What Is Quixtar?

Amway is Shrinking?

2010-02-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

I do not see much going on with Amway in the US. I think they are continuing to grow in other countries. This might be because most people here in the US are aware of Amway past and do not join. I read somewhere that Amway is not publishing US sales anymore because they will only promote it worldwide. I imagine it is because sales are dropping in the US. I don't even see much internet activity anymore with Amway and their critics. I have begun to lose interest in the whole thing, but I wanted to put my thoughts on this blog. I still receive occasional comments here so I will post this for the benefit of my faithful readers. I sometimes wonder if Amway should just shut down their US operations for the sake of saving their worldwide reputation?

What's Happening In Amway?

2009-10-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard much about Amway and the critics and Amway supporters seem to have given up. Is anyone out there still looking over the Amway business and monitoring the IBO's? I'm about to hang up this blog but I thought I'd give one last holler just in case.

Quixtar Is Now Amway Global

2009-06-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

I read that Quixtar has officially morphed into Amway Global. I wonder what changes, good or bad will result from the name change? It would appear that the business in the US is struggling and I don't read accounts about a lot of new success. I believe that Amway has achieved market saturation and would completely collapse if not for IBO's suckering in young recruits.

It also looks like my friend Tex got his butt kicked by Amway. I read his blog post and it was a funny read.

Maybe it's time to retire from blogging?

Is Tex Paid By Amway?

2009-02-26T21:46:00.001-08:00

Is he paid to purposely turn intelligent discussion to a useless thread? I have read multiple blogs and Tex has ruined some of them or been banned. I think Tex will not be allowed on here unless he posts normally. Apparently though, Tex is not normal.

We Can Be More Effective Without Infighting!

2009-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

I believe many of us agree that some of the Amway diamonds are making their fortunes by selling tools (standing order and function tickets) to the detriment of their downline. One of the biggest advocates of stopping the "tools scam" is Tex, who runs Tex's Amway Global blog. It seems that many are in agreement with the major sticking points, but there is no concerted effort to bring abuses to the forefront.

I believe that Tex himself, is responsible for much of the confusion. This is not an attack on Tex. I believe his intention is noble, but he gets sidetracked with other bloggers. Why bother posting an attack thread on (presumably) Bridgett and JoeCool? What does that accomplish? If the goal is to stop the tools scam, IBO's and bloggers need to inform key people, including IBO's to write letters to the proper authorities and to allow corrective actions to take place.

Time To Call A Cease Fire?

2009-02-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am a skeptic of Amway, although I do not consider myself to be that of the "rabid" variety.
I read a lof of blogs about Quixtar and Amway, but my commentary is confined to my own blog. That being said, I look at some other related blogs and they are insult blogs with name calling back and forth, and amway supporters and skeptics threatening each other.

In the original version of the movie Spiderman, the Green Goblin tells spidey - We can work together or we can continue to beat each other's brains in until we are both dead.

Obviously, I don't mean that example to be literal, but Amway afficianados and skpetics should learn to debate in a civilized manner. If you come forward two fisted hurling insults, you can bet it will be returned tenfold. Yes, Amway has issues, yes, skeptics have some points, but nobody is evil and all involved should debate the issues and not worry about insulting and degrading each other. What will be accomplished by calling someone a kook or whatever.

It's time for a cease fire. If not, both sides lose. (My two and a half cents)

Buy From Myself is Like Playing a Slot Machine?

2009-01-23T12:37:00.001-08:00

(This story was inspired by debate on another blog)

One common thing that IBO's talk about is buying their own goods. While on the surface, buying from yourself may seem sensible, but in reality, buying from "yourself" is the same as buying from whoever originally sold the product. I used to help my uncle who owned a mom and pop grocery store. Every other day or so, a guy used to come to deliver bread, milk, and other perishable goods. Whatever wasn't sold was returned to the delivery guy and was credited to my uncle. My uncle very rarely took items from his store. He would go to another store and make purchases. He said it kept his bookkeeping cleaner, not to have to account for inventory
that he took. I didn't understand at the time, but I understand it much better now.

