serious and committed otherwise you could easily end up spending more than you make.

    Reply

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