In Business Since: 1959

Financial Strength: Debt-free, multi-billion dollar publicly traded company. 1998 retail sales figures is estimated at 5.7 billion dollars.

Management: The fact that Amway is the oldest and largest network marketing company in the world speaks volumes for its co-founders Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel, who have paved the way for many other network marketing companies to flourish in this great industry.

Management Rating: 5 Stars

Online Training & Support: Not all there yet, but when their new online store Quixtar is launched, we predict that Amway will have one of the best, if not the best, online training and support in the industry. Online support is available at Amway's corporate website, which is very informative and includes information about the Amway story, the business opportunity, and much more. Websites are also available for every country/market that Amway does business in.

Click here to learn how you can effectively utilize the most powerful online marketing technique to sponsor more people than you ever thought possible. Field Training & Support: Available via corporate sponsored and distributor lead local, regional, and national conventions and smaller group meetings.

Motivational Support: Excellent corporate sponsored conventions and distributor lead regional events. These events are held by top Amway distributors, who are among the highest income earners in the industry, with huge organizations. Consequently, they are usually larger than most national conventions that are held by many newer network marketing companies, and are very inspiring and life changing.

Training & Support Rating: 5 Stars

Products/Services: You name it, they have it. Great quality Amway products, such as nutrition, cosmetics, personal care, skincare, homecare, as well as top name brand products and services. It's important to note here that Amway products are backed by the most impressive research and development department, not only in the network marketing industry, but in the world. Amway's R&D includes 57 laboratories, which includes 13 quality assurance laboratories, with hundreds of projects in process. Amway also currently holds over 200 patents and nearly 400 more with patents pending. Check Amway's corporate website for more information.

Product Quality/Effectiveness Rating: 5 Stars

Product Market Rating: 5 Stars

Business Opportunity Market Rating: 4 Stars

Compensation Plan: Stairstep Breakaway. Due to the fact that Amway is the pioneer of the MLM industry, their comp plan is the oldest, and perhaps is somewhat more complicated and less distributor friendly than the payplans of many newer companies. However, it is still very lucrative for those who perservere and overcome the Amway bashing that is brought on by many uninformed naysayers and distributors of other companies. With all things being equal, a substantial residual income may take somewhat longer than some of the newer companies that have come into the industry in the past 10 years with payplan features such as, customer acquision bonuses, coding and infinity bonuses, "Wave 4" type compressed unilevels, matching bonuses, etc. On the other hand, Amway is a solid company that you can bank your future on, and when you consider the unmatched number and quality of Amway products, and the recruiting frenzy that is expected from the introduction of Quixtar, this compensation plan is much more lucrative than what some people may think.

Compensation Plan Rating: 3.75 Stars

Overall Rating: 4.63 Stars

Advantages: Financial strength, track record of success, a true global opportunity, highly diversified product line, excellent training and support, and without a doubt...Quixtar.

Disadvantages: Negative name recognition to some, relatively less distributor-friendly comp plan than many newer companies, but is still very lucrative. Distributors having to pay commissions to and order products for "pre-direct" downline members can be a hassle, however, Quixtar may change all that. The positive side of the above scenario, as many Amway distributors will tell you, is the personal touch and relationship building opportunities that come with it.

Comments: With the introduction of Quixtar, Amway's online supermall due to be launched in September, the company will again generate excitement from the industry as they did back in the 70's and early 80's, even from those who swore that they will never ever join Amway. The internet will change the Amway opportunity for the better, and Quixtar will undoubtedly give Amway and its distributors a huge boost. The Quixtar business is essentially, a groundfloor opportunity with the largest financial backing for a new opportunity that we've ever seen in MLM.