So someone has probably introduced Modere to you as a great way to get healthier AND "be your own boss from home". But you're probably still wondering... is Modere just a pyramid scheme scam?
First of all, I want to congratulate you on taking the time to research the company.
A big reason why 99% of MLM members lose money is because they jump into it blindly.
This honest Modere review, with videos, will expose the true pros and cons of joining the company. By the time you have read it you can make an informed decision if it's right for you or not.
Modere Review
The overview and rankings
Name: Modere
Founder: Robert Conlee in 2012
Type: Health and Wellness MLM
Products (Including Pricing): 30 out of 100
Success Stories: 1 out of 100
Price To Join MLM: $49.99 joining cost + $199.99-$699.99
$99.99-$149.99 monthly autoship (30 out of 100)
What to look for in a MLM:
Summary: Modere is a health and wellness MLM that sells overpriced weight loss, skincare and cleaning products. There are a lot of mixed reviews about the effectiveness of the products and the companies claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
People that join the Modere MLM will learn some skills on how to sell products using social media.
But it's very hard for the MLM marketers to make any money. At least 80% of members lose money and only 1 out of 149 "Social Marketers" made over $30k in 2017.
Make Time Online Rating: 20 out of 100
Recommended: No
What is Modere?
Modere is mainly a health and wellness Multi-Level-Marketing company. But they offer a wide range of personal care products, nutritional supplements, and household cleaning products.
It was originally called "Images and Altitude", which was founded in 1987 by Thomas and Leslie Mower.
It rebranded to Neways in 1992 and was acquired by the same company that took Herbalife public in 2006. Finally it was acquired by another group and became Modere in 2012.
It operates in over 23 countries and has products that the company claims are "chemically safer" than other brands. Modere now provides opportunities to everyday people to "work from home" by selling their products and recruiting more people into the MLM.
Just see the 8 minute video below to learn more about the opportunity...
Modere may sound like a great company to many people that watch that video.
But it's important to be aware that big numbers like selling $6 billion in product and paid out over $3 billion in commission is not as impressive as it may sound.
Their income disclaimer proves that the average commission for members was $1,342.73 in 2017. When you account for expenses adding up to at least $1,449.86, you can see that the average member actually loses money.
So you're probably still wondering...
Is Modere a pyramid scheme?
Technically no, Modere is not a pyramid scheme.
It's possible for "Social Marketers" to make money just by selling Modere products and without recruiting anyone.
However, Modere acts more like a "pyramid scheme in disguise".
Let me explain what I mean by that...
You can make money with this program, but building a successful business is more challenging than it sounds.
And you can legitimately do this from anywhere, and it's an actual lifestyle business.
Your laptop and an internet connection are all you need.
Now, there's nothing wrong with front-loading the work and making money later.
But if you're grinding it out for three months, and then your reward is being forced to grind it out for another nine months before seeing any "real money," well… that's not a great deal.
Even if the representatives don't sell any products to customers, the company has ensured its success through products bought by representatives. This way, products are constantly being sold, and it doesn't matter who buys them.
These people can travel around, living their lives first and focusing on their income second.
Because even if they stop working for an extended period, the money keeps coming in – so adventure, memories, and experience are the top priority.
And they never have to worry about how to pay for the next trip or consider asking for time off.
What is a pyramid scheme?
A company that only promises payment to its members for recruiting more people rather than selling a product or service.
These are illegal in most countries because it is impossible for everyone to earn money inside a pyramid scheme.
Just see the Wikipedia diagram below to see why...
Most MLMs, like Modere, do offer legit products or services.
However, it's really only possible for Modere's members to avoid losing money each month if they recruit more people into their "downline". This makes Modere similar to a "pyramid scheme in disguise" as they use their products to make it seem like a completely legit company.
The 5 minute video below explains this in more detail...
Success is rare with Modere
In fact, success is hard to find inside any MLM.
Did you know that between 73% and 99.9% of all MLM representatives lose money?
You can even see that at least 80.38% of "Active Social Marketers" lost money in 2017 in Modere's income disclosure.
We'll dig into this income disclosure in more detail later on, but for now let's figure out...
