Younique Review
You probably landed on this website because you are searching for an honest review of Younique before you join the opportunity as a presenter. You have come to the right place. In this article, l will look at how you can become a Younique presenter, popular products and the compensation plan. I will wrap it up by looking at whether the opportunity is a scam, pyramid scheme or legit MLM.
While l am going to list a few popular Younique products, l will not offer in depth reviews since it is beyond the scope of this review. Avert Scams is mostly intrested in the business models used by different companies to promote products rather than the pros and cons of using the actual products. On the other hand, a review will not be complete if does not highlight some of the products promoted by the company.
Let’s get started;
The company was formed by Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft in 2012 and it uses Network Marketing to promote its beauty products.It is headquatered in Utah, the hub of MLM companies. It uses a Multi-level business model to compensate its presenters. This implies that, they earn commissions from both product direct sales, recruiting new presenters and off their down-line sales.
Younique Presenter
If you want to become a presenter, you are required to make an initial payment of $99. You will get access to the marketing tools required to promote products and recruit new people into the company.
You will get a Younique Presenter’s Kit which comprise of various makeup products such as Moodstruck 3D fiber lashes, a starter guide and brochures. The kit is valued at $ 281.00. There are also other bonuses included for your birthdays.
It also comes with the Younique Virtual Party System which allows you to leverage the power of internet to promote products on social networks. This is a plus given that most MLMs emphasis on outdated methods of called calling and holding of house parties which can be costly to host.
Younique products;
Admittedly, this is one of the MLMs with lots of products in its inventory. While there are a lot of positive Younique makeup reviews on the efficacy of using the products, there are also a number of unsatisfied customers. The challenge is telling apart honest unique product reviews from the usual praises from ‘brain washed’ distributors.
There are lots of complaints about the product volumes which does not give enough coverage, drying out of products and poor customer support.
Younique Best Sellers
Unfortunately, only the company is privy to what are their best selling products. This list is based solely on the number of searches for each product from which l can infer the product’s popularity.
1) 3D Mascara – this is one of the most popular Younique products. This is not surprising since The company recently launched reformulated Moodstruck 3D fiber lashes in this category. How these will perform compared to their predecessor remains to be seen.
There are complaints about the lashes entering into eyes and coming off easily.
2) Younique lip stain – this is a relatively new product but judging from the searches . It comes in 7 different shades and you can easily find one that goes with your skin tone.
3) Concealer – this product is used to conceal spots, blemishes and scars. While the product is popular, it also attracts a lot of complaints.
There seems to be presenters who claim that the Younique concealer can mask tattoos which leads to various complaints and product returns. There are also complaints that it does not provide full coverage and Youtube videos demonstrating how it works are misleading. It is advisable to get sample s from distributors first before buying the products.
4) Younique uplift eye serum – helps in smoothing wrinkles and moisturising the skin. It is one of the anti-ageing serum around the web.
There are many positive reviews of the uplift eye serum with some claiming that its results are similar to botox. Some people find the serum too oily and it requires a bit of time to dry up.
5) Eyeshadow palettes – it comes in 7 eye shadow colors. The shadow palettes run from numbers 1 to 5 depending on the shade.
What is Good About Younique?
- It is relatively cheap to get started when compared to other MLMs (Distributor kit cost $99).
- You get access to marketing training, replicated website and support.
- There are no forced purchases of products that you don’t need to maintain monthly product volumes.
- Low cash out amount (minimum $50).
- Relatively low minimum monthly sales to remain active.
- No annoying annual membership renewal costs.
- 20 to 36% commissions which are fair enough to cover marketing costs while they are not too heavy on the consumer. Some MLMs pay as much as 70% commissions to distributors, a cost that the consumers must bear.
- Lots of real products to promote. This differentiates the company form pyramid schemes.
- Encourage distributors to leverages the power of internet marketing to promote products instead of annoying your loved ones.
- Relatively easy to follow compensation plan.
What l Did Not Like About younique.
- The beauty industry is too competitive and new people may struggle to penetrate into the market.
- Products are sold inside Amazon (affiliate link to products) which can significantly increase competition with the presenter on the losing end.(l am not sure if it is the company or distributors selling the products inside Amazon).
