Tupperware MLM Review | Is Tupperware A Pyramid Scheme?

You are likely researching the Tupperware MLM because somebody introduced you to the opportunity.

Maybe it was a friend or family member, or possibly even a complete stranger.

Either way, you’re intrigued at the idea of starting a home based business that could earn you some extra cash to help you get ahead in this expensive world.

But before just blindly jumping into something like this, you thought that you should dig in a bit deeper to find out if this is a real opportunity.

Does the business live up to all the hype?

Good for you.

Starting a business is a big decision and not something you should simply jump into blindly.

So in this Tupperware business review, we are going to be discussing the following:

• The company’s history
• Products they sell
• How the business works
• The compensation plan
• How to succeed 

We are also going to be answering the question: is Tupperware a pyramid scheme?

Spoiler: the Tupperware business model is based on network marketing, also called MLM or multi level marketing. But it is absolutely NOT a pyramid scheme.

But we’ll get into all that a bit later.

First, let’s discuss how the Tupperware business first got its start.

Tupperware MLM History

Tupperware, arguably one of the oldest network marketing companies, sells one of the best known brands in the industry. 

The Tupperware brand is so well known that many people use the term for any food container regardless of the brand. Just like many of us refer to any generic tissue as Kleenex.

Tupperware containers were developed in 1946 by Earl Silas Tupper and the products began to be distributed via the direct sales (network marketing) business model in the early 1950s.

Millions of women in North America were forced to enter the workforce during World War II. When the soldiers returned from abroad, their wives were told to “return to the kitchen” which, as I’m sure you could imagine, wasn’t exactly empowering for many women.

The Tupperware business model emerged as a way for women to contribute to the household again by earning an income selling these containers. As a result, the Tupperware brand absolutely exploded in popularity in the 1950s.

In the 1960s, the Tupperware brand spread to Europe and today, they are sold in nearly 100 countries worldwide through nearly 2 million distributors.

Is Tupperware Still In Business?

Yes. 

While Tupperware has closed down operations in multiple countries across continental Europe, the business is still going strong and their globally recognised brand will not be forgotten any time soon.

Tupperware is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and reviews left on the BBB website are overwhelmingly negative.

Personally, I don’t put too much stock in the business reviews left on the Better Business Bureau website. There are few companies listed on the site with positive reviews which seems to indicate that the website is a magnet for negativity and bad experiences.

To be fair, most of the poor reviews are not bashing the quality of the products. Instead, they are almost all complaints about the poor customer service which unfortunately seems to be a very common theme in the MLM industry.

Tupperware Products

Tupperware sells hundreds of different products, so we will not be discussing all of them in any detail. You’d be here all month just reading about Tupperware products.

We’re going to spend the majority of our time together discussing the business opportunity. After all, that’s what you came here for, right?

There are many other Tupperware reviews online that discuss the products in great detail if that’s what you’re looking for.

Most of the Tupperware products can be distilled down into three main categories.

Cookware/Bakeware

The Tupperware cooking and baking product line consists of exactly what you would expect:

• Pots and pans
• Baking sheets
• Microwavable containers
• Knives and cutlery
• Utensils

Here’s a short marketing video released by Tupperware.

Please note: I am not affiliated with Tupperware. The video is here for informational purposes and does not necessarily reflect my own opinions.

These products are well known for their durability and non-stick surfaces when it comes to the pots and pans.

Essential Oils

This is something that Tupperware is not that well known for.

They sell essential oils, as well as the diffuser that you would use to put the oils to use in your home. Here’s how it works:

1. Put a few drops of oil into the diffuser
2. Turn the diffuser on
3. Enjoy

Think of it as a replacement for that toxic Glade air freshener you can buy at your local grocery store.

Personally, I am a fan of essential oils to help keep the air in your home fresh and healthy. But there are many competitive brands that tend to make unrealistic claims of what their essential oils can do for your health.

WebMD published a short article on essential oils that gives you a well balanced perspective on what they can and cannot do.

Food Storage

This is really what the Tupperware brand is known for.

I grew up with Tupperware containers, never realising that they actually came from a network marketing company.

The most popular feature by far of all the Tupperware containers is the venting technology. It allows you to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh in your refrigerator much longer than most competitive brands.

In addition to the products already mentioned, Tupperware also sells blenders, bowls, cups, water bottles, and even some toys.

There is truly too much to list here.

Online Tupperware Reviews

I discussed earlier how many of the Tupperware reviews on the BBB website were negative. However, the negativity was mostly aimed at the business and customer service.

When it comes to the products themselves, Tupperware reviews are actually very positive.as you can see on the Amazon website.

