Market America Review – Scam Or Legitimate MLM Business?

| July 17, 2011 | 11 Comments

Market America Review imageWelcome to my unbiased Market America Review!

Market America is advertised as a product brokerage and Internet Marketing company with an emphasis on One-on-One Marketing.  Market America operates under a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) business model with a sales force of 180,000 Distributors and UnFranchise Business Owners around the globe.

In this Market America Review, I will be examining this company and the products that they offer to their consumers.  However, my emphasis in this Market America Review will be on the MLM business opportunity that they offer as an UnFranchise Business Owner.

Is Market America a scam, pyramid scheme, or do they offer a legitimate opportunity?  This is my unbiased Market America Review.

Company Details & History

Market America Logo imageFounded in 1992 and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, Market America combines the Internet with the power of people to distribute products.

Simply put, Market America is an online shopping portal that provides customers with access to more than 3,000 partner stores with more than 50 million products and services.

Product Line

When a customer visits a Market America web portal, they will have access to products and services related to:

  • Anti-Aging
  • Automotive & Tools
  • Beauty & Personal Care
  • Books, Movies & Video Games
  • Cell Phones & Communications
  • Clothing & Jewelry
  • Electronics
  • Groceries
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Home & Garden
  • Music
  • Pet Supplies

…and as you can see, the list will go on and on.

Popular Brand Names

The most popular products that you can expect from Market America include:

  • Isotonix® OPC-3®
  • Ultimate Aloe® Juice
  • Isotonix® Multivitamin
  • Isotonix® Activated B-Complex
  • Heart Health™ Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E
  • Isotonix® Calcium Plus
  • Isotonix® Resveratrol
  • Isotonix® Digestive Enzyme with Probiotics
  • Glucosatrin®
  • MochaTonix®

Available markets that they operate in

Market America currently operates in six international markets including:

  • United States
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Hong Kong
  • Taiwan
  • Philippines

In regards to the amount of products and services that are offered through Market America’s web portals, Market America compares themselves with Amazon.com.  Amazon is the world’s number 1 online retailer as far as annual sales, but if the number of products and services were being compared, Market America would be three times larger.

MLM Business – How the opportunity works…

Market America Partner Stores imageUnfortunately, Market America does not disclose the cost of becoming an UnFranchise Business Owner.  You will need to contact the person who has introduced you to Market America to learn more.

A Market America Business is based upon a Business Volume (BV) point system, as well as Incentive Business Volume (IBV).

BV is the unit value that is assigned to MA-branded products.

IBV is the unit value that is assigned to all Partner Store Brands.

BV and IBV represents 80% of every dollar spent.  For example, if a customer spends $100 through your web portal, you will generate 80 BV or 80 IBV.

Getting started

As a new Market America UnFranchise Business Owner, your first step will be to qualify your Business Development Center (BDC) by generating 200 BV.  Once accomplished, you will be eligible to earn commissions and bonuses.

Your next step will be to activate your BDC by personally sponsoring two Independent Distributors, and placing one in your left leg, and the other in your right leg.  This is commonly referred to as a Binary Compensation Plan, where you will be building two sales teams; a team on your right, and a team on your left.

Typically when a Binary Compensation Plan is utilized, your commissions and bonuses will be based upon the production of your lesser performing leg.

Once you have qualified your Business Development Center, and activated it with two personally sponsored Distributors, you will simply teach and mentor others to do the same.

UnFranchise Business Owner Training & Support

Market America MLM Review imageAs I have already mentioned, Market America operates under a MLM Business model, and emphasizes their One-on-One Marketing approach.

As you are building your Market America Business, you will introduce your web portal to your network of friends, family members, neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers etc.  These methods of marketing or commonly referred to as Warm Marketing.

Market America does advertise their Internet Marketing Support, where they will provide you with a web portal.  They claim how E-commerce will automatically drive traffic to your site.

Something to think about…

I would like to point out that this could not be any farther from the truth.  Just because you own a website does not mean that traffic is just going to magically appear.  Especially when your web portal will be competing with the other 180,000 Distributors who are also operating their own sites.

In order to drive traffic to your web portal, there are various Internet Marketing methods that must be utilized; methods that I am confident that Market America will not teach.

Unless you are beginning your Market America business with previously learned online marketing skills, the only traffic that will be generated to your web portal will be from those who you personally drive to it (ie. friends and family members).

Market America Review Conclusion

In my opinion, Market America is a legitimate MLM Business opportunity, and should not be considered to be a scam or pyramid scheme.

Market America provides access to millions of products and services through thousands of well-known and trusted partner stores.  Why not profit from the sales of products and services that everyone purchases every day anyway?

I believe that Market America offers a prosperous opportunity.  However, whether or not you succeed in building this business will be dependent upon your ability to market and drive traffic.  Unfortunately, Market America will not teach more modern and effective marketing strategies.

This concludes my Market America Review. I wish you the best of luck in your Home Business search!

Category: MLM Company Reviews

About the Author ()

Dave Fennell is the founder and editor of Marketing Methods Online and BloggerGo. Learn more about him here. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
  1. Dave Fennell says:

    Dave Fennell wrote this Market America Review for those who are researching the Market America Business Opportunity. I would love your feedback. If you have any experiences with this company, whether good or bad, please share them here to assist others in their research efforts.

    I greatly appreciate your feedback and expertise, and others will too!

    To Your Success,

    Dave Fennell

    • Joyce H says:

      I love the Market America business system. I have been an unfranchise owner for a little over 3 years and am completely satisfied. You get out of it what you put into it. That is only fair, wouldn’t you agree? Hope my opinion helps. We are building in NW MO and so happy to help others

    • Linda Merisola says:

      I am surprised by your observation. MA is the furthest thing from an MLM…there are no levels, no competition, no percentages decreasing, no decrease payment downline. MLS are structured like corporate, horizontal so competition will always exist and can never be set up for ongoing residual income. You walk away from an MLM and you have nada! MA is built for residual income and I am proof and so is any team member willing to go for it. It is the future with gen y and right on target for creating your own economy and financial freedom. So with that being said….your article does not represent MA at all…..oh and it never said it drives traffic to your website! Not sure where you are getting your information….but it is the best comp plan out there..you find a better one..let me know!!!

      • Dave Fennell says:

        Hello Linda,

        Thank you for your remarks. Please keep in mind that this review of Market America is three years old now. Companies are ever revolving in how they conduct their business and the information that I gathered about them three years ago was true at that time.

        Thank you,

        Dave

    • Linda Merisola says:

      Hi Dave…..this is a couple years old..this article and your comment..but if you are not in MA now….you should be..it is FANTASTIC…you need more serious information…I will gladly email it ot you …..this article is not on track at all. isotonic4life@gmail.com

  2. Daniel says:

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  7. Lilly says:

    its a phyramid scheme scam no matter how you look at it. if you recruit people and they recruit more people as “distributtors” or “business owner” as you call it and the top tier makes the money off of the lower tier. Thats a pyramid scheme.

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