Thirty-One Gifts MLM Review

Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today we are going to dip into the world of bags with my Thirty-One Gifts MLM Review. The online sale of fashion, clothing and handbags can be extremely lucrative with many making a good living selling items via online stores and affiliate marketing.

Added to this obviously is the array of fashion and home based multi level marketing programs that are available. So, is Thirty One an MLM worth checking out? Let's have a look and see…

Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the traditional mainstay of the ‘party plan' world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and, of course within the beauty/cosmetics, supplements and essential oils markets. It is not as prevalent within the clothing and fashion industry but as MLMs have become more popular in recent times – mainly due to the fact that much of the sales and marketing is now being managed online – companies in other niches are starting to get in on the action.

The ‘multi level' aspects of MLM come from its hierarchical nature in which you make commissions based not only on those that you sell to, but also the sales of those whom you ‘sign' into membership arrangements as well.

In short, the process works as follows:

1. You join the program, either via referral from another person (known as your up line) or directly through their website.
2. You promote the products of the company via parties, workshops or online.
3. As you make sales, you offer incentives to your customers to sign up as a member of the program (there are different names for this but they all mean the same thing).
4. That new member is then placed ‘underneath' you in a hierarchical arrangement (known as your down line).
5. You, and a number of levels of your up line, then gain extra commissions for everything they sell as well.
6. If they manage to refer their customers into memberships, they also become a member of your down line allowing you to make up line commissions as well.

The number of levels of your up and down lines will vary depending on the program you have joined. Commission rates will also change as your down line grows or contracts and many will also offer other incentives such as total company sales percentages and/or access to membership prizes as your own business grows.

Thirty-One Gifts was founded in 2003 by Cindy Monroe with a goal to “help women by giving them the opportunity to run their own successful business”. In the years since, consultants have held over 6 million parties where they promote Thirty-One Gifts products and assist them in reaching their “why”.

Thirty-One Gifts is based in Westerville, OH in the United States.

As mentioned above, Thirty-One Gifts sell a large range of fashion and home products centred around the world of bags. This includes:

Utility Totes

• Oversized Totes
• Work Totes
• Small Utility Totes
• Large Utility Totes

Bags

• Backpacks
• Beach Bags
• Crossbody Bags
• Day Bags
• Diaper Bags
• Tote Bags
• Travel Bags
• Work Bags
• Backpacks

Thermals

• Beach & Pool
• Insulated Lunch Bags
• Large Thermals
• Small Thermals
• Sports Practices

Accessories

• Face Masks
• Pouches
• Small Goods
• Straps
• Tech
• Toiletry & Makeup
• Travel
• Wallets

Organization

• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Car
• Cube Storage
• Home Decor
• Kids
• Nursery
• Office
• Small Spaces
• Travel

Item costs appear to fall into the low to medium price range of around $15 to $50 per piece.

The Thirty One Gifts MLM program calls their members ‘Consultants' who are part of what appears to be a simple program with a common retail and downline commission structure. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate their compensation plan either on their website or in a complete version via an online search.

To be honest, I never understand why MLM programs hide these details however I have cobbled together some information from bits and pieces on the websites of individual consultants. Happy for you to comment below if my information is inaccurate but here are the basics as I have found them…

Base Commission rate: 25%

Down line commission rates: 2 – 11% to 2 levels (level 1 down line is 2% – rank Senior Consultant and above)

Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions

To qualify for downline commissions, Consultants are required to maintain ‘Active' status via the generation of $200 in PV over a rolling 3-month period. This can be made of personal or customer sales. Base 25% sales commissions however can be earned from day 1 without the need to become Active – however they must reach that status in the first three months to continue to earn.

Payment terms: Monthly.

Application required?: Yes, Application form on website.

Purchase requirements to join: Yes

New Consultants are required to purchase one of three Starter kits ranging from $59 to $179:

Ongoing purchases are not mandatory however the website does highlight discounts of 25% for consultants. It can also be assumed that as the party plan model appears to be the major sales process for this program that further purchases of samples may be required to ensure demonstration stock is available at all times.

