Vantel Pearls Review
Company Name: Vantel Pearls
Costs: $99 or $199 Starter Kit
Rating: 50/100
What Is It?
A jewelry-based MLM with an emphasis on pearls and a rather old-fashioned website.
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Short Review
The jewelry from Vantel Pearls is nice enough but the company itself is just another tired example of trying to make money through parties and direct sales. Realistically, there is little that is unique or unusual about the company and distributors would face a considerable amount of competition in actually trying to make money.
Product Breakdown
As the name suggests, the basic products that Vantel Pearls sells are pearls. For example, some of the specific items that they sell include pearly bracelets, charms, and earrings.
The company has a fairly selection of products, including some that seem fairly common and others that are quite unusual. The combination of different styles is likely to help people actually sell the products, as customers tend to vary in the specific jewelry that they find appealing. One item one week, then another the next. Repeat customers is important to any business! I’m a dude, so can’t really say whether the jewelry is “good”, but objectively, it doesn’t look any better or worse than anything else out there.
I imagine that women will have individual tastes, so some people will like it and some won’t.
At the very least, they have an interesting niche, focusing on pearls! That’s an advantage, rather than just being general “jewelry”. However, it can also be a disadvantage. How many people do you know personally that are consistent pearl buyers? They aren’t exactly in style right now, and there are only so many occasions when they are appropriate to wear. Am I wrong here?
Additionally, the fact that this jewelry contains real pearls means that the price is higher than you might see for costume jewelry, although it still isn’t excessively high. For the most part, the price is tied to how many pearls are on a piece of jewelry, so pieces with more than one pearl will tend to be more expensive. Having real pearls is another advantage of selling jewelry from this company instead of another one that may use fake ones but be cheaper!
The example in the image above, of $69 for a necklace is fairly average across the products from Vantel Pearls, although there are certainly more expensive items too.
Now, this cost isn’t excessive. After all, people do pay upwards of $100 for a piece of jewelry, especially if it is of good quality. So, the demand is there. But, that being said, more expensive products do tend to be harder to sell, especially when you are trying to sell them to friends and family members. My girlfriend only buys jewelry every once in a while, but she buys 1 piece, and under the $100 mark. Are your friends and family big spenders when it comes to jewelry? If so, this could be an opportunity for you to get them some cool pearl-related pieces!
In terms of products, there is also one other unusual thing that the company does, which is this:
Basically, people buy a kit that contains an oyster that they can open and get a guaranteed pearl. The kit also contains a setting to put the pearl in and there are other settings that can be ordered. This aspect of the company is certainly unusual and there aren’t a lot of places where you could buy a kit like this.
The trouble is, this kit costs $49 when you can buy a similar one for less than $10 on Amazon. You can also find a two-pearl kit including a bunch of other stuff for $45 on Etsy.
Are The Products Worth Selling?
Yes. If you like the style of jewelry and think that you know people that would buy it, then this is an easy way to get started. It’s not like you can just buy a bunch of jewelry in bulk and start selling door to door, right?
However, keep in mind that actually making money is often tied to how large your network is. It’s common to make a few initial sales when your close friends and family are excited to see you get started. They want to support you! But support wanes as time goes on, so you’ll need to reach out to new customers consistently if you want to earn a monthly paycheck from Vantel.
Opportunity Breakdown
The use of actual oysters in the product line is very cool in my opinion, but beyond that, Vantel Pearls follows the same worn-out techniques that countless other companies already use.
The general approach here is something known as multi-level marketing or MLM for short. I have honestly lost count of the number of MLM companies I’ve reviewed but one of the worst things is that they are all so similar to one another. Under the MLM model, there are two ways to earn money. The first is simple: direct sales. For Vantel Pearls, the commissions on sales look like this:
$4,000 worth of jewelry in a month?! Seems far fetched to me. But the base 25% on retail sales is good! That’s a solid percentage for commission. In theory, you could make a decent amount of money just from sales, assuming you could sell enough of the company’s products. Keep in mind though, you are not selling from a catalog! It costs either $99 or $199 to start. I’ve seen both quotes online. Their website doesn’t state this info directly, so I had to pull the numbers from other people’s websites.
The main way of making sales is supposed to be at parties. Remember Tupperware parties? Yeah. So you are supposed to get your girlfriends together and sell them pearls.
Again, this structure is a familiar one. Under this general approach, you hold parties at the house of people you know, typically friends or family members. They act as the party’s host and get a variety of discounts and freebies.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about the party structure. The social nature does make it easier to make sales, especially as people get the chance to see and touch products. But, distributors often find that people tend to be too busy to make it to parties, especially once the initial novelty has worn off. I know several people that do other types of MLM like Shaklee or Herbalife. Getting people to commit and actually show up is a challenge, let alone making a sale.
