Multi-Level Marketing

In the fifties, door-to-door sales became common. One of the key elements to these companies’ success was that they allowed their salespeople to recruit other salespeople and make a commission on their sales. This is how much of the insurance and real estate industries work. But a more recent development has been companies which promote themselves as a unique business model with special products where you can become wealthy by using the products yourself, selling a little to others, and recruiting others to do the same. Most such companies are legal. But is this a good business model, and are such systems ethical? More importantly, is it a good thing that so many Christians participate in them?

Links on MLMs
Multi-Level Marketing by Wikipedia
Pyramid Scheme by Wikipedia
FTC Consumer Alert - MLM Plans by FTC.gov
What's Wrong With Multi-Level Marketing? by Vandruff.com
The "Five Red Flags" of MLMs (PDF File) by MLM-TheTruth.com
The Mirage of Multilevel Marketing by Quackwatch.com
Buyers and Sellers: Beware MLM Health Products by Ncahf.org
Amway Quixtar Organizations by Freedomofmind.com
Do-It-Yourself Evaulations by MLM-TheTruth.com
Some Shocking Statistics by MLM-TheTruth.com
Amway/Quixtar FAQ Page
A Primer on Legal vs Illegal MLM Structures
Is MLM Christian? A Letter to a Friend by Phil Scovell
10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing by Robert L. Fitzpatrick
Manipulation in MLM by Norm Rasmussen
Index Site to Many Anti-MLM Web Pages, Some Quite Hostile
Books Critical of MLM Several with Christian Emphasis