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 Modere Work?
Modere makes a range of "natural" health and wellness, skincare and cleaning products.
But they save a lot of money on marketing and advertising by getting everyday people to help promote the products. In return, these "Social Marketers" have the opportunity to make money from home by selling products and recruiting more people to help sell the products.
In theory it's a "win-win". So let's learn a bit more about the...
Modere products
There are dozens of products on offer at Modere. They all fall into one of the following categories...
- Lean body system- weight loss pills and drinks
- Collagen sciences- pets, healthy aging supplements
- Personal care- skin, body, hair, mouth
- Health and wellness- anti aging, active health, weight loss, targeted health
- Household care- laundry, kitchen, cleaning products
- Vitamin angels- donate to charity
It's imporant to be aware that there are thousands of brands that offer a very similar range of products. There are even hundreds of similar MLM programs such as:
- Ariix
- Plexus Worldwide
- Isagenix
- Purium
- Advocare
- Xyngular
- Truvision Health
- Alliance in Motion
- Le-Vel Thrive
- Shaklee
So what makes Modere stand out from the crowd?...
Modere M3- flagship products
Modere's M3 products are their main stand out product line. It uses three supplements to help provide a weight loss system based on the mediterranean lifestyle:
- BURN- fat burning vitamin C capsules
- SYNC- drink to reduce cravings and optimise digestion
- SUSTAIN- plant derived protein shake
I'll dig into the pricing and more detail about the products later.
But the main benefits of M3 are claimed to be:
- Reduce hunger cravings*
- Increased fiber intake
- Kick start metabolism*
What are the asterix for at the end of some of the benefits?
Well, the small print shows you what:
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
There are literally thousands of products that claim to do exactly the same thing so the only way you can really tell how good products are is by trying them yourself or reading other people's reviews. Here's some of these Modere M3 reviews on Amazon...
38% 1 star reviews isn't the best sign!
But the 2 minute video below shows you why Modere think they are the best...
Can you make money with Modere?
It's very hard for people to make money as a "Social Marketer" with Modere.
Modere claims that there are three key components to success. Acquire customers, become a team leader, and develop team leaders.
The commission structure is based on the difference between the wholesale and retail prices, which is 10-20%, depending on your monthly orders.
Modere uses a point system for compensation. Each product has a point value.
You also earn $50 each time you recruit someone to your team. You'll earn a 5-10% commission when your team makes sales. None of this matters if you don't have a team.
The income disclosure proves that the "average" person actually loses money with Modere.
But there are some people that make a very good income as a marketer. However, these people act more like a "sales manager" encouraging their "downline" to make more sales and recruit more people.
Typically these successful MLM marketers are quite extroverted, very active on social media and great at selling people the dream of "being their own boss" even though hardly anyone is.
How to make money with Modere
Like most MLMs there are 2 ways you can make money as a marketer:
- Sell products for a commission
- Recruit people and earn bonuses from the sales they make
It's important to notice that you don't get paid directly for recruiting people. This is how most MLMs avoid being shut down or accused of being an outright pyramid scheme.
How much does it cost to join Modere?
It costs $49.99 to become a "Social Marketer"...
But you also need to select one of the 3 "business packs" that comes with a range of products at a reduced price:
- Basic- $199.99
- Plus- $499.99
- Ultimate- $699.99
But the costs do not stop there amigo...
Modere monthly cost
Step 2 is to choose your "smart ship" order...
That will set you back either $99.99 or $149.99 per month.
So the total expenses you need to allow for in your first year are:
- $49.99
- $199.99-$699.99
- $99.99- $149.99 x 12
Total cost for 1 year = $1,449.86- $2,549.86
And this is before you account for any other costs like additional training, marketing or packaging.
Modere compensation plan
For some reason most MLMs like to make their compensation plan harder to understand that solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded.
Modere is no different.
