Need feedback on Arbonne

[Love2teach0307]

A very good friend from college has approached me about selling Arbonne. There has been no pressure to sign up, no one else is selling this in a 60-mile radius of me (my friend is in a different state), and I know several people who prefer chemical-free products and would be interested. I've been researching this company in depth and have been praying about it. I'm leaning toward starting it (with a minimal upfront investment) just for some extra income since one of my husband's part-time jobs is about to end by December. Can anyone here help me with some honest feedback about this company and the products? Good or bad? Thanks!

[Ginevra]

The products are good, if overpriced. The MLM structure is terrible, IMO. Google about it and you will see what I mean.

[UnsinkableKristen]

Decent products, VERY overpriced, and it is difficult to find anyone that will buy it more than once.

 

I found that while people were interested in trying it, in this economy hardly anyone was interested in spending that much money *regularly* on skin care. You make a small amount of money on product sales, but the big money they sell you on is only made when you have many people below you selling the product.

 

It was a really big deal in our area a few years ago, and after 6 months I didn't know a single soul doing it any more.

 

 

Before you sign on, I would look at how much PRODUCT you would have to sell before you made your investment back. Then try to think of who you know that would willingly spend that money on your product. If you are in a very affluent area, then this might not be a bad idea. However, if you are in an area that is struggling at all, you will be hard pressed to find buyers.

 

HTH!

[Samiam]

I went to a Arbonne party, and was pretty interested in it. Loved the "all natural, chemical-free" line. But, WOW, is it expensive!!!! That was my first thought and first reason to NOT buy at the party.

 

Uhh, then I started doing research on it. First, I was suprised at the actual party when I looked at the bottles and NONE of the products have a ingredient list on them. Not ONE. So I asked the lady if she had the ingrediant list for the products I was interested. She didn't.

 

She had to get it from her upline, who then had to apparently get it from HER upline....it literally took over a week!

 

So guess what, oh yes, there are PLENTY of chemicals in their products!!!!

 

I had to laugh, because at the party, the lady had specifically mentioned how alot of facial products have animal urine in them (specifically sheep), which I already knew. But she was like "Eeeewww, can you imagine? None of the Arbonne products have animal pee in them!!"

 

Well, lo and behold, once I got the ingredient list, sure, they DON'T have animal urine, but instead use a chemical fake version of it. I forget the word now, but it is something like "urea" and then there is a chemical version of it to.

 

Honestly, as gross as it may sound, animal urine is a "natural" thing where as a chemical creation to mimic animal urine is not natural.

 

That, along with all of the other chemicals on the ingredient list, well, let's just say their products are NOT natural or chemical-free.

 

You can get the ingredient list to see for yourself.

[Love2teach0307]

I have googled the company + complaints, plus about MLMs. I'm going into this with my eyes wide open. I don't like the MLM model because if saturation gets too thick then at some point all you are telling are lies since there physically aren't any more people to recruit. But in my area of the south, there are no environmentally friendly products and people are traveling a good ways to buy this type of product so I see the need. Plus, I have the people skills to be upfront with people and keep friendships (I usually have used these skills for tutoring and teaching, but they would apply here). Just trying to get real feedback from someone not invested in this decision (already talked to real-life friends and got good responses there). Thanks though!

[Tabitha]

I have used Arbonne for years. I love their cleansing gel, perfect for shaving the legs without any razor burn and I DO NOT need aloe afterwards. There are many things I like. They may be pricey, but a little goes a very long way. Many people use way too much product and need to learn to cut back a little.

 

I react to many products, and nothing in Arbonne has bothered me. Love that!

 

I am a consultant just because I used so much. Nice to save the money on my personal stuff.

 

And, consultants can access ingredient lists online for most of the items (not sure if all products are on there). It should not have taken that long to get one to you. That's bad on the consultants part.

[AuntieM]

Well, it kind of sounds like you already have made up your mind.

 

But in case you haven't, I'll just share with you that I know a couple who invested time and money following the big MLM promises, worked their tails off to make it successful, and found the promises of profit and success to be empty, empty, empty. I also believe they have no idea how many relationships were damaged by their pursuit of this venture.

 

I remember, at the time, investigating the company and using samples. My children had immediate reactions to some of the products. I tried to research the company's claim of a special laboratory where their unique products are formulated. That claim turned out to be false.

