It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last time that I air my frustrations about MLM’s (multi-level marketing programs) and social media and am met with negativity. Those inside the MLMs love to flock and tell me how wrong I am. Their responses are all so boring. It’s nothing I’ve not heard before, and it’s all a load of crap.
MLM members are often called ‘MLM huns’ or ‘Hunbots’ as they’re known from sending messages to old friends out of the blue and start messaging with a friendly “Hey, hun”. It then quickly turns into a sales pitch. Also, 76% of people roped into these direct sales scams are women. Many of them are mothers desperate to make extra money while juggling childcare.
As MLM’s are a scam, many people speak out against them. In, fact, there’s a whole anti-MLM movement on Reddit, Facebook Groups, Instagram and YouTube where people call out the predatory nature of multi-level marketing companies to raise awareness and stop others.
Of course, there MLM members often retaliate to this backlash and their arguments are the same again and again.
Why MLM ‘Huns’ are Being Criticised on Social Media
Misplaced target
Criticism against multi-level marketing (MLM) sellers is not just about the sales tactics. The real issue lies in how MLM companies target economically vulnerable people, especially women.
These firms exploit systems that undervalue women’s work. MLMs make a whopping $330+ globally —a clear indication of their reach and impact, and 99.7% of people lost money. All the money goes to a small number of people.
These business models bank on misleading claims about income and success to pull in new members. They wield emotional manipulation to hook individuals from groups facing economic hardships, making big promises of financial independence and flexible work hours.
By using social media platforms for recruitment, they show off glamorous lifestyles that seem just an arm’s reach away, while hiding the hard truths behind shimmering facades.
Promises of a dream lifestyle
MLM schemes often dangle the carrot of financial independence and a life where clocking into a 9-5 job becomes history. They sell the dream of earning big from the comfort of your own home, all while being your own boss.
This vision sounds appealing, especially to those feeling stuck in corporate America and office jobs. They are sold stories of how women can make thousands of pounds every month. Yet, this is not the norm but rather the exception in multilevel marketing companies.
These promises also come wrapped in messages of empowerment and community belonging—a key selling point for many women. Though there are a low number of success stories, countless others pour money into products with little return on their investment.
It points out that achieving this dream lifestyle is less about hard work paying off and more about finding a needle in a haystack.
Negative impact on personal relationships
MLM involvement often hits personal relationships hard, leading many to feel isolated. Friends and family might steer clear if they’re not on board with the MLM hustle. This can lead to feeling like you’re on an island all by yourself because your normal social circle isn’t cheering you on. Stories abound of relationships breaking down – we’re talking divorces and estrangements here – all because someone got too deep into their MLM gig. The pressure to sell or recruit from within one’s own circle turns dinner conversations into sales pitches and family gatherings into networking events.
Suddenly, people who used to be your cheerleaders are seen as ‘toxic’ just because they’re not buying what you’re selling.
Inappropriate Ways MLM Sellers Make Pitches
MLM sellers employ shocking and inappropriate tactics to make their pitches. They use out-of-the-box strategies, manipulate individuals, and blur the lines between job opportunities and sales pitches.
Out-of-the-box strategies
MLM reps have taken creativity to new heights with their pitches, sometimes crossing lines we didn’t know existed. Imagine chilling at a friend’s house, only for the evening to morph into a sales pitch for essential oils or weight loss teas. The Federal Trade Commission reports that about 99% of people involved in MLM schemes lose money.
In recent years, stories have surfaced on social networks about MLM sellers leveraging personal tragedies to lure in recruits. From exploiting a cancer diagnosis to fabricate emergencies that somehow always lead back to their products or business model. This can be said for Priscilla Maass, a member of LimeLife who exploits her daughter’s autism diagnosis to sell her products. She even said in a speech that you can leverage a cancer diagnosis or fibromyalgia to make sales.
Manipulative and predatory tactics
These methods aren’t just pushy; they play mind games. Imagine convincing someone that their success hinges on bothering friends and family to buy things they don’t need. They’re told it’s all about becoming a boss babe, but really, it’s like sinking in quicksand.
Emotional blackmail is part and parcel of the MLM playbook. Sellers often prey on stay-at-home moms or those struggling financially, spinning tales of how joining an MLM can flip their fortunes overnight.
It could be anyone – your neighbour, an old school friend you bump into at Tesco – suddenly turning into a salesperson for some miracle cream or juice cleanse that’s going to change your life. They use personal stories or exaggerated claims about products (from hair loss treatments to best travel cots), not necessarily because they believe them, but because these pitches are designed to pull at heartstrings and open wallets without considering the damage done along the way.
Blurring the lines between job opportunities and sales pitches
MLM distributors have a knack for making you believe that signing up is the fast track to becoming your own boss. You will never be a business owner with an MLM. You are selling somebody else’s product,s and they can shut down, sell, or cancel your membership in an instant. It’s not your business!
They speak of financial independence right in front of your nose, with tales of high school friends now living the dream, rolling in cash. But 99% end up losing money, as per FTC findings.
They talk about being part of an ‘exclusive’ network marketing family that feels more like getting caught in pyramid schemes than joining legitimate multi-level marketing companies. The real kicker? You usually have to buy your way in, stocking up on products upfront at your own expense, which many times leads to personal losses rather than gains.