Can you make pearls exciting? Don’t forget, hosting a part costs money too! You’ve got to make food, set up entertainment (time), and think of a strategy to work in selling jewelry. “Come look at my products” just isn’t going to work.
The company states that the average sold per party is $600, which nets people upwards of $150 in commission from a single party.
I’m sure the statistic is true but it’s also a bit misleading. Typically, averages like these only take into account distributors who are actually making money or who meet the requirements to be ‘active’. Because of this, the average underestimates the number of times that people fail to make a profit from parties or make next to nothing. Likewise, the number may be inflated by some people who make extremely high amounts of sales per party.
If one person makes 1200 dollars and the other person makes $1, the average is $600 per party. The average will look a lot higher than what the reality is As such, it’s hard to know what a ‘normal’ distributor would make in a party, especially one starting off. In practice, people often fail to attract people to parties and struggle to make sales after they have held a couple of parties.
Now, the MLM design means that you could theoretically make money just by selling the products but that’s not where most of the income potential comes from. Instead, the underlying idea is that you’re supposed to recruit others, like this:
So, recruiting people offers you more income potential, as you get a commission off their sales. If you get a large enough team and enough sales within this team, then you could theoretically earn a lot of money. Personally, I wouldn’t call it exponential income, because you’re only getting a small percentage off their sales.
Nevertheless, it’s easy to see why people get hyped up about this structure. If you were to get a large enough team together with a decent amount of sales, then the potential for considerable profit would be high. It looks like easy money, right?
The problem is that most people don’t get anywhere near that potential. After all, making direct sales is tough enough, imagine trying to recruit people. Not only that but you have to make sure the people you recruit are successful.
Have you ever tried to push someone into working harder when they don’t want to? It’s almost impossible. Yet, with Vantel Pearls, you’re supposed to be building a business based, in part, on the performance of other people. It means that no matter how far you get, your income is going to be dependent on other people. I’m a very independent worker, and I can’t stand the idea of needing to motivate other people in order for me to see results.
The one other thing that I want to point out is that the whole process of earning money gets more complex as you go along. Many of the bonuses that you can get are tied into how your team performs and even the rank of members of your team. Because of this, increasing your income can often get complicated and confusing.
Other Comments
Making decent money with MLMs heavily relies on recruitment and this is where the model really falls apart. As I mentioned before, recruiting people is tough, and getting them to actually perform well can sometimes be an almost impossible goal.
To make matters worse, there are a ton of different MLMs out there, with new ones constantly arriving on the scene. Many of them are even in the jewelry niche, like Paparazzi, Touchstone Crystal, and Sabika.
Because of this, most people have already heard pitches to join an MLM or buy products countless times, especially if you’re a stay-at-home mom and hang around other moms. Who hasn’t been approached by an Avon or Mary Kay rep before? That makes them pretty resistant to the pitches. As more similar companies continue to spring up, the process of recruitment is likely to get that much more difficult.
Plus, when it comes down to it, Vantel Pearls really isn’t that unique of a business opportunity. Sure, the products might be cool and the oyster gimmick is unusual but that isn’t enough to truly get people excited.
MLM VS Affiliate Marketing
The MLM model is popular but I just don’t get it. Without a doubt, it’s possible to make money with an MLM and there are some people in every MLM who do. However, you’re basically fighting against too many roadblocks in your way. It’s easy to lose money since you have to buy products, and you end up annoying friends and family trying to sell them stuff. Most people don’t get beyond making a few sales, and then not knowing what to do next.
That’s why I recommend online affiliate marketing. It’s cheaper to start, cheaper to operate, you have a wider variety of products to sell, and you can sell online which means you don’t have to sell stuff to people you know.
Affiliate marketing is a very different model and the main similarity is that you still make a commission by promoting products from another company. In fact, you can even sell jewelry via affiliate marketing if you wanted to and some people do.
However, the model for affiliate marketing is much simpler than multi-level marketing. Basically, you earn a commission from your sales. That’s it. In some cases, your commission rate might increase if you get a certain amount of sales but often it will remain consistent. No team-building. No need to buy a product for yourself. No high-pressure parties for friends.
I’ll admit, it’s easy to get scared off from affiliate marketing. Some people think that it sounds too good to be true, while others think it sounds like too much work. I even thought about those things myself once. But, affiliate marketing is actually easy to learn and it’s well worth the effort because you end up with a business that you are completely in control of and that you can grow as you see fit. You can even promote multiple companies side-by-side, compare them, and let the reader decide which product they want to buy.
There are lots of different ways to get started but one simple one is to stay right here on this website. You can see a basic rundown of how to make your site, or start digging deep with my extensive series on how to choose a topic and start your business.
