Amway

[Jingthing]

Beware of whitening toothpastes as they are abrasive and can cause abrasive injuries to your teeth. Also buy EXTRA SOFT brushes as the so called Soft ones in Thailand aren't very soft.

[Koratpat]

When the local agent comes a calling she comes with her robotic sales pitch. If you like the product/s fair enough, I dont personally like subscribing to these organisations.

Mitcham in our local $ shop costs us AD$1 =31.94B and works perfectly in warmer climates and does the trick thank you very much

Does it last 6 months LOL?

[MAJIC]

Amway skin products are terrible. I know some people who used it in the villages of Phatthalung and they all had a terrible reaction to it. It all started off by some guy marketing the products on commission to make money. It's quite clearly not safe! :/

What can be expected from a population,that are quite happy to burn their skin,with cream whitener,in a vain effort to have the same skin as westerners.

[edwinclapham]

When the local agent comes a calling she comes with her robotic sales pitch. If you like the product/s fair enough, I dont personally like subscribing to these organisations.

Mitcham in our local $ shop costs us AD$1 =31.94B and works perfectly in warmer climates and does the trick thank you very much

Does it last 6 months LOL?

Dependent on your nationality, I would imagine it could well do

[giorgo]

The funny thing is that multi level marketing is illegal in Thailand. But Amway & others are not really that are they?

They have a big Amway shop here on Samui & have seen several driving towards Bangkok.

Is not illegal...pyramid schemes are illegal !

Asia, including Thailand is the biggest mlm markets!

[Rob8891]

Amway skin products are terrible. I know some people who used it in the villages of Phatthalung and they all had a terrible reaction to it. It all started off by some guy marketing the products on commission to make money. It's quite clearly not safe! :/

What can be expected from a population,that are quite happy to burn their skin,with cream whitener,in a vain effort to have the same skin as westerners.

The skin colour issue isn't just a thai thing so I think it's a bit unfair to pick on that aspect, Majic. My daughter was doing that 20 years ago in Scotland, to avoid being picked on in school....and there's an article in the BBC right now about skin whitening in Africa here.

Someone I knew tried pitch to me on becoming an Amway agent, telling me how rich I was going to get as I recruited more people...... that was the last time I ever saw that guy.He got the door in short order.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Rob8891

[lujanit]

Succinctly, Amway is crap. Stay away, overpriced BS products

[ajarnpot]

I like these multi level companies, its like initiating a ponzi scheme and not having to take the consequences when you get found out. Of course if you are in a low tier of the company I guess you are in a real mess and have to sell your big jars of perfume, cologne or what ever other crap it is you are trying to flog.

The person who sets these up must be a genius, the only thing that stops me is the talk from one poster who mentions the paper work and apying empoloyees to do nothing for a long time. I guess I would get around that by asking the employees to invest - the first tier? why not?

[BEVUP]

I reckon they are pyramid schemes as they do get other people to sell the products in which the recruiter supplies from the company

I also know of another one DHCL but unlike Amway they were just moving boxes of product through the chain

Came to an end when one of the high ranking officials was sacked for not doing his job in Korat then complaned to police

Ende up on the news & is still under investigation

A spot on the pyramid cost 200,000 in cash or 5 x 46,000 mth payments

Most thais dont worry about debt as it will go to the grave with them

[scorecard]

Our village has recently had 2 teams of 2 farang god squads knocking on doors (two different minority christian groups). In each team one person speaks Thai.

Just 10 days ago one of our neighbors went quickly to the village office to ask for help to get them out of his house. They had wormed their way in past his wife and were giving her their spiel.

[Ricardo]

Perhaps Amway sell some sort of repellant-powder, to exclude these unwanted house-invaders ?

[nong38]

Amway is just one of a number of mainly US companies that operate around the world promising POSSIBLE fortunes and with many people with vitually no hope of raising their standard of living, well, you can see the attraction and Thais are the most optimistic ( business?) people I have come across, they cannot understand why it all came crashing down around them.

Yes I have had the hard sell about the water magic machine as well and I dont have one.

When you look at the structure of these companies does it remind you of anything in Egypt? The EU looked very closely at Amway and Amway just about got away with it, to me looks an Egpytian structure and I dont like them.

