People were asking on Google, Quora and also on other websites, “Is Scentsy a Pyramid Scheme?”

I have written this Scentsy review to answer your questions and give information about their company. I am not affiliated with Scentsy and I am not promoting their products. The sole purpose of this article is to inform you about their opportunity and I’ll also share my own opinion of it.

Are you ready to hear more? Let’s go!

Scentsy Review

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Founded: By sister-in-laws Kara Egan and Colette Gunnell in 2003 out of Salt Lake City, Utah

Costs to join: Standard kit $99, Essential kit $49

Type: Wickless candles, tarts, and tart warmers

Short Review: Scentsy brand and products have a good reputation in the market. People are willing to buy a little bit extra for the brand. However, as a money-making opportunity, Scentsy requires lots of work and effort. A small percentage (~1%) of Scentsy consultants are making a full-time income with this system but most members are spending more money than they are earning.

If you are looking for a better opportunity to make money from home, I recommend taking a look at this free step-by-step training. It will also teach how you can succeed with MLM-programs if they are your interest. On the other hand, you don’t need to join any MLM if you just follow that training and want to make a living online.

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What is Scentsy?

Scentsy is a multilevel direct selling company that utilizes the party plan model for selling candle tarts, wickless candles, as well as tart warmers. This company has a number of multi-level sales associates known as consultants that sell their products. They have recently added a line of bath products, cosmetics, laundry items, and related products. There are several hundred thousand consultants that represent Scentsy so we are talking about quite a big company.

Scentsy was founded by Kara Egan and Colette Gunnel who operated this company has a home-based business in Salt Lake City. In 2004 Orville Thompson heard of these candles and purchased the business from these ladies. They continue to work as company consultants. The company was developed to a multi-level marketing company and the products are sold at home parties, online, and at various craft shows.

From May 2009 to January 2010 this company has seen a drastic increase in consultants. They went from having 30,000 people on the team all the way to 75,000. This made it one of the fastest growing consumer product companies in the United States.

You can see on Google Trends (image below) that their popularity goes up every autumn when people like to use candles and warmers. During the spring sales go down. The trend seems to show up every year:

Now, let’s have a closer look at their product.

Scentsy Products

Scentsy has a number of different products. The products that they are most known for are their warmers. These warmers are wickless and they come in a number of different styles and designs. Some are meant to be decorative and other come in designs such as animal design. There are some warmers that feature sports teams. They can be plugged into the wall and some are mini warmers for smaller rooms.

Tart candles are also sold by Scentsy. They come in many different scents. Some are fresh and clean while others have warm and rich smells. There are fruit scents and some scents even resemble baked goods.
As it increased in popularity Scentsy has developed a number of laundry products as well. They have a line of clean and fresh smelling detergents and laundry disks.

There are a number of Scentsy products for the body. There are creams, lotions, and body washes. They have fruit scents as well as fresh scents. There is something for every taste.

These products are what many would consider being expensive. The average warmer costs around $30-50. The body products are averaged priced. The creams go for $9 a tube on average which many people feel is good for the scents that they provide.

What do you think about Scentsy products and their pricing?

Some of their creams and wellness products seem pretty similar to other MLM-systems like Amway, Mary Kay, and others. As you know, I am not a big fan of MLM-pricing. With affiliate marketing, I can offer bonuses, discounts and cheaper products than any MLM-system.

How Much Does It Cost to Join Scentsy?

To get started as a Scentsy consultant it is going to cost a person $99 (or $49 for a cheaper kit) and the price is $119 for Canadian consultants. This price includes support from the Scentsy team as well as everything that is needed to run a Scentsy business.

In order to remain a consultant, a person will need to earn 200 points or more in one calendar month for at least three months. Scentsy uses their own system to calculate points for each sale.

Consultants will receive 20 percent commission. Once they sell $1,000 worth of products their commission rate will go up to 25 percent. In my opinion, their sales commissions are quite huge for this kind of physical products. On the other hand, it also tells how much “extra” there is in their pricing.

When you start as a Scentsy consultant you have an opportunity to get a personal website for promoting their products. First 3 months are free and afterward, they’ll charge $10/month. Probably one of the most effective ways of making sales is nowadays through your website.

This training will teach you how to make sales through your websites even while you are sleeping. I use that system myself and you can apply the principles to any MLM-program as well.