What do you think? Would you rather sell pearls for one company exclusively, or would you like to access the entire world of online shoppers and promote a wide variety of products?
Can You Generate Reliable Income With Vantel Pearls?
The Vantel Pearls Review
Products
Business Opportunity
Final
It's not a scam, but it's not the company for me. I think most people would rather just go shopping for pearls when they want one rather than be pressured to buy one at a party. In terms of income opportunity, there are many more lucrative ventures out there.
MLM Critic & Author: Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. I have to be honest though. I'm not a big fan of MLM. Tried it. Hated it.
Affiliate marketing is cheaper, faster, and easier. See for yourself and join millions of other successful affiliates generating income from their blogs!
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Mary Sparks
They are all lying. I have a friend selling Vantel and it’s garbage. The quality of the jewlery is garbage. I can send you photos of my jewlery if you would like. Its quality is about the quality off the Wish app. The pearls are not my better. The sales tactics are pushy if not beggy to the point you buy cause you feel bad. The majority or consultants sell to support their habits to buy. It’s all about recruiting. As of today they have expanded recruiting. The more the merrier.
Virginia Costello
Vantel Pearls is 100% not about recruiting. Intact, beginning in August of 2016, the company went on a recruiting hold until January 2017 when they allowed for a very small number to sign up. In Feb, March, and April, they allowed an even smaller number to sign up. I signed up in April, and I was among the select few that were able to sign up in the entire 2017 year! That’s right, no more are able to sign on for the remainder of 2017.
So no, Vantel is not about building a downlink. The sole focus is to sell your product. What a concept! It is unlike any other Direct Sales company I have ever come across.
I am absolutely blessed to have been chosen to join this amazing company that cares for its consultants. They didnt want the consultants they already have to worry about an oversaturated market. They take great care of us! I love that their focus is on the customer experience, quality jewelry and pearls, and making sure the consultants that represent them are well taken care of.
Nathaniell
If it’s not about recruiting…how did you join to recruit? Why are there so many people in the comments refuting my blog post? Are people that excited about Vantel pearls that they buy the product then search online to see what people say about the company?
K
Well Nathanial, vantel decided to protect the investment of its current consultants by freezing the hiring of new consultants so that it would not be oversaturated. And for those that have had the opportunity to recruit, you are only allowed to have 3 recruits, so they have even capped the amount of people one could recruit before the hiring freeze. I know a consultant who has no recruits and makes a 6 figure commission. Annually because she makes it fun and entertaining. I personally have jewelry from this company, and it is not cheap or plastic. I can understand how being a person on the outside looking in you can question the legitimousy of a company , but this is no scam and it has been an amazing journey for many of the consultants.
Nathaniell
I am skeptical that someone finds enough clients to only sell pearl jewelry to and is making six figures. Maybe SELLING six figures worth of jewelry, but even then, I’m skeptical.
If Vantel limited the number of people in your downline, and stopped adding new consultants, then it’s not really a true MLM IMO, and that’s great for them. Good job Vantel!
Laurie Langill
Nathaniell,
As National Sales Director with Vantel Pearls, I can tell you that your article is filled with inaccuracies about the company. I am not referring to your opinion as you are certainly entitled to that. However, it is irresponsible to publish an article with so many false statements. Vantel Pearls has experienced unprecedented growth in the last year and has undergone changes in every aspect of our business, including our compensation plan. Those changes are not reflected in your article.
I’ve been in Direct Selling for 37 years. I can assure you Vantel Pearls is not your “another predictable jewelry MLM.” You are correct about the old-fashioned website, which is about to get a makeover. You are incorrect about the $600 party average. It’s actually over $1,000 for the average party. Yes, it’s true.
Laurie
Nathaniell
It’s screenshotted from your own company’s website ::eyeroll::
Can you please direct me to the place where it say the average party earns $1000?
Marie
I’m a Vantel Pearls consultant. I can promise you that I have never had a party less than $600 :). I also sold well over $10,000 last month! It is possible and great money can be made.
Nathaniell
How many parties have you had and how often do you have them? Is that $600 gross or net? Are you including any fees or orders you had to place yourself? That makes a difference! If your commission is just a % of the $600 and you have only had two parties, that’s a lot different than having six parties over the last year and netting $600 each time.
Mary
I have watched Vantel Pearl sales live on Facebook for over a month. The sales consultant does 5-6 parties a week. I have not viewed a party with less than $3000. She has done 2 $4000 parties in a week and a couple of $5000 parties in a week. Her highest was over $6000. She has a big following from all over the country. She is booked for parties through May and has over 130 people waiting to get booked to host parties. You clearly don’t understand the Vantel Pearl culture among many of the women in America. She also has a male following that is growing.
Nathaniell
Well, clearly I don’t I guess. Go ahead and sign up and report back with your results!