Amway's products are over the top price wise, but here I think its an ego trip to be seen shopping there, personally I would prefer to look around for what I want and what I want to buy. Thais seem to want to buy and choose the shop to buy rather do any research.

Its a different culture here isnt it, difficult for us to understand.

[Berkshire]

Amway is just one of a number of mainly US companies that operate around the world promising POSSIBLE fortunes and with many people with vitually no hope of raising their standard of living, well, you can see the attraction and Thais are the most optimistic ( business?) people I have come across, they cannot understand why it all came crashing down around them.

Not sure why you're targeting Thais as Amway has used the same tactics the world over, promising folks of modest means unimaginable wealth with little effort. I doubt Amway is as popular in Thailand as it is in the USA, and it's really not that big in the USA. My anecdotal evidence is I knew quite a few folks in the US selling Amway, but none in Thailand. I hope to keep it that way.

[nong38]

Amway is just one of a number of mainly US companies that operate around the world promising POSSIBLE fortunes and with many people with vitually no hope of raising their standard of living, well, you can see the attraction and Thais are the most optimistic ( business?) people I have come across, they cannot understand why it all came crashing down around them.

Not sure why you're targeting Thais as Amway has used the same tactics the world over, promising folks of modest means unimaginable wealth with little effort. I doubt Amway is as popular in Thailand as it is in the USA, and it's really not that big in the USA. My anecdotal evidence is I knew quite a few folks in the US selling Amway, but none in Thailand. I hope to keep it that way.

The only place I have seen it, until recently is in Thailand, they have a shop in London, no customers in it were my oberservations.

IMHO its something the Britisih public would take to, not where they shop and thats probably why I saw no Amway before I came here, but I quickly spotted Amway, meant American way and here there people want to buy into that.

[Berkshire]

Amway is just one of a number of mainly US companies that operate around the world promising POSSIBLE fortunes and with many people with vitually no hope of raising their standard of living, well, you can see the attraction and Thais are the most optimistic ( business?) people I have come across, they cannot understand why it all came crashing down around them.

Not sure why you're targeting Thais as Amway has used the same tactics the world over, promising folks of modest means unimaginable wealth with little effort. I doubt Amway is as popular in Thailand as it is in the USA, and it's really not that big in the USA. My anecdotal evidence is I knew quite a few folks in the US selling Amway, but none in Thailand. I hope to keep it that way.

The only place I have seen it, until recently is in Thailand, they have a shop in London, no customers in it were my oberservations.

IMHO its something the Britisih public would take to, not where they shop and thats probably why I saw no Amway before I came here, but I quickly spotted Amway, meant American way and here there people want to buy into that.

I've honestly never set foot in an Amway store. But I've had folks in the states trying to sell me Amway products. How they really make their money, though, is to convince others to sell Amway products for them. Hence the pyramid scheme. From what I recall, Amway products are more expensive than like products sold in department stores. And this is back in the US. I can't imagine the average Thai wanting to spend more on an Amway product when they can pay a lot less in a Big C. The only folks who'd buy it are friends and family, and even then, not for long. So yes, some can be convinced to invest in the scheme, but I'd imagine 99% will fail within the first year.

[kennedy]

Amway started out billing itself as a Christain company.I told a Thai guy about it and he quit selling it. That was 10 yrs. ago.

[beautifulthailand99]

Sod AMWAY spent 3 months suckered in by a mate 20 years ago - went to revival meetings of thousands where the cult of sucess and a handful of winners are paraded to all of us sops who could only get rich if we believed in it and tried harder. They sell you books,CD's and DVD's to help brainwash you into the cult. The products are about 3 times the price of comparable ones and as others have said the only way to make money is to sucker more reps in to cannabilise their social networks. My wife brings back AMWAY toothpaste which she loyally buys from a friend at her work in the UK. I ranted on about them and she just rolled her eyes and said she wanted to help her friend.

Saddens me to see this crap in Thailand as most of the folk have much better things to spend their hard earned baht on and the rare few who succeed are natural salespeople anyway and would do better in a more traditional sales environment which doesn't depend on an endless rinse and repeat of suckers to succeed.

