♦ REFRESH to rotate MAAMAW'S CLICKY NOTES thru this space..... Timely Tips, Best of the Boards & More ♦
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS!  Research all business opportunities thoroughly, and never blow off other people's bad experiences.  Ask around (and listen!).  The Scams101 Message Board is a good place to start.  What's that?  You've found a Biz Op and you're wondering if it's endorsed by FIB?...  Not unless it's listed in MaaMaw's Magnificent Toolbox.






[ View Thread ] [ Post Response ] [ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Msg ] [ Read Next Msg ]

FIB - Scams 101

you can keep your $50, but....

Posted By: Patricia Griffin
Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007, at 3:49 p.m.(pst)

In Response To: A Friendly Challenge - $50 Prize (Jack Bastide)

>> I'd like to Know What you guys can find wrong
>> With Send Out Cards.

Well, when I went to a distributor's site, I found out that if I wanted to send a birthday card to my brother and one to my daughter in law (this month) I would have to join and buy a distributor package -- I was being encouraged to pay $400 for it. And there was something that looked like autoship (a monthly fee) added towards that. Or I can buy a "retail account" which is $25 for an annual fee, and 49 cents per point plus postage, so to send those 3 cards I fork over $28 plus postage.

At nearly $10 per card for these 3 cards, I'm far more motivated to find a local shop and get them there and mail 'em myself. Counting gas and car expenses that would come out to about $4 per card if I went across town to get the cards. Kind of expensive. Speaking from the customer's point of view, there's no incentive to purchase.

But wait... I get back a percentage from SOC? Erm... gee. Unless they're sending you a rebate of $6 for every card you send no matter if you have NO downline, I save a lot more money driving out and getting them.

And their cards aren't funny. We send each other funny cards.

Now... if I go to Blue Mountain Cards, I can create and print free cards... and it includes humorous cards. Blue Mountan has a free membership for one month.

Cardsremembered.com allows you to create calendars and they will mail out the cards you select on that date. I can get 32 for $75, which is about 3 years' of sending cards for me. If I wanted to send 250 cards to my nearest and dearest editors (ha!) it'd cost me $600...but there are cheaper services out there.

At Hallmark.com, I can personalize and send (they mail it) 100+ cards for $1.59 per card (and they're Hallmark cards) so my hypothetical mailout to the darling editors is only around $400... and there's no monthly fee. It was easy to find a single card and send it off... and they had cute gift items if I wanted to send something to someone while I was e-shopping there.

None of the above were true at SOC... I couldn't find a quick and easy way to send one card to my brother there.

Bottom line: there's no incentive for any customer (other than perhaps your downline) to shop there.

>> Do your research and Post something here
>> as to why This is NOT a viable opportunity

Because there are 2.5 MILLION "send a greeting card" sites (free, paid, ecard and paper card with mailing or mailed to you so you can mail, plus combos of all the above.) How ya gonna get your site noticed, cookie? Phil and Shiela Barnhart paid a lot of money to get their SOC link at the bottom of Google's sponsored links for a "greeting cards" search -- but it doesn't come up on every search, even of the same terms. No SOC site shows up on the front page of a Yahoo search... None shows up on the first page of MSN search, though the greeting cards from Tomball Hospital do show up there.

How are you going to drive those crowds there?

And what if you don't live in America or what if you wanted to send a card to a friend in Canada or England?

Anyway, bottom line:

* From a business point, it is expensive to get into and getting your URL in front of any potential customer is going to be very costly and time-consuming for you. How do you (cheaply) build the recommended downline of 5,100 distributors below you?

* From a "stumbled on your website and I want to send a card to my grandma" customer standpoint, there's no reason to choose a product from your website.

You're welcome to your MLM, but I can get money easier and faster writing articles and poems. And I get paid dollars for each item and can resell them, too.

Messages In This Thread

[ View Thread ] [ Post Response ] [ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Msg ] [ Read Next Msg ]

FIB - Scams 101 is maintained by Lesley Fountain with WebBBS 5.12.







NOTICE TO SCUMBEEZLES
(you know who you are... you scream "Foul!" when the truth comes out)
        PLEASE READ THIS LEGAL NOTICE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU FILE A LAWSUIT OR EVEN WASTE TIME THINKING ABOUT IT.  It has been done before, but never successfully.  In fact, the last dodobird who tried it ended up being ordered to pay more than $77,000 in attorney fees ($65,000+ to my attorneys and $12,000+ to my co-defendant's legal advisor).
        If your attorney is worth his salt, he's going to tell you that the expense of filing a lawsuit you can't win is a whole lot worse than any "damages" resulting from messages posted on this insignificant little chunk of cyberspace.
        NEWS FLASH:  I didn't just climb down off that ol' turnip truck yesterday.  I'm well aware that expressing a negative opinion, relating one's personal experience, and restating provable facts are all legal in this country and do not constitute libel, slander, or defamation -- so you don't want to play games with me, and you sure don't want to start something you aren't prepared to finish.  I don't take threats lightly, and I don't accept bribes (or did you call it a "mutually-beneficial arrangement"?).  I'll turn you in faster than you can yell, "ARREST ME, I'M SCUM!!" 
        Do yourself a favor and turn your legal team loose in greener pastures.
        Although we may, from time to time, monitor or review discussions, postings and the like on the Friends In Business (Scams 101) Message Board, we are under no obligation to do so.  We are not responsible or liable for any claim arising from the content of any such discussions or postings or for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, profanity, danger, or inaccuracy contained in any information contained within such locations on the Site.
        You are prohibited from posting or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane materials or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law.  You are likewise prohibited from posting any false claims against any company or individual.  We will fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity of anyone posting any such information or materials.
        By posting messages and/or content on the Friends In Business (Scams 101) Message Board, you give permission for Lesley Fountain/Friends In Business/Shoestring Success Publications to display, distribute and use the posting and content for publication, advertising, promotion, excerption or example. You grant Lesley Fountain/Friends In Business/Shoestring Success Publications complete, perpetual, but non-exclusive rights to use, archive, reproduce, adapt, modify, distribute, sub-license, repurpose, rework, compile, or offer for sale or resale the messages, postings or content appearing on this site in whole or in part, throughout the world and universe, on a royalty-free basis without remuneration.  If you cannot accept or agree with the terms of service for this website and discussion board, you are advised not to post on this board.
        In closing, I would like to remind you once again that it is still legal, in this great country of ours, to express a PERSONAL OPINION, as long as it is presented as opinion and not as fact.
        And finally, all you scammers out there will do well to remember that TRUTH IS AN ABSOLUTE DEFENSE against charges of libel, defamation, and slander... so if you're operating just a hop, skip, and jump ahead of the law, you might want to think twice before doing anything stupid... (AND SHAME ON YOU!!).