Questions to Ask Amway Before Joining
Due diligence questions to ask before registering as an Amway distributor: what you are signing, what it costs to start and to stay active, how returns and cancellation work, and what the written income figures actually say. Ask them of the person recruiting you and ask for the answers on paper.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What exactly am I signing when I register, and can I take a copy away to read first?
Why ask it
The contract, the rules of conduct and the compensation plan are separate documents. Any reluctance to let you read all three away from the meeting is the answer to a different question.
What does it cost to start, itemized, and which of those costs are refundable?
Why ask it
Registration is usually the smallest item. Ask which parts are the company's fee, which are product, and which are optional extras being presented as standard.
What will I be expected to spend each month to stay in good standing?
Why ask it
Compare the figure they say out loud with the figure in the compensation plan. If your bonus depends on personal volume, that volume is a monthly cost, not a sales target.
Can you show me the written income disclosure for the most recent year?
Why ask it
A published document beats any verbal estimate. Read the footnotes for who counts as active, since averages are often calculated over a narrower group than everyone who signed up.
Of the people you personally sponsored, how many are still active, and what do they make?
Why ask it
This is the local version of the statistics and much harder to present favorably. Vagueness here, when they can name their own recruits, tells you something.
What share of your own income comes from selling products to customers rather than from your downline?
Why ask it
The split matters more than the total. If nearly all of it comes from the downline, then recruiting, not selling, is the actual job being offered to you.
How much of what I buy is meant for resale, and how much am I expected to use myself?
Why ask it
Self-consumption counted as sales volume is how a shopping habit becomes a business on paper. Ask for the expectation in units, not in enthusiasm.
What is the return policy on products I cannot sell, and what is the deadline?
Why ask it
Get the window, the condition requirements and the restocking terms in writing. A policy that exists but expires in 30 days is not much protection against a stocked garage.
If I stop, what happens to the inventory I still have?
Why ask it
Ask what happened to the last person in their group who quit with stock on hand. A general answer about policy is less informative than one real case.
How do I cancel, who do I notify, and how long does it take to take effect?
Why ask it
An exit that requires a phone call to a specific person, rather than a form or an email address, is worth noting before you sign anything.
Which of these costs are for training, tools and events rather than product, and are they optional?
Why ask it
Ask the same question twice, once about what is required by the company and once about what is expected by the group. The two answers are often different.
Who receives the money I pay for tools, subscriptions and event tickets?
Why ask it
If the money goes to people in your upline rather than to the company, then part of what you are being sold is being sold to you by your own sponsor.
Where am I allowed to sell, and where am I not?
Why ask it
Restrictions on online marketplaces, paid advertising, and using the brand name in your own posts shape whether you can reach anyone beyond people you already know.
What claims am I not permitted to make about the products or about income?
Why ask it
The list of banned claims is a fair map of what gets said anyway. Compare it with what you were told during the presentation you just sat through.
How many hours a week do you spend on this now, and how many in your first year?
Why ask it
Ask for both numbers. A comfortable current figure often rests on a first year that would not fit around the job and family you already have.
What volume or targets do I need to keep a bonus, and what happens the month I miss them?
Why ask it
Find out whether qualification resets, whether it can be carried, and whether the group covers shortfalls by buying stock. That last practice is a warning sign.
What do you say to someone who does not want to sell to friends and family?
Why ask it
Listen for whether there is any customer acquisition method besides your personal network. If the answer is only about mindset, there is no method.
Can I speak to someone in your group who tried this and stopped?
Why ask it
Every business has people who left. A refusal, or the claim that nobody has, tells you how honest the rest of the conversation has been.
What would you say are the real reasons most people earn little or nothing here?
Why ask it
An answer that puts it entirely down to effort or attitude is worth weighing against the income disclosure you have just read.
Can I take a week to read the documents and come back to you?
Why ask it
The response to this is the single most useful piece of information you will get. Urgency, a closing deadline, or a limited spot is a reason to walk away, not to hurry.
Doing the Due Diligence Before You Sign
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to Evaluate the Offer
Get every number in writing
Ask for the compensation plan, the rules of conduct and the current income disclosure as documents. What is said in a living room is not what you are agreeing to.
Do the arithmetic yourself
Add up registration, monthly volume, tools, subscriptions, event tickets and travel for twelve months. Compare that total against the earnings figure for a typical participant, not a top one.
Separate the product from the plan
Liking the products is a reason to buy them. It is not evidence that reselling them at the required volume is achievable where you live.
Check the exit before the entry
Read the cancellation and return terms first, and check what consumer protection rules apply where you live. It is the part you will care about most if you change your mind.
Signals Worth Taking Seriously
Pressure to decide in the room
A legitimate business will still be there next week. Deadlines that exist only inside the meeting are a sales technique, not an opportunity.
Income shown through lifestyle
Photographs of cars, trips and checks are not financial information. Ask for the disclosure document instead, then ask what percentage of participants it describes.
Recruiting described as the product
If the presentation spends more time on building a team than on who buys the goods and at what price, treat that as the accurate description of the work.
Discouraged from outside advice
Being told not to discuss it with skeptical friends, or with an accountant, removes the exact check that would protect you. Take that as information about the group.
Two Conversations to Have
With the person recruiting you
- 1Ask for the three documents and say you will read them at home.
- 2Ask what they personally spent and earned in their first twelve months.
- 3Ask what share of their income comes from customers rather than downline volume.
- 4Ask to speak to someone in their group who stopped.
With someone outside the business
- 1Show an accountant the monthly cost total and the income disclosure and ask what the tax position would be.
- 2Ask a friend who does not know the recruiter to read the compensation plan and explain it back to you.
- 3Look up the consumer protection rules for direct selling in your country or state.
- 4Wait a week, then reread your own notes before deciding.