So someone has probably introduced the Paparazzi Jewelry MLM company as a great way for you to make money from home.
First of all, I want to congratulate you on taking the time to research the company.
So many people jump into MLM programs before they even ask questions like "is Paparazzi Jewelry a scam or a pyramid scheme?"
This unbiased Paparazzi Jewelry review, with videos, will show you the pros and cons of joining the company so that you can make an informed decision if it's right for you or not.
Paparazzi Jewelry Review
The overview and rankings
Name: Paparazzi Jewelry/ Accessories
Founders: Misty Kirby and Chana Reeve in 2013
Website URL: paparazziaccessories.com
Type: Jewelry and accessories MLM
Products (Including Pricing): 75 out of 100
Success Stories: 25 out of 100
Price To Join MLM: $99 to $499 for starter kits
50PV to stay active per month = ~$56.25 per month (70 out of 100)
What To Look For In An MLM:
Summary: Paparazzi Accessories is a jewelry MLM. It sells different types of jewelry for around $5 retail price.
There is a focus on the "Paparazzi consultants" selling the products rather than recruiting, which is better than most MLMs. However, if you want to make any serious money here you will need to use internet marketing as $2.25 commission per sale is hard to make a full time income from.
Make Time Online Rating: 57 out of 100
Recommended: No (Yes for internet marketers/ beauty bloggers)
What is Paparazzi Jewelry?
Paparazzi Accessories (also known as Paparazzi Jewelry) is a jewelry and accessories Multi-Level-Marketing company.
It was founded in 2013 and sells affordable jewelry for $5 or less to everyday people.
The MLM program is one of the better ones out there because of this affordable price, but it does mean the commissions will be smaller than high ticket items.
The short 7-minute video below explains more about the products from Paparazzi Jewelry...
Now, you probably know this is just a sales video.
So you're likely still asking yourself...
Is Paparazzi Jewelry a pyramid scheme?
No Paparazzi Jewelry/ Accessories is not a pyramid scheme.
It's possible for consultants to earn commission from selling the jewelry to other people.
Most MLM companies do pay their consultants for selling the products.
But a better question would be... is Paparazzi Jewelry a pyramid scheme in disguise?
What is a pyramid scheme?
A company that promises their members payment for recruiting more people into the company.
Technically an outright pyramid scheme doesn't sell any legit products or services. The only way members can get paid is by recruiting more people into the company.
This is illegal in most countries as it's impossible for everyone to make an income from this, as you can see in the diagram below...
Paparazzi Jewelry cannot be a pyramid scheme because it is possible for consultants to earn commission from selling the jewelry.
However, some MLMs "hide behind" their products and the only way consultants can earn good money ($1,000+ a month) is by recruiting others into the company.
Paparazzi jewelry is less like a pyramid scheme in disguise than other MLMs due to their affordable prices and high commission structure. But you can learn how to spot one of these sneaky MLM companies in the video below...
Success is rare with Paparazzi Jewelry
Truth be told... success is rare at any MLM company...
Did you know that between 73% and 99% of all MLM representatives lose money?
Well after digging into Paparazzi Jewelry's income disclosure it's safe to say that at least 75% of consultants do lose money.
But this is actually on the better side of MLM companies out there!
We'll look into this in more detail later in this Paparazzi Jewelry review.
Ready to make passive income online?
Hey, I'm Mike.
I created a passive income online within a year. I had no marketing skills or online experience when I started.
How does Paparazzi Jewelry Work?
They provide cheap jewelry for $5 retail price.
Paparazzi Accessories then save money on advertising because they recruit "consultants" to promote the products for them.
These consultants are typically everyday people who can then earn commissions and bonuses to work from home.
So it's starting to sound like a win-win, right?
Paparazzi Jewelry products
If you are considering joining any MLM company it's crucial that you understand more about the companies products.
Paparazzi Accessories sells a range of jewelry and products in the following categories:
- Hair accessories
- Necklaces
- Bracelets
- Earring
- Rings
Most items costs $5 retail price or $2.75 "wholesale price" (for "Paparazzi consultants" at 45% discount)
There really is a huge range of products available here with different "themes" such as Urban, ENCORE, Zi Collection, Monthly fashion mix, Valentines etc.
You can find the whole Paparazzi collection here.
Also note that there are many more MLMs out there that is very similar with what they are offering. These are:
But let's dig into their main product a bit more...
Paparazzi Jewelry flagship product
Paparazzi's flagship product would have to be their necklace and earring sets for just $5!
They have so many varieties and of course they are not going to be high quality or precious metals for this price!