But again, you came here to learn about the business opportunity… 

So let’s get to the good stuff!

How The Tupperware Business Works

As we alluded to already, Tupperware is an MLM company. 

So what does that mean? How does the Tupperware business work? 

The business model of Tupperware allows customers to buy products directly from distributors rather than from retail stores.

While Tupperware products are available in big box retailers, the vast majority of the products are sold directly to consumers.

They cut out many of the large corporations.

This allows regular Joes and Janes like me and you the opportunity to start our own business from home.

The Tupperware business model allows you not only to earn commissions when you sell a product, but you also have the opportunity to build your own sales team.

This means that you can earn commissions when other people sell products to people in their own networks.

This is super powerful because it means that you can earn income from the efforts of other people in addition to your own.

As the late Jim Rohn said:

Profits are infinitely better than wages.

Think about it…

If you have a traditional sales job, you earn income based purely on your own efforts. This is great because it means that the harder you work, the more money you earn.

You can effectively give yourself a raise whenever you want to.

The problem is, it’s just another job.

If you want more income from a job, you need to work overtime, right?

Similar to a traditional sales job. If you take a break and stop selling for a while, your income grinds to a halt.

But with the Tupperware MLM business, you can actually start a business with no employees and no retail location.

And the true power of business ownership comes from earning money from other people’s efforts, not just your own.

This is the power of the Tupperware MLM model.

The major drawback to MLM or network marketing is the stigma that it has acquired over the years. I want to use this Tupperware review as an opportunity to set the record straight about the difference between legitimate network marketing and pyramid schemes.

But we’ll get to that.

First, let’s talk about exactly how you get paid with Tupperware. 

How does selling Tupperware work?

Tupperware Compensation Plan

There are four main types of compensation plans commonly used by network marketing companies. They include:

• Stairstep Breakaway
• Forced Matrix
• Unilevel
• Binary

There are pros and cons to each of these, which you can learn about in this deep-dive MLM analysis article here.

How Does Tupperware Network Marketing Pay You?

Tupperware uses a compensation plan known as the Home Party Plan. It is often compared to the Unilevel structure, though it’s not exactly the same.

As a Tupperware consultant, you would earn a 25% commission for every product that you sell.

You would be required to host a “Tupperware party” at your home or some other venue.

The average Tupperware party in the United States brings in about $500 in sales. This means that you would earn $125 if your party produced an average sales volume.

The real power of this business comes in recruiting others to host their own Tupperware parties.

The reality is, you only know so many people, right?

There is a limit to the number of people that you can invite into your home for a Tupperware party.

As a Tupperware consultant, you will be encouraged to convince two people to host their own Tupperware parties. Most likely, these other people will invite folks to their homes that you don’t know.

And the two folks that you recruited to host a party will also be tasked to find 2 people to host their own parties.

The best part is…

You will earn commissions (albeit much less than 25%) from every one of the parties that is hosted as an offshoot from any party that you hosted.

This way, you can grow the network that you can earn income from much farther than the people that you personally know.

Makes sense?

Good.

Can You Make Money Selling Tupperware, Really?

Yes. 

But the truth is, most Tupperware consultants do the business on a part-time basis.

While it is certainly possible to earn life-changing amounts of money with this business, few ever achieve this.

Tupperware Business Leader Salary

This is a common question asked by folks looking into the Tupperware business opportunity.

It’s important to reiterate that Tupperware business leaders do not get paid a salary or any type of wage.

The network marketing business pays for results. Nothing more, nothing less.

So how much does a Tupperware consultant make?

There are certainly people who are making incredible amounts of money with this business.

Annie Marchand for example, is a top earner in Tupperware. She earns well over $1.3 million per year.

Just remember, this is not typical. Annie put in years of time and effort. Most people tend not to last long enough to experience this level of success.

How Many Tupperware Consultants Are There?

Worldwide, Tupperware has nearly 2 million independent consultants under contract.

Is Tupperware A Pyramid Scheme?

OK, so let’s tackle the Tupperware pyramid scheme rumours. Is Tupperware a scheme?

The short answer is, no. Tupperware is not a pyramid scheme at all.

Well if that’s true, why do so many folks believe that it is?

Unfortunately, there is widespread misunderstanding of the network marketing profession. 

Over the last few decades, there have been several illegal Ponzi and pyramid schemes that were cleverly disguised as legitimate network marketing companies. 

When these illegal schemes inevitably collapsed, they received a lot of negative and noisy coverage from the media.

For good reason.

Many innocent and unsuspecting people got heart.

Badly.

The public should be made aware of the dangers that illegal and unsustainable pyramid schemes create.

