Another health and wellness company! But this one’s different. The NASA Commander Mark Kelly on the Endeavour, 2011, consumed Shaklee’s supplements for a year. If you’re wondering what Shaklee’s business opportunity is about, you definitely need to read this.
Just knowing famous people like Mark and some of the world’s best athletes won medals were driven not only by their sheer determination but also from Shaklee products is pretty cool.
Isn’t this convincing enough you too could be successful by joining forces into their business opportunity?
In this review, I’ll reveal whether the products really work or not, whether you can make a sustainable long-term income, their pros and cons, and more.
Just so you know, I am not in any associated with Shaklee. I have done hundreds of product researches and written reviews on them in hopes of helping you make informed decisions.
I am also familiar with MLM having participated in health and wellness, candles, and skincare companies.
Let’s begin…
Shaklee Review Summary
Product Name: Shaklee
Founder: (1956) Forrest C Shaklee
Product Type: Health, Wellness and Personal Care MLM Company
Price: Free, and up to $150 on memberships
Best For: People who enjoy socializing and not afraid to do face to face sales and presentations
Summary: Shaklee is a legitimate MLM company that does manufacturing and is a distributor of their weight loss, nutritional, and eco-friendly products. People who joined early years ago in the business opportunity are doing well but if you’re just starting, it’s tough to make a sustainable long-term income because there are lots of competitors in their market.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Is Shaklee Recommended? No
Table of Contents
What Is Shaklee
Shaklee is an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) company founded in 1956 by Forrest C. Shaklee.
As a public company (Pleasanton, California) it got its start in manufacturing nutritional supplements and then in 1960, it started promoting its organically biodegradable cleaning products.
Like the MLM business model, the Shaklee does 2 things:
- They sell their nutritional supplements, weight loss, beauty, and household products.
- They offer people their MLM business opportunity.
Currently, Shaklee is also located in other countries like:
- Canada
- China
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Taiwan
They had an operation in Mexico (26 years) but they finally closed the doors on November 30, 2018.
Inside Shaklee – The Products
Can any of Shaklee’s wide range of products help our human issues from weight loss to anti-ageing? Let’s find out…
The Shaklee products consist of 5 categories:
- Nutrition – multi-vitamins, prenatal, protein shakes, products that target the heart, blood sugar levels, anti-ageing products, bones and join, cleanses and detox and much more.
- Healthy Weight – weight loss kits, shakes, bars and snacks, tea, and metabolic boosts
- Beauty – anti-ageing products, moisturizers, makeup, skincare for babies
- Sports – performance paks, body recovery and muscle repairs, energizers, and electrolyte drinks
- Green Home – household cleaning products for dishes, laundry, all-purpose cleaning, water filtrations, and commercial, and clean air source products
Do Shaklee Products Work?
I’ll start by saying that Shaklee has 71 patents and patents-pending backed by scientific documents numbering well over 100 and so that’s quite impressive.
I also want to let you know I don’t consume any of their products. I workout 4 days a week at a local Bootcamp (no, not boasting either).
Recently, I went thru bone density and cholesterol tests, my first-time and I’m no “spring chicken”. I have a clean bill of health. The only thing I take is my B100 Complex, Omega 3 & CoQ10, Calcium with Vitamin D3, protein powder without sucralose. A lot of healthy foods, lots of broccoli, kale, oranges, and blueberries.
Anyway, because I don’t use Shaklee products, I did my research…
To see if Shaklee products really work, let’s take a look at what some consumers are saying about the products:
During my research, I noticed people were also purchasing Shaklee products on Amazon and you can CLICK HERE to see what they’re saying. For example, the Shaklee Vita-Lea Gold w/Vitamin K has an impressive 4.7 stars out of 5. It has a total of 45 reviews on it with 41 being positive.
More on Amazon:
Shaklee Herb Lax receives 5 stars with 36 reviews
Shaklee Nutriferon receives 5 stars with 4 reviews
Shaklee Gentle Sleep Complex receives 3 stars with 8 reviews
BBB
Everyone’s body is different in achieving results so if you’re interested in these products then it’s up to you to try them or not.
There are people who can experience side effects on certain Shaklee products. For instance, people who are on heart medications or have diabetic issues should be aware of unusual feelings. Shaklee is very similar to Isagenix weight-loss products that are high in sugar.
The Shaklee 180 has a lot of sugar in their shakes along with their soy protein which by the way does have some potentially harmful effects and so in my opinion, you’re better off eating healthy whole foods.
According to Diets In Review, you can see some of the people who gave reviews after using the Shaklee 180…
The problem with the Shaklee 180 is it has natural cane sugar and so not very many people are losing weight. In fact, some people are putting weight on it. There are 20 grams of sugar per 2 shake serving and that’s a lot of sugar in my opinion.