But they look decent and it's easy and convenient for anyone to buy exactly the type of jewelry they want!
I don't know a great deal about jewelry but apparently "lead free" and "nickel free" is rare with cheap jewelry. And even when you search for necklaces on Amazon you find it tough to find anything for a better price, as you can see below...
They even have some more "luxury" styles such as the newer Zi Collection, which cost $25 retail price. See more about these in the quick video below...
How to make money with Paparazzi Jewelry
Ah, the part you have been waiting for!
So let's not hang around...
There are 2 ways you can make money as a "Paparazzi consultant":
- Sell their products and make commission
- Recruit more people into the company and earn bonuses from sales they make
This is another sign that Paparazzi Jewelry is not a scam or pyramid scheme.
They do not pay you for recruiting people but only pay you commission of any sales or purchases your "downline" makes.
How much does it cost to join Paparazzi Jewelry?
There are 3 entry points to become a "Paparazzi consultant"...
You pay either $99, $299 or $499 for a range of products to start.
But this is not the only cost, as some people would lead you to believe...
Paparazzi Jewelry monthly cost
You also need to allow for the monthly costs to stay "active" as a Paparazzi consultant...
So technically there is no requirement to be a consultant.
However, this means that you cannot make any commissions or bonuses from your downline.
This means in reality you will need to sell 50PV (personal volume) points every month if you want to make money from Paparazzi Accessories.
In real monetary terms this means you need to sell $125 worth of products at retail value every month. If you cannot sell this much then you will need to purchase the products yourself.
With your 45% discount this means you need to allow for an additional monthly expense of $56.25.
So your first year expenses could be:
- $99-$499
- $56.25 x 12
Total cost in your first year = $774 - $1,174
This is nowhere near as much as starting a bricks and mortar business, but it obviously is more than $99!
Paparazzi Jewelry compensation plan
For some reason MLM companies often make their compensation plan harder to understand than counting how many grains of sugar are in a pack without using your hands.
Paparazzi Accessories is no different.
Just look at this chart below...
So it seems like there are loads of ways for you to earn money as a consultant.
But, the only thing you need to know when you start is that you need to do 2 things to make money:
- Sell their jewelry (get 45% commission i.e. $2.25 per $5 sale)
- Recruit more "consultants" (you earn bonuses on their sales every month... remember they need to sell 50PV every month... yeah, this is how it becomes "residual income")
You can get bonuses from your "downline" in loads of ways but you really don't need to know this in detail when you are starting.
All you need to know is that if you want to make good money ($1,000+ a month) you will need to recruit more people into the company or use internet marketing to sell for you 24/7.
If you'd like to understand the compensation plan better then check out this 8-minute video...
Is Paparazzi Jewelry a scam?
No, Paparazzi Jewelry is not a scam!
It sells legit products and pays their consultants exactly like they say they will.
But is this the best opportunity for you to make money from home?
Only you can decide, and the rest of this Paparazzi Jewelry review will help you make an informed decision.
Just to be fully transparent with you, I am not a distributor myself and I do not endorse Paparazzi Accessories in any way.
I have researched the website, testimonials and information on the Internet to get to the bottom of what this program genuinely does. This is because I have been burnt from programs just like this in the past and I want to prevent others from making the same mistakes. If you’d like to learn how to “Spot an Online Marketing Scam” then click the highlighted text.
Common positive reviews
Here are some of the positive reviews we had from Indeed about the job opportunity...
- "They give good advice and encouragement to everyone. They give positive motion to everyone. They want everyone to succeed. They give great incentives."
Common negative reviews
And here are the common negative reviews...
- "Is a huge scam, management is a big fraud, definitely not working in favor of little consultants. Favoritism from certain people. You can not get your inventory equally with other consultants."
Tired of MLMs? Check out how I make money online here!
What I like about Paparazzi Jewelry
Paparazzi Jewelry is actually one of the better MLM companies I have reviewed.
This section will explain exactly why...
Key Terms:
- Pyramid Scheme – promises payment to members for recruiting others into the company rather than selling a service or a product
- Affiliate Marketing- Connecting a customer to a product they are looking for and receiving a commission for doing so
- Red Flag - A warning sign
#1 Established company
The company was founded in 2013, by some people that know what they are doing in regard to "direct sales" and MLM companies...
Did you know that 50% of MLM companies disappear within the first 5 years?
It shows that Paparazzi is set to be a company that could be around for the long term seeing as they are approaching the 10-year mark.
#2 Affordable products
This is the first thing I check when I review an MLM company.
And this is a great sign that Paparazzi Jewelry is not a scam!