- You are required to sell at least $250 worth of products to qualify for downline commissions which can be a challenge if you are getting started.
- You are not paid for your recruitment efforts until you reach the third level up the pyramid.
- The MLM business model rewards a few at the top by its very pyramid like structure.
- It almost impossible to reach higher levels based on personal sales without recruiting new people.
- Earnings increase down the line (generations) which encourages team building but will earn you less in commissions if people you recruit are not hard workers.
- The products are pricey when compared to their counterparts. This is common given that the MLM companies must raise enough money to pay distributors and still make some profit.
Where To Buy Unique Products
There has been a proliferation of fake Younique products on the market leading to customers loosing their hard earned cash. This is beyond the company’s control but it reduces trust in the presenters as customers can not easily tell which products are fake.
The bottom line is to buy the products either directly from the company’s official website or reputable online shops such as Amazon. Younique’s Terms and Conditions do not allow anyone to sell their products through third party websites such as Ebay. You need to exercise your due diligence and keep away from underpriced products which are likely to be fake.
Unique compensation plan.
You are compensated based on sales and your efforts in recruiting new presenters or distributors. The levels are according to colours, starting from White to Black. There are also royalties associated with each colour.
White – when you are getting started. You must sell products worth $125 in Personal Retail sales to qualify and the commission is pegged at 20%. l am not sure of the logic behind ‘punishing’ people just getting started by paying them the lowest commission yet they are selling the same products as their recruiters who get as much as 36% commission. Additionally, you do not earn commissions from your downline at this stage. Once you have accrued cumulative sales of $1 000 you jump to the next stage.
Yellow – this is the level which everyone strives to achieve since it is associated with a bump in commissions to 25%. You can not earn commissions off your downline at this stage.
Pink – you can now start earning money from your downline (circle of royalities). You need to have sold products worth $250 and recruited 1 white active presenter. Earnings from your downline are called company sales. Your company must sell products worth $2 000 and you will earn 3% commission. You only contribute 75% to the company sales since you will have earned 25% commision already. You will start from zero each month and work towards reaching the Pink payment level again ($250 PV and $2 000 CV). You will still earn 25% on sales even if you do not achieve your company goals.
Blue – PV of $250 and at least two active presenters under you. Your company must sell products worth $4 000. You earn 4% off the company sales.
Green – leadership rank which allows you to meet the owners of company in Utah. PV of $500 earning 30% on sales. At least 3 people under your downline. Company sales must reach $10K. You will earn 5% from company sales If your direct recruit reaches the green level they are switched off from your circle although they still contribute to company sales. It literally means if everyone below you turns green, you are doomed… sort of.
Orange – you need someone who goes green below you at any level. You need at least 3 people under you and PV of $500. Comapny sales must reach $20,000 and you earn 5% circle royalties. You start earning 4% commisions from your second generation of recruits.
Purple – no payments on third generations. At least 2 presenters who turned green below you. 40K sales from your company including presenters who turned green and 6 K from your circle (your own sales and those who haven’t turned green). Earnings from 1st and 2nd generations. No earnings on 3rd generations util you become ‘black’.
Black – highest level with under 1% of presenters. PV of $500/month. You must have at least 4 people who turned green under you. You must sell products worth $80K company sales and you will pocket 6% commission. You will earn commissions down to third generation of those who turned green. You earn more on from the third generation sales. If you earn commissions 3 times at this level you qualify for the car bonus.
Is Younique a scam, pyramid scheme or legit MLM?
While there are complaints against the company not honoring its money back guarantee and poor customer service, l can not call this company a scam. Some complain that the over pricing of mediocre products amounts to it being a scam.
The compensation plan is shaped like a pyramid with a few people at the very top but it does not necessarily mean it is a pyramid scheme. Most people do not understand that the definition of pyramid scheme goes beyond the one given inside Wikipedia An MLM called Vemma was labeled a pyramid scheme by FTC leading to the closure of the business side of the MLM despite having hundreds of products in its inventory. Legally, a company can be called a pyramid scheme if it sells more than 50% of its products to distributors compared to non-participant customers. Just because an MLM company sells some form of ‘product’ does not necessarily mean it can not be a pyramid scheme. Only the company knows how it is balancing its sales and if it still a legit MLM or it has crossed the red line.
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