Categories: not recommendedReview

Is Vorwerk a Pyramid Scheme? [Truth Exposed]

Welcome to my Vorwerk MLM review!

Are you wondering if Vorwerk can make you rich if you join this multi-level marketing company? You’ve landed on the right page. In this article, I’m going to talk about how Vorwerk started and the different products it offers. I’ll also include the compensation plan (if there are any), and the reviews it garnered from customers and sellers. In the last part, I’ll put in my final thoughts and recommendations.

Unlike other MLM businesses, Vorwerk is one of the few companies that focus on sales generation rather than recruitment. This only shows that Vorwerk is confident in its products and values loyalty within its sellers.

Is Vorwerk a pyramid scheme? No, it's not. Vorwerk has been in the direct selling business for 130 years. Although they represent three different products, associates may find it difficult to sell because of the limited product lines. This is one of the few MLM companies whose main focus is commission through sales rather than recruitment.

Before we get started I would like to commend you on taking the time to do your due diligence so you don't get taken by all of the scams and rip-offs that are found everywhere on the internet.

That's how you find the legit way to make money online!

I would like you to know that I'm not in any way paid by or associated with Vorwerk. This is an honest review for the purposes of providing you, the consumer the information necessary so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not Vorwerk is for you! 

What’s unique about Vorwerk is that the company itself has different divisions for the products that they sell. On their official website Our Divisions page, you’ll get to see all the products that the company offers. (Not all products are under direct selling).

Even if you will be able to sell different product lines, a lot of sales advisors of Vorwerk are working part-time since the products are only “seasonal”, especially during Christmas time.

No, you won’t get to see all the details on their website unlike in this article. Let’s get started.

Vorwerk MLM Review Summary


Product Name: Vorwerk

FoundersCarl and Adolf Vorwerk; Mittelsten Scheid family

Product TypeKobold (Vacuum Cleaner), Thermomix and Temial(Kitchen Appliance), and JAFRA (Cosmetics)

PriceThe prices differ depending on the country where you are in. For the Kobold Vacuum Cleaner Complete Set, the typical price is £1,299.00. For the Thermomix TM6, the typical price is £1,099.00. For the Temial Tea Machine, the typical price is £599.00.

The cosmetics of JAFRA are wide in prices and would start from £10.00. There’s no start-up fee to join the different direct selling opportunities of Vorwerk. To join JAFRA, you have to purchase business kits worth $49, $99, and $129 respectively.

Best For: People who enjoy direct selling.

Rating: 60 /100

Recommended: No

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History of Vorwerk – Family Operated


Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, Vorwerk has been in the industry for more than 130 years now. And ever since their business began, they still have the same principles as a company; namely:

  • A stubborn commitment to the highest quality
  • Our family company takes the long view
  • Fostering an openness to innovate
  • Designed for human connection
  • We create opportunity

Currently, Vorwerk is being operated by the Mittelsten Scheid family. A total of 19 members are connected to the company, either working or are shareholders.

Let’s go back how Vorwerk transferred to Mittelsten Scheid.

The Beginning

The term “Vorwerk” came from the founder's family name. The brothers, Adolf and Carl Vorwerk started the Barmer Teppichfabrik Vorwerk & Co. way back in 1883. But in the same year, Adolf left the company.

Carl continued to manufacture upholstery fabrics and quality carpets carrying the Vorwerk name until he passed it to his son, Carl Vorwerk Jr. 

Unfortunately, after a few months after his succession, the new company director passed away. Carl Sr. continued to work as the director until 1907 when he died leaving the company at the hands of August Mittlelsten Scheid (his son-in-law).

Here’s a quick timeline of the ownership of Vorwerk:

  • 1883 – Carl and Adolf Vorwerk
  • 1907 – August Mittelsten Scheid
  • 1930 – Werner Mittelsten Scheid
  • 1953 – Dr. Erich Mittelsten Scheid
  • 2005 – Dr. Jörg Mittelsten Scheid

Source: https://corporate.vorwerk.com/

Now that you know about the brief history of Vorwerk, let’s proceed to the products that they offer. Of course, if you decide to become a sales representative of this company, you would need to know what kind of products or services you could offer to your potential buyers.