For $5 at retail price for a piece of jewelry I know that you'll find it hard to find a decent product for this price (my wife loves a bit of cheap jewelry and this typically sets her back $10-$20 a piece!)
The 45% discount for wholesale price just means it's even more affordable.
The good news about this is that you can confidently promote these products to people knowing they are getting good value.
#3 Sales focussed: Up to 45% commissions
Having a "sales focussed" MLM instead of a "recruitment focused" MLM is a great sign that Paparazzi Jewelry is not a scam or pyramid scheme in disguise.
Getting 45% commissions means that it's possible to make a decent profit just by selling their products.
If people like the products they will also be more likely to want to join as a consultant just to get the 45% discount!
That means you do not need to be focused on trying to recruit but rather just sharing how much you love the jewelry.
It's obviously recommended to actually try the jewelry and see if you like it yourself before diving in!
#4 Positive Paparazzi Jewelry reviews
You can find people saying good things about the company and jewelry online...
Believe me... you cannot always find that for MLM companies!
These are all great signs that Paparazzi Jewelry is not a scam.
What I don't like about Paparazzi Jewelry
So there are some concerns and red flags I have about Paparazzi Jewelry.
It's important that you are aware of these before you dive in so that you are better equipped to deal with them if they arise later...
#1 Dependent on who recruits you
This is a huge concern about any MLM company...
The person or "team" that you join with will have a huge impact on how successful you are as a consultant.
If you join with someone who understands how to use online marketing to help you sell 24/7 and is willing to teach you, then this could work really well.
In reality, you can only sell so many items of jewelry in person or at "home parties". So you will not make much money each month at $2.25 per necklace selling in person.
#2 Monthly sales quota
As you already know, there is a monthly sales quota to hit to remain an "active" Paparazzi consultant.
$57 may not sound like a lot to you, but if you are struggling to sell any (which most people will, if they only try to sell them to friends and family in person... which most people do!) then it adds up over the course of a year, especially on top of the starting fee you already paid.
It's way better than a normal business but there are better options that exist, which you can build the business over time with lower overheads.
After reading that review, it did make me go back and check to see if I could find anything similar for a better price online.
I did find this...
So yes you can find some cheaper alternatives if you buy in bulk. But you don't really get to choose what you want... and who needs 12 necklaces?
#3 Low income potential
The income disclosure really is eye opening.
You can see the full Paparazzi Jewelry income disclosure here.
98.23% of consultants make under $900 a month on average!
So the chances of you making any good money from this is very small!
The only real way you can make good money from Paparazzi is if you used online marketing.
But...
#4 No online marketing training
There is no "real" online marketing training provided.
But if you want to make this a "passive income" and attract visitors to your website every month, there is no training inside Paparazzi to help you do this.
In 2018, I had no idea how websites could get visitors to them every month.
But now I understand how to do it, it keeps growing every month like this...
These are not just any random visitors either, but people that I help to solve problems for.
#5 Downward trend
This is the second thing I look at for any MLM company.
You probably know that the most successful MLM consultants are those that "get in early" whilst the momentum is still moving up.
This is because these people can help the company grow and there won't be many people that have already joined it.
However, as you can see from Google Trends, Paparazzi Jewelry is on a downward trend.
It's been through its "early momentum phase" like other MLMs such as Farmasi are going through now.
Ready to make passive income online?
I've created a growing passive income online with no previous marketing skills or online experience...
I've made a special video for you to explain exactly how I did this.
My opinion - Paparazzi Jewelry
If you understand how to use online marketing to sell for you 24/7 and attract visitors to your website, then this could be a decent opportunity.
The worst part is that there is a "monthly sales quota", meaning you are likely going to have to buy jewelry each month and end up stocking it up in your house.
It will probably leave you feeling like...
If you already have a beauty blog or a following on social media then this may be great.
But for around 98.23% of people that try to make money from Paparazzi Jewelry, it will be a waste of time (...oh yeah, that's how many people make less than $900 a month!)
How I make passive income online
So MLM's can work for some people and they are not all scams or pyramid schemes.
However, once I learnt about affiliate marketing, I realised it is a far superior business model to make money from home.
But I went from a full time PE teacher to making a passive income online within one year...
If you want to discover how I did it then check out this special video I created which explains exactly how. You can also get your free 7-day bootcamp to get started.
What a great article on the whole Paparazzi thing! My ex-wife sells for them and is on Facebook every night trying to get people to buy the jewelry. Not sure how she is doing at it, but, I gotta say, I think she spends A LOT of time on it! So, I am betting it is not worth it in the long run!
Do you have any experience yourself with Paparazzi? You seem to have a very in-depth view of them is why I am asking.