The problem is, mainstream media never covers the difference between illegal pyramids and legitimate network marketing companies. 

Instead of educating, they tend to aim for negativity, shock and awe.

Fear sells, right?

So what’s the difference between the Tupperware network marketing business and an illegal pyramid scheme?

In an illegal pyramid scheme, you simply pay for a spot in a pyramid shaped organisation. You are then encouraged to bring more people into the pyramid in order for you to make money.

The people at the top get rich, while the people at the bottom lose all their money when the pyramid eventually collapses.

There is no value being offered to an end consumer. No products or services ever change hands.

Therein lies the problem.

If you are paying somebody for nothing, the market will not sustain that as a business model.

To be honest, network marketing is not actually that different from the traditional business model.

It’s just a value for value exchange.

You pay money (value) in order to receive a product or service in return (value).

The main difference between network marketing and a traditional business is how the products are marketed and distributed into the real economy.

But you might be wondering, what about the pyramid shaped organisation?

This is a fair question to ask.

Before I address it, have a look at the corporate business model.

Looks a lot like an illegal pyramid scheme, doesn’t it?

Look, we as humans will always organise ourselves into hierarchies. It simply can not be avoided.

It’s a large part of what allowed us to evolve in a way to reach the top echelons of the food chain.

And any hierarchical organisation will invariably take on the shape of a pyramid. You see it in almost every human organisation that you could think of:

• Friend circles
• Corporations
• Small business
• Churches
• Government
• Families

It simply can not be avoided.

The main difference between a network marketing business and the corporate world is that you could certainly earn more money than anybody who is higher than you in the hierarchy.

If you perform better and produce more revenue, you will make more money.

But in the corporate model, you will never earn more money than the CEO if you are working tin the mail room. 

Unless you are able to climb your way up the corporate ladder, displacing people along the way, and take away the sitting CEO’s job.

Network marketing is inherently a more fair business than the traditional corporate model.

Another Reason For Tupperware Scam Rumors

There is another reason that so many people are sceptical of the Tupperware business…

It’s because of the way that the business is often represented by new distributors.

As a brand new network marketing representative, it can be easy to become excited and a bit overzealous.

They tend to become pushy and frankly, sort of obnoxious.

This often repels people from your business, which tends to increase desperation.

Thus, causing you to become even more pushy and annoying.

If you decide to move ahead with this business, you must guard against this. It can hurt your personal reputation, the reputation of Tupperware, and the network marketing profession as a whole.

Before you even get started, understand that most of the people you talk to will say, “no”.

And that’s OK.

Network marketing is a numbers game.

You just need to talk to more people and over time, your skills will increase and you will become more effective.

Do not let your emotions rule you.

Is Tupperware A Good Company?

Yes, I believe so.

They are a well established company with a high reputation. Their products have become a household name over the years and nearly everyone trusts the brand.

Personally, I would have no problem recommending the products to you.

But I don’t wanna be all sunshine and roses…

Is Tupperware A Bad MLM?

While there are many things that I like about this company, I don’t want to make it sound as though there are no downsides.

I want this Tupperware MLM review to help you see the pros and cons…

And the major issue that I see is the type of products they sell.

You see, the major selling point of network marketing is recurring income. When you can acquire a customer and collect revenue from them again and again, month after month.

This is why so many network marketing companies sell consumables like makeup or health supplements.

Because people will buy those things on a recurring basis.

The problem with the Tupperware business is that most people will buy what they need, and then not buy anything else for months or years on end.

This is certainly not the end of the world and it doesn’t make Tupperware a bad MLM. But it would not be my first choice if I were looking for a business opportunity to pursue.

How To Join The Tupperware Business

If you’ve decided to move forward with the Tupperware business opportunity, then your first step is to become a Tupperware distributor.

You will need to reach out to the person who introduced you to this business and purchase a Tupperware business kit.

You will then be taken through a process of education that every distributor goes through. You’ll likely learn about the company, the products, and how to start your Tupperware business off on the right foot.

It’s vitally important that you follow the training that’s laid out before you because you will be taking your own people through the same training when you eventually start recruiting for your own sales team.

So let’s talk about how to succeed with MLM.

Follow A Proven Tupperware Business Plan

As I’m sure you know by now, the real power of network marketing does not necessarily come from selling products, although that’s a vitally important part of it.

The real potential of network marketing comes from building your own team of distributors who will sell products for you.

You want to build a team that will not only sell products, but will start growing itself without you putting in any more effort.

In order to get there, you will need to create duplication in your team.

So what’s duplication and what does it have to do with your business?