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Vorwerk Divisions and Products


As mentioned above, Vorwerk has different divisions to showcase. These divisions have their specific niche, product line, and target market. You have to sign up individually on the product line that you want to sell.

Overall, Vorwerk has 7 product lines under their name but only 3 of these are in the direct selling business. The 7 product lines are: 

  • Vorwerk Kobold – vacuum cleaners
  • Vorwerk Thermomix – kitchen appliance
  • Temial – tea machine
  • Vorwerk Flooring – carpets and flooring
  • JAFRA Cosmetics – cosmetics line
  • Neato Robotics – robotics
  • AFK Group – leasing and financing

Now, I will only discuss the 3 product lines that offer direct selling opportunities.

Vorwerk Kobold

Source: https://corporate.vorwerk.com/

The Vorwerk Kobold is one of the oldest-established divisions of the company. Its main focus are vacuum cleaners. What’s interesting about this division is that it is the first-ever recorded direct selling to be introduced in Europe.

Here’s a quick list of the products that Kobold has to offer.

  1. Vacuum Cleaner – has individual vacuum cleaners and a complete set
  2. Robot Cleaner
  3. Window Cleaner
  4. Accessories – this includes filters and filter bags, brushes, nozzles, cleaning agents and cloth, hoses, and others

If it’s your first time buying a Vorwerk Kobold vacuum cleaner, you can book a private demonstration that you’re interested in. A sales advisor would then contact you and finalize the best time to visit your home to do the demonstration.

Vorwerk Thermomix

Source: https://corporate.vorwerk.com/

It was in 1971 when the original Thermomix VM 2000 was introduced to the market. The entire idea was to create a kitchen appliance wherein people can mix and cook the ingredients that they have. 

Today, the newest version is the TM6 where you can do almost everything for your next meal. You can chop, whisk, steam, caramelize, blend, knead, boil, and so much more. Vorwerk also launched a recipe platform called Cookidoo where you can check out thousands of recipes that you can try.

What’s interesting about the Vorwerk Thermomix is that they only have one product to offer every time. What does this mean? 

People have no idea when the newest Thermomix will be released. This is one of the reasons why people tend to sell the products that they buy because a newer model has been recently released.

So why do people choose to buy Thermomix? Here are just some of the reasons:

  • You can save time in preparing for your next meal.
  • You can innovate new cooking techniques with the features of the product.
  • You’ll be inspired by the thousands of recipes in Cookidoo.

Overall, the Thermomix TM6 is worth £1,149 which showcases the complete set. This includes a new welcome book, Varoma, mixing bowl, splash guard, simmering basket with lid, butterfly whisk, splash guard, measuring cup, and spatula.

Most of the year, you won’t get to see a lot of sales in the Thermomix. However, sales start to jump during the Christmas season. 

Vorwerk JAFRA

Source: https://www.jafra.com/

Before we go into what JAFRA offers, I’ll do a quick history of the company. Here’s a timeline of the history of JAFRA:

  • 1956 – Jan and Frank Day founded the JAFRA direct selling company
  • 1957 – JAFRA became a subsidiary of the Gillette Corporation
  • 1978 – The company launched in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria
  • 1979 – The company launched in Mexico
  • 1980 – JAFRA opened its worldwide headquarters in Westlake Village, CA
  • 2004 – The company joined the Vorwerk Group
  • 2012 – The company opened an office in Jakarta, Indonesia
  • 2019 – JAFRA reopened the business in the company’s hometown (Malibu) with the help of their granddaughter, Estel Day.

I’m not going into all the products of JAFRA since they offer a lot of cosmetic products. I’ll show you the categories that the company has. Here they are:

  1. Skin Care – focused to revitalize, hydrate, and recover the aging of the skin. Some of the products that are included in this category are:
    1. JAFRA Royal Boost
    2. Royal Jelly Classic
    3. Royal Jelly Remedies
    4. JAFRA Royal Revitalize
    5. JAFRA Royal Defy
    6. JAFRA Royal Luna Bright
  2. Fragrance – they have products for all gender and ages. Some of the products are:
    1. Children’s Fragrance
    2. Women’s Fragrance
    3. Men’s Fragrance
  3. Makeup – JAFRA is most well-known for their makeup products. They cover almost every aspect of the cosmetics department.
    1. Brushes and tools
    2. Face
    3. Eyes
    4. Nails
    5. Lips
  4. Bath & Body – They cover everyday essentials to spa treatments which are infused with botanical extracts and invigorating scents.
    1. Body – moisturizer, body treatments, and more
    2. Bath – bath, shower, spa, and treatments
    3. Hair – shampoo, conditioner, masks, and treatments

The prices differ depending on the product. It would range from under $10 to more than $50. If you check out the company’s official page, you’ll also get to see an e-catalog showcasing their featured products.