That’s not even counting anything else that might be in your weight loss program.
If you want to lose weight, I suggest staying away from any type of weight-loss product. The best way to lose weight is to exercise, eat proportioned healthy foods and vegetables, and drink plenty of water. Trust me, you’ll feel much better and energized.
By the way, weight-loss products are only a temporary solution.
Making Money With Shaklee – The Business Opportunity
Typical to MLM model, Shaklee offers you 2 ways to make money:
- You purchase the products at wholesale prices and sell them at retail prices. The difference is your retail commission.
- You join into their business opportunity, recruit people into your downline and earn commissions on their sales of products.
However, Shaklee is different from other MLM companies in that they offer you 4 different membership levels:
The 4 membership levels are:
- Consumer
- Member
- Distributor
- Qualified Distributor
Level 1 Consumer Membership (Free)
Here you’re a consumer and only interested in purchasing Shaklee products at retail prices for your own use.
This membership is FREE and you are not entitled to any commissions or bonuses.
Level 2 Member Membership ($19.95 One-Time Fee Lifetime)
In this membership, you are still a consumer wanting to use the products for your personal use but interested in Shaklee’s preferred pricing. So for this, you’re entitled to the following:
- Savings as much as 15% to 25% discounts off their suggested retail price
- New Member Pak
- Your personalized assessment of your health
- Shaklee blogs
- Your own homepage, so you can place your orders in addition, have access to their health and wellness resource library, promos, offers, etc.
Unfortunately, in order to get those discounts, you must have purchased around $130 of products first and you’re not entitled to commissions and bonuses.
Level 3 Distributor Membership ($49.95)
If you’re interested in this level, you should be interested in using the company’s products for your health and wellness experience and excited about making money from their MLM business opportunity as an independent distributor.
You’re told you’re not obligated to purchase any products but I can assure you that if you want to conduct your business in a professional manner, you’re definitely going to want to purchase their kits/paks for your party demonstrations.
After all, why would anyone buy from you if they can’t see the products? Sure, it’s not impossible to host parties without products to show but it would be extremely difficult for your guests to trust you, even your friends and family want to see them.
In this membership, you get the following:
- Participation in the company’s Compensation Plan Bonuses
- Earn additional bonuses from the points earned on product sales
- Your own personalized online store website for 3 months free
Recruit people to the Distributor Membership and earn commissions on their product sales
Level 4 Qualified Distributor Membership (previously GOLD Ambassador) ($150)
In this level, you should be serious in your desire to grow your business even further. You should be purchasing products for your health and wellness in order to share your user experiences and provide your interested prospects with your knowledge of the benefits of using Shaklee products.
Some of the benefits here are:
- Compensation Plan Bonuses
- Personal Volume Bonus on your group of 4% to 20%
- Your own personal website for your online store
- Management tools to help grow your online business internationally
- Greater discounts like 30% on your suggested retail prices and on other products like the Success Pak on your first calendar month from the time you join
- Success Bonuses and FastTRACK (a program that gets you moving faster with an opportunity to earn $89,000 of bonuses)
Shaklee Compensation Plan
Shaklee’s Compensation Plan is complex which is typical of MLM companies with their own MLM jargon so I decided to put a video here…
Sadly, I was not able to find a more helpful and current video on the plan.
NOTE: The video was produced in 2013 and Shaklee recently made changes to their memberships. Their GOLD Ambassador membership was replaced with the Qualified Distributor Membership.
The Plan basically gives you 3 ways to make money:
- Your customers purchase products at retail prices and you earn retail commissions.
- You recruit people into your downline. You earn commissions when they purchase a membership and sell products.
- You earn a variety of bonuses when you and your down lines advance in the ranking.
Here’s a PDF that shows what you need to achieve to receive your good rewards…
Your commissions depend on your membership level and how much you spend on products.
Keep in mind, you have to have a certain amount of PVs (Personal Volume points on each product) each month to stay eligible so this forces you to not only purchase more products but you will certainly want to recruit on a steady basis.
What I Like About Shaklee
1. Been Around a Long Time
Shaklee has been around in the MLM world for over 60 years. To be honest with you, if it was a scam or a pyramid scheme, the company would have been long gone.
2. Good Resources and Support
Shaklee is quite committed to helping you grow your business and they want to make sure you are an authority on their products.
For instance, they have a fairly new Shaklee University to ensure your business growth.
They also have their First Step Resource Guide which is a step-by-step guide on how to grow your business and helpful scripts for presentations. It shows what you can expect from the person who sponsored you as well as a guide to help your downline.