You have a very professional looking site and I don’t doubt you are going to do quite well with it in the future! Good luck in all you do!
Jerry
Hey Jerry, I don’t personally have experience with them. I just almost joined an MLM in the past (Arbonne).
Once I did my research I just found that too many people are burnt in these kinds of schemes as the only way to make good money is by recruiting people. That makes them very much like a pyramid scheme in disguise, which are impossible for everyone to make money inside.
I don’t think it’s fair that people join these kinds of companies without knowing what they are getting into, so i hope this helps to open people’s eyes to the truth
Your wife may be with the wrong team or maybe you’re not seeing what she’s actually doing. The jewelry sells itself, people buy into your wife. She’s building relationships so she doesn’t have to do much work. If she owned her own pizza shop she’s be working long hard hours too… no difference. And don’t believe the oversaturated hype. Wendy’s and McDonald’s can be next door to each other and neither go out of business. It’s all in your mindset.
I’m in year two and have gone from a bill here and there to almost covering all of my monthly expenses. That jump has been because I’ve been working my business more and I wanted more out of it, I don’t want to go back to a 9-5 that caps my pay potential for any reason. My team does tons of training, sharing of information and inventory, motivation to win in your own business and I’ve seen it work first hand. Cheers to her wife and may she continue to hustle hard and show folks it’s possible to make $$$$ selling $5. (My gf sells it 10 minutes away from me and racked in $4k last month… it’s all in how you work it).
Hey Morgan, you’re so right about the mindset stuff. So are you part of Paparazzi too and you’re almost covering your expenses after 2 years? What are your typical monthly expenses out of interest and how many hours a week would you say you work on it?
That’s great to hear about your gf too! She must have a great team. It does seem like it’s very dependant on your team to what the training is like, have you found that too?
Hi I just wanted to share with you my own personal experience with my business. I Started with paparazzi accessories in the beginning 2018 and I have a small team but mainly I focus on building my own brand with my business and offering different services to my customers. It is very possible to make really good money as a consultant without having to focus on recruiting new consultants or relying on commission alone.
Although with commission and larger teams there is potential for much LARGER incomes ( 6 figures and above) I have been able to work from home and focus on my personal sales and building up my personal brand as “boy mom and bling”and I can tell you that I make on average double of what I made at my previous full time position as an administrative assistant in a veterinary clinic. ( $14 per hour)
I Have focused on helping my customers to accessorize the jewelry with different outfits for different occasion’s and I have built up a very loyal following of customers and friends that not only love the jewelry and buy from me on a regular basis but have supported me and all of my other projects as well, such as my blog and different social media platforms. I think it is very possible to make a very good and stable income with paparazzi Accessories I think the important thing to remember is that you have to brand YOURSELF and truly build on what unique qualities and services you have to offer your clientele if you just do what everyone else is doing you’re just another paparazzi consultant floating around on Facebook I have worked very hard to build my business and it has allowed me to work from home which was very important to us after our youngest son became ill 2 and a 1/2 years ago so although I think the article is very well researched I think it’s important to understand that there is potential in many MLM companies but the idea that working in direct sales or network marketing is a get rich quick fix is just absurd. I think a lot of people go into network marketing with the wrong expectations and ideals.
Anything that is worthwhile and is going to earn you a very good income is going to be hard work and for the people that are able and willing to do that work they can be very very successful not just with paparazzi accessories but with anything they focus their attention and dedication in. Papyracee also offers a huge support system even if your sponsor and direct up line wasn’t helpful or didn’t stay and the business pepper otti is full of leaders teams and consultants who are willing to help train and educate all consultants you can find free and very helpful training on network marketing social media marketing networking and general brand building and so much more just by searching popper ochi trainings on YouTube pinterest Facebook exciter a the information and training is available and out there for all consultants it is whether or not they choose to look for and utilize those trainings that makes the big difference!!
So I just wanted to give everyone of the view from my personal perspective I am not trying to recruit anyone on this article lol I am just trying to let everyone know that there is good potential in this business and many free trainings classes, and so many groups that are all focused on helping you succeed in your personal business.
Wow what a detailed comment, thanks for your honest insight, Sarah!
I can tell you work super hard on your business and brand, which is great!
There are a lot of people who really bash MLM and I certainly don’t want to be that guy. I’ve had some MLM members on my podcast before and I personally know some that make great money from it. I know that MLMs can provide a lot of good things such as the community, skills learnt and taught and just becoming a more confident person. More than I can say about a lot of jobs!
BUT…
Even what you have done has taken a lot of work on your part to learn those skills to build your brand. It sounds like you are basically using online marketing to create your own website and write content.
