Multilevel marketing: what’s the catch?

Abstract

Examines multilevel marketing in the light of the relationship between the would‐be seller and his/her prospective “downline”. States that people promoting multilevel marketing praise it as an opportunity of a lifetime with no catch. Claims that there is indeed a serious catch: the conventional process of promoting this so‐called opportunity to friends and virtually everyone else in someone’s circle of acquaintance, is, for the most part, unacceptable in western society. Maintains that truly determined sellers may well make money, but most will not, capitulating rather in the face of rejection ranging from disinterest to serious disapproval and resentment of the matter having been raised at all. Shows the conventional defenses raised by proponents of multilevel marketing to be seriously flawed if not quite spurious.