Is Trades Of Hope A Scam? Exposing The Truth About This Jewel MLM

Welcome to My Trades Of Hope Review!

If you’re passionate about making money, you probably know how having a side hustle helps in helping you reach financial freedom faster. Maybe that’s even the reason why you’re here -- you’re looking for another source of income online.

Perhaps, you’ve seen this online or someone you know talked about this.

Whatever the case is, let me help you decide whether this networking company called Trades Of Hope is worth your time or not.

Before anything else, I want to let you know that 1.) I am not an affiliate of Trades Of Hope so I won’t pitch you to join this program and 2.) the main goal of this review is to provide you all the information so you can decide on your own.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Founded in 2011 by Elizabeth and Gretchen Huijskens, Trades Of Hope is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that’s focused on promoting jewelry.

Trades Of Hope’s main products are jewelry.

This includes bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and rings.

They also market bags, such as handbags and wristlets, coffee, notebooks, gift boxes, and more.

The jewelry designs are kind of unique and as for the price, I think it’s just reasonable considering that the brand follows an MLM structure. However, there are tons of cheaper alternatives online so it’s up for you to decide.

What puts them on top of cheaper fancy accessories is that it uses quality materials so I guess it’s still worth the price.

Let’s not forget that the brand exists to provide opportunities to women from third-world countries and at the same time, empower women so for me, this is a good option.

It’s almost the same as Keep Collective, Stella And Dot, and Jewelry Candles.

Trades Of Hope follows a structure that lets members earn money by selling their products and at the same time, make more cash through the sales that their downline makes. Yes, there’s recruitment but no, it’s not the sole purpose of income.

Trades Of Hope doesn’t even compensate members directly just by inviting another person; rather, they have to encourage their team or downline to make a sale.

Unlike usual scams, the founders use their real name and not just some pen name to hide their real identity. They are also transparent with how the program works and what it’s about.

MLM has a negative reputation to many people and if not because of this website, Best Lifetime Income, I will still see network marketing companies as a scam. However, networking itself is a legit business model, and it’s different from a pyramid or Ponzi scheme.

Why?

First of all, pyramid and Ponzi schemes are illegal in many states and countries. It doesn't do any good to anyone, except to those who have founded the program. It steals money rather than helps its distributors make money.

A pyramid scheme, in case you didn’t know, is different from a networking company. It has no tangible products or valuable services to make money from and the only source of income is through recruitment.

Joining a pyramid scheme often means buying into the program and expecting your recruits to do the same so you can earn commissions directly.

It’s unstable because other than inviting people, there’s no other source of profit. Once the recruitment stops, so does the money.

A Ponzi scheme, on the other hand, is also illegal. The scam won’t ask you to recruit and the only thing you need to do is invest money, tons of it normally so you can get a higher return. It’s dangerous because other than losing cash, you might also be dragged into a terrible situation. 

For instance, if the Ponzi scheme blows up, the authority might track all the people involved and we know what might happen next.

As an MLM, there are two main ways to make money with Trades Of Hope.

For one, you can start by selling their products. The good news is that there are a variety of products to choose from, all geared to fashion-inclined women.

You can make money here by selling their essentials based on the suggested retail price. As a member, you get at least a 25% to 35% discount, depending on your affiliate rank. 

The higher your level is, the bigger the discount you get on the products.

You also get additional commissions for building a team and again, this depends on your level and the level of your downline. More or less, you’ll earn 1% to 7% residual commissions.

To learn more about Trades Of Hope’s compensation plan, you can watch the video below:

To become a member of Trades Of Hope, you have to pay $14 for the subscription fee. Then, to be qualified for the commissions or to start selling products, you have to choose from the following business kits:

• Merit $100
• Mosaic $100
• All-In $200

You also need to pay $9.95 for the Technology Suite every month. This includes the maintenance of the following:

• Your own website
• Online office suite
• Mobile application
• Newsletter

PROS

Advocate Of Women Empowerment

I am all for women's empowerment, especially for causes and organizations that provide an opportunity for women to make money. If you feel the same, it’s a good idea to support Trades Of Hope, especially because their goal is to support those who live in third-world countries.

Legit MLM Company

Trades Of Hope is not a scam, not even a pyramid scheme in disguise. It offers a real opportunity to make money and that is by selling their products and through recruitment. While you are required to invite members to join your team, it’s clear that the brand’s main goal is to develop its products so you can sell them with confidence.

In addition, it’s been operating for 10 years, which is a milestone for MLM companies so I guess it supports the fact that it’s NOT a scam.

CONS

Lack Of Transparency

While the brand has shown probably enough, it still failed to show crucial information -- the Income Disclosure Statement (IDS).

Trades Of Hope has been in the industry for 10 years or more and has been committed to offering opportunities to women; it would be good if at least they can back up their earnings with data.

That’s one way to know if the opportunity really is profitable enough.

I’m not sure why they choose to hide their IDS, maybe it’s because there’s not much of an earning happening or none at all. Whatever it is, it looks like they are hiding something so it’s best to stay away from such kind of program at all cost!

Focus On Recruitment

While the goal is to “empower women,” it conceals the fact that it’s geared towards recruiting more and more people, making them sound like a pyramid scheme. They may not be upfront about it but if you consider how it really works, that might put them in a bad light.

Other than that, it’s challenging to recruit so even if the company’s not a pyramid scheme but the compensation plan relies on recruitment, your income potential is affected. 

Like usual MLM companies, Trades Of Hope offers training to its members to help them learn about their products and marketing strategies. Your upline or sponsor may also provide you resources so you can market your business effectively.

Trades Of Hope has been operating for more than 10 years and that’s a good sign of stability and legitimacy. What I liked most about it is their goal to help women from third-world countries make money so they can support themselves and their families.

It’s also good to know that they have real products to sell and make money from. 

The challenge, however, is the recruitment required; not only is it challenging, but it also puts the brand at risk of being tagged as a pyramid scheme.

If you want to consider Trades Of Hope as your source of income, it would be safe if you will only see it as a side hustle and not as the sole or primary source of your money.