Is Nature’s Sunshine a Scam or a Great MLM Business Opportunity?
Is Nature’s Sunshine a scam MLM company or not? That’s a real question I’ve seen many asking about this network marketing company that operates in the health and wellness niche. This popular company is currently in more than 40 countries, but are the products any good, and can you make money if you join their business opportunity?
Let me take this opportunity to say congrats for being here and reading my review. The reason I say this is because it shows me that you’re one of the smart ones. You do some research, and don’t just join something based on hype, and that’s the best way to be.
So read on and discover the truth about Nature’s Sunshine…
Company Name: Nature’s Sunshine
Owner: Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc.
Price To Join: $40
My Rating: 6/10
~ Nature’s Sunshine Reviews ~
Intro…
I can’t believe just how many network marketing companies there are around these days, and so many of them operate in the MLM product category. It’s by far and away the most popular MLM niche.
The idea of reading product reviews is to help us make the best decisions about what to join and what to avoid. It’s for this reason that I create so many reviews on my website. Most reviews are about make money online products or training platforms that teach people to make money. My website is all about helping people make money legitimately.
I really love the internet world because it gives us so many opportunities to make money from home that never existed before. Nowadays there is a global market that functions 24 hours a day.
On the flipside to this awesomeness is the fact that scammers troll the online space, looking to target those hoping to get rich or make money online, and dream up ways to fleece people of their cash. We always need to stay alert.
Lately I kept seeing people chatting online about the MLM company, Nature’s Sunshine. It got me interested enough to dig into it and write a review.
So let’s see if Nature’s Sunshine is worthwhile or not.
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What Is Nature’s Sunshine All About?
The Nature’s Sunshine MLM company kicked off way back in 1972 and was founded by couple, Gene and Kristen Hughes. These guys had a mission to provide solutions to common health problems, and therefore became one of the very first health and wellness companies to incorporate the health benefits of herbs into their line of nutrition products.
As of the time of this writing, Nature’s Sunshine has well over half a million active distributors in more than 40 countries.
Because there is such a massive emphasis on being healthy these days and looking for ways to live longer, this has given birth to multitudes of health and wellness companies, both in MLM and regular retail.
This company didn’t just set out to create some generic health products containing herbs. They actually established the “Hughes Center for Research and Innovation”, run by scientists, biologists and medical professionals.
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The Nature’s Sunshine Product Line
In this part we’ll have a brief look at the products that Nature’s Sunshine offers. I won’t go in depth, because this review is more about the money making opportunity attached to the Nature’s Sunshine business.
This network marketing company actually has stacks and stacks of products, so there’s no way I’m covering them all here. You can simply go on over to their website for more details.
Instead, for easy reference and to get a general idea, I’ll just list the categories:
Vitamin & Minerals- Weight Management
- Cleansing & Detox
- Authentic Essential Oils
- Probiotics
- Daily Essentials
- Energy
- Immune
- Bones & Joints
- Anxiety & Stress
Beneath each category you’ll find quite a few products. Some MLM companies focus on just a few, but Nature’s Sunshine has gone all out to diversify.
I’m also happy to report that the prices are pretty reasonable, which is kind of rare in the world of MLM, as I explain in the next section below.
Why Are the Products So Expensive?
In almost all cases, MLM products are super expensive compared to similar products on the market, and this is especially true in the health and wellness niche.
So why is this the case?
It’s because of the way MLM companies compensate their workforce. They operate on a pyramid structure where downlines run all the way up to the top, finishing at the company itself.
The way it’s structure is that there are commissions paid out all the way down to where the sale was initiated. This means the company has to pay a cut to all these members right up to the very top, finishing with company profit.
Now the only way they can possibly cover all these little payments to multiple members is to charge prices that are high enough that the company still makes a profit.
No one involved in MLM will tell you the truth though. There’ll be some spiel that their products are way better than everyone else’s, and that justifies the ridiculous prices. That’s just BS though. They can’t speak the truth because it simply sounds like a rip off.
When it comes to the prices of Nature’s Sunshine’s products though, I was actually pleasantly surprised that their pricing structure was very reasonable and much fairer than so many other network marketing companies.