If you want more detailed information on this Guide, here’s the PDF.
Lastly, they have their live events, conference calls, training events and more.
3. Eco-Friendly Products
Shaklee is one of the first companies in the world to be certified “Climate Neutral” with its mission of “net-zero impact on earth”.
Even Jacques Cousteau used Shaklee’s environmentally cleaning products on their vessels.
Dr. Shaklee believed in giving everyone “a healthier life for everybody and a better life for everyone”.
Shaklee and NASA have been working together for over 2 decades on products to help astronauts combat fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort and other symptoms for a healthy return to earth.
4. Not Pushed to Recruit
I would say at least, 90% of commissions earned are based on products sold. However, even though I said you’re not pushed to recruit, you still want to endlessly recruit after all the more people you have in your downline, more products are sold and you make more commissions and bonuses.
5. Impressive BBB Rating
Shaklee has an A+ rating from BBB. However, there are some negative reviews in regards to products and services which you’ll see coming up next.
What I Don’t Like About Shaklee
1. AutoShip
AutoShip is pretty much standard with most MLM companies.
It’s a service that automatically ships products to you every month. It’s not mandatory but you get bigger bonuses.
I have a lot of experience with AutoShips and I don’t like it because it’s so easy to build up inventory. This is because it’s important to maintain your ranking status which affects your commissions but there is a lot of peer pressure from higher ups who count on you.
I see this as just benefiting Shaklee.
2. Competitive Market
Health and wellness is a very popular market.
Some large MLM companies you’re going to run into are:
3. Forever Face to Face Selling and Lots of Presentations
Anytime you’re involved with MLM companies, you can’t get away from face-to-face selling. You will always be presenting your products.
Take a look at the image from the Shaklee Guide…
Are you ready to spend 75% of your business having conversations with new people? You’ll be face to face with them.
If you’re not a very sociable person I hope you think twice before you join their Qualified Distributor Membership.
I’m not afraid of work, in fact, I work very hard in my online business doing affiliate marketing BUT I’m not a socializer and I have no desire to do networking at all.
The only thing I had to do was learn how to do online affiliate marketing from the right training platform. I create my own websites (less than 5 minutes) and have people come to my site 24/7 without chasing people.
If you want this, CLICK HERE and see how I make money!
Is Shaklee a Scam, a Pyramid Scheme?
Shaklee is definitely a legitimate MLM company. It is NOT a scam nor is it a pyramid scheme.
As I mentioned before, the company has been around since 1956, that’s over 60 years. It would be shut down by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) if there were any deceitful business actions.
However, I still do not recommend Shaklee!
Shaklee has a lot of competition in the health and wellness market and so I hope you take that into serious consideration before you pay your Qualified Distributor Membership.
The other consideration is after you’ve talked to your family and friends, what do you do when you run out of leads? You can always go with paid ads on social media but that my friend could cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Having said that, if you work hard, you can definitely make money with Shaklee. To be successful with any type of MLM company, you need to be extremely passionate about networking with people.
Want to see how we are making money?
How We Are Making Money Online
By now, you probably already know I’m an affiliate marketer.
That’s because it’s the BEST way to make money online. The affiliate marketing business model is my #1 recommendation.
Why?
- No recruiting
- No face to face selling
- Promote any product(s)/services you desire. You’re not stuck with just promoting products from an MLM company.
Meet RD40… CLICK HERE to read his story.
I’m also a member of Wealthy Affiliate and yes, it’s also my #1 recommendation for your online affiliate marketing training platform that teaches you how to make money and generate FREE traffic.
However, like MLM, affiliate marketing is hard work and perseverance. If you’re up to that, click below!
Hey Folks,
Thanks for reading my review of Shaklee. I hope I was able to give you helpful information. If you have any questions or comments it would be awesome to hear from you.
If you are a member of Shaklee or an ex-member I would like to hear your thoughts.
Regards,
Monica
Shaklee
Free, and up to $150 on memberships0.00
Pros
- Good resources and support
- Eco-friendly products
- Not pushed to recruit
Cons
- Competitive market
- Forever face to face selling
- Autoship
Thanks for the very detailed explanation about how the Shaklee Business opportunity. I have checked out various MLM business opportunities and almost all of them require you to relentlessly recruit people and stock up on inventory in order to maintain the level of commission. It seems like Shaklee is not very different either. Although the company is very legit given that they have been around for so long, with good support and great eco-friendly products, at the end of the day you’d still be required to constantly network with people and perhaps “hard sell” to them. Affiliate marketing seems like a better and more sustainable way of making money.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, sadly Shaklee is another one of those MLM companies. In order to be successful in the business, it’s just a lot of recruiting and once people run out of friends and family members to turn to, it’s all hard sell after that.