Let's look at what would happen if he did take goods from his store. Say he took a loaf of bread off his shelf. When the Wonderbread vendor came, he would have to pay for that loaf. If he took a bottle of coke off his shelf, the coca cola vendor would need to be paid. Sure, I suppose my uncle could cook the books and pay the same that he charged his customers, but if that "profit" came from his own pocket, is it truly a profit? In my viewpoint, it is an accounting trick and not a true business transaction. If Bill Gates bought a million microsoft computers, does he make a profit?

In Quixtar, if you spend roughly $300 monthly to "buy" your 100 points, you get back about $8 or $9. Now that seems like a sensible thing to do, on the surface. Problem is that many IBO's buy goods that they do not normally use. They buy things in order to reach the qualifying 100 PV level. Thus a non IBO may spend $200 in a normal month, while an IBO will spend $300 because it is necessary to reach that defacto 100 PV quota. It renders your $9 "profit" a net loss because you have at the end of the month, $9 after spending $300 on what you "need". A non IBO starting out the month with $300, will have $100 left over after spending $200 on what they "need".

When you are practicing the "buy from youself" method of running your Quixtar business, you are simply transferring cash from your bank account to Quixtar. They in turn give you back less than what you spent, the following month, you repeat. A few IBO's will succeed and "hit the jackpot", so to speak. Business is not gambling, but the process by which money is extracted from IBO's is very similar to how slot machines work. You put in 10 coins, in turn the slot machine pays out 9. You put in 3 coins, the slot machine pays back 2. Once in a while you hit a small jackpot and get back some money, but then you start feeding the machine again. Eventually the gambler runs out of money and quits. Similarly, an IBO, after a few months, runs out of money and quits. Sometimes a gambler hits a jackpot and will tell everyone about his good fortune. Similarly, an IBO will sometimes go diamond and will charge downline IBO's so he can share his success story. IBO's feel compelled to pay as they are hoping that his story will allow them to copy his efforts and propel themselves to diamond.

The only way IBO's can continue to play this game, is to fund their efforts by a job or another business. Much like a gambler's job or business is needed to fund his bankroll at the casino. In the long run, nearly all who play slot machines end up losing money. In Quixtar, nearly all IBO's end up quitting or not succeeding. As I said, the Quixtar opportunity is a business, but unfortunately, the results are similar to a bunch of slot machine players.

Is Quixtar Thriving or Sinking?

2009-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I read various post about Quixtar and their income has been in the one billion dollar range for the past handful of years. A billion in sales is a lot but is seems as though the sales have somewhat flatlined. On the surface, it seems as though Amway as a whole is doing well (global).
Why is this the case? Do the critics have some truth in asserting that in foreign countries, the business opportunity is relatively new and not enough antics have been done by IBO's to create a bad image of the company (yet). I know Quixtar ran some national commercials recently. I saw someof them andwhile they were nice commercials, they weren't that catchy and did not entice me to inquire, unlike how I ran out to Jack In The Box to get a $2.99 deal for a jumbo jack, fries, and two tacos. Why does the business seem stale in the US? Could it be that there is some truth to the claims that Quixtar's name is damaged goods in the US? Are new IBO's simply taking the place of those who drop out? The bigger question is whether quixtar will end up thriving in the US or dying a slow death?

Quixtar and Lying

2008-12-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all!

This is my last post for 2008. I have not commented, but have been reading some material on quixtar. One somewhat common theme I have noticed is that there are many lies and/or information withheld. A lack of transparency. And it appears that is is not only by IBO's but by the corporation as well (basic stats and income information - outdated). If you are building your group on a foundation of lies or false information, you are building a house of cards. It is inevitable that it will eventually fall apart.

That certainly explains the high drop out rate for quixtar IBO's and it explains why there are many stories of deceit and trickery used in recruitment. Quixtar however, can survive because the quitters are simply replaced, albeit on a temporary basis, by new incoming IBO's. Friends, if you are hiding things from prospects and/or building your group based on deception, it will eventually fall apart. If by chance you can hold a group together by lying, can you live with yourself? Let's start 2009 with a resolution to uphold the truth to shed light on darkness.

Is There A Tools Scam in Quixtar?

2008-11-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

I have been reading some discussion about the business support materials in quixtar. They are often refered to as "tools". One blogger is very persistent is exposing the "tools scam". As I looked at the issue in a bigger perspective, I can see where tools as a training mechanism might be helpful for leaders, especially if they have downline who live far away. I also can see a need to occasionaly "rah rah" rally type meetings to get people pumped up. However, I believe that some training can be accomplished over the internet at little or no cost to downline.

