Nature’s Sunshine MLM Review – Another Supplement Scam?

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You are doing research on Nature’s Sunshine because someone approached you about it and you want to know if this company is legit or a scam. That’s what we’re about to find out.

If you have been here before, welcome back!

Thank you for taking the time to check out my Nature’s Sunshine review!

One of the common questions I get asked often is if Nature’s Sunshine is a scam or not.

We’re going to take the next few minutes to take a look and get some answers.

The main concern I have for people who are researching this opportunity is that I don’t want them to get burned. In the profession of network marketing, anything could happen.

A company ends up shutting down in a few months due to bad business decisions for being non-compliant, compensation plan change, or the company not paying it’s distributors.

Even worst, your direct sponsor or upline leaves the company. Leaving you hanging to dry.

I understand that many of you are new. Sometimes we are not in a position to make a solid business assessment due to inexperience.

Additionally, I am going to offer you a way for you to escape the ‘9 to 5’ if you decide that this company is not for you.

More information about this program will be at the end of this post.

You landed on this blog because you are thinking about joining Nature’s Sunshine because someone approached you about it or you just want to try out their products.

Unlike all the other Nature’s Sunshine reviews on the internet, this is completely third party unbiased.  I have no relationship with this company what so ever so when you read this blog post all the way through and pay attention, I can assure you that I am not going to ask you to join or buy.

By the time you have read this unbiased review, you will be able to decide if Nature’s Sunshine is a fit or not. I do not promote, nor I am affiliated with Nature’s Sunshine.  I stand neutral in the current development of the Nature’s Sunshine business.

With that said, let’s dive in!

What is Nature’s Sunshine?

Nature’s Sunshine is a health and wellness MLM company. They are also the first company to encapsulate herbs and although not FDA approved, their products follow strict quality standards.

This company was founded back in 1972 by Gene and Kristine Hughes, who was inspired to start this family business because they wanted to provide solutions to health problems.

Out of their ambition, they were one of the first companies to encapsulate herbs to deliver their health benefits, as opposed to eating them.

Their innovation towards encapsulating herbal ingredients was the inspiration towards a more powerful movement in the nutritional supplement market.

The company is similar to Amway, Herbalife, and Melaleuca.

What are Nature’s Sunshine products?

Nature’s Sunshine is one of the older MLM companies in the MLM space. They have their own research center to help with researching new products.

Due to their over 40 years of open business, they have  managed to amass 13 specific categories with 600+ products. Nature’s Sunshine has an extensive range of products. This isn’t the entire list but I will list the main 13 categories:

• Children’s Health
• Daily Essentials
• Enzymes
• Essential Oils
• Fiber
• Flower Essences
• Herbs
• Personal Care
• Probiotics
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Women
• Sales Aids (for the business)

The company claims the products are 100% natural and are supposed to boost several parts (or systems) of our bodies.

Below you will find a list, this time, of their high-runners:

1. Paw Paw Cell-Reg™ (180 caps): Helps boost the immune system
2. Dieter’s Cleanse (14 Day): Cleanses the body in 14 days
3. Food Enzymes (120 caps): Boosts the body’s ability to digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
4. Heroes Probiotic Power (90 Chewable Tablets): Probiotic tablets for children
5. Liquid Cleanse (16 fl. oz.): Supports intestinal, bowel, and liver health
6. Love and Peas (675 g): Packed with 20 grams of vegetable protein and 75% of the daily value of 18 Vitamins and Minerals
7. Mind-Max (90 caps): Packed with powerful herbs to give your brain a boost
8. Para Cleanse (10 Day): Cleanses and detoxifies the body in 10 days
9. Probiotic Eleven® (90 caps): Helps maintain intestinal health through healthy probiotics
10. Silver Shield w/Aqua Sol (18 ppm) (4 fl. oz.): Boosts the immune system
11. Tiao He® Cleanse (15 Day): Helps improve the intestinal system and promotes regular bowel movement

So quite a few categories with plenty of products under each one.

As far as prices go I was quite surprised. Normally products in any MLM business like Forever Living and Youngevity have prices that are ridiculously high due to the nature of the compensation plan, but Nature’s Sunshine pricing is actually very reasonable.

How does Nature’s Sunshine business model work?

When you visit the website for the first time and you want to purchase products you are offered discounts if you become a member. You become a member if you purchase products above $40. As a member, you will benefit from discounts ranging from 10% to 15% depending on the volume purchased. You must purchase products around $130 for you to benefit from the membership.

Earning money is simplified because what you need is to use your membership to purchase discounted products which you can resale putting up a mark up that you want. The company really simplified the application process and offers incentives from day one.

Nature’s Sunshine compensation plan

Nature’s Sunshine offers two types of compensation plans — Classic and Legacy.

Classic Plan

This plan is created for those who want to be a part-time or full-time distributor for Nature’s Sunshine.