[Jaybonnaza]

Owner franchise forever living - admittedly I don't do anything with it just bought in to shut a friend up. And he can't see it's all a scam - brainwashed !!

[beautifulthailand99]

Owner franchise forever living - admittedly I don't do anything with it just bought in to shut a friend up. And he can't see it's all a scam - brainwashed !!

You are a loser stealing his dreams that's what we were taught to believe of all the negative feedback we would encounter. This is the sort of sh&t they peddle ....

[JDGRUEN]

Perhaps we could learn from the Thais in this area of business. At least they have the entrepreneurial spirit to try an MLM or similar business. Farangs immediately go off on a negative tone - "Stupid, scam, snake oil, waste of time etc". I know several Thai ladies that are making 100,000 to 150,000 baht a month and more in MLM's.

But I guess some farangs would rather see these girls take up an honorable profession and pop on down to one of the gogo's, massage parlors or BJ bars in The Paradise City.

To second that... I have a friend who has been with Amway a long time.. She lives in Central Thailand and is a long time school teacher. She now earns almost as much from Amway as she does from her teaching job. She has made a speciality of selling the Amway line of fertilizer and it is quite well accepted. Soon she is going to take the new government option of early retirement. She could not do this ordinarily without what she has saved and invested from her Amway earnings. Plus in all this she set aside money for her to contribute heavily to her two daughter's university education in Bangkok. I admire her for what she has done... Oh - and along the way Amway paid for holiday trips to Korea and Europe for her.

[beautifulthailand99]

Perhaps we could learn from the Thais in this area of business. At least they have the entrepreneurial spirit to try an MLM or similar business. Farangs immediately go off on a negative tone - "Stupid, scam, snake oil, waste of time etc". I know several Thai ladies that are making 100,000 to 150,000 baht a month and more in MLM's.

But I guess some farangs would rather see these girls take up an honorable profession and pop on down to one of the gogo's, massage parlors or BJ bars in The Paradise City.

To second that... I have a friend who has been with Amway a long time.. She lives in Central Thailand and is a long time school teacher. She now earns almost as much from Amway as she does from her teaching job. She has made a speciality of selling the Amway line of fertilizer and it is quite well accepted. Soon she is going to take the new government option of early retirement. She could not do this ordinarily without what she has saved and invested from her Amway earnings. Plus in all this she set aside money for her to contribute heavily to her two daughter's university education in Bangkok. I admire her for what she has done... Oh - and along the way Amway paid for holiday trips to Korea and Europe for her.

And she's cheesed off and misguided numerous contacts on the way - not something I'd ever admire. And like I said before she's a great salesperson or else she wouldn't have prospered - only problem is she is selling overpriced crap to people who on the whole probably can't afford the products and are wasting their time cheesing off their mates trying to flog on the 'opportunity' . Nice one.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/635567-organic-liquid-fertilizer/

Edited May 8, 2013 by beautifulthailand99

[MAJIC]

Amway skin products are terrible. I know some people who used it in the villages of Phatthalung and they all had a terrible reaction to it. It all started off by some guy marketing the products on commission to make money. It's quite clearly not safe! :/

Having done some research on skin products,it's by no means just Thailand that believe in these skin regenerating products,such as Callogen,and many other concoctions,they all have one thing in common: Super expensive,and the more expensive the more they sell,and the more the buyers believe in them.I can't name product brand names,but some are famous household names,selling not much more to the gullible than reversing the aging process,and creating a false belief that you can regain your youth from a tube of cream! and it's big big business.

The good ones ,less toxic milder creams do little damage your skin,but the Skin Whiteners do horrendous damage later in life from long term use,from inferior,cheap copys,....such is the price of vanity.

[rene123]

the rare few who succeed are natural salespeople anyway and would do better in a more traditional sales environment which doesn't depend on an endless rinse and repeat of suckers to succeed.

That is so true. Not everyone are cut out to be a good salesperson. I was exposed to these high pressure groups when I was younger and gave up on it because the products were over priced for what they did. I wasn't interested in conning other people into being salespersons..

