Finally, as for Vegas. People register their business there when not realy in Vages because they do have something to hide and don’t want to be found, 90% of the time for legal reasons. ShopToEarn is run out of West Palm Beach, Florida, where the so called ‘owner’ lives. I’ve met him at meetings when people I know kept on my butt to join the scam. This was back when he was first taking off with it after ‘developing it for 10 years), and didn’t know any better than to talk about how he does the business (until he hired an out of work attorney, calle dhim a partner, yada yada yada). He uses ‘friends’ to register things under, nd uses their various addresses so if he is sued, he can’t be found (he can, but it takes awhile). It’s an old bit, nothing knew, people have been doing it for years. Almost every MLM does it with the exception of those who was forced to go legit due to lawsuits such as Avon, Amway, etc.
The government does go after these pyramid schemes, but it takes them time. There are litterally thousands of them, with hundreds of new ones each day, it’s a huge caseload.

Pay close attention to what the defenders of STE post here, then search other sites and blogs.. it’s all the same memorized speech. If they were making the money they claim, they wouldn’t care who posts something negative about STE, they’re making their money. but since they have so much time to try and defend such scams, obviously it’s bugging them that they can’t get as many people to sign up under them so they can make money as they would like.

I got started as a “business builder” for only a hundred bucks buy in. That is a very low start up cost. And yes, you need to keep your legs a little bit balanced or youw on;t qualify for a bonus, but you don;t lose those pints. They acrue and are still waiting for you when you do qualify.

Can you save money other ways instead? You bet. Lots of stores ask for a membership fee and the give you good prices. I buy lots of stuff from thrifts tores too, and that’s a better deal that ATE. But that doesn;t make STE a scam.

I can’t speak to the backgrounds of the founders, but every time I have needed help or had questions from like 6 levels above me I have gotten a call back within hours.

I can see that if you don’t give a rat about green products then there isn’t quite as much appeal, but I’m not seeing a scam like everyone says.

I have several businesses. And for the record, every person I would consider exposing to an MLM would be told in writing that 97% of the people who become involved in an MLM fail due to a number of factors ranging from not following instruction to not being able to engage in the business. So, unlike many 3rd party high pressure closing artists I expose to close at a later date after, and only after the recruit fully understands the philosophy and culture of the business and is ready to engage and duplicate the value of the business.

As for your books, I would buy them on a cash-back shopping site or on a used book website like ebay or textbooks.com. I feel Amazon is very expensive and I feel that I can get a better price on the same book online.

Finally, why don’t you expose one of the most cruel marketing tactics I have ever heard involving Facebook?? I was recruited by someone pitching a drink MLM know as efusjon with the promise that it was going to be launched on Facebook over the July 4th weekend. Many, many people were given the same pitch. Wait till you see the facebook launch and this compnay will go viral. Some people were pressured into signing up immediately on line so that they did not miss the launch. Well, I asked how much the upline distributors were making and no one made more than a thousand dollars in the past 6 months. The moral of this story is that if someone is desperate, the stay away….

Well, it is the end of July and the company lauched on Facebook and instead of the efusjon drink opportunity being promoted in the margins of the facebook pages you have to find distributors who will guide through their website. So, they people promoting the drink used a “play on words” to bait people into getting involved in a drink MLM that has questionable ingredients according to some who have investigated the opportunity.

Another worse and far greater scam is that of all of those “marketing coaches” on the internet preying on the 97% of those who are failing or about to fail in network marketing from their inability to follow directions. This horrible scam which is far worse than any MLM is that of “self proclaimed” experts selling referral leads and training videos that are no more than some general statements made in a folksie atmosphere reminiscent of a Saturday Nite Live skit.

If you have done hundreds of hours of research into MLM’s you would have found that Shop to Earn is a legitimate company with a focus on online cash back shopping. You can join the company as a website owner, never refer another person and still make money from people shopping on your website. And you can also join as a preferred shopper for free and enjoy all of the products on the site with the benefits of online shopping coupons.

So Tracey, I invite you to comparison shop from my site, which you have my website and email address. If you do your research and comparison shop you will save money on many products. However, you must comparison shop becasue some products will be higher priced due to various market conditions. I do not need any more referrals and I have made good money on this site from shopping as well as referring.