The old mantra: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Direct Buy is another one of those deals (though I don't think they have the recruiting aspect). The question to ask is how much you'll save on stuff you actually want to buy and how much money you "earn" from recruiting people (or, conversely, how much you lose by not recruiting people). Myself, I'm just not interested in spending thousands on a big plasma TV or a houseful of new furniture; spending a couple grand for the privilege of buying from a limited product line and a limited number of dealers has even less appeal.

Steve,

My thoughts exactly.

Sellers want consumers money. I wouldn't want to shop at certain web sites and then have to pay shipping and probably handling on things. There would be little if any savings in that.

I see this as just another waste of money...like when Discover asks me if I want to pay insurance (they call it something else though)to have my bill paid in the event I cannot pay it for whatever reason.

I kindly so "No thanks. If something comes up, I'll just pull some money from savings to pay it off", since I pay it off each month anyway. Sheeeesh.

Sue

quote suziebaker: "It sounds like just another multi-level marketing skeem to me."
++++++++

You've answered your own question.

You know the old saying 'If it looks like a duck. Walks like a duck. Quakes like a duck................."

Also, NEVER shell out a lot of money for a "lifetime" membership for anything. How long are they going to be around for you to get a liftime of use out of them? You never heard of this company before, right? And you won't hear of them a year from now because they won't be around anymore.

It reminds me of all those people who coughed up HUNDREDS of dollars for "lifetime" memberships at video rental stores back in the early eighties. Eventually all those stores folded within five years.

I have serious doubts about any business model that requests the customers pay money just to be allowed to shop there. We pay the business when they do their work right and sell us something.

Frankly, if a store started making people pay admission just to walk through the door they wouldn't have many customers. I know I would go elsewhere. At the very least I would want to see the products and know their full prices before I joined up. Otherwise how would I know they're selling anything I want and at prices I like?

Next time someone tells you about it try saying "Sounds great, why don't you show me some of these sites?". That could be interesting in all kinds of ways. Remember, people who are being honest have nothing to hide - so never feel bad for asking hard questions and making people prove what they say.

I agree with that bry84, but quirky things sometimes do take off. Look at Sam's Club. There are similar stores in my area.

When they first came to my area, I never heard of them, and I thought it was a joke that they wanted customers to PAY a yearly membership fee to shop there. I never thought the idea would take off, but the parking lot of Sam's Club is packed everyday.

I tried to check out Sam's Club once, to see of the prices were really all that low, and they wouldn't even let me in the door with out a membership card. I tried to tell them that I just wanted to check the place out, to see if I wanted to join, and they still refused to let me in and just pointed to the registration desk, where I was suppose to plunk down my $ for a membership to get in without ever seeing the place.

Dispite their screwball policy, they have become very successful. I'm still scratching my head on that one. Who would ever *pay* to shop at a store where they don't even know WHAT they sell or what their prices are??

I'm thinking the way that shop works is based on customer psychology. By making people pay for a membership to shop there they're making their customers make a financial commitment which is likely to make them keep returning to shop there, the reason being that people like to feel they're getting their money's worth. Further still, once they've bought a membership and first walk in to the store they probably feel compelled to buy something or else feel they've wasted their money. I expect that store has a near 100% purchase rate for every new customer who walks in the door. I think these are smart business tactics. But, and this is the big question, does it pay off for the customers? Are the products good and do they save money there?

One of my favourite clothes/homeware shops insists every customer have a membership card, but it's free and I never actually receive anything like loyalty bonus or discounts. Occasionally I get a flier from them. To me the card is redundant plastic, I only keep it to shop there, I suspect they only insist on it so they can track every transaction and customer in every store. Market research at the extreme.

I think that store membership is the next big thing. It offers businesses a lot of advantages, but not always for customers. Where it's optional the stores tend to offer freebies and discounts to persuade customers to take part, but places where it's mandatory you either get nothing or in some examples actually pay for it. I think the trend will be away from optional and in to mandatory in the future as businesses like the control that it gives them. The bad news is less savings for all of us.

I also have suspicions that stores which try hard to pull customers in to expensive commitments might not be the cheapest places to shop, and they realise this, which is why they try to build a captive customer base.

You got a store.

You want to sell stuff.

I want to buy stuff.

I'm doing you a favour if I buy in your store.

You want *me* to pay *you* for the privilege of walking into your store???

I don't think so!!!

You won't even let me case the place without buying a membership???

For sure ... NOT!!

ole joyful (curmudgeon)

It is definitely a multi level marketing scheme. I work in hotels, and we had a 3 day meeting for a similar company at my hotel. It was absolutely creepy, and an obvious rip off. There was a 2 page list of rules that everyone at the hotel had to follow. If we broke any of the rules, the meeting people (the ones at the top of the pyramid) would get all their money back plus penalties. The rules had a LOT to do with keeping financial secrets from the attendees. Other rules were related to nightly audits of the hotel charges, and the language of those rules really meant that they were totally paranoid about getting ripped off. I found that very ironic. I was able to observe several of the meetings, and felt the need to shower after doing so.

IMO, these 'smart people' you mention are not smart at all, and they are looking to you (and everyone they've ever known) to help support themselves, via signing people up. And believe me, that $2,000 is only the beginning.

