(Last Updated on November 5, 2022)
Shaklee is a company that has been around for quite a long time.
They do offer not only a various products and services to the customers but also an MLM (multi-level marketing) business opportunity.
I know.
These days tons of folks are skeptical about brands like a Shaklee, because of rumors abound about how MLM companies are pyramid schemes that rip off their members.
Does this mean that all MLMs are bad? Absolutely not.
We’re not affiliated with this company in any way, and we’re here to give you the straight dirt about Shaklee before you become affiliated with them.
That way you’ll be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not you’d actually like to join them.
What is Shaklee?
Shaklee is one of the seemingly endless numbers of wellness MLM companies.
They have one thing going for them compared to other MLMs in the niche, though: they’ve been around for a very long time.
In fact, some people view Shaklee as the alpha MLM company.
That’s because they’ve been selling nutritional supplements, shakes, herbs and other wellness products for more than half a century now.
That’s right – Shaklee was first started in 1956.
The company began in the humble town of Pleasanton.
Nowadays, they’ve expanded quite a bit – their annual revenue nets them almost a billion dollars a year, and they’ve spread to have operations in Canada, Japan, Mexico, China, and other parts of Asia.
(One might wonder about the moral or ethical considerations of a primarily Western company expanding their business to various third-world countries, though.)
Either way, Shaklee makes a lot of money.
Does that mean that you can make money with the company?
We’ll tell you in a bit.
Shaklee: What Do They Sell?
Shaklee focuses on wellness products, which means that they sell things that are intended to improve or supplement your overall health.
The things that they are most well known for includes skin care products, home care products, nutritional supplements and foods, and products for helping you manage your weight.
They have a lot of eco-friendly products that are intended to help the environment and reduce the overall carbon footprint of humanity.
Their products are also well-researched and backed by studies.
Shaklee Most Popular Products
Shaklee has a lot of different products.
They are known for being high-quality and the company makes sure to back their products with a lot of research.
They also focus on developing and innovating new products from the ground up so they’re very aware of what they’re selling.
Some of the products are more popular than others.
Some of the most popular products have even been around for decades.
Here are the most popular Shaklee products at this time.
Vitalized Immunity Supplement
This is a great supplement that’s advertised as being a powerful immune booster for winter, but realistically it works any time of the year.
It contains a good blend of more than 19 minerals, vitamins, and herbs.
It basically functions like a multivitamin with some extra herbal supplements.
It’s naturally sweetened and will provide you with a hefty dose of nutrition.
You’re supposed to dissolve one of the tablets in around 4-6 ounces of water before drinking it.
Get Clean Starter Kit
This is a home cleaning product and it’s great for helping to keep your house shiny and fresh without resorting to harsh chemicals.
This is an organic formula that can be used to help clean your kitchen, your bathroom, your bedroom – anywhere!
Vitalizer
Many people agree that this is, hands down, the best product from Shaklee.
It’s a portable vitamin strip that has been promoted by clinical studies.
It’s supposed to help the body absorb nutrients, which the product also supplies.
You can consume the Vita-Strip quite easilly and its known to improve all areas of health.
Does Shaklee Work?
Shaklee products are backed by quite a bit of research and they go through extensive testing before they are released.
They have a tendency to use all-natural ingredients so there isn’t really much debate as to whether or not they work.
They certainly do.
Unfortunately, some customers have not been very responsive to Shaklee products.
This is the same with any health products – they work for some people and they don’t work for others.
Despite some of the negative reviews left about this company, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that they have low quality products.
Judging by the high quality ingredients that they use and the testing that the products go through, we can be certain that their products are just as effective as any other natural wellness product.
Shaklee MLM Business Opportunity
Shaklee offers members the chance to join the ranks of their company and increase in power.
This is known as an MLM opportunity.
Members are able to recruit new members, who can sell products on their own and then recruit even more members.
The more products you sell and the more people that you recruit, the better able you will be to receive benefits from the company.
Typically inmost MLMs, you will go up in ranks as you work for the company.
The higher your rank, the better benefits you’ll get.
Shaklee: The Compensation Plan
Shaklee’s MLM business opportunity is fairly simple compared to some of the other ones that you can join these days.
That’s probably because the company has been around for so dang long.
They’re pioneers of the modern MLM game, and their compensation plan reflects that.
There are quite a few different ways that you can make cash with this company.
One of the easiest ways is to make profit off of the products that you buy.
Just like other MLMs, you also get more income if you recruit members.
If you do this in your first three months, you can qualify for a Power Bonus.
Selling enough of certain products in a certain timeframe will allow you to qualify for a Gold Bonus.
If you manage to rank up quick enough, you’ll get the FastTrack bonus… et cetera, et cetera.
Basically, like any other MLM, Shaklee wants to make sure you recruit and sell as much as you can, as fast as you can.
Every product that you can sell has a point value associated with it.
You need to order at least 100 points worth of products every month to stay active.
This will cost you about $150.
This might sound expensive but remember if you’re a good salesperson you can make the money right back with profit.
You can also earn commission on products.
As your team gets bigger you’ll earn more commission and increase in rank.