Am I correct in thinking that you’ve learnt a lot of these skills OUTSIDE of Paparazzi?
I also noticed that your website is a “.wordpress.com” site.
This means you have not bought a domain or pay for hosting, which will really hinder the growth of your website and how well you can get ranked in Google to receive free traffic every month.
I’m guessing you have to really hustle to get any visitors to your website (i.e. posting on social media, asking people to share things, guest posting etc.?)
What I’m really trying to do is open people’s eyes to what’s possible when you truly learn how to use online marketing.
The skills are very basic, no coding etc required and you probably have a lot of them through hard work on your part. But you haven’t been taught the foundations well from Paparazzi (because MLMs never teach online marketing… they teach how to connect with people on social media… and that is continued hustle with no “end in mind”. Basically you will always have to hustle to make money from that… unless you recruit a team, but you still have to train them etc.)
A true online business is an asset. You can grow it, sell it, create multiple assets etc.
I knew nothing about all of this just a few years ago, but I have skills now that can be used to help any business or build any website/ online business that I want.
I wish you all the best with Paparazzi, and do let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with your website to get more traffic like improving its SEO.
Take care,
Mike
Hi again,
Thank you so much for your response! I really appreciate you taking the time to reach out to me as well. You are absolutely correct about my blogging site. I really wanted to give myself time to learn before I invested in the paid blogging host. That is something I need to do and soon. I have worked very hard to build my brand and business but I mainly concentrate on building my brand as a fashion consultant (Paparazzi consultant) there are now over 200,000 Paparazzi consultants nationwide so it is crucial that I find ways to set myself apart from the other consultants and offer services to my customers and followers that are unique and AUTHENTIC and add VALUE to their lives as well as sell FAB affordable jewelry. Lol ?
I would say that around 75% of the training and marketing strategies I have learned have been from my upline, our back office resources provided in our free website and back office online and other elite consultants in Paparazzi and the other 25% has been from articles like yours, free webinars and online classes. Facebook and Instagram offer FREE social media marketing classes and tutorials ( you can search for “Faces Blueprint” and there are a TON of free online classes) that have taught me so much too. Paparazzi Accessories the company actually has a huge resource library FULL of free training videos and articles, free graphics and images we can use, a free branding kit, product images and descriptions and our Fashion Fix subscription actually comes with style cards every month that teach you how to put different pieces together and accessorize for different outfits, styles, skin tones and seasons.
I totally agree that in most MLM companies it is very difficult to earn a LARGE income without literally running yourself to death and hustling. I absolutely work very hard but I don’t feel that I “hustle” in the true sense of the word. All of our regular pieces are always $5 with the exception of the Zi Collection. ( statement jewelry ) we never have to run “sales” or convince customers to buy (in my opinion). I think one of the biggest problems in network marketing and direct sales right now is the “Attraction Marketing” mindset. I have seen so many consultants from many different companies including Paparazzi that try to portray network marketing and entrepreneurship as “easy” and it most certainly is NOT. The idea that you can ” be your own boss, work from your phone whenever you feel like it and make billions of dollars” is just laughable. There are no “get rich quick” easy careers lol unless you are a VERY lucky gambler on a winning streak.
I think that articles like yours are so important for people to truly understand what it means to work in any kind of network marketing, direct sales or entrepreneurial business in general. I would love to check out your podcast too! Thank you for your response and for being a level headed and HONEST voice in educating people who are in or plan to start a business. It is so important that people do their research and educate themselves and articles, podcasts and blogs that offer free advice and tools are a huge part of why I was able to continue working boymomandbling and have the freedom and flexibility my family needs. Thank you again! Keep up the great work!!
Sarah
Boymomandbling
Amazing stuff Sarah,
Thanks for your valuable insights into the company, it really helps to get people’s opinions from another angle.
It’s clear that the jewellery on offer at Paparazzi is legit and it sounds like you have a good team around you. But you can tell that you’ve really had to figure most of it out by your own hard work and finding free advice. There’s not a lot of people that would be prepared to do that so you should be super proud of what you’ve achieved as it’s no easy task!
Keep it up, I look forward to seeing how you progress, please do stay in touch and potentially you can let us know how things are going in the future 🙂
Sarah,
Amen Papasister!!!! You explained it beautifully! Finding yourself, your voice, your brand… can’t be taught but it can be cultivated. The growth you do as a person in this business is definitely done independently but with an amazing upline, they keep you rooted, grounded, focus and with the right winning mindset… let alone tools to succeed. Not everything works for everyone but there is definitely a formula to success and it starts with you!!!!