[JDGRUEN]

Perhaps we could learn from the Thais in this area of business. At least they have the entrepreneurial spirit to try an MLM or similar business. Farangs immediately go off on a negative tone - "Stupid, scam, snake oil, waste of time etc". I know several Thai ladies that are making 100,000 to 150,000 baht a month and more in MLM's.

But I guess some farangs would rather see these girls take up an honorable profession and pop on down to one of the gogo's, massage parlors or BJ bars in The Paradise City.

To second that... I have a friend who has been with Amway a long time.. She lives in Central Thailand and is a long time school teacher. She now earns almost as much from Amway as she does from her teaching job. She has made a speciality of selling the Amway line of fertilizer and it is quite well accepted. Soon she is going to take the new government option of early retirement. She could not do this ordinarily without what she has saved and invested from her Amway earnings. Plus in all this she set aside money for her to contribute heavily to her two daughter's university education in Bangkok. I admire her for what she has done... Oh - and along the way Amway paid for holiday trips to Korea and Europe for her.

And she's cheesed off and misguided numerous contacts on the way - not something I'd ever admire. And like I said before she's a great salesperson or else she wouldn't have prospered - only problem is she is selling overpriced crap to people who on the whole probably can't afford the products and are wasting their time cheesing off their mates trying to flog on the 'opportunity' . Nice one.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/635567-organic-liquid-fertilizer/

I'm glad you have your opinion - but it is just that an opinion... One person's over priced crap is another person's long term value... Opinion is opinion but not necessarily unmitigated truth. It seems that many people on this thread have a real problem with Capitalism. This could be rooted in the socialism that stifles their home countries. The perception and the reality of value is not all based on the price ... If Thai people can make a go of it using Amway fertilizer to make their vegetable garden flourish and benefit the owner of the garden - it seems that some here would wish that not to be so ... just so they can spout words like 'over priced', 'crap' and 'organic' which makes them feel better somehow... Just so you will know - my friend is an honest, hard working - good woman who takes much care to treat her customers right - fairly and in good faith. Flippant comments does not a Wise Man make.

Edited May 9, 2013 by JDGRUEN

[itchybum]

Join Amway.

Make friends.

Travel the world.

Do they sell cigarettes?

[Fookhaht]

I've been exposed to Amway ever since 1960: liquid shoe polish that cracked our shoe leather, fire extinguishers that induced flare-up, other marginal products that were overpriced by two and three times. I saw friends become enemies when you didn't buy into their products or program. I saw husbands encouraged to leave wives who were "pouring cold water" on their dreams. I even went to the "holy land" of Amway (Ada, Michigan, the Amway world headquarters) while doing graduate study nearby.

It's a very cleverly-crafted business cult that preys on gullible foot-soldiers and customers who are too lazy to do their due diligence. Yes, they originally marketed it as a Christian company with heavy doses of religion at their weekend seminars and retreats. That helped to suck in the evangelicals--a huge customer base in the USA. But as America became more secular, and the company internationalized, they dropped that marketing angle.

As a favor to a Thai friend, I went to a "success seminar" with him in Khon Kaen. Of course, he wouldn't give me the company name. Of course, it turned out to be Amway--all the same evangelistic hype and parade of success stories (including the rags-to-riches, and tragedies-to-triumph testimonials) I heard back in the USA. Here, in Thailand, they parade out government officers, army generals and university professors to give the company credence. Commoner Thais are awed by it. Don't be fooled, it's big business here:

After 50 years, I can spot an Amway salesman 50 meters away. They start with, "Mr./Mrs.__________, what are your dreams?" Then they lay out this marvellous program which will allow you to accomplish your dreams. If you've got a sick grandma who needs more expensive medicine, they'll jump on that dream. If you want a university education, they'll jump on that one. As all clever sales people, they hit you where you're the most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, by now, I know more disillusioned ex-Amway salespeople than I know current successful ones. A lot more are cast by the wayside, than those who rise to the top. Yup, kinda like that Egyptian structure referred to earlier.

What are my dreams? Only one: not to get involved with this nightmare.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Fookhaht

[Berkshire]

Perhaps we could learn from the Thais in this area of business. At least they have the entrepreneurial spirit to try an MLM or similar business. Farangs immediately go off on a negative tone - "Stupid, scam, snake oil, waste of time etc". I know several Thai ladies that are making 100,000 to 150,000 baht a month and more in MLM's.

