Mary Kay is a scam

My friend is an assistant to a Mary Kay rep, and so she makes a steady paycheck from her. And she says a lot of good things about her boss and the company. She has another job, so she does not need to become a rep yet, but I don't think she knows all about the things that she needs to do first. I will have to ask her and see if she knows that she will be required to put in all that money, and get that card. However, she seems really interested in it, and she buys so much of their stuff anyways, that she will probably want to do it, if she can. There was a lady that used to work for the same company as me, but she quit, and started becoming an Avon lady, and selling to her friends, family, and ex-coworkers, and my coworker says that she is making tons of money, and it is a high pay job for her. The thing is, that you really need to get people that like the products to spend, same as Mary Kay, I would have a hard time doing this type of thing...

OH sweetie, I am so sorry. I had no idea Mary kay made you carry inventory. That's crap. I sell Arbonne International - which is similar to Mary Kay - but it's all natural, botanical, and they don't test on animals. Anyhow, not to give you my spiel. For Arbonne there are NO requirements to carry inventory at ALL. Period. You pay $29 to become a consultant, and that gets you 35% off all Arbonne Products (plus chances to earn other gifts and prizes and get deeper discounts) I would NEVER have signed up for it if I had to carry inventory. HECK, right now, I have a website where my clients can buy from me without me ever having to bug them. I love it, and it's a low investment to start your own business. Mary Kay has it all wrong!!

Well sorry for those who have had a bad experience with Mary Kay and those who had bad experiences with Avon. My girl friend started with Avon about 5 months ago but she wasnt required a sign up fee from her the person who recruited her. She is not required to carry any inventory and she is allowed a credit limit for products before people actually pay. Also unlike Mary Kay you dont have to have a limit on how much you have to sell to place an order. Anyway avons a good company if you have people who use cosmetics and mens products. The only downside that I have seen with Avon is the limitations on how you can promote your website. As far as them asking you to pay for 1000 dollar for make up yeah i can agree that is terrible. One last thing with any business its best to have some product at hand. Its easier to sell to clients when they can actually try it themselves. Most companies such as avon have samples.

Im sorry you had that problem I dont wear the stuff either.I think its wisw that you got out when you did. That is not right for them to ask to buy all that stuff.

I used to sell MK and we never were required to buy anything up front. This was about 5 years ago, though. We did HAVE to have at least a $250 order before we could place any order at all so if you have a customer just wanting a lip liner, you can't place the order until you have a full $250 unless you did have start up money to order makeup and keep on hand. I understand the 250 limit has changed, but we were never required to buy anything upfront...it was just easier if you did.

I have such mixed feelings about Mary Kay. Why? Because, I really liked the product - it really improved the condition of my skin and the colors worked well for once. However, I hated the consultant part of the whole thing. Rip.Off. I wound up buying an inventory and sold off half of it . . only to be pressured to restock because, I was told if I didn't I wouldn't have the current stuff to offer my customers and I'd lose sales. I was suckered for about year when I finally had enough. I didn't clear a dime because my DM told me I had to keep re-investing all of my profit in order to see my business grow. I didn't realize she was making money with each order I placed. I ended up liquidating my inventory on ebay just to get it out of the house and, when it was all said and done, I lost $500 that I'll never see again. It was a bad experience.

Wow-I had no idea Mary Kay was like that! And that is a pretty reputable company, although I perosnally have never bought anything because it is so expensive. If you are looking inot selling make-up and fragances, you should look inot Avon. I sold Avon for 3 years, and really enjoyed it. It was just too hard for towards the end because I had two small children who like breaking into customer orders LOL. The start up cost was very reasonable-back then it was 25 dollars. The products are very affordable and the brochures offer much more than just personal products. They sell home decor, toys, men's gift, lingerie and clothing...Good luck if you choose to do so. As I said I really enjoyed it.

Wow, that is terrible. They did not tell you before you joined, is that legal? Now that you mention it, all the people who sell it in our area do already have money to start with. That is such a rip off. How much money did you end up loosing on them? I am so sorry that this happened to you.

.hi, I am a MK Consultant here in my country, I have no experience like yours so far... ( I hope it won't happen.. ) I am enjoying my MK biz by doing it part time, I wish to do it full time in the near future. I believe that Mary Kay is a good company.. I think it's best to report that experience to the company too.. have a great day!

A friend of mine sells Mary Kay, has for years, she loves the product, always looks good. She became a manager a few years ago, she received a car from them. SHe started doing it years ago when her kids were little to help make ends me. She would never take part in a scam, she is a great person who would give you anything if she could. I think you got recruited by a dishonest person. You do have to make an investment. UNfortunately the way the company is designed your manager makes money on you buying inventory, so if your manager does not care about you, she will push you to buy product so she gains and you lose. This is the bad part about the way the company runs. You probably should have done your homework before you joined. And if you don't use the product how can you sell it, my friend used it, and she her makeup and skin were always picture perfect. That could be why she was able to make so many sales.

I purchased inventory, thinking it would be better (but the worst part was that your director places your first order -and they order a lot of things that you will never sell). I have tons of un-sold inventory sitting on my shelf. I have to send it back to get a refund - and that will hurt my friend who recruited me, because the company will charge her!