Marketing materials provided: Training resources, sales and marketing materials and personalized website

Within most MLM programs, rankings and commissions are determined by the total personal volume (PV) generated by the Consultant and their down line within a calendar month with points assigned to each product. These point allocations can range from 50 to 100% of the retail price of each product (before tax and shipping) and vary from item to item and currency of sale.

In the case of the Thity-One Gifts MLM program, PV appears to be calculated at 100% of the USD retail sales price minus tax and shipping.

Ok, so as mentioned above, I have been unable to locate a complete compensation plan however from what I can pick up from bits and pieces around the place, there are 5 ways in which Consultants can make money when they promote and sell Thirty-One Gifts items. These are fairly straight forward and common within MLM arrangements. These 5 payment options are outlined as follows:

1. Personal Sales Commission

These are the base commissions earned by the general day to day retail sales that Consultants can generate via parties, popups, social media or online via their personalized website. Payments are made at 25% of total sales for Active Consultants regardless of level.

2. Override Commissions

Override Commissions are the Thirty-One Gifts version of the traditional unilevel commission structures prevalent within many MLM programs. Within this program, commissions ranging from 2 – 11% are paid to 2 levels based on the rank of the consultant.

Commissions are paid on the Active Sponsored Consultants within the consultant's downline (I.e. also referred to as PEQA or personally enrolled qualified & active consultant).

3. Personal Sales Bonus

Consultants who reach the rank of Director and above will receive a further 10% commission on their personal sales PV.

4. Director Promotion Bonus

Each time a Consultant reaches a rank of director and above, they will receive a one time Director Promotion Bonus for each new rank they reach. Payments start at $1000 for Director up to $16,000 for National Executive Director.

5. Developing Director Bonus

Each time a Consultant develops a member of their downline to the rank of Director and above, they will receive a payment matching the Director Promotion Bonus paid to them. Payments start at $1000 for Director up to $16,000 for National Executive Director.

Thirty-One Gifts, as with most MLM programs, uses ranking structures on which to base commission payments and other bonuses upon. Rankings for the Thirty-One Gifts MLM program are not outlined within a table but as an example, the requirements for the rank of director are as follows:

1. $1000 Personal Volume
2. $4000 Team Volume (TV includes the sales by the Director and all consultants under them)
3. Four+ (4) PEQAs

Again, as is common with almost all MLM programs, rank progression is determined by both the number of members within the Consultants down line, and the total sales made by those members per month. Ranks can rise and fall based on the ability (or dis-ability) to reach the required member and sales targets.

What is good about it?

So, after a good look around the site and looking at all the options I could find, I do like the following:

• Commission rates for entry level sales are good.

What is no so good about it?

There are also some things to be aware of including:

• Information in regards to the compensation plan is not readily available.
• There are some joining costs.
• Whilst not mandatory, ongoing demonstration purchases are required.

Thirty-One Gifts does provide an income disclosure statement on its website follows:

As we can see, the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living – is very low at less than 1%.

Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in and there is not much that I have seen here to put this program above the many others I have seen – especially as the main information that potential members need in the compensation plan is not readily available. However, from what I have found, the program is pretty straight forward with common commission arrangements and the ability to make sales online or via parties.

So if you are passionate about bags with a large customer list at your disposal and the ability to generate good sales via both the party plan model and online processes, then the 25% base commission rates might just appeal here.

Once you have joined, there are not the usual financial pressures of needing to make minimum personal purchases in order to qualify for commissions as long as you can make them within your down line. Although from what I can see, I think if you are going to succeed within this MLM program, you will need to have a good array of demonstration stock on hand. You may also need to bump up your personal purchase quota if customer sales alone are not enough for you to remain ‘Active' and qualify for commissions and/or discounts within a particular 3-month period.

That said, as I have mentioned above, I don't understand why compensation plans are not made readily available by MLM companies and if this is something that can determine your level of interest in a particular program, then this one is not going to do it for you.

I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. although there were some negative comments about the quality of customer service and the MLM program itself – although it was not really anything that is uncommon in regards to MLM programs or products within this niche.

So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the Thirty-One Gifts MLM program. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions or experience with this program please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below – especially if any of my information is inaccurate.

Are there any other programs you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.

Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own fashion based website?

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Until next time

Have fun

Paul

Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.