Common MLM Arugments
As I said at the start of this post, I’ve been attacked a few times now by these hunbots. As soon as I post negatively about MLMs, they seem to all come and state the same silly arguments over and over again. Here are some of the actual responses I’ve had:
‘I guess it all depends on what company you join and what products/ services they offer. I’ve been in network marketing for 2,5 years and literally everyone who puts in the work are making money here’
‘I’m not a top earner, don’t have a massive network, BUT I’m making money, I have an extra income from that. Choose company wisely, and you are a winner even if you are not a top leader.’
‘As opposed to corporations… hmmm I don’t see the problem here.. corruptions*’
Where else can you create both time freedom, be at home with your kids, while earning a beautiful income? It’s changed my family’s life, and that for many in my team. I’m so grateful’
‘Let’s not be sad about how others choose to make their money xx’
‘Perhaps you have outdated information about current MLM or direct marketing companies?’
‘What’s sad is people talking about something they have probably never done. I have been in for 10 years after retiring from my profession as a social worker. Has been a wonderful experience for me. I have seen alot of people come and go. Just like in any business or profession, some people do the work and some don’t. They usually get discouraged and leave. I see it no different than hiring a workforce. Traditional companies also restructure and people quit.’
‘Nothing sad about the fact that people are doing their best to earn money. It is more sad to see people who are not willing to see that all of the businesses around are with MLM structure- only in different ways. My opinion- do whatever you like and what makes you happy and gives you food on the table’
‘Women just making money . Where is the problem?’
‘It has helped millions of people make an income without having to get another job away from their families.Some compensation plans are better than others so that important to do research on also’
Their arguments:
It depends on which companies you join
Every MLM is predatory. By the nature of an MLM, people at the bottom lose and people at the top win. The top 1% earn money while the rest lose out. It doesn’t matter which MLM it is. They are all predatory.
It’s like any other job where CEOs earn more
It’s not like any other job. With other jobs, you sign a contract, you have a guaranteed wage or salary. You get benefits such as holiday pay, sick pay, and annual leave. You don’t need to pay upfront. With MLMs, 99% of people lose money due to paying for start-up fees or buying products themselves with the intention of selling on.
You can stay at home with your kids while learning an income
This irks me for two reasons.
1) it plays on vulnerable mothers who are looking to earn money around their family life. They are more likely to fall for this with the promise of easily being able to make money from their phone.
2) I’m self-employed, and I have a 3-year-old. You cannot work while looking after a child. I get a few e-mails done at best – if I were to work properly while looking after my child, I’d have to do it by sticking him in front of the TV or neglecting his needs. It’s not fair to any child to be around a parent who is always on their phone or computer.
You don’t understand digital marketing
A typical response is saying that you don’t understand digital marketing. They never refer to themselves as MLMs, but as direct sales or digital marketing. This is because they know that what they are doing is a scam.
Some people do the work and some don’t
Another technique people use is telling you that you have to put in the work to earn a lot of money, which is understandable; nothing good comes for free. But the issue here is that an MLM is built to make those at the bottom fail, and saying only those who work hard make it creates a culture of shame and blame. Uplines begin pestering and piling the pressure on their downlines to sell and recruit more, as they are not doing well enough.
Remember, 99% of people lose money. Not because they are lazy, but because the system is set up to fail.
MLM Horror Stories
Now, here are some replies I received from people who have been in an MLM and have had a negative experience:
‘I got dragged into an MLM when I was low. Health not good, dad dying, freelance business not going well. She got me by giving me a free product (how lovely I thought), then suggested I sign up as a distributor as I’d get a discount. Then she starts pestering me to join seminars and team sessions, recruit people, all the rest. I just couldn’t do it (and didn’t want to,) and I left, but she tried to keep me on side longer than I wanted to. So unethical.’
‘I cannot sell dreams and broken promises, and I’m not ashamed of that. I took me 3 friggin years and almost 30k to finally realize i couldn’t sell it because i didn’t morally align with the message. I appreciate that many have been successful, but at the expense of how many others? The stats suggest 95% of network marketers eventually call it quits- and I’ve seen it happen, and many of those did have some success, unlike me.
‘Yep. I was one of those people who saw the light and left! Now I try to educate others. Completely predatory system.’
‘Back in 2019, at a particularly low point in my life, a “friend” reached out with the best way to “make money and friends.” I tried it for a month, then realised each month you get reset to 0 and start all over again. Yeah, no thanks. I’m not into hustling, only to have that work stripped away. It’s a dumb model, IMO. It took me way too long to break the mental cycle of the “but these are my friends” thing, too.’
‘One hundred per cent agree. It is not only hella predatory, people really out here thinking they own a “business” not really understanding they are not only an independent contractor, but they have zero benefits ….AND at a moment’s notice, any …..ANY MLM can be sold off, shut down, in the blink of an eye. And before all the huns start comin’ for me: the worst, absolute WORST is when people use God to exploit others and their grift. No hun, God did not direct you here. You ate the apple.’
They’re all a scam
It doesn’t matter which MLM company you join; it’s a scam. If you earn money, you are doing it at the expense of others. The only people who do well in MLMs are those who have a lot of social media followers already to sell to, or are first to join a new MLM.
You have to remember that those in the MLM world are influenced by others who share their beliefs. They have communities where they teach each other what to say to defend their ‘business’ and how to craft the perfect MLM sales pitch.
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