What Do Amway IBOs Actually Earn?

I think it's a perfectly fair question to ask an Amway IBO what they earn if they are prospecting you as a potential downline for their business. Sadly, it's probably a question that will never be answered, or will be answered in some vague manner, or you may be shown the check of someone upline who got a sizable bonus. I know that some IBOs make money in Amway and I'm sure that some IBOs make decent money, but what do rank and file IBOs earn? It would be my informed opinion that rank and file IBOs make very little, and in fact they lose money if they are participating in the system consisting of cds, books and seminars (functions).

An examination of the common 6-4-2 plan or some other version would quickly reveal that you likely need a hundred or more downline IBOs in order to reach the platinum level. While there are some nice bonuses for that level, it is very likely that a platinum makes very little when factoring in business expenses such as standing orders, books and functions. In many cases, a platinum would be better off working a part time job instead of spending all that time building a business that yields the equivalent of part time wages. A study done in Wisconsin, while dated, revealed that platinums on average lost about $900 a year after expenses. While Amway apologists like to cite the age of the study, I will note that the fundamentals of the Amway business has not changed, and in fact there are even more tools today than back when the study was conducted, therefore dedicated system platinums might actually lose more money than back when the Wisconsin study was conducted.

In my opinion, the only way an IBO can make any money is to sell products to people who are not IBOs, and avoid participating in standing orders, books and functions. That would possibly allow someone to earn a few dollars and perhaps earn a bonus from Amway. but it certainly won't make you wealthy, nor will this income roll in forever as some uplines like to imply. But earning $25 a month doesn't sound that attractive, which is why some groups like to recruit by showing a diamond lifestyle that may include yachts, mansions and sports cars because showing someone $25 might not get them pumped up enough. What is often not mentioned, or glossed over, is that some, or possibly most diamonds get these sports cars and yachts by selling standing orders, books and functions, and not so much by moving Amway products. Sure, the upline might mention that some income is made from tools, but likely won't disclose exactly how you qualify and how much you get when you qualify.

If prospects really knew what Amway IBOs were earning, there would be very few people willing to see the plan. It is why the recruiters imply that diamonds earn millions and have mansions and other trappings. The reality is a stark contrast, which would be apparent to those who carefully evaluate the business plan and do some research on average incomes as reported by Amway. To the information seekers and casual observers, I encourage you to read more and to get as much information as possible. Good luck!