But I guess some farangs would rather see these girls take up an honorable profession and pop on down to one of the gogo's, massage parlors or BJ bars in The Paradise City.

To second that... I have a friend who has been with Amway a long time.. She lives in Central Thailand and is a long time school teacher. She now earns almost as much from Amway as she does from her teaching job. She has made a speciality of selling the Amway line of fertilizer and it is quite well accepted. Soon she is going to take the new government option of early retirement. She could not do this ordinarily without what she has saved and invested from her Amway earnings. Plus in all this she set aside money for her to contribute heavily to her two daughter's university education in Bangkok. I admire her for what she has done... Oh - and along the way Amway paid for holiday trips to Korea and Europe for her.

While I admire your friend for making a go of it, it's hard to not see Amway for what it is--a pyramid scheme. If your friend is making good money, then someone above her is making even more. I doubt she's on the top of the pyramid. The only question is how long can it last?

My question about Amway in Thailand is how the heck do they get these products into Thailand without paying a stiff tariff? We all know that foreign-made products are notoriously expensive in Thailand. Given that even in America Amway products cost more than like products in department stores, it must be even more expensive in Thailand...relative to like products in Tesco or Big C. Unless Amway has plants in Thailand?

[JDGRUEN]

Perhaps we could learn from the Thais in this area of business. At least they have the entrepreneurial spirit to try an MLM or similar business. Farangs immediately go off on a negative tone - "Stupid, scam, snake oil, waste of time etc". I know several Thai ladies that are making 100,000 to 150,000 baht a month and more in MLM's.

But I guess some farangs would rather see these girls take up an honorable profession and pop on down to one of the gogo's, massage parlors or BJ bars in The Paradise City.

To second that... I have a friend who has been with Amway a long time.. She lives in Central Thailand and is a long time school teacher. She now earns almost as much from Amway as she does from her teaching job. She has made a speciality of selling the Amway line of fertilizer and it is quite well accepted. Soon she is going to take the new government option of early retirement. She could not do this ordinarily without what she has saved and invested from her Amway earnings. Plus in all this she set aside money for her to contribute heavily to her two daughter's university education in Bangkok. I admire her for what she has done... Oh - and along the way Amway paid for holiday trips to Korea and Europe for her.

While I admire your friend for making a go of it, it's hard to not see Amway for what it is--a pyramid scheme. If your friend is making good money, then someone above her is making even more. I doubt she's on the top of the pyramid. The only question is how long can it last?

My question about Amway in Thailand is how the heck do they get these products into Thailand without paying a stiff tariff? We all know that foreign-made products are notoriously expensive in Thailand. Given that even in America Amway products cost more than like products in department stores, it must be even more expensive in Thailand...relative to like products in Tesco or Big C. Unless Amway has plants in Thailand?

Tariffs are paid - note the many complaints about high prices for Amway products. Some products may be made in Thailand. I read that by Thai law that many Multi Level Marketing firms are approved and are not considered Pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes most often do not rely on tangible useful products but rather on intangible growth of interest or just multiplication of money invested. There are dozens of MLM firms in America that operate just like Amway. Mary Kay beauty products is one of them ... I personally know several Mary Kay reps and their clients love them. It is a kind of personalized relationship marketing / sales that many women like ... MLM is Capitalism - and most are honest businesses. Some are not ... but the blanket stereotypes flung about on this forum topic are ill founded and unwarranted. It is one thing to not like MLM products or sales tecniques but all together another to 'damn' them all and insult the person who sells. Freedom of choice is a basic freedom - sadly some do not seem to understand such concepts. 'We MUST protect people against evil sales people - heavens and mercy - they might buy something on a whim or because they like the product or the sales person' - oh my oh my call the police' .. Control Freaks Unite to prevent such attrocities ....

Edited May 9, 2013 by JDGRUEN

[itchybum]

Are you having relations with this Amway chick?

[DILLIGAD]

I knew a guy way back doing this For Years and every time I saw him he was always saying the same as Delboy Trotter "this time next year, we Wil be millionaires".

He was however very successful in losing every friend he knew because of the obsessive marketing BS.

(Just my personal observation)