Here are the ranks:
- 250 points per month earns 4% commission at the rank of Distributor
- 500 points per month earns 8%commission at the rank of Distributor
- 1000 points per month earns 12% commission at the rank of Associate
- 1500 points per month earns 14% commission at the rank of Associate
- 2000+ points per month earns 20% commission at the rank of Director
Once you or someone reaches the level of director, your points will no longer contribute to your total score.
However, after that you earn the status as a “leader.”
There are 10 more ranks you can go through once you’re a leader.
Leaders are known to earn anywhere from $4,155 a year to $955,066 yearly from commission payments.
Is Shaklee A Pyramid Scheme?
Most MLM companies can be defined as pyramid schemes, though they’re not necessarily schemes.
They’re simply businessn structures that operate from the bottom up, and they form a pyramid structure when they’re observed on a graph or a chart.
Think about it – the people at the bottom feed those above them, and this continues all the way to the top.
The people at the top of the pyramid will make more money than those at the bottom.
This is why it’s best to jump into an MLM opportunity when it’s relatively new.
Shaklee Reviews & Complaints
There are a wide variety of customers reviews that have been posted about this company.
That’s to be expected – they have been around for a very long time.
They have quite a few positive reviews, and a few that aren’t so good.
One customer, who has been a part of Shaklee for over 30 years and has used their products for even longer, is quite happy with them.
She says she has “outstanding health,” and attributes her “improved eyesight” and a “halted tendency for arthritis” to the products that she’s used.
She says that the company is “like a family, with helpful information,” and approved of the fact that their products are “based on scientific studies done by a team of scientists.”
Some people have had trouble with refunds, though this seems to be the case with many MLM companies.
One person said that “it’s very hard to get a refund,” and that “you have to wait a long time” for the products to be returned.
Reviews are generally positive, though.
There are many reviews from people who have used Shaklee for several decades, and these people seem to swear by the company.
Another customer reported that she “found Shaklee 25 years ago and have never looked back.”
This definitely speaks for the integrity of the company.
Shaklee Prices & Where To Buy
Being an MLM, you would assume that the best place to buy Shaklee products is from its market partners.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
You can get a lot of the products that you would buy from market partners off of online retailers, like Amazon.
For example:
- Shaklee Advanced Joint Health Complex, a vitamin formula designed to help people manage the health of their joint and bones, is only $32.99 on Amazon. This includes shipping, which you would have to pay extra for if you purcahsed it from a market partner.
- Shaklee Vitalizer for Women, a 30-strip package of their Vita-strips, will cost you $58.99, or $1.97 a piece on Amazon. Again, this product will be the same or more if you purchase it from a market partner – plus you’ll have to pay for shipping.
If you want to support market partners – say, if you have a friend or family member who is hoping to improve their ranks from Shaklee – then you should buy from them.
However if you haven’t been directly contacted by a market partner, you’re going to be better off buying these products online yourself
Shaklee Money Back Guarantee & Refund Policy
Shaklee offers a refund & return policy in accordance to the Shaklee Guarantee.
This means that the refunds will only be issued if the products are bought directly from Shaklee.
In this case, they’ll refund you the full amount minus shipping, which you’ll still have to cover.
In regards to purchasing products from distributors, the guarantee says that the distributor must honor the agreement.
They must immediately refund the customer.
They will then be refunded by the company.
Shaklee Pros & Cons
It’s good to understand the positives and negatives of any company if you’re planning to join them or do business with them.
Pros
- The company has been around for a long time and this speaks for their integrity.
- Many of the members have been dedicated for decades.
- Reviews online are generally positive.
- Tests their products with a team of scientists.
- They are known to use high quality ingredients and have effective products.
Cons
- Can take a long time for refunds and returns to beissued.
- Since the company is so old it can be difficult to jump in as an MLM partner.
Shaklee Review: Final Verdict
Shaklee is one of the few MLM companies that seems very solid.
The fact that they have been thriving for more than half a century is enough to suggest this, but there are also tons of customers reviews and reports to support this idea.
If you are looking to join an an MLM partner, then you should go ahead.
Remember – it’s still an MLM company, and you won’t make millions right away.
However, they’ll treat you good and you can supply people with good products.
So, what do you think about our Shaklee review? Would you buy this product or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Awesome and fair, balanced analysis. Thanks
I signed up in the 80’s,under a aunt of mine. I knew how healthy she had become and I really studied the info. Wanted to try it myself. I became a distributor for myself and not to make money. I’ve used a lot of supplements in my life but Shaklee wins hands down! They don’t hurt my stomach, I never threw up like so many others! Shaklee doesn’t increase my appetite. My health got so much better! Life changed a lot for me due the years and I haven’t been able to continue using Shaklee because of cost. I grieve every day about it! Most cheaper supplements make me so sick!! Where I take a multi vitamin I look at it & wish it was Shaklee. I am going to try and buy a couple of things though. Someone gave me 2 btls.of CVS vitamin C & I can’t take it! It starts burning my stomach with in 5 minutes. I’m using Walgreens Vitamin E on scars too and it burns the skin. I could go on for a long time about Shaklee but will stop for now. Needless to say I love the company and really love and believe in the products!!!