MY BROTHER sold Mary Kay at his place of work for his girlfriend and she owned a beauty shop. My brother (Harlan) would just put out the catalogs and take the orders of $400.00 on an average week. But he did not get a credit card as he delt in CASH ONLY and all saled COD...collect on delivery..but he sold a lot of stuff at work. my wife was also into working as a beauty consultant and i sold her AVON products which were not only cosmetics, but health foods, collectables, jewelery and clothes and sometimes foods like candy..I would get orders from the people I worked with as I had a lot of free time to socialize at work..I was a Team Cordinator but I just left the people a catalog and collected the orders and money when the stuff was shipped to me..it was kind of exciting to package the orders for the people..and deliver the stuff ans everyone liked the products..we worked in the Ford Motor Company..i only had one return sale..as this was because of the women was a queen size and it was a fancy pair of panty house with sequins...so i just told her she could just pay me my cost..as i took no profit from this sale but it made her happy..she was a friend (Jennifer Beach) and its ok to sell to friends..but both my brother and I did not have to have any credit card or were required to sell any set amount..but our sales were always good and my wife was my best customer...lol..she gave a lot of stuff to her family to the Philippines..she has a lot of nieces and sister in laws..but we maybe now there is a scam going on..as we have not done this for a few years...things change.. Mary Kay is expensive..so is SHAKLEE vitamins and cleaners but they products are good but the object of all sales is "one seperating One from Ones Money" ..lol

Honey, No NO NO!! lol.. You have a BAD sponser. You do NOT have to have an inventory. I don't. I don't have that type of money for that. On top of which, you don't have to have their card either. I only have their card, because it's easier for the business. When someone orders off your website and they use a CC it's just easier to go to ProPay and put in the CC and then have all the orders come from ProPay. Wow, you really do have a bad sponser. I am so sorry you are having a terrible time with this. As for me, I don't do inventory. Whoever buys from my site, I have it shipped either to me and then to them or directly to them. I know LOTS of consultants who have ordered inventory and they are doing good with it. Basically, it's easier to have inventory becasue of those who are near you, when they order you can just give it to them, but I don't have the type of money to get an inventory and I am doing fine. I really do wish the best for you and if you need any advice or help with anything just let me know. Who is your sponser anyway? I have heard of bad sponsers and consultants who have a bad outlook on MK because of them. There are some units out there that try and make consultants do things, but I just got lucky with mine. They are there for you when you need them. Training every week. And you don't have to do anything. They motivate you and give you goals that you don't have to meet, but it's nice to try and meet them because there are prizes at the end of each week for the ones who do meet their goals. It's a great business I think.

Ohk, I am currently a Mary Kay consultant. It is most definitely not a scam. When you decide to do Mary Kay it is your business. Not theirs. You decide if you want to own inventory, you decide how you want to run your business. They encourage you to buy stock because it is great for your customers to know they don't have to wait for it, they can get it right away. Directors and team leaders are not your boss, they are your coach. They don't tell you what to do, they are just there to be supportive. The starter kit is worth over $600 but you get it for $100. I don't know of any other way you can start your own business for that cheap. Mary Kay is about making women feel beautiful, not pushy, let me sell you something kind of business. I love my job. They go by the golden rule, and their motto is God first, Family second, and career third. And I doubt you'll find any other company like it. Mary Kay consultants are freakishly happy and excited about the product because our lives aren't perfect. I have a 6 month old and my husband is at school and work from 6:30 am to 12:30 at night, I have crappy days. But once I go to a scheduled party or a meeting it's like I stepped into a pink bubble and nothing else is going on. And I love it, I look forward to getting out of the house and being with people. If you read Mary Kay Ash's biography, you'll see what a beautiful person she is. And my goal is to represent her company the way he wished. So, point here is We're not just cosmetics. We're your friend, that just wants to help you feel great about yourself. Not a scam. But a real genuine company set out to help women.

I don't think that it is a scam.You should ask Pamela Cheek to clarify it. She use to be my director and I never had any problems with Mary Kay. I never had buy $1000 dollars to begin. When I started I bought $600 but I only had to order $200.00.For more information Contact-Independent National Sales Director Pamela Cheek 919-477-5108. I hope that you did not deal with the wrong person.

I have found that the 'fine print' in almost all the 'sell my product' companies are horrendous. There is always some catch that requires you to pay more, invest more or something in order to make a profit. To require a certain amount just to place an order is pathetic. So what happens if I am the one wanting a lip liner and you don't have a minimum order? Do I just have to wait until you gather orders? What a rip off!! I'm sorry you got involved with such a shoddy company!

You don't HAVE to start with any inventory at all. They suggest it, and you can get great bonuses if you have a large starting order, but there are no requirements at all. All you are required to pay is the signup/starter kit fee ($100 I think?)

I completely agree I was going to post a discussion aab out this also they are a scam. You have to pay for everything and the profit is small. The pink car is a lease and you have to sell alot to get the pink car.

He he...one of my friends invited me to one of those "makeover" parties. I was like sure, why not...this could be fun. Well, it was nice at first when they were helping me apply makeup and whatever. It went downhill when I had to go up infront of everyone so they can see how wonderful my make up looked. After all the awww's and the applauds, one of the reps presented me with the question: Do I want to be a MK sales rep? It was pressuring because they helped with my free makeover and I was in front of a crowd. I then thought that this whole thing was a cult and I got scared. I didn't agree to do it because they were asking for money for kits and stuff. I was like, I'm in college, I don't have that type of money to be buying kits. Those pink caddies and blazers scare me....:(

Mary Kay is a really tough gig. I see the pink Mary Kay cadillacs every now and then but thats a really tough business that requires hustle and always having product on hand. I think thats why you have to buy all of those products. I've never sold Mary Kay but I know some people that have. My mother was a consultant a long time ago she never spent that much money on inventory nor did she get their credit card. She made gift baskets with the products in them and sold them like that during mothers day, christmas, graduation and times like that she did well...she just didn't have the time, energy, or passion to push that business. I think that ultimately any business you decide to get involved with will require an investment of both money and time. But there are plenty of businesses you can start and be successful with for far less than $1000 :) Best Wishes, Marenda