So having said this, I guess the question is whether upline is selling you training material as a means to train you or are they selling this material to you to empty your pockets. From what I have observed, both kinds of upline are out there. IBO's must observe and determine whether your upline looks at your business and advises the purchase of tools, or simply advises you to buy these materials without regard to your business profitability. If it's the latter, the it's caveat emptor. (Buyer beware)

Why Doesn't Quixtar Terminate The Abusers?

2008-10-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much, but I still read articles about quixtar. The subject is fascinating to me, at least from a psychological standpoint. The groupthink and subtle peer pressure that is applied to IBO's is interesting and it would make for a great study to register and infiltrate the rank and file IBO's to see what really is said and what goes on "in the trenches". I know the hardline critics have a position as well as the hardline supporters. I am guessing that both sides have a point and that the most common experience for IBO's is in the middle of the road.

My point is that the Quixtar executives could easily hire someone to join and sit in meetings, and easily audit functions and eliminate a lot of the abuse and bad practices that some groups teach. The issue seems very solvable yet for some reason, the abuse continues to this day. Until something is done to curb the antics of some upline, the corporation has to live with the dirty reputation that has permeated the United States and Canada.

IBO's Abused?

2008-09-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing too much quixtaring lately, but I did read a few articles that suggest that some IBO's are still being abused. That some groups still teach that there is no profit in tools, and that IBO's should dedicate themselves to the system of books, tapes, cd's and seminars. While dedication to an education system is not a bad thing, promoting an all out dedication to a system without regard to an individual IBO's circumstances seems irresponsible on the part of the upline who do this. Ironically, it is the same upline that profits from the tools, thus making it a self serving type of teaching. I don't believe it is a common practice among all groups, but there are 2-3 major ones where I believe IBO abuse still occurs.

Quixtar Income

2008-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

I recently read an interesting article and exhange of ideas regarding claims of income from some quixtar leaders. Here is a link: http://amthrax.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/tape-recording-income-claims/

I found it interesting that someone who is supposed to be wealthy and job free is defaulted on their mortgage. In reading the comments, I saw that possibly, the quixtar leader may have had a dispute with the lender, but as another commentor mentioned, shouldn't Mr. Duncan have paid the mortgage and settled the dispute through an arbitrator or attorney?

I am assuming that sooner or later, the truth will emerge in this case. But what I find intriguing is that when I saw the quixtar presentation, certainly I was lead to believe that the business, if done correctly, would result in extreme wealth as in mansions and sports cars. If this quixtar leader really is broke, it would not be a good endorsement of the business.

Amway Internet Wars?

2008-07-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

IBOFightback recently posted a thread about Amway's involvement in an internet war. I found the article interesting because I never realized how much of an impact the interent had in terms of being so influential in hoards of prospects seeking information on this controversial business.

I thought about it some more and realized that Amway is controversial because there are many myths about the corporation. Some of them positive and some of them negative. I think the myths such as ongoing passive income does not come from Amway, but from IBO's who are recruiting others. Then you have conversely, anti amway folks screaming scam scam scam.
Amway is perfectly legal in how it operates, but some of the distributors have done some things that are no a part of the Amway plan.

It would behoove Amway to infiltrate some of the meetings and clean up the rogue IBO's. It would help repair some of the issues that are raised by critics.

Until then, I think there is an internet war going on. Which side are you on?

Should Amway Blogs Be Balanced?

2008-07-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I was reading some comments on another blog and some posters wrote that a blog should not be
overly positive or negative? I started this blog out of curiosity about the Amway and Quixtar business. I read many other blogs, although I did not make many comments.

I don't feel as if a blog has to present any particular version of the issues. Whether positive or negative, bloggers and commentators will contribute to the discussion. I know one blogger, IBOfightback has been posting corrections to what he sees as inaccurate information about the business. It's very common in this paricular business for people to make misinformed comments as Amway is a very complicated business.

My personal feeling is that Amway can be a viable business, but my gut feeling is that it would require too much effort on my part, and maintaining my empire would take many Jedi Knights, so to speak.

If everyone was just upfront and honest about what it would take to build a business, the Amway name would not send people packing and keeping a group together woudn't be so hard. That being said, good luck to those who are willing to take the challenge.