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Nature’s Sunshine Compensation Plan
When you dig into the compensation plan you soon find out that Nature’s Sunshine actually allow their distributors to do something entirely different to most MLM companies. They allow people to sell the products through retail outlets.
Generally there are two main ways to earn in any MLM and Nature’s Sunshine is no different:
- Direct sales
- Recruitment and team building
Direct sales can net you 33% profit margins, which is actually pretty good, considering this company doesn’t extort people on price like many others do.
However, it’s not retail sales where the real money or opportunity is at. That comes with recruiting and building sales teams.
To really get into the money you have to climb the company ranks, and the only way to accomplish that is with recruiting and building your team. Collectively, all these recruits will boost your overall sales volume and push you up the ranking ladder.
There is another component to the compensation plan that’s different to other network marketing companies as well, and that’s the fact that Nature’s Sunshine actually has 2 slightly different compensation plans:
- Legacy
- Classic
Check the screenshot below for the details of each:
Let’s now take a look at the ranks associated with the Nature’s Sunshine business deal:
- Member
- Manager
- Star
- District
- Area
- Regional
- Divisional
- Senior Divisional
- National
- Senior National
- Global Elite
You can check out the compensation plans here in more detail.
I’ve also included the official video that explains it all below.
Is There An Income Disclosure Statement?
There is a law that states that ALL MLM companies have to disclose their latest income disclosure statements on their websites. Hardly any of them do it though.
Why?
Because it would reveal that practically nobody is making any decent money from their scheme.
Nature’s Sunshine don’t have an income disclosure, and neither do hardly any other MLM companies.
I usually like to include some details so people know what they might be likely to earn, but hard to do if there isn’t one available.
Generally speaking though, with most MLM deals some 99% of members don’t make enough to live on, and about 95% don’t make a profit at all.
That’s just reality.
Why I Don’t Like the MLM Business Model
There are some very key reasons why so many businesses are adopting the network marketing style of distribution and compensation these days, and we’ll briefly cover those in this section.
The reason why MLM is so prevalent is because the way things are set up, the company gets stacks of advantages. So why wouldn’t they go this route? It’s smart business for them.
Unfortunately, though, it ends up being a terrible deal for the company’s distributors, despite the popularity of the MLM model.
This is basically what MLM companies do and how they take advantage of their eager distributors.
Everyone works for free. There are no salaries or wages, not even a retainer. The company also pays zero expenses incurred by the workforce. That’s all taken on by the distributors. They just do it on the promise of bonuses and commissions somewhere down the track.
The distributors also do most of the promotion, marketing, advertising, the buying and selling of all the products. In fact, distributors generally have to pay the company to for the right to work for them for free.
All MLM distributors are in reality, whether they know it or not, is unpaid sales reps for the MLM company they’ve joined forces with.
Distributors really get a woeful deal, and many don’t even seem to realise it, because they’ve been blinded by all the hype.
On top of this, because of how MLM is structured and the workers must build downlines to get ahead and climb the ranks, it’s also the distributors who expand the company through this recruitment, grow the workforce, and bring in more money from new members.
All this spells the most amazing deal for the MLM company, but a pretty terrible one for the distributors, those doing all the work, buying most of the products and making the least amount of money.
So why do people jump on board then?
Because when you attend an official recruitment drive, prospective members are exposed to a bunch of hype and are dazzled with high dollar amounts and images of wealthy lifestyles.
It’s the same kind of sales pitch as a get rich quick scheme.
Wanting this kind of life is fine and all, but less than half a percent of members in any MLM ever achieve this kind of lifestyle through a MLM scheme.
You’ll also be told you’ll have your own business. No you will not. You’ll be a rep who pays all their own business expenses is what you’ll end up being.
The company is always in control and owns everything. That’s just the truth. If you owned your own business you could sell it, but you can’t sell your MLM distributorship.
The other main thing that really ticks me off with MLM is the way most of them force their workforce to buy X amount of product every single month to remain being eligible as a seller. If you don’t meet the requirement you forfeit your commissions.
This effectively renders the workforce as the main customer base as well, and that sucks totally no matter which way you look at it.
