April 5, 2021

Is Trades of Hope a Scam? Analyzing this Jewelry MLM’s Business Opportunity [2021 Review]

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Many people are looking for an additional source of income. Well, you might be one of them. You then came across this work from home opportunity called Trades of Hope.

But you are the kind of person who’s skeptical on new things. And so, you’ve asked yourself...

Is Trades of Hope a scam? No, it isn’t. Trades of Hope is not a scam. It is a legal MLM company that sells quality jewelries and other accessories made by women from third-world countries. They also pay members as what is stated in their compensation plans.

But is this enough reason for you to work from the confines of your home and start thinking about leaving your day job?

This unbiased, accurate, and in-depth review of Trades of Hope is going to answer that question and show you if this is a legit opportunity to make money from home by showing you everything you need to know, including the pros and cons, so you can come up with a smart decision.

Trades of Hope Review

The overview and rankings

Name: Trades of Hope

Founder: Gretchen Huijskens

Type: Jewelry MLM

Products (Including Pricing): 50/100 ($54)

Success Stories: 3/100

Price To Join MLM: $14 subscription + $100 to $200 bundle + $10/monthly

Is Trades of Hope a Scam: Logo

What to look for in a 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

Trades of Hope Pros

  • Positive product review
  • Established reputation
  • Humanitarian mission

Trades of Hope Cons

  • Lacks income disclosure
  • Hidden monthly expenses
  • Pyramid scheme in disguise?
  • Downward trend

Summary:

Trades of Hope is an MLM selling jewelries and various women’s accessories. They give an opportunity to women from impoverished nations to earn money by creating the jewelries.

These are then sold in the US. Aside from that, they also have members who sell their products in exchange for commissions.

Make Time Online Rating: 50 out of 100 

Recommended: No

What is Trades of Hope?

Trades of Hope is a jewelry Multi-Level-Marketing company founded in 2011 by Gretchen Huijskens, an entrepreneur who wanted to help other people earn money by means of the MLM business model of her company.

The company also wanted to give an opportunity to women from poor countries to earn money.

This is done by letting these women create jewelries in the form of pendants, bracelets, and necklaces.

Examples of these countries are India, Pakistan, and other third-world Asian countries.

Hence, their company is named Trades of Hope, because of the hope that it gives women to earn a decent income from their skills and trade of expertise.

Check out this 3-minute video about the company...

Let us then know...

Is Trades of Hope a pyramid scheme?

No, Trades of Hope is not a pyramid scheme.

The company is legal and is registered as a legitimate business in the US. Their members can also make money not only by recruiting but also by selling products.

But still, it’s worth asking…

Is Trades of Hope a pyramid scheme in disguise?

What is a pyramid scheme?

A pyramid scheme usually takes the form of a company that pays members whenever they recruit people into the company. This is what they just need to do instead of selling real products and services.

This is also the reason why they have been banned from almost all countries as it’s just impossible for the members to make money from a company which is only paying for recruitment.

Check out this Wikipedia diagram to know more...

Members who are making the most money are those who recruit a lot of people.

They also advertise the business opportunity even if there’s really none because what’s just happening is mere recruitment, and nothing more.

Members will just have a hard time recruiting because the number of potential members to recruit will be exhausted sooner or later...

Here is a 5-minute video that helps you to spot a pyramid scheme in disguise...

But why are many people saying...

Success is rare with Trades of Hope

It is difficult to achieve success if you are a member of an MLM.

Note that a statistical report claims that between 72.5% and 99.9% of MLM members lose money.

92.3 Percent of Members Lose Money in MLMs

This is blamed on the sales quota which forces members to sell a certain number of products every month to be eligible to claim bonuses.

Not doing this will mean that they must buy the products for themselves to become active.

This is why a lot of members lose huge money from their own savings before getting their first recruit.

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How does Trades of Hope Work?

Trades of Hope works by selling jewelries, bags, and other women’s accessories.