All's Quiet in Amway

2008-06-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't written any new articles on Amway or Quixtar. Seems like nothings happening in the world ofn Amway or Quixtar recently. The only news was the groups that moved over to a new MLM. Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be much in the world of Amway.

I think it's the same old same old with most people in the business. Feel free to post news here:

Who is JoeCool?

2008-05-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am curious to know who JoeCool is. I know he runs blog about quixtar and I agree with some of his stuff, but I also disagree with some of his posts. Doing some research, all I could come up with was his name. His first name is Steve and a few months ago, he had some issues with being sent a threat and then someone also exposed his web activities that showed he was posting materials on a porn site.

Who is this mysterious anti quixtar crusader?

Is Amway A Real Business Or A Scam?

2008-04-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

I debated with a guy named IBOFightback recently and he somewhat agreed that some IBO's out there do crazy things. That being said, is Amway a good opportunity or a scam?

In my opinion, I feel that Amway can be a legitimate business is IBO's sell stuff and earn their money by having customers. But - hardly any IBO's operate this way.

Most IBOs, or at least the ones I have encountered, are all trying to build their business by recruiting people to join them. It is true that the higher levels of the business such as diamond cannot be achieved without sponsoring a fair number of downline. Thus for many IBO's, especially the ones who have been stirred up to dream big, they are eagerly seeking out potential IBO's. In the process of recruiting, many IBO's have flat out lied, or used deception to get people to their recruitment meetings. Not all IBO's do this obviously, but enough do so to soil the reputation of the corporation.

But the main point, is for every high level successful amway distributor, there is an army of lower level IBO's who are probably struggling to make a few bucks. I believe it is the systems that is the problem (functions and tapes). So amway itself is not a scam, the the system appears to be a scam.

Who Is IBO-Fightback?

2008-04-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've been debating some things on an amway related blog and encountered a guy named IBOfightback. After doing some research, I was able to find his real name was identified on the Amquix info website, and the Quixtar Blog Forum:

http://www.amquix.info/insider_revealed.html

Apparently Mr. David Steadson goes by the handles of "Insider" and "IBOfightback".

He runs a website called "The Truth About Amway". Some of his articles are factual, such as news about amway, but the other section of the website, where pros and cons discuss the amway business, is a lot of opinion.

I engaged ibofightback here: http://enagar.com/2008/01/27/amway-pyramid-scheme/

What I don't understand is how someone who doesn't appear to have accomplished anything in amway, or doesn't seem to understand that a business where deception is common and where mostly everyone fails, he thinks its a good opportunity.

Does anyone know if this guy works for Amway?

He was pretty rude and he seems to be a n'er do well who thinks he knows it all.

Is Quixtar A Scam?

2008-02-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

I've been reading up on quixtar and almost everything I have read about quixtar seems to show that the rich guys in quixtar make almost all of their money from selling cd's and function tickets and not by selling the quixtar junk. What is the truth out there?

What is Quixtar?

2008-01-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

One of my friends called me one day and ask me if I wanted to get involved with him on a business project. Being curious, I ask him what he meant. He says he will be working an internet business that can generate tons of money and that I can get in on it if I work with him.

I ask for more information and I get invited to a meeting at my friend's house. I get there and these guys are all wearing monkey suits. I ask why they are wearing suits to talk about an internet business and they said they are professionals and conduct business that way.

So the speaker talks about working a job for 40 years and retiring broke, then he talks about stocks being too risky for his liking, and then he talks about business. In particular, an internet business. He says an internet business is great because it can work while you sleep. He goes onto to describe how online sales are growing by leaps and bounds. It sounds good on the surface and I start getting interested. I ask for more information and I'm told the company's name is Quixtar. I leave the meeting kind of excited about being able to have a business for a low start up investment of only about $500 or so.

I go home and talk to my dad about it. He tells me that Quixtar is Amway and that nobody actually makes money with this business, except for the old timers who got in on the ground floor. I go on the internet and there's tons of stuff about Quixtar, both bad and good.

After further research, I concluded that my chances of success were less than favorable so I decided not to join. Sadly, my friend joined and told me that he could not associate with me very much anymore because he needed to associate with people who had a financial interest in his success.

What was my friend told that he felt a need to diss me? He spends all his time attending meetings it seems, and some of my other friends share this experience.

What is Quixtar?