So I will do my best to keep this simple! There are 7 ways you can get paid at Modere:
- Customer pod bonus (10-36% commission for recruiting active customers + free product credits)
- Career path (get more bonuses as you rank up for recruiting more people, see table below for how to rank)
- Generational unilevel (4-7% bonuses on 8 generations of pay for senior consultants)
- 4 or more bonus (4% if you build 4 or more "teams")
- Team builder bonus ($100-$3,000 bonus when you achieve 1,800-240k points each month)
- Promoter development bonus ($10-$300 a month for helping your downline build their customer base)
- Leadership development bonus (commission bonuses for your downline getting promoted)
If you read that or looked at the table and are super confused... DO NOT WORRY! MLM's love using acronyms like OP, SC, D1, E3, XM, SM and making it seem like there are loads of ways to get paid.
None of this really matters at the start.
The only thing you need to know is what to do to make money:
- Sell Modere products
- Recruit people
If you really want to get your head around the compensation plan then check out the 24-minute video below...
Or you can find the full 13 page Modere Compensation plan here.
Is Modere a scam?
Technically Modere is not a scam.
They sell legit products and they will pay their members exactly like they claim they will.
However, it has signs of being a pyramid scheme in disguise. This means that many people join, lose money, get annoyed at the company and point the finger.
The reality is they didn't do their due diligence before joining (but Modere certainly could make it easier to understand what you actually need to do to make money!)
Just to be fully transparent with you, I am not a distributor myself and I do not endorse Modere 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.
Tired of MLMs? Check out how I make money online here!
What I like about Modere
There are a few things that I genuinely like about Modere compared to some other MLMs out there...
Key Terms:
- Pyramid Scheme – recruits members via a promise for payment from referring others to the service rather than providing 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 Not on a downward trend (yet)
Most MLM's have a big spike and early momentum and then fall off a cliff in popularity.
Modere hasn't done that (yet)...
It's still plateauing but it's certainly not on the early momentum like some other direct sales companies like Farmasi.
Just think about it...
It's much easier to sell or recruit people that are already looking for a certain company or product.
#2 Charity work
Many MLMs get some stick about only doing charity work as self promotion...
However, any charity is better than no charity in my opinion.
The motives behind why they support children's health doesn't matter to me. This is a big tick in my book!
#3 Social media training and replica website
Modere does provide some basic social media training. They also provide a "replica website" (like most MLMs do).
However, it's important to realise that your experience of what you will learn at Modere really depends on your team and your "upline". If you join with people that know what they are doing (not just seem to know) you can learn some great online marketing skills.
The truth is, these teams are hard to find (like finding successful people at Modere).
And the replica website is pretty much useless unless you find a way of getting people to look at your website.
What I don't like about Modere
Here are some of the hidden truths that most people find out the hard way...
#1 Expensive products
If a MLM has overpriced products this is always a red flag that the company works like a pyramid scheme in disguise.
They typically are more focussed on recruiting rather than selling...
Modere M3 = $5.33 per day
Highly rated Amazon multivitamin & shake = $1.52 per day
That's almost 4 times the price of a very highly rated Multivitamin AND protein shake!
I know you may be thinking, well maybe it doesn't have the same benefits or nutritional value as M3...
The simple fact is they do!
If anything, the nutritional value is better in the products I found and there are far higher reviews!
There's even a lot of research that claims people shouldn't be wasting their money with supplements anyway.
So who is buying this overpriced stuff?...
#2 Hidden monthly expenses
In the small print on the compensation plan it shows that Modere's "Social Marketers" need to have sold around $150 worth of products every month to stay active...
In reality, this means you will be encouraged by your upline to take out a "smart ship" so that you don't get your account suspended (but they really mean so they can receive bonuses each month).
This is how Modere gets away with charging such ludicrous prices for things that we don't even need!...
Modere's own distributors are the companies BIGGEST customers!
When you combine this with hidden truth #1 you can see why...
#3 Modere is a pyramid scheme in disguise
The only way members can guarantee they will avoid losing money every month is by recruiting more people.
And when a company requires members to recruit people to avoid losing money, this happens...
The majority of members lose money!
Don't believe me?
Well just look at these facts...
#4 Can you really make money with Modere?Only 1 in 149 make more than $30k a year!
Modere's 2017 Income Disclosure reveals all the truth that you need...
0.67% of "Active Social Marketers" made more than $30k in 2017.