Affiliate marketing is the best and most popular way of making sustainable long-term income when you get the right online training like Wealthy Affiliate.
Monica
Not true. Costs are listed. Secondly our product line stands alone. Our products are earth friendly. Never do we share a product that has no proven need for. We do extensive clinical studies. We have over one hundred peer reviewed published papers. We don’t test on animals. Our compensation plan is patented.
You are never required to stock inventory, not even for Auto Ship. Auto Ship is for products that you will personally consume your self.
I can tell you so much more , but to save time if you are interested ,send questions to melcardonell@gmail.com and I will provide answers.
We offer ? percent no question asked refunds.
In Shaklee you have access to a wealth of sharing and marketing tools
Lots of corporate support
When you join Shaklee, you are in business for yourself, but you are never in business by your self.
See you at the Top
Mel
Hey Mel,
Thank you for your input on my Shaklee review.
Here is my response:
About the costs not revealed:
So my review was published 2019, September 4 … I can honestly say the prices were not published on Shaklee’s site and I see now and so I have updated my review accordingly. Thank you for letting me know! I removed it from my Con section and increased my rating.
‘Secondly, our product line stands alone. Our products are earth-friendly.’ In my Pros #3 – Eco-Friendly Products. It was always there as a PRO.
‘Never do we share a product that has no proven need for. We do extensive clinical studies. We have over one hundred peer-reviewed published papers. We don’t test on animals.’ The responses are from customers who purchased Shaklee products. It comes from their voice. I have no control over what customers say.
‘You are never required to stock inventory, not even for Auto Ship. Auto Ship is for products that you will personally consume yourself.’ :
That is exactly what all MLM companies will tell you… that you should only be buying products for yourself personally (otherwise, they could be up for investigation with the FTC Federal Trade Commission) BUT if network marketers still want to maintain your ranking status, you are still required to purchase a certain amount of products. I’m quite familiar with Autoships and how they work. I also know a few people who have lost a lot of money and ended up with at least a year’s supply of inventory just so they can make some kind of commission… also they are faced with sheer pressure from their higher-ups. The truth of the matter is, all MLM companies make their biggest chunk of revenues on autoships. I did a slight rewording on it but it’s still in my CON section.
Thank you, Mel, I appreciate your comment!
Kind regards,
Monica
This is really nice, there is nothing as cool as a legit company where one can make good money without being forced to bring other people in. I love the fact that these products are good and have been tested by other people. The target body areas where these products can be used is really wonderful as well. And sales price is up to you to fix. I would love to inform my friends who are great salespeople to see this opportunity. Beat regards.
Hi Dane,
Thanks for your comment.
Shaklee products have been around for years and some people are making money for sure.
That’s great… thank you for sharing to your friends.
Monica
Unlike most other MLM companies, Shaklee’s membership pricing seems very okay and cheap too. Though I must say that they have been in the market for quite long and to me, that is credible and they are not too concentrated on the recruitment process. But then, the success rate of MLM working with them is really down to luck and I don’t want to establish my business based on pure luck. Besides, I’m more of an introverted person and as such, personal selling is not my forte at all and I’m sure I’d be woeful at it. Thanks for the review
Hi Shelley,
You’re welcome and thank you for your comment.
I can totally relate to you. I’m rather an introverted person myself and that’s why I didn’t do well at all on the 3 MLM companies I joined several years ago.
Monica
Selling products that have been in the market for a while is a really good thing but there can be two problems. One is the problem of competition and the other is that it’s not about how far the product or the company has come, it’s about how far you can go. This is my story with MLM products.
I’m happy you did this review on Shaklee as I was already thinking of going in seeing their juicy compensation plans but then it’s going to be a no for me. Thank you for a good review.
Hi,
You’re welcome and thank you for your comment.
There is a lot of competition in health and wellness products in the MLM world. It’s also very challenging to get to the top rank… many don’t even get halfway thru the ranks. I’m pleased to hear Shaklee is a no for you.
Monica
This is probably the first time anyone is saying there’s hope for anyone with MLM depending on what they can do.
I’ve been looking around for a good MLM company. It’s the first I’m hearing of Shaklee though and it seems they have a good product. You noted the product having a large amount of sugar, too much for the body. That’s a good pointer that you did and I can see you did a good amount of research on this. Good review too.
Hi,
Shaklee isn’t the only weight loss MLM company that has lots of sugar in their shakes. It’s hard for members on weight loss program here to really lose weight and it’s also dangerous for people who are diabetic.
Thank you for your comment.
Monica