 

Think about any words that might come out of your mouth in the selling process. Make sure they are true. And verify that "truth" independently before speaking it. Don't just rely on the answers givn you by those upline in the MLM structure.

[amyco]

I agree with previous posters, it's decent stuff but way overpriced. I had a couple friends who sold it a few years ago because they liked it so much. They had minimum sales quotas to meet to keep their salesperson status and so would end up offering their friends stuff at their cost. I think one of the problems is that rarely are women loyal to one brand for all of their skincare and makeup needs.

 

Plus in my state we have to pay tax on shipping costs which are horrific to begin with, and I just can't do it.

 

But, you are in a whole different part of the country than me and who knows? It might take off like gangbusters there! I've seen that happen here with some companies (Southern Living at Home--the rep had to quit b/c she was so successful she never saw her family) if you get in at the right time and get connected with the right people.

[FiveOaksAcademy]

What turned me off about Arbonne, BESIDES THE PRICE, was that they choose to bash other products rather than stand on the quality of theirs alone. I spent some time with a friend who sells arbonne, and it didn't take long to see that she'd chewed up and swallowed their sales pitch, and a lot of it seemed to be about how such and such company uses bat poop in their mascara, and such and such company uses this in their moisturizer, etc. I prefer to hear from a company that shares the positives of their own products without wasting time blasting all the others. I KNOW there are products that aren't good...tell me why your product IS good. I just have this guard/gut feeling about it, that it is overpriced and not what it purports to be.

[justamouse]

It's overpriced and, frankly, made me break out. I was thinking of becoming a distributor, too, because I wanted something all natural and simple. But even after a few weeks my skin never cleared up (and it wasn't THAT time so I shouldn't have broken out).

[Love2teach0307]

No, I haven't totally made up my mind, yet. I just asked my two best friends IRL and got good feedback so I could see how it might work for me. That's why I posted on the board because I need to see negative feedback, as well as the positive. I appreciate ALL the comments. I'm still researching now the claims of chemical-free versus no harsh chemicals, and I'm learning alot. It's all a journey.

[4wildberrys]

Well, it kind of sounds like you already have made up your mind.

 

But in case you haven't, I'll just share with you that I know a couple who invested time and money following the big MLM promises, worked their tails off to make it successful, and found the promises of profit and success to be empty, empty, empty. I also believe they have no idea how many relationships were damaged by their pursuit of this venture.

 

I remember, at the time, investigating the company and using samples. My children had immediate reactions to some of the products. I tried to research the company's claim of a special laboratory where their unique products are formulated. That claim turned out to be false.

 

Think about any words that might come out of your mouth in the selling process. Make sure they are true. And verify that "truth" independently before speaking it. Don't just rely on the answers givn you by those upline in the MLM structure.

 

:iagree: I did Melaleuca for years and had to learn the HARD way not to trust company information! The products are NOT safer, NOT cheaper and I NEVER made even close to the amount of $$ and time I put into my business. I bought all the training products, used ALL the products, went to Convention etc. etc. I worked it very hard, fully believing that I just had to implement the many talking points and techniques and I would have a Residual Income check just like the bigwig speakers. The biggest check I ever got was maybe $200, but I spent over $250 every month and people learned to avoid us because we were such nuts for Melaleuca and their 'better, cheaper' products......:glare:

 

YOU must do independent research of ANY claims they make---from their products being natural and having no harmful ingredients to all their supplements being Gluten Free. And the reason MLMs are so popular for these companies is because you do a lot of work for FREE for them! Marketing, advertising etc. is on your dime while they make millions and millions.

 

I was approached recently by someone after a Celiac Support Group metting about Arbonne and their 'Gluten Free' supplements. She was telling me how much she loved the products, how good she felt etc. She gave me a bunch of samples (which I know SHE bought herself) and a catalog. WOW!!!! VERY expensive. I was shocked actually at just how much it would cost for my family to use these vitamins and supplements. I have avoided her since :glare: It's not her fault----but I was appalled at the cost of Arbonne. Eating healthy and using my Vitamix more often is cheaper. AND I can get ALL of those fancy products in 100% natural form for cheaper too :001_huh:

 

Sorry---I personally think all the MLM companies are the same: They know how to turn a massive profit for themselves by throwing a few $$bones to their 'marketing' team.

