February 10, 2022

Is Nikken a Scam? Don’t Sign Up Until You Read This!

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So someone has probably shown you that it's possible to make money from home using Nikken.

And now you're wondering, is Nikken a scam or a pyramid scheme?

First of all I want to congratulate you in taking your time to research the company. 

Nikken review

One of the main reasons that up to 99% of MLM members lose money is because so many people join them without really understanding what they need to do. 

This Nikken review, with videos, will explain exactly what to expect from the company with the pros and cons of joining. 

This will help you to make an informed decision if it's right for you or not.

Nikken Review

The overview and rankings

Name: Nikken

Founder: Isamu Masuda in 1975

Website URL: nikken.com

Type: Health and Wellness MLM

Products (Including Pricing): 40 out of 100

Success Stories: 10 out of 100

Price To Join MLM: $99 to start (80 out of 100)

What To Look For In An MLM:

  • Low start-up fee & maintenance cost
  • High-quality affordable products
  • You don’t have to carry inventory
  • An affiliate-like system 
  • Generous compensation plan
  • Company is in the early momentum phase

Nikken Pros

  • Long history
  • Positive product reviews
  • No monthly sales quota to start

Nikken Cons

  • Expensive products
  • Low income potential
  • Pyramid scheme in disguise?
  • Do magnets even work?
  • Downward trend

Summary: Nikken is a legit health and wellness MLM. If you can recruit people into the business and work hard at selling their products by using internet marketing, then it's possible to make some decent money. 

However, 98% of Nikken distributors do not make good money as you'll find out in this Nikken review.

Make Time Online Rating: 43 out of 100 

Recommended: No

What is Nikken?

Nikken is a health and wellness Multi-Level-Marketing company founded in 1975.

They specialise in helping people improve their "5 pillars of health":

  1. Healthy body
  2. Healthy finances
  3. Healthy family
  4. Healthy society
  5. Healthy mind

You can learn more about the business and what opportunities it can provide you in the 3-minute video below...

OK, you're clever enough to know this is just a promotional Nikken video. 

So you're probably still wondering...

Is Nikken a pyramid scheme?

Technically, no.

Nikken is not a pyramid scheme because it's possible for distributors to earn money by selling their products. 

Most MLM companies, like Nikken, do offer legit products. 

However, a better question would be...

Is Nikken a pyramid scheme in disguise?

What is a pyramid scheme?

When a company promises payment to its members for recruiting more people into the company. 

Technically, pyramid schemes do not sell any products or services. Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries because it's impossible for everyone to make money inside them. 

Just check out the diagram below from Wikipedia to see why...

So, like I mentioned already, most MLM companies do provide legit products or services. 

However, some MLM companies use these products to cover up the fact that the only way to make good money ($1,000+ a month) is by recruiting more people.

These companies operate like a "pyramid scheme in disguise" and it's often hard to seperate legit MLMs from these.

We'll dig into Nikken a bit more about this later, but for now you can watch the 5-minute video below to learn what to look out for...

Success is rare with Nikken

In fact, it's hard to make good money from any MLM company. 

Did you know that between 73% and 99% of all MLM representatives lose money?

MLM FTC Fact Stat

Nikken does share an income disclosure from 2016

You can even see that 98.12% of Nikken members only earn $2,847.87 per year or less on average. 

The highest income from any "consultant" is $742,064 a year. Which, may sound impressive but when you consider the fact that I've spoken to numerous online business owners that make over $1 million a year on the podcast, you have to think... are the rewards really that amazing here?

...oh, and these podcast guests are all 30 or under and completely normal people without any special marketing or online skills!

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. 

Mike Beatty

How does Nikken Work?

Nikken creates a wide range of health and wellness products.

They then offer the opportunity for everyday people to sell these products and recruit more people into the company to make money. 

This means everyday people can work from home and Nikken saves money on monthly marketing and advertising expenses. 

Sounds like a win-win right?

