Scentsy Review – Scam Or Legitimate MLM Business?

| May 29, 2011 | 10 Comments

Scentsy Review imageWelcome to my Scentsy Review!

What is Scentsy?  Scentsy is a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company with very humble beginnings, and is based upon the core values of simplicity, authenticity, and generosity.

In this Scentsy Review, I will be providing the details, as well as a history lesson on this company.  However, my emphasis in this Scentsy Review will be on the MLM Business Opportunity that they offer as an Independent Scentsy Consultant.

Does Scentsy offer a legitimate MLM Business opportunity, or is this a scam or pyramid scheme?  I intend to answer this very question in my unbiased Scentsy Review.

Company Details & History

Scentsy Logo imageThe story of Scentsy begins with two women, Kara Egan and Colette Gunnell, who were by chance operating a booth across the aisle from Orville Thompson at a Salt Lake City, Utah home show.

At the time, Orville Thompson owned and operated his company of Event Sales, a struggling company that sold car wax, shammies, 64-in-1 video game controllers, and other popular products through fairs, shows, and mall kiosks.

Orville Thompson was fascinated by these wickless candle products, and began working with Kara Egan and Colette Gunnell to help them limit their expenses and raise profit margins with the intention of purchasing their products at wholesale prices to resell through his company of Event Sales.

These events laid the foundation of a trusting relationship, and Kara and Colette asked Orville and his wife Heidi to purchase their company.  In July of 2004, Scentsy was born and launched as a Party Plan Company.

To this day, Kara and Colette remain as Consultants, and serve on Scentsy’s Board of Directors.

For a company that began operations in a 40-foot metal box on a sheep farm 7 years ago, this company has experienced an extraordinary rate of growth with more than 100,000 Consultants and projected sales of $600 Million in 2011.

Product Line

Scentsy manufactures and distributes products related to:

  • Wickless Candles
  • Ceramic Warmers
  • Various Fragrance Products

Their Flagship Products

Scentsy is most well-known for their Scentsy Systems, a combination of a Scentsy Warmer and a Scentsy Bar.  The ceramic warmer, which features a low-watt bulb, slowly melts a Scentsy Bar or Brick to release your choice of more than 80 distinctive and long-lasting scents into the air.

MLM Business – Getting started and how it works

Scentsy Product Review imageThe cost to begin your business as an Independent Scentsy Consultant is the price of a Scentsy Starter Kit for $99, plus tax and shipping charges.

Your Starter Kit will provide you with many of the products from within the Scentsy Catalog, including Scentsy Party Fragrance Testers and Demonstration Products.  You will also receive the necessary business supplies and marketing materials to assist you in getting started in your new venture.

Optional Tool

You will also receive a free replicated website for your first 3 months.  After 3 months, this will be an added expense of $10 per month.

Earning Requirement

You will also be required to place at least $150 in product purchases in one out of every three months to maintain your Active status.

Compensation – Ways to earn

As a Scentsy Consultant, you will earn 20% to 30% for every product that you sell.  As you begin your recruiting efforts and sponsor new Consultants, you will earn additional bonuses on the sales volumes of your organization as well.

Consultant Training & Support

Scentsy Party imageWhile Scentsy products can be sold through open houses, fairs, shows, or one-on-one, the majority of company-wide sales are generated through Scentsy Parties (home parties).  Through these parties, friends and loved ones come together to laugh, share, and reminisce while they experience Scentsy products.

As a new Consultant, you will be trained and encouraged to begin scheduling these parties in the homes of your friends, family members, acquaintances, co-workers etc.

Host Rewards Program

Scentsy offers a Host Rewards program, which will reward your hostess with half-priced items and free product credit, based upon the sales that you achieve in their home.

This Rewards program serves as an incentive for your hostess to invite as many of their friends and relatives to attend.  The more in attendance to purchase products, the more that they can potentially earn in discounts and free merchandise.

You will offer this program as an incentive as you are contacting your friends and loved ones to schedule your Scentsy Parties.

Scentsy Review Conclusion

In my opinion after conducting this Scentsy Review, Scentsy is a legitimate MLM Business opportunity, and is not a scam or pyramid scheme.  Through this safe and wickless alternative to scented candles, Scentsy has quickly grown to be one of the most successful companies in the Direct Sales industry, operating in all 50 United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Canada.  They just recently announced their intentions to expand into the United Kingdom and Germany.  This is surely a company on the rise.

Food for thought…

However, it is important to consider the challenges of building a long-term and profitable business that is based upon party sales in the homes of your friends and relatives.  Based upon the tactics that Scentsy trains, your success will be dependent upon your ability to maintain a full schedule of Scentsy Parties.  If you run out of friends and family members to schedule home parties with, your business will quickly lose momentum.

You must also consider the fact that your sales will be limited to the geographical area of where you live, and dependent upon how far you are willing to travel to conduct a Scentsy Party.

While sales can be generated through these methods, it will never be as simple as Scentsy advertises.

As long as you begin your business with the correct expectations with an eagerness to invest the time and effort that a business of this nature will require, I believe that Scentsy offers a legitimate opportunity.

For those who generate consistent and growing sales volumes, and focus on building and training a successful team of Consultants, Scentsy will reward them well.

I hope that you have found my Scentsy Review to be informative and educational!  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 Scentsy Review for those who are researching the Scentsy 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

  2. free vps service says:

    Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is great, as well as the content!

  3. Donna Meuli says:

    I started my Scentsy business almost a year ago not knowing very many people. My business has quickly grown and is now all over the U.S. While it is true my first few shows were with friends, I now do shows with people I hadn’t known previous to joining Scentsy.
    I have been in other direct selling companies before, but never have I had the kind of success I have had with Scentsy. Although it sounds cliche, Scentsy sells itself. What woman doesn’t love candles? And now they can enjoy long lasting scent without the worry of an open flame or deal with sooty candles.

  4. Scentsy is the best thing I could have done for myself personally and professionally. Being a leader in direct sales gives you the opportunity to challenge and grow yourself. As you’re working with your team the friends and relationships that build are priceless.
    Scentsy has great products. But I’m glad of the growth I’ve seen in me and people that I’m proud to call my friends. Thank You to Scentsy as they keep coming out with great items to share and now wear!!!

  5. Scentsy says:

    I really love the Scentsy products. The concept of wickless is so wonderful, especially when you have little kids who are entranced by flames.

  6. I have been brought many other opportunities from other direct sell companies, and I can say that I NEVER made a penny with any of them. I was able to share Scentsy with my family and friends the first day I became a consultant, all they had to do was to smell. It was easy and very simple. I knew instantly that I wanted to reach for the stars and change my life and Scentsy was going to be my vehicle to get me to where I wanted my family to go.

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  8. Andrea Dre says:

    Not sure about the product but the woman across the street sells it. When she has her Scentsy parties there is a lot of liquor and pot smoking going on. One time the cops came to the party because a fight broke out. Not sure that’s what Scentsy wants the parties to be like but I’m going to stay away if that is the type of people they have as ‘consultants’.

    • Dave Fennell says:

      Thank you Andrea for sharing. To be honest, I have never heard of this behavior before at any MLM company party or social gathering. How unfortunate, but I am sure that this is an isolated incident. Scentsy would not condone this if they were aware of it.

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