They also offer the average joe, especially women, an opportunity to work in the comforts of their own home by selling the products and receiving commissions as compensation.

It’s nice in theory, but what happens is that Trades of Hope is just saving millions of dollars because they don’t need to have a marketing campaign.

What happens instead is that their members do all the hard work in marketing their products directly to potential customers...

Trades of Hope products

It is important to learn the products of the company you intend to join so you’ll have a good feel of what to expect.

In this case, Trades of Hope sells jewellery and various women’s accessories.

These products are then created by women from third-world countries like India and Pakistan.

It’s a nice opportunity for them to earn money because they get a stable job. But it’s also a smart thing for the company because it means lower labor costs.

Here are some of their best-selling products:

  • Leather Travel Bag ($228) - A leather bag that features an adjustable crossbody strap that can be removed. It also has the classic vintage look that adds class and elegance to whoever its owner is. You’ll find brass accents on its exterior, while there are cotton-lined sections in its interior.
  • Ellora Necklace ($38) - A necklace that has gold tones and a freshwater pearl on its tip. It looks classy and aesthetic.
  • Northern Lights Studs ($42) - An earrings that are made of labradorite stone. It comes with multiple colors that change its hue when exposed to light, just like the Northern Lights.
Is Trades of Hope a Scam: Product

But take note that there are a lot of other companies out there that are selling the same thing, specifically jewelries.

This is a far cry from what Trades of Hope says that they are special. When in reality, there are hundreds, if not thousands of other MLMs out there that are selling jewelries.

And it’s just up to them on how to market their products.

In Trades of Hope’s case, they market their jewelries and products as handmade by women in India, so as to create a sympathizing and empathetic feel to women from third-world countries.

Now you know that this is the case, then what makes Trades of Hope stand out?

Trades of Hope flagship product

Aurora Pendant Necklace ($54) - A necklace that is inspired from the morning sunrise or the Aurora. It has gold accents and has a jewelry pendant on its tip that shines even with minimal lighting.

Is Trades of Hope a Scam: Flagship

Here is a 50-second video about their products:

But note that there are many MLMs that are selling the same stuff as Trades of Hope. The most popular ones are:

Ask yourself...

Can you make money with Trades of Hope?

Yes, but you are going to have a hard time making money with Trades of Hope if you don’t know a lot of people.

There might be some who do make money, but they are over extroverted guys who do nothing but just recruit.

And they do this for more than 8 hours a day, which is a far cry from the part-time business you really wanted.

Also, they don’t have an income disclosure to show that members are making money.

How to make money with Trades of Hope

Do these 2 things if you want to make money from Trades of Hope:

  • Sell their products
  • Recruit members

Also note that you can’t directly get money by just recruiting. Instead, you can just get commissions from the sales that your downlines make...

How much does it cost to join Trades of Hope?

You have to pay a subscription fee of $14.

After that, you then have to buy a business bundle, which is divided into 3 choices:

  • Merit ($100)
  • Mosaic ($100)
  • All-in ($200)

We recommend you go for the All-in package.

It might be more expensive than the others, but you get more products you can sell here, which makes this a great value choice.

Trades of Hope monthly cost

Maintain a monthly quota of 10 PV to stay active.

And here are the costs you’ll incur in your first year…

  • $14
  • $100 to $200
  • $10 x 12

Minimum costs for year 1 = $234 to $334

Note that this does not yet include the expenses for marketing, travel, training, and many more miscellaneous costs.

This means you are still going to spend a lot of money...

Trades of Hope compensation plan

MLM companies always have confusing compensation plans that just do not talk straight to the point. The same thing can be said of Trades of Hope.

But don’t worry because I’ll be simplifying things up for you…

There are 2 main ways members can make money from the company:

  • Retail Commissions - Earn a 25% to 35% commission for every product that you sell. The amount depends on your level. The higher your level is, the higher commission percentage you get.
  • Residual Commissions - Earn a 1% to 7% commission from the sales of your downline members. This depends on the level of your downline members.