In English that means that only 1 out of 149 "Social Marketers" earnt over $30k in all of 2017. Can you and your family live off this income? And this is before expenses!
I also want to point this out...
This disclosure was worked out over a 4 month period starting November 2017 and then averaged out for the year. All businesses like this sell more around this time of year due to Christmas and then the spike in sales for "New Year's weight loss resolutions".
The income you see above is therefore higher than what the average would be for the total year, so all of these results should be much worse!
#5 Negative Modere reviews
The final nail in the coffin can be found on review sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Some of the most common complaints were:
- Refund issues- it's not 100% money back guarantee!
- Charged too much/ falsely charged credit cards
- Kept charging a monthly fee without me knowing
- Vomiting and stomach cramps after taking the products
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 - Modere
Modere does provide legit products but they are crazy overpriced next to comparables.
However, what do I think are your chances of making money from this MLM?
The only way you can make money is by recruiting a lot of people into the MLM and training them on how to sell.
In reality, this means you need to encourage people to join a company that there is 80%+ chance they will lose money from.
That's not my idea of an ethical business model that helps people!
How I make passive income online
MLMs are not all scams or illegal. However, I'm not a fan of them because of the restrictions to the expensive products you have to promote.
Once I learnt about affiliate marketing, I realised it's a far superior business model because:
- You can promote anything you want and truly own the business
- You never need to sell to friends and family
- It's completely free to start
In 2018 I had no idea what affiliate marketing was.
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.
You have done a real great job here with review of modere. I have learned more about MLM than I never did before I read your post. Very informative and helpful post. Thank you very much! I have never heard about this product at all, but I was actually more interested in how you are making money online after reading your post. Amazing how much time you have used to create this post to give us good information about this product and how pyramid schemes work. After reading your post I can not unerstand why anyone wants to go into MLM if 99% lose money. You must be very optimistic about becoming the 1 percent . Well,thank you for a great article. I will definitely show this to people I know.
I’m glad it can help Hilde.
Most people join an MLM as they have a friend who invites them into it. It’s likely that they don’t really understand how MLMs work but have been sold this “be your own boss” dream. It is possible but as you can see it’s only the very select few that earn good money.
And they are really just a glorified sales manager encouraging their “troops” to get out there and sell!
You know the problem with these MLM companies is the way they try to pitch it to people, they make it look like its this great opportunity you can’t afford to miss but until you get into it and see what it really takes and then you will realise you’ve been taken for a ride.This is speaking from experience although it wasn’t this Modere.
I am always careful now when it comes to MLM companies and that is why I took the time to read this Modere review, it is bad enough that y will struggle to succeed with the Legit MLM, and then you come across the likes of modern that are absolute scams.
I hope people will get to read this review and stay as far away as they can from this Modere.
Thanks for sharing…
No problem Queen I hope it can help!
Hey ,
I’m not sure where you got your information from or how old your information is but what you have written here mostly is incorrect.
Maybe have another look at the model again and have another crack!! This model is disrupting the whole NWM industry.
It always makes me laugh seeing these , a person bagging out another company then putting there “sales “ thing at the bottom. If that’s the only way you can recruit people all the best to you, but at least gets your facts correct 🙂
Hey Peggy, thanks for your message.
If you could clarify what exactly is wrong then that would be super helpful. Also if you could explain how Modere is disrupting the Network Marketing Model (or MLM) in any way that would be great.
Unlike MLM I don’t need to “recruit” anyone to make an income from affiliate marketing. This review is just to try to help people make a more informed decision about a side hustle/ business venture they’d like to start.
Looking forward to your response
Mike
Lol! Peggy can’t respond to you, because she knows the jig is up. She, like the others have been taught misinformation.. it’s just wrong, plain and simple! You don’t invest $60 or even $600 dollars and become wealthy… it’s not good business. A 2% success rate is not a good investment idea, no matter how much you invest… look at the numbers!
Yep totally agree Chris. Some people can make it work, but it really does take a full-time effort and dedication.
Other than the points you make there the big concern for me is that you could spend 5 years dedicating your time and effort to a MLM and then it could disappear or change the compensation plan over night. I think more and more people are starting to see how they work.