When a consultant purchases the starter kit they will get order forms, invitations for parties, catalogs, samples of warmers and a scent pack, candle bar, a scent circle, room spray, 1 test of party tester scent samples, and a DVD for training purposes.

A consultant does not have to keep an inventory. The samples will allow customers to get a feel for the scents and the products. All the consultant has to do is put in customer orders. On the other hand, it can also take quite a lot of time compared to earning passive income through your website.

More experienced Scentsy consultants will help you plan the first party and provide support even after that. There are weekly training calls and even an annual convention for support. Based on my knowledge and experience it’s quite important that you have a good mentor inside Scentsy. If your mentor doesn’t know how to do things well, it can be quite a struggle for you as well. That’s why I recommend looking for a good team if you join their system.

Scentsy Compensation Plan

You can have a look at the Scentsy compensation plan in the following video. It also tells more interesting details about their system.

NOTE: The following video is created by a Scentsy consultant and it’s promoting their program.

After purchasing the Starter Kit a consultant has to earn a specific amount of points each month. These points will help a seller earn a commission.

Scentsy consultants want to tell that their products are easy to sell the Scentsy products. “They are top quality and they almost sell themselves. With an online store, a person has an even bigger chance of making these points and increasing their commission.”

However, my experience and cold facts show that starting any kind of business is not so as easy as they want you to believe. If you have a look at Scentsy income disclosure statement, it shows that only an extremely small percentage of their consultants are making any significant money with the system.

 

First of all, the chart shows that it takes usually years to earn any good money with their system. Second, it tells us that only less than 1% of all consultants are making a full-time income with the system.

So, shall we forget the easy? Making money with Scentsy requires a massive amount of hard work, dedication and commitment.

Scentsy Reviews and Complaints

People that have signed up for Scentsy gave their options about working for this company. Let me first give you a few examples of positive reviews what people have told.

Sara from Ohio has stated that she felt that when she joined Scentsy she was joining a group of like-minded positive people. Sara said that it was more like a family than a company. There is no competition among consultants and everyone is willing to help each other become successful.

Connie from Indiana stated that the work can be challenging at times and does require effort. In order for the consultant to be successful, they need to put in the work. She stated that the team members are very helpful but it is a good way to stay busy.

Mary from Tennessee loves being part of the Scentsy team. She has a full-time job so she said that getting started was hard. It took some time to get out and meet people and find the time to attend crafting events, yard sales, and fairs. She said that while it was a slow start it was well worth sticking it out.

This kind of reviews Scentsy wants you to see. People mostly explain about the positive sides. It’s great to hear that many Scentsy consultants are enjoying the program and they can belong to a community.

On the other hand, there are also hundreds of negative reviews of their program on the Internet. I don’t go into detail here but you can read more on this website.

One typical complaint is their requirement for sales during the first months. Most consultants are not able to sell right off the bat so they are forced to buy product themselves. In the end, you may end up having lots of Scentsy product but empty pockets.

Conclusion – Is Scentsy Worth It?

Let’s go back first to our initial question, “Is Scentsy a pyramid scheme?” No, it’s not a pyramid scheme because they have real products and earnings don’t solely depend on recruiting new members. However, the more important question is whether their system is worth it or not.

Like we saw in their income disclosure, more than 99% of people don’t make a full-time income with their system. If you gather 100 people and all of them join Scentsy, only 1 of them will make money that can be considered as a full-time income in the U.S. I am not saying that you couldn’t be in that 1% but I’m just pointing out that it’s not an easy way to earn money.

Of course, there are many Scentsy consultants who just use it as a hobby rather than an income opportunity. But remember that hobbies usually cost more money than they make.

All in all, Scentsy has good products and an OK system. If you are interested in their niche and you are a business-minded and driven person, you can definitely join.

One question that I would still think is that how will you market their products even though they are expensive than similar products in Target, Walmart or other supermarkets. With MLM-programs clients don’t only pay for the product but also for the brand.

Anyway, in the end, I also want to offer you an opportunity to earn money from home like I do. I am thankful for people who have taught me to make it and now it’s time to pay back. Have a look at this step-by-step training (FOR FREE) if you are interested in earning a living online.

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What do you think about Scentsy? Have you been involved in similar MLM-programs?

Would you like to learn how to make sales through your websites while you are sleeping?

Let me know in the comments below!