This is by far the most simplified version of their compensation plan. But still some of you might think that it’s confusing.

Well, that is because MLMs have fancy terms and complicated names they use so many will think that there are loads of ways to earn some bucks.

When the fact is, there are just 2 simple things to do, which are:

  • Sell Trades of Hope products
  • Recruit members into Trades of Hope
Is Trades of Hope a Scam: Compensation

Check out this comprehensive 23-minute video about their compensation plan...

Or you can find the full compensation plan here. 

Is Trades of Hope a scam?

Trades of Hope is not a scam.

The company is legal and is acknowledged by the FTC and the government as a legit business. They also sell real quality products and pay members accordingly.

But some members are disappointed when they realize that they are spending more money on fees and monthly quotas compared to what they are actually making.

Hence, some might then call the company a scam.

The next section of this in-depth review will reveal the facts of this company by unveiling the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself if it’s worth joining or not...

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 Trades of Hope

Key Terms:

  • Pyramid Scheme – recruits members via a promise for payment from recruiting others into the company 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 Positive product review

Trades of Hope has a lot of positive reviews on the internet.

Is Trades of Hope a Scam: Pros

Their Facebook page is a living evidence that they’ve got a lot of satisfied customers and people who are interested in their products.

#2 Established reputation

MLMs usually don’t go beyond their 5th year of operations.

This is because they either get bankrupt or they have been shut down due to allegations of being a pyramid scheme.

But this isn’t the case with Trades of Hope because they have been operating continuously for more than 9 years as they were founded back in 2011.

This means that the company will still be there for years to come.

#3 Humanitarian mission

Another nice thing about Trades of Hope is that it has a humanitarian mission.

They do this by helping women from poor countries earn a decent living by making their jewellery.

So, how will this benefit you?

Well, simple. And that is because you get a good reputation that whatever you’re doing is for the common good.

That also means becoming a member of the company and recruiting people or selling the products becomes a noble thing to do, which then motivates customers to actually buy because they can also help these poor women from poor countries.

What I don't like about Trades of Hope

#1 Lacks income disclosure

An income disclosure is an important document that every company or MLM should have. This shows if their members are actually earning.

But Trades of Hope does not have an income disclosure.

Maybe their members aren’t earning good money. Or they just don’t have the time or initiative to create one.

Whichever the case is, it’s just not good...

#2 Hidden monthly expenses

Members should reach 10 PV monthly. This means selling at least $10 worth of products a month.

If they can’t, then they buy the products for themselves, hence, they lose money.

This is why there’s really a hidden monthly expense here. But this is still way lower compared to the usual 80 to 100 PV quota of most MLMs...

#3 Is Trades of Hope a pyramid scheme in disguise?

You can earn money by selling the products. But the money you’ll earn is just small.

Here is how things go...

MLM pyramid scheme

The real way to earn big is by recruitment.

So, the more people you recruit, the bigger your downline gets. And the bigger downline you have, the more commissions you earn from the residual compensation system...

#4 Downward trend

Here is what Google Trends have to say…

trades_of_hope_updates

As you can see, the number of people who are searching for Trades of Hope has drastically decreased.

This means that their popularity has also decreased drastically.

This isn’t a good sign because it just shows that there are less people who are interested in Trades of Hope, which also means you’ll have a hard time selling their products...

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My opinion - Trades of Hope

Trades of Hope is a legit and legal company. They sell quality jewellery and nice women’s products.

They also have a thoughtful advocacy of giving women from poor countries a job. And their affiliate program also pays right.

But here’s what I have to say about their business opportunity...

The only real way to become tangibly successful is by recruiting as many people as you can, much like a pyramid scheme in disguise.

There are many other business opportunities out there that provide better earning opportunities for members...

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 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.

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