When I was eighteen I had a down-line of about 50 people; some very rich people too. I was well on my way until I figured out the great deception. When your downline goes direct, you lose their down-line; so the pyramid does not keep building [oh, the expansion of circles, excuse me]. The real money is made by selling all of the motivational seminars, books and tapes [CD's] to the never ending stream of new suckers. Of course, a fundamental premise of Amway is that if you're serious, you will attend every seminar, and buy every book and CD put out by your upline.
It really hit me while I was sitting in a hotel conference room with about 500 other people at about 11:30 P.M. on a Saturday night, and while listening to a half a dozen Diamonds and double Diamonds explain how they retired on Amway. Hmmm...if they retired, why were they working on a Saturday night? Then I thought about all of those expensive motorhomes parked outside. Why motorhomes? Because they're not home! No, they are giving a lecture in some hotel on a Saturday night; and a long way from home.
Amways sells a clever form of greed; they appeal to your goodness to exploit your greed. In fact many of the multi-level marketing outfits use this ploy. You want to help others become successful, don't you? You owe your family, don't you? Then they appeal to your patriotism - Amway comes from American Way. See the book written by, I kid you not, Paul Conn.
[with an author named Conn, I should have seen it coming]. Then they show you their jewels and expensive homes in Hawaii, and the Amway helicopter that picks you up from your real job when you go Diamond -as your retirement kick off.
They convince you that, since you are really helping them, it is okay to lie to your family, friends and acquaintances. You don't think you're lying but you are. You become so embedded in the lies that you start to believe it yourself. When I figured out the psychological tricks and numbers games used, I could no longer continue with a good conscience
It is a total sucker's game.