Nikken products

If you are interested in joining any MLM company then it's important to understand what products or services they offer. 

There are a huge range of products at Nikken.

They typically fall under one of 4 categories:

  1. Nutrition - Supplements, weight management, bone health
  2. Personal care - Skin care, shampoos, moisturisers etc. 
  3. Rest and relaxation - Sleep masks, magnetic products including jewelry, wraps, back support, insoles etc.
  4. Environment - sport bottle, water filters, accessories etc. 
nikken products

You can find the full list of products on offer at Nikken here.

This is quite similar to a lot of products that other MLM companies offer such as:

So is there anything that makes Nikken stand out?

Nikken magnets - flagship product

Many MLM companies have some sort of flagship product or some kind of gimmicky product to make them try and stand out from the crowd. 

Nikken is no different. 

They use "magnets"...

Some of their main products that include magnets are:

  • KenkoTouch ($199) - deep-tissue magnetic massage machine
  • Kalki Watch ($123.75) - A watch with magnets
  • Milana set ($97.50) - necklace and earrings with magnets

And some of the supposed benefits of this "magnetic technology" include:

  • Improve blood pressure
  • Strengthen immune system
  • Increase metabolism
  • Improve your sleep

This is really all up for debate. There is so much science based evidence that suggest magnets do not provide any of these benefits. 

However, there are a number of people that swear by them for health!

I've not personally tried them so all I can do is provide the research and evidence that other people suggest. But it is quite typical of MLM companies to provide some gimmicky reason as to why their products are amazing and warrant the high price tag. 

Here's a video with a bit more about their "unique magnetic technology" in action...

How to make money with Nikken

This is probably the main reason that you are reading this Nikken review.

So let's dive straight in.

There are 2 ways that you can make money as a Nikken "consultant":

  1. Sell Nikken products and get a commission
  2. Recruit people and make money from their sales

I want to set this straight first of all...

You do not get paid to recruit people.

You only get paid bonuses and commissions from the sales of your "downline". 

This is a clever way that MLMs avoid being accused as an outright pyramid scheme. But it doesn't deny the fact that most MLMs require you to recruit to make any decent money. 

How much does it cost to join Nikken?

This was a bit of a concern for me. 

There is no up to date compensation plan on their website or any information about how to start. 

So I had to do some digging, and I found this old Nikken compensation plan...

Is Nikken a scam?

This plan from 1999 suggests that it costs $49 to start as a "direct distributor". 

But after checking out some videos and other websites from insiders it seems like it now costs $99 plus taxes to join and $79 a year after that.

Normally these prices just give you permission to sell Nikkens products and recruit people. 

So if you want to try the products yourself or buy some to sell to people in person, then you need to buy their products additionally. 

Nikken monthly cost

From a more up to date compensation plan you can see the screenshot below shows there are not "monthly qualification requirements" to start as a "direct distributor". 

However, I found a current Nikken distributor who explains that he recommends people use internet marketing to help sell Nikken products. 

I totally agree with him on this. 

Just think about it...

How many Nikken products could you sell face to face to friends and family?

Maybe 10 a month?

Maybe you host some "Nikken parties" and sell 100 a month.

There will alway be a limit on how much you can sell in person, because you will need to trade your time for money. 

The truth is, if you can market these products online, the internet can sell for you 24/7! There is no limit to how much you can sell. 

So this distributor suggests it will cost you about $53.95 a month to maintain...

This includes your fees for your PWP ($14.95 Nikken personal web page) and tools to your back office to follow up with your customers ($20 a month).

So realistically you are looking at somewhere around this for your first year:

  • $99 joining cost
  • $20 x 12 advanced Nikken fee a month
  • $14.95 x 12 (PWP)
  • $25 x 12 website hosting and Email 

Total year 1 cost = $818.40

This is clearly much lower than a standard bricks and mortar business, but it's certainly not just a one time $99 fee. 