Here’s a quick explanation of Classic’s compensation plan:

Legacy Plan

This plan is created for those who just plan to be Nature’s Sunshine’s customer or who want to sponsor other NS consultants.

Here’s a quick explanation of Legacy’s compensation plan:

Distributor Membership Ranks

There are 11 distributor membership ranks within both of Nature’s Sunshine compensation plans. The lowest rank is a member and the highest rank is Global Elite. 

You can learn more about Nature’s Sunshine compensation plan. 

Distributor Purchase Rebates

Nature’s Sunshine also offers rebates on a distributor’s own orders. The rate of the rebate depends on how much product a distributor orders (calculated by QV or qualifying volume)

1. Classic Plan:

1. 0-99 QV order  – no rebate
2. 100-299 QV order = 10%
3. 300-599 QV order = 12%
4. 600-999 QV order = 18%
5. 1000-2999 QV order = 27%
6. 3000+ QV order = 30%

2. Legacy:

1. 0-99 QV = 0%
2. 100-499 QV = 10%
3. 500-999 QV = 15%
4. 1000+ QV – 20%

One different to note between these two plans’ rebates is that the Classic plan extends the rebate beyond 1000QV at a higher rate than Legacy Plan.

This roughly equates to maximum rebates of 30% on personal purchases at 3000QV in Classic compared to 20% rebates on any order above 1000QV in Legacy.

Smart Start Bonus

The Smart Start Bonus is available to newly recruit distributor orders that generate at least 100QV.

Classic Plan distributors earn “up to 30%” on these first orders, with their direct manager or higher uplines earning a 10% commission. Two additional managers or higher ranked upline levels are paid a 5% bonus.

The Legacy Plan raises the recruiting distributor’s commission to “up to 40%” with the upline commissions being the same as the Classic Plan’s rates.

There are no qualification criteria on how the “up to 30%/40” are paid to the recruiting distributor provided in the Nature’s Sunshine compensation plan.

Sadly, Smart Start Bonus only applies to US distributors and orders placed by new US distributors.

Note that the Smart Start Bonus is only made available to US distributors and orders placed by new US distributors.

Additional Bonuses

Additional bonuses are offered in both Classic and Legacy Compensation. The additional bonus is paid out according to a distributor’s membership rank:

1. Regional – $250
2. Divisional – $400
3. Senior Divisional – $550
4. National – $700
5. Senior National – $850
6. Global Elite – $1000

What are the pros and cons of Nature’s Sunshine?

Here are the pros:

• Support and Tools – The company offers free monthly webinars and two yearly conferences that provide product education and business guidance.
• No Inventory Required – No inventory is required as the company operates on an automatic shipping program.
• Quality Control – Nature’s Sunshine Products has rigorous quality control testing for its nutritional supplements. The products are certified by the third-party nonprofit organization NSF International. This organization’s audits have strict quality control standards for the manufacturing industry.

Here are the cons:

• Monthly Requirements – In order to qualify for rebates and commissions from a downline in the compensation plan, independent distributors need to either purchase or resell $100 in products monthly.
• Legal Issues – The company ran into legal trouble in the middle of 2009. The SEC charged Nature’s Sunshine Products with bribing officials in Brazil with over a million dollars in order to import unregistered nutritional products into the country in 2000-2001. If you want to learn more about the legal issues you can research it for yourself.
• Transparency – Trying to find specific information on the business opportunity and the compensation plan is difficult to find.

How to join Nature’s Sunshine

It costs $40 to join Nature’s Sunshine. This is waived when you buy $40 worth of products.

To supplement their members, they also provide the following (optional) programs:

1. IN.FORM Coach certificate: $549 to attend and get the certificate after attending the training.
2. Training online: there is a similar certification program online, going for $399.

My final thoughts

Before you decide to join Nature’s Sunshine. I would recommend that you try out the products first. See if it’s a fit for what you’re looking for.

If you don’t believe in the products that you are selling, chances are others wouldn’t. Makes sense, right?

If you’ve decided that you want to join Nature’s Sunshine, you must have the following if you want to succeed:

• A support team and system that will help build your business.
• A mentor that will take you by the hand and help you reach your dreams and goals.
• A constant flow of new leads and prospects that want to join your business.

It is not easy to be successful in Nature’s Sunshine business and which is why more than 95% fail.

If you feel the person you are going to sign up with is not going to be able to give you the necessary tools to help you succeed…

You might want to check this out by clicking here! 😊

Nature’s Sunshine Is Not A Fit For You?

Now, if you feel that Nature’s Sunshine isn’t for you. But determined to find a home-based business so that you can create a legacy for you and your family.

I would suggest that you check out my number #1 recommended program.

This program is the reason why so many people are having success with a ‘work from home business’.

Last but not least (drum roll please)…

I would love to hear from you if you are looking to join Nature’s Sunshine or if you were an affiliate.

Please share your experiences by leaving your feedback below.

The feedback will help out those who are doing research on the company.