[4wildberrys]

No, I haven't totally made up my mind, yet. I just asked my two best friends IRL and got good feedback so I could see how it might work for me. That's why I posted on the board because I need to see negative feedback, as well as the positive. I appreciate ALL the comments. I'm still researching now the claims of chemical-free versus no harsh chemicals, and I'm learning alot. It's all a journey.

 

If you want to learn a quick difference in ingredient listings here are a few products you can look up to see what 100% natural looks like: Keys Soap, Dr. Bronners, Vermont Soap Company, Aubrey Organics. They have ingredient listings right on their sites. Natural makeup: Real Purity, 100% Pure, the Naturally Dahling website has an extensive listing too. For REALLY natural personal care products that are also Gluten free: Tropical Traditions!! And none of these companies make you buy something every month :D

[JennyD]

I know nothing about Arbonne, but I read this a few years ago and found it eye-opening:

 

http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/summer2008_schultz.asp

[4wildberrys]

I know nothing about Arbonne, but I read this a few years ago and found it eye-opening:

 

http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/summer2008_schultz.asp

 

 

Wow! Great article----and from my 7-year involvement in Melaleuca...100% true. This quote:

 

"Another twenty percent stay in longer, often with devastating consequences. “They went to the conferences, they drank the Kool-Aid, they did everything they were told to do and they never earned a thing,” he says. Instead, they lose money and lots of it.

 

But that’s not all. Victims of MLMs too often also lose their self-esteem, their friends, and sometimes even their marriages. “There’s this enormous wake of failure and a sense of loss,” Fitzpatrick says. “They tell you it’s a wonderful program. Anybody can do it. If you don’t succeed, it’s your own fault. All of this is to cover over the deceptions.”

 

IS my experience (except for the losing marriage part)!! :glare: I spent all those years working so hard to build this business that would allow us to be set financially with our 'Residual Income' from our downlines. And when it didn't happen----yes---I felt like an incompetent loser. And we were 'Network Marketers', NOT part of an MLM...:001_huh:

[Janasjots]

As one of the other gals mentioned, there are a lot of good, truly natural companies out there that are selling products at a much lower price. I haven't looked at Arbonne's products in a couple of years so they may have changed their formula but at the time my friend talked to me about them, they were not completely natural. They contained paraben preservatives. Their rationale was that they couldn't create a product that was completely paraben free because it wouldn't have a decent shelf life. They cut their paraben usage back to markedly less than standard make-up companies were using but it still contained paraben preservatives. I had already been paraben free in my home for several years so there was no way I was going to jump into that kind of product.

Arbonne, like Melaleuca, claims to have natural products but when push comes to shove, they really don't. More natural isn't really natural. When I called Melaleuca to ask their customer service more specifically the gal told me that the recruiter never should have told me they were a natural company. She said they never claimed to be natural but that they use the power of nature and the power of science where nature isn't sufficient, which explains why you have to hold your breath if you're going to use their shower cleaner.

 

Dave Ramsey did a segment on his radio show the other day about MLMs. He said he personally knew several millionaires who made great money in MLMs. But what he said was that you have to understand how they work. You're not selling a product you believe in and love. You're recruiting people. You have to build your base of "employees" essentially with a rate of about 95% of your recruits dropping out. He said you need to be willing to work like crazy for a number of years before you see any financial benefit. In something like this you don't ever really stop recruiting. In essence, what he said was MLMs can work for people but you have to know what you're getting in to. And for the vast majority of people, it doesn't work out like it was presented. There is hardly any money to be made until you have a huge base of downline working for you. I did Scentsy for a while and found this to be very true. I also couldn't get anyone recruited because I couldn't tell them the company line. I couldn't honestly look at someone and say I was making great money because I wasn't. I could only tell them that there was potential if you worked really hard and signed up people under you. That's a hard sell but it's the honest truth.

 

One other little tidbit of advice from some friends of ours that tried several different MLM ventures. If you want to give it a try, then try. Just don't invest heavily into the marketing and promo stuff until you have some time to see how it works for you. We didn't hear that bit of advice until after we'd gotten the polo shirts, name tags, business cards, etc. It was all a waste and if it's a good product and you're a recruiter, you should be able to sell someone on the idea of signing up without all the pizazz anyway. If you end up just liking the product and want to stay in the company just for your own use then you haven't lost anything.