You don't need to spend any of these monthly costs, but if you want to make any good money ($1,000+ a month) from Nikken you will likely need them. 

Nikken compensation plan

So like I already said, Nikken doesn't have an up to date compensation plan on their website. 

Here's the 2017 one from what I found with a bit of research though...

You can see it a bit larger here

Here's the thing about most MLM companies...

They seem to get a kick out of making compensation plans harder to understand than solving a rubik's cube blindfolded. 

As you can see there are 7 "ranks" that you can go up to receive more bonuses and commission. But you really don't need to worry about all the jargon stuff. 

All you need to know is to make money you have to do two things:

  1. Sell Nikken products
  2. Recruit people into the MLM

If you want to get promotions and make a decent income you will have to focus on recruiting people. And to get to Silver (where you can start earning some  decent money) you need to sell $12,000 worth of products every month (or your team does!)

You can learn more about the compensation plan in the long video below if you'd like. But beware this is probably pretty outdated as it was created in 2013!

Is Nikken a scam?

No Nikken is not a scam.

They sell legit products and pay their distributors like they claim they will.

However, is Nikken the right business model for you?

Only you can decide and the rest of this Nikken review will help you make an informed decision...

Common positive reviews

Here are some of the common positive reviews about its job opportunity that we have seen from Indeed...

  • "My work associates were always helpful and supported me until I had learnt the job. Again when I changed departments the company made the transition easy and I was offered and took courses that were designed to help me in my work."
  • "Had I not have had to leave work to care full time for my elderly disable father in law I would have never contemplated leaving Nikken. I only wish that there was still a position there for me."

Common negative reviews

And here are the not so good things about its job opportunity...

  • "Staff nos. recently reduced, so workload increased. My role is Customer Service, but find company ignore service. 100% profit. Disappointing attitude."
  • "Expensive parking, unprofessional towards customers."

Just to be fully transparent with you, I am not a distributor myself and I do not endorse it 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.

Tired of MLMs? Check out how I make money online here!

What I like about Nikken

There are some things about Nikken that I genuinely really like compared to other MLM companies 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 Proven History

It was founded in 1975. 

Only 1 in 3 MLM companies still exist after 10 years so you can tell Nikken is not some scam that will disappear tomorrow.

Is Nikken a scam?

There is a huge executive team with all kinds of experience behind them. 

This is another way to tell that Nikken is not a scam.

#2 Positive product reviews

So here are the reviews for a Nikken product on Amazon...

Is Nikken a scam?
Is Nikken a scam?

5 star reviews from MLM companies are sometimes blatantly just from distributors. However, there were clearly some reviews on here that were from real customers (like the one above). 

It's a great sign that Nikken is legit when you see real people enjoying the products (whether they really do work or not!)

You can see the full list of reviews on Amazon

#3 No monthly sales quota at the start

One of the biggest red flags for a lot of MLM companies is that there is often this "monthly qualification" of sales you need to meet. 

When you start at Nikken it does not seem like you have any monthly sales quota to remain active. 

As you get promoted then yes, you need to hit 100PV a month (sell around $100 a month). 

This is possible once you have existing clients that love the products. 

However, some MLM companies force you to sell 100PV per month from day one.

If you can't sell that much (which most people can't) then you need to pay for the products yourself to stay active. 

This is a big tick that proves Nikken is not a scam.

What I don't like about Nikken

There are some hidden truths about the company that everyone should know before diving in...

#1 Expensive products

Their products are super expensive compared to similar comparables out there...

  • Nikken bone strength supplements = $2 per day
  • Amazon bone strength supplements = $0.32-$1.63 per day
  • Nikken is 25% - 600% more expensive

You may be thinking... 

Well Nikken probably has better products. Well, I checked that out too...

There's actually more calcium in the Amazon products and just the same supplements in each bottle. 

This is one of the big red flags about Nikken as it will be hard to actually sell these products to people when they can buy them for a fraction of the price elsewhere.