Now that you know what Vorwerk offers, let’s go to the compensation plan of the company.

Vorwerk Compensation Plan


What’s weird about the compensation plan of Vorwerk is that they do not show the details unless you enroll as a sales advisor. This is in regards to their Kobold and Thermomix product line.

I’ve exhausted all my efforts looking for the compensation plan of Kobold and Thermomix, but I couldn’t find any information regarding this topic. 

What I learned, however, is that when you decide to become a sales advisor for Kobold and/or Thermomix, you will be intensively trained on how the product works. This is a big advantage since you would need to understand how to present the products that you sell in a comfortable and easy way.

That’s a different topic for JAFRA. I won’t get into every detail on the compensation plan of this product line since, like other MLM companies, it’s difficult to understand. You can check out this PDF file to see ALL the details.

In summary, there are no start-up costs if you want to become a JAFRA sales advisor. Rather, you will need to buy a business kit for you to have an initial inventory.

You can choose between the following kits:

  • Starter Business Kit – $49
  • Professional Business Kit – $99
  • Royal Business Kit – $129

Here’s a quick look at how much you can earn and the ranking of JAFRA.

Source: https://www.jafra.com/

Reviews |Complaints | Rating


If you’re wondering how an MLM company is doing in regards to their products and customers, then the best site to go to is BBB.org. You’ll find different reviews of customers and (most of the time) the company responds to it and gives a resolution.

You can check how the Vorwerk is doing here. BBB.org has given the company an A+ rating for having outstanding customer service. The reason for this is because, in the number of years, they haven’t received any complaints (as of this writing).

However, if we check out Thermomix, you’ll find there are 3 complaints from customers (as of this writing). Still, BBB.org gave an A+ rating on the product line and has been accredited by the site last June 2016.

Here’s one of the complaints you’ll read on the site:

Lawsuit

Thermomix faced a lawsuit in Australia in 2017. The lawsuit was filed by a previous customer who experienced being burnt by the last model, the TM5. Thermomix was able to win the lawsuit.

You can read the article here.

By 2018, Thermomix was fined for failing to report the burns done by their products. The burns were during the release of the previous TM31 model. 

You can read the article here.

Is Vorwerk a Pyramid Scheme or Legit?


It’s obvious that Vorwerk is not a pyramid scheme or a scam at all. The reason for this is that the company does not focus on recruitment at all, but rather on the sales of their products.

What I don’t like about the company is that they do not show the earning opportunity to the public (except JAFRA). This is a major red flag for me since it’s important for potential sellers to know how much money they could earn.

If this sounds fishy to you, then it’s better if you read this article. Entitled “How to Earn in Multi-level Marketing”, this shows the most popular myths surrounding the MLM industry. 

You’ll also get to read the AARP Foundation research on the potential earnings of a sales associate in an MLM company. The study shows that almost 97% of the sales associates do not earn any money while doing this business.

Affiliate Marketing Recommendation


If you’re looking for a sure way to earn a passive income at the comforts of your home, then you should read how affiliate marketing works. With the help of Wealthy Affiliate, you can achieve your dream lifestyle in no time.

With affiliate marketing,

  • You don’t need to hard-sell any products to your family and friends
  • You don’t have to look stupid recruiting people to become your downline
  • You don’t have to keep inventory on the products that you may or may not sell at all

But rather,

  • You can have the financial freedom that you’re always dreaming about
  • You can set your own pace and not pressure yourself
  • You can choose a niche where you are strongest at
Cory Haasnoot

Cory Haasnoot is an Author, Entrepreneur, and Affiliate Marketing Coach. Success is at your fingertips and with Cory's help, you can succeed in affiliate marketing too!

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