Nature’s Sunshine requires their distributors to purchase at least $100 of product every month or they forfeit their right to earn anything. See? These companies force their worker to be their main customers.
MLM is seriously one of the worst deals there is when it comes to making money.
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Could Nature’s Sunshine Be An Illegal Pyramid Scheme?
Most people are aware that network marketing/MLM companies have a compensation plan that’s built on a pyramid structure. This is true.
Because of this fact, some are quick to pass judgement and state that all MLMs – Nature’s Sunshine included – are running illegal pyramid operations.
This is actually not true.
Do you know the true definition of what an illegal pyramid scheme actually is?
What’s known as a “naked” pyramid is what’s considered outlawed. This means that the scheme only makes money when it recruits new paying members. If the recruitment stops, so does the scheme.
Naked pyramids have no products and rely totally on recruitment to make dollars and survive.
Now Nature’s Sunshine has plenty of products, and products that can be sold to non-members. For this reason, despite the pyramid structure and the need to recruit, it cannot be classified as an illegal pyramid operation.
Target Market
MLM is popular with the masses because, deep down, many people want to start their own business but really either don’t know how, or don’t want to be bothered with setting everything up from scratch.
It’s the same mentality as being an employee in a way. People just want to show up and not have to set anything up.
The thing is, with that mentality (the people that MLM attracts) you’d be far better off stress wise and financially, just doing a regulation part-time job. It’d be more profitable and way easier than anything MLM has to offer you.
You don’t actually own a business anyway. That’s all just a charade. Instead of getting paid to work a job, you pay them to work for them for free and cover all your own expenses.
It’s a shit deal all round. I really don’t know why people buy into it.
What I Do Like
- Nature’s Sunshine has lots of products on offer
- Their commission rate on direct sales of 33% percent is pretty good
- They allow distributors to sell through retail outlets
- The company was founded way back in the 1970s
What I Don’t Like and Red Flags
- MLM is one of the worst ways in the world to make money
- All advantages go to the company
- Having 2 different compensation plans gets confusing
- Some 95% of members fail to make any money with network marketing
- You never get to own your own business
- MLM is built on hype and no substance
- There is no income disclosure statement on their website
- As a distributor, in order to keep earning and be eligible, you have to buy at least $100 in product every single month
- Health and wellness is the most over saturated niche in MLM
How Much Does It Cost To Join Nature’s Sunshine?
Now, to join as a distributor you pay a $40 joining fee, or you can offset that by purchasing $40 or more worth of product.
There are optional upsells, like paying hundreds for a personal coach and so on, but not necessary.
Is Nature’s Sunshine a Scam or Legit?
No it’s not a scam. It’s a legit MLM company and in some ways one of the better ones out there.
The big downside it it’s involved in the super saturated health and wellness niche, which has seriously been done to death.
Plus, it’s typical MLM, where the company gets all the benefits and the distributors basically get none.
If you were to join this then focus nearly all of your efforts on recruiting. There really is no future in MLM just being a salesperson. You must climb the ranks to get ahead. There is no other way.
I don’t recommend joining anyway. There are far better and easier ways to make some money. MLM is one of the toughest there is.
I Make a Great Living Online and You Can Too!
Many people seem to love MLM. It’s okay in a way, but really a poor deal when it comes to making money and being treated fairly.
I highly recommend people give affiliate marketing a try instead.
For starters, there’s no buying and selling of products, no recruiting, no joining fees, and you are actually creating your own business; an asset you can later sell if you build a website.
I make more than a fulltime living from affiliate marketing, and most of that income is now passive.
All you need to do is follow some really good training and you can be successful.
There are loads of advantages to setting up your own gig online from home. Here is just a snippet:
- No more boss. Work for yourself and choose your own hours
- Spend more time at home with your loved ones
- No more commute to work and back
- Improve your financial security
- Create multiple streams of residual and passive income
- Shatter that glass ceiling that restricts your income earning potential
- Experience time and money freedom
- And so much more…
Some people do affiliate marketing to supplement their regular income. That’s fine. Others, like myself, went for making a fulltime gig out of it. And if you go a step further, because there are no income limitations, some marketers go on to get quite rich from this.
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