#2 Low income potential

When you see the full Nikken income disclosure, it doesn't make you get very excited. 

Could you live off $18,322 a year?

No, I know I'd struggle too!

Well only around 1 in 180 Nikken distributors earn more than that!

#3 Is Nikken a pyramid scheme in disguise?

Let's get this straight again...

Nikken is NOT a pyramid scheme.

They sell legit products and people can make money purely by selling these products. However, if you want to make more than $1,000 a month, you absolutely will need to recruit more people into the company so you can benefit from the sales they make. 

Nikken is not a pyramid scheme, but it is very similar to a pyramid scheme in disguise.

#4 Do magents even work?

So it's been proven that there is no scientific evidence that suggests magnets have any health benefits to people. 

I'm all for trying new things and I'm always looking to improve my health to get the most energy and enjoyment out of life. 

However, it's going to be hard to sell these products when research suggests there's no evidence that it even works.

#5 Downward trend

This is the second thing I check in any MLM company after the price. 

You probably know that the most successful MLM recruits will be those who "get in early" and help the company to grow by recruiting a lot of people. 

Well, Nikken is not in this early momentum phase any more. If anything there is a downward trend for how many people Google "Nikken" each month. 

When you compare this to other MLM opportunities like Farmasi, you can see Nikken is not really growing at all.

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. 

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My opinion of Nikken

OK, here's my opinion of what your chances are of making any good money from Nikken...

It's going to be tough to sell many of these products to anyone. 

They are expensive, there's no proof the magnets work and people aren't interested in Nikken any more. 

The only way to make any good money from MLM companies in a legit and ethical method is by finding a company with good products and then using online marketing to help sell these products 24/7.

How I make passive income online

MLMs are not 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 could even promote products from an MLM if you wanted!)
  • 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...

Mike PE teacher to Passive Income Online

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.

Make Time Online Income

About the Author

Mike Beatty has built a passive income online whilst working as a full-time PE teacher without any marketing or technical experience. Learn more about how he's done it here.

Mike Beatty

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  1. Make time online?  Seriously? I´m glad I found your site to read the warning´s about the MLM Marketing approach and why most people lose money signing up to them.

    Nikken looks like a pyramid selling system to me.  So, one definitely to be avoided.  I have seen these scams in the past. Your two-star ranking looks generous. 

    The link to Wealthy Affiliate looks tempting. They taught you and you made some money too.  Well done.  I had always thought Hotel dot com was a way of making money online. Now you have me tempted as I have travelled a lot.  That is something I could do.  I will follow up via your link.  Thank you for the information.

    1. Haha I think I should say thank you Trevor! What an interesting comment 😉 

      I hope it helps anyway!

  2. There's so much inaccurate information here that makes my stomach churn! You should take this down since it's sooooo outdated. Of course, you're going to try to discredit another company in favor of what you're trying to sell. I was actually paying attention to what you had to say until I got to the part where you're "selling" your option. Be serious! It might be expensive for some, but how much does your health actually worth? Do you prefer to pay for a cancer treatment instead of preventing it? Do you not think twice to buy the newest gadget or cell phone in the market that probably costs more than what most people earn in a month? You're so bias, I feel sorry for you!

    1. Thanks for your comment Marcela, if you could be more specific about any outdated content I’d appreciate it.

      I don’t deny the products may help people. However, they are expensive compared to alternatives. Here’s an interesting article to actually consider too https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/1789253/enough-enough-stop-wasting-money-vitamin-mineral-supplements

      I may be biased but it’s purely because of the success rates of MLM members. It’s not opinion just facts laid out for us. Sure it can work for some people, but the marketing is often very misleading about how successful people can be. All I’m doing is showing people what has worked for me so they can see what options are out there. You can learn more about the success rates of all MLM members in this research here https://maketimeonline.com/mlm-income-disclosure-statements

      Take care

Comments are closed.

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