By the way, they tried to sign me up, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gotta love Google

I agree with the others...just another multi-level marketing thing. Some friends of ours are into a new MLM "business" and it's driving us crazy. They've been downright rude about us not joining. They'll tell us things about how great the product is, how much better life would be if we had it, blah blah blah. I don't care if the product is the fountain of youth, I'm not buying in! I refuse to be part of something that turns my family and friends into potential "marks". Friendship and family are much more important than boosting numbers...at least to us. Besides, if the product is SO good, why can't they just sell it in stores like normal businesses? Why must it be sold only to a limited # of people, through a very limited format?

A neighbor signed up to sell stuff...a multi level marketing group. I forget the name. She had to make $50 of sales (a month I think)or buy that much for herself.

I declined buying anything, realizing it was not THAT much better, to warrant such a high price.

To this day, she is still buying $50 worth of soaps, cleaning products, and lotions....says it is well worth it.

I'd think that would be quite a bit of stuff for a family of 2.

I live alone, and don't spend near $25 a month for the things she buys/sells.

The way I see it, is it just isn't a good deal.

Oh, now you went and did it! You mentioned one of my pet peeves! Sam's Club! My sister gave me a membership and I used it (actually had it) for a couple of years and said no thanks. I don't need 5 gallon pails of peanut butter, nor do I need 20 pounds of meat at a time, all at outrageous prices. They had a few deals on discontinued items but even they weren't great deals. Then you wait 25 minutes in one of the three checkout lines they'll have open. The other ten checkouts are to take up space so you can't maneuver in the store. Try to get help to load a recliner? Forget it, they don't do that. And of course you then stand in line another 10 minutes to check out again at the exit door because you might steal something from one of the empty checkout lanes.

I save far more by shopping elsewhere, including saving what little sanity I have left.

ARGH!

(thanks, I needed that vent...)

Take a look at this:

http://www.alwaysreview.com/teamnational.htm

Steer clear!

Here is a link that might be useful: review of Team National

How much money do you have to spend to break even on your 2 grand?

If they give you an average of 10% off items then you have to spend $20,000 or about $385 a week for a full year to break even.

If you get ~ 20% off you have to spend 10,000 to break even in one year.

So you have to figure how much you save to break even and then will you spend more than that and actually save money? And this doesn't count the lost interest if you just invested the money.

Hey all-

I understand your skepticism. I was very skeptical about a year and a half ago when a good friend of my family approached me to look at Team National. I honestly did not even want to look at the company, but I agreed to simply because he was a friend and he asked me to. He is a very respected community leader where I live and is also a very successful businessman who certainly did not need any extra money that might be generated by selling me something (which is what I assumed he must be trying to do). I in fact went to my meeting with this friend with the intention of listening to him and then politely saying no thank-you. However, when I saw what the company was doing and the different ways that were possible to save money, I was intrigued, but still skeptical. I then asked my friend to come to my home to show my wife the same presentation so that she could see what I saw. She too was very skeptical, but we both knew that if the company in fact would do what they said they would do, we would be foolish not to buy a benefits package. After a couple of days of thinking a praying about our decision, we decided that the possible return was well worth the risk of the $2000 expense that several of you have referred to. We purchased that benefits package a year and a half ago and we have been extremely happy with our savings. We have saved over $3500 in the time that we have owned our package. Not on automobiles or furniture or any of the bigger ticket items that some of you discussed. We have cut our insurance, our long-distance, or internet bill, gotten $700 worth of cell phone equipment for free, have cut our gas expense by 10% and saved on countless other things. We continue to save money ever single month. Not only have we saved, but my parents and grandparents and my wife's parents and grandparents have been able to save money as well because our benefits package covers them too. They have never had to spend a dime, and we have been able to help them cut their expenses. We have been very blessed by our decision to make that $2000.00 investment. Not only do we not have to pay another dime to the company, but we will continue to save money for the rest of our lives. My wife and I are 23 years old and we are super excited about this company. The company has been around for 10 years for those of you who are worried about it dissappearing sometime soon. It did its first $100 million year last year and has surpassed the $150 million mark this year. Like I said before, I understand your skepticism, but it has sure been a great decision for us. My dad used to say that a wise person doesn't make a judgement about something without getting all the facts. I am sure glad I followed his advice when I was approached about the National Companies. I would recommend that you all quit basing your decisions about this company on the opinions of people who have never even looked at the facts surrounding the company. Do yourself a favor and get the information for yourself because if you decide to purchase a benefits package, you WILL save a lot of money. If you have questions about anything, I would be glad to answer them. Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: National Companies Homepage

So you registered just today, and this is your first post.

It sounds worded exactly like one of the "testimonials" that pyramids use in spammed emails.

Sorry, I use math and facts to make my decision and Team National doesn't add up.

We purchased that benefits package a year and a half ago and we have been extremely happy with our savings. We have saved over $3500 in the time that we have owned our package

Well, I don't mean to belittle what you have saved, but I haven't even spent that much in a year and a half on We have cut our insurance, our long-distance, or internet bill, gotten $700 worth of cell phone equipment for free, have cut our gas expense by 10%.

In the next year or so, I may purchase a new tv (27" There are countless 'free' ways to cut the cost of
insurance, home, auto,health,
long-distance, and local phone services
internet bill,
cell phone equipment and plans both prepaid and otherwise,
gas expense.

I hate to say this, but I wouldn't waste $2000, in the hopes of trying to recoup it in several lifetimes.

Perhaps Money Saving Tips was the worst possible board you could have chosen to try and sell anyone on 'your pyramid scheme'.

You might try posting on a Yahoo board somewhere.

My mother raised no dummies...LMBO

Sue