Duplication is exactly what it sounds like.

You want to train your recruits to duplicate your success, so that they can teach their own recruits how to duplicate their success… etc, etc.

As Randy Gage says in his newest book:

You don’t grow your team. You grow your people, so that your people grow your team.

This is why it’s so important to do exactly what you’re taught by your team when you first join the business.

Because as you bring your own people in, they will be looking to you for guidance. And when they see that you’re simply following the Tupperware MLM plan that’s being taught, they will trust the plan and follow it themselves…

And teach their people to do the same.

This is truly the secret to long term success in MLM.

I know it sounds simple.

But most aspiring network marketers do not truly take this to heart.

If you want to learn in more detail what it takes to succeed, check out this full guide on how to succeed with network marketing here.

Tupperware Online Business Ideas

When you join the Tupperware opportunity, you will likely be taught to reach out to your friends, family, neighbours, and even your Aunt Sally.

This is a fine place to start and you should definitely do exactly what you’re taught…

But eventually you will run out of people to talk to about your business. 

By the time this happens, you should already have built a small team that’s just starting to grow itself.

If so, it might be time to expand your business to the internet.

After all, we live in the digital age. We can and should take full advantage of the tools we have available to us.

But internet marketing can be quite intimidating for someone who is just getting started. So let’s talk about what it takes to grow your Tupperware business online.

It really comes down to 3 main steps:

I. Build An Audience

The number one rule for selling things online is that you need to build trust with people before they will ever be willing to buy anything from you.

In order to do that, you must provide value through content marketing.

Think about what type of content your potential customer would be looking for online.

Is it cooking tutorials? Food storage guides?

Whatever it is, you can start putting valuable content out there and start building your authority. Your goal is to become a thought leader in your niche.

When a potential customer is asking themselves a question, you want to be the person that comes to their mind as someone that could answer that question.

You need to become the expert.

Don’t ever mention your products or business opportunity… just provide immense value to your viewers or readers.

You can build your online authority by putting content out on platforms like:

• Blogs
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Forums

There are many platforms that you could use in order to build your personal brand online.

II. Build An Email List

After you’ve built a small-to-medium sized audience online, you should think about building your own email list.

You can entice your audience to get on your list by providing some type of freebie. This could be a video course, a PDF guide, an Ebook, or even an MP3 audio.

The only way people can get the freebie is by entering their email address in the form on your webpage. At this point, they will be redirected to the free gift and added to your email list.

Once somebody is on your list, you should continue to provide tons of value.

We all get too many emails, right?

You want your email subscribers to actually look forward to your emails rather than simply deleting them whenever they come in.

III. Sell Your Stuff

You still gotta make money, right?

Just providing value alone will not pay the bills, so eventually your emails need to include a sales pitch or product recommendation.

Or perhaps an invitation to get on the phone with you to discuss your business opportunity.

Just don’t overdo it.

People get sick and tired of being sold to, so you need to strike a balance.

I would recommend keeping your emails about 80% pure value based and 20% sales based.

So look…

This is a pretty simplified explanation of internet marketing, but I think it gives you the idea.

If you want to learn the process in detail, check out my full length guide on how to succeed with digital network marketing here. If you follow everything in that guide, there’s no reason that you couldn’t achieve your online Tupperware business objectives.

It’ll take time.

It won’t be easy.

But heck… 

If it were easy, everyone would be a billionaire network marketer, right?

Tupperware MLM Review | Conclusion

So let’s wrap this thing up.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I am biased towards network marketing. I like the business model a lot because it allows middle class folks to make life changing amounts of money without investing millions of dollars or taking on massive debt.

But it’s important to be aware of the fact that a relatively small number of people ever achieve meaningful success.

But it can be done.

Tupperware is a brand trusted by millions of people worldwide and their business model has proven itself over time.

I would have no problem recommending the Tupperware direct selling business or its products.

However, as I mentioned earlier, folks tend to buy Tupperware products once in a blue moon.

Unlike health and wellness products, people don’t buy the products month after month.

For this reason, I believe there are better options out there.

But if you’re passionate about the products and this business opportunity excites you, then I say go for it!

At the end of the day, passion is what’s really required to succeed in business.

If you don’t really get excited about what you’re selling, you will not be able to make a convincing sales pitch to any prospective customer.

And you’ll get burnt out before you achieve any meaningful success.

But again, if you’re excited by the Tupperware business and it’s products, then reach out to the person who introduced you to the business and make a commitment to do what it takes, for as long as it takes.

If there’s anything I missed in this Tupperware MLM review, feel free to let me know in the comments section below and I’ll get back to you, ASAP.