When I take that first bite of seabass covered in white lemon sauce over a bed of creamy risotto, I don’t think about how many nutrients are in it when my mouth is watering with each bite. I mean, fish is good for me, but I still feel I need to take supplements. USANA nutrition has many nutrients our body needs, and I hear good things about them, which led me to my USANA MLM review.
Let’s find out how good USANA is and if the MLM company is a great way to make money.
I take handfuls of supplements but have never tried USANA. Heck, I didn’t know about them until a friend told me. Now I’m curious. Before we go any further, I want to let you know this review is about the MLM portion of USANA. I will talk about the product because it is what the MLM model is promoting.
When I first saw the name USANA, I thought of a Nasa space shuttle. I have no idea where that came from.
| Company | USANA |
| Cost To Start | $29.95 |
| Training Included | No |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.2/5 |
| My Overall Rating | 2/5 |
| What Is Better | The Laura Method (Affiliate Marketing) |
Who Is USANA?
In 1992 Dr. Myron Wentz had a dream to change the health of our world. He no longer felt people had to suffer from pain and disease.
USANA’s mission statement is, “Our mission is to develop and provide science-based health products of the highest quality, distributed internationally through direct sales, creating a rewarding opportunity for our Independent Associates, shareholders, and employees.”
Over the past 29 years, USANA has expanded to 24 countries worldwide, become FDA approved, and had its share of troubles. But the products have continued to improve and grow into a well-reviewed and science-based nutritional need.
What Products Does USANA Offer?
USANA provides 150+ products for nutrition, skincare, and weight management. The company products are FDA approved. I looked at the USANA WholeBio Nutrition Bar ingredients and found no fillers or dies on the label.
I like to look at ratings on Amazon as I feel they are the most honest. Amazon rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars of 321 reviewers for the Usana Essentials. These are a 4-week supply of total health vitamins.
USANA products have an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau. Please take note this rating is for the products, not the MLM portion of the USANA company.
How Can You Become A USANA Associate?
You can join as an associate under someone who invites you, or you can go to the USANA website and sign up.
Price To Join
You can join for $29.95, become an associate, and receive materials on privacy policy, disclosures, and company policies. You also get information on how to make money and a checklist.
USANA MLM Review
In 2008 Dr. Murray H. Smith, a statistician for the Commerce Commission of New Zealand and who was an expert witness in every pyramid scheme case for ten years, stated, “you can make a very strong argument that this could be a pyramid scheme” and very few USANA associates can become rich. A statistical view concluded that USANA’s MLM practice resembled a pyramid scheme because most associates never break even.
I understand this was in 2008, but this stands true today for all companies using the MLM model to promote their products.
USANA’s products differ from the selling model they choose to embrace. The products are good, yet the companies model of promoting their products is below subpar.
USANA sells its products through USANA associates directly from their website on Amazon and eBay. It is hard to control who sells on Amazon and eBay, and no one knows if they are original USANA products. But is USANA throwing their associates under the bus by selling directly from the company?
An associate is like a free advertisement for the product. Why underhandedly harm their business?
A sales associate has a more difficult time selling if a person can go directly to the USANA site and get a discount on their order. No wonder a USANA associate will never make any money.
USANA Binary Compensation Plan
Six Ways To Earn
- Retail Sales – you buy products at a discount and sale to others at a higher rate
- Weekly Commission – make money from your downline if the sales volume on the left matches the right downline leg
- Lifetime matching bonus – you get a bonus when your recruits bring in new recruits and everyone is actively selling
- Incentives – Travel rewards, special prizes and privileges
- Leadership Bonus – if you qualify you can split 3% of the companies commissionable sales
- Elite Bonus – 60 top leaders split 1% of the commissionable sales
After I figured out the six ways to earn, I kept reading. There are stipulations to everything you make. Things like you have to sell a certain amount to open your office suite when you start, you have to have so many recruits to earn a bonus, you have to keep selling and recruiting to keep earning. It’s a vicious circle.
Video Of The USANA Binary Compensation Plan
This video makes the compensation plan sound simple, recruit and get paid. Over 65% of all USANA associates didn’t make any money at all. And 87% of USANA associates did not even break even. These stats are some terrible odds for a USANA associate.
Pros
- Been in business for 29 years
- Produce an excellent product
- Only cost $29 to join
- USANA supports world-class athletes
Cons
- USANA throws their associates under the bus
- 67% of the associates won’t make any money at all
- You can’t pay the bills with incentives
- USANA has oppenly been likened to a pyramid scheme
- Requires inventory to make retail commissions
- Products are expensive
USANA MLM Income Disclosure
All of the income disclosures and reports indicate USANA is doing well. They have had a lot of recognition for excellence and growth. Their products have good customer reviews.
Is USANA MLM A Scam?
No, USANA MLM is not a scam. They do have products that consumers purchase that take them out of the scam category. But the company has been called out as a pyramid scheme. If it were an actual pyramid scheme, it would be shut down just like the Ponzi scheme.
But can you make money? Possibly but more than likely, you will not recoup what you put into it because of the volume you have to purchase to keep your business website open.
Video Overview Of The USANA MLM Review
The Problem With MLM Companies In General
According to an FTC Government file, an MLM operation does not have a clearly defined definition. It calls MLM’s a” product-based pyramid scheme“ and compares it to an illegal chain letter. You know the letters you receive in the mail, it says to put a dollar in an envelope with a copy of the letter and send one to 10 people. Then if you do this, you will make a ridiculous amount of money.
The FTC Government document also states that MLM “is inherently flawed, unfair, and deceptive.”
According to a report by Fundera, “Only 25% of MLM participants turn a profit.“
Please note that this says “turn a profit.” It does not say that 25% make money. After you take out expenses, very few make money. Only 0.05% made the big bucks that all MLM companies try to make us think everyone earns.
Other MLM reviews that may be helpful are:
Seacret Direct MLM Review
LuLaRoe MLM Review
Scentsy MLM Review
