Is PM-International A Scam? My Review Will Help You Figure That Out

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Is PM-International A Scam Review

There are literally 1,000s of health and wellness multi-level marketing companies out there and PM-International is one of them.

Is someone trying to recruit you?

If so then this review is for you.

I'll show you how PM-International works, what their compensation plan is and ultimately, whether they're a scam or a legit business worth getting involved with.

Let's get started.

PM-International Review At A Glance

About: Founded in 1993, PM-International is one of the biggest health, wellness and beauty multi-level marketing companies.

Price: Joining fee and starter pack is $99, plus $95.20 a month for autoshipment.

Pros: Long company history. 

Cons: Overpriced products, a complex compensation plan and a high failure rate.

Verdict: PM-International require all recruits to sign up for autoshipment, making this a borderline pyramid scheme. MLMs are an outdated way of making money anyway. 

OVERALL RATING

2 Star Rating NEW

PM-International is a legit MLM. The company has been around since 1993 and has received awards from DSN and Netcoo among others.

Although widely recognized, they face issues about misrepresenting the ingredients to their products. Getting started can be expensive.

To be an affiliate you have to pay $99 and to get a higher commission rate for selling products, you’ll also be compelled to buy a Pool Pack worth $500.

The website doesn’t provide an Income Disclosure statement so there’s no way of telling how much people are earning from it but we know 99% of all people who join MLMs lose everything they put in.

What Is PM-International?

PM-International is a health, wellness, and cosmetics MLM. It was created by Rolf Sorg back in 1993 and is headquartered in Luxembourg.

It was initially called PM Cosmetics because they originally sold makeup and beauty products. Some years later, Sorg felt he needed to expand his line of products, so he changed the name to PM-International to include nutritional supplements in the brand. 

PM-International prides itself to be one of Europe’s largest MLM in the health and beauty niche. The website says they’ve already distributed their products to over 40 countries.

Although they didn’t give an Income Disclosure, part of the Company overview says that their annual turnover is at €833 million.

The website says founder Rolf Sorg started out as a mechanic. He later realized he has a knack for recruiting people.

On average he was able to enroll 10 people per month. He then realized he can make more money from it instead of being a mechanic so he worked on the MLM industry fulltime since then. 

Rolf Sorg was selected as a finalist for “Entrepreneur of the Year” for a couple of years. In 2005, he was selected to be part of the European Economic Senate. He's also a CEO Council member for WFDSA or the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations. 

PM-International’s founder is not the only one who independently received awards, the company as a whole has its share of recognition too: 

  • Ranked 13th in the 2020 DSN Global 100: The Top Direct Selling Companies in the World
  • From 2002-2020, PM International was part of the TOP 100 recognizing innovators medium-sized enterprises in Germany
  • In 2013/14, 2018/19, chosen as “Company of the Year by Netcoo, a German trade magazine
  • In 2018 and 2019, got the German Brand Award for being outstanding in brand management

Being recognized by institutions in the industry is a big sign a company is legit, still, it’s not all sunshine for PM-International. 

In 2013, Sorg bought a lawsuit against Google claiming they used its autocomplete feature to relate his name with “Scientology” and “fraud”. He won the case. 

How To Get Started With PM-International

To start with PM-International you need to buy an affiliate starter pack priced at $99.

The starter pack consists of a demo bag, sports bottle, spoon, and 2 PM-International products you can use for demos.

You can also opt to buy one of the 2 Pool Packs:

  • FitLine Optimal Set Pack – $500
  • Optimal Combo Pack – $481

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PM-International Products

PM-International has 2 product lines: FitLine and BeautyLine. FitLine is the nutritional supplements side while Beauty Line is all about cosmetics and personal care. 

PM-International prides itself on its unique formulation called Nutritional Transport Concept (also known as NTC). It claims to be a delivery system carrying nutrients to a particular cellular area where the nutrient is needed. 

However, it’s easier claimed than proven. There’s no 3rd party research proving the “unique formulation” works as it should. The FDA can’t also give any assurance whatsoever because they do not require nutritional supplement companies to submit to premarket approval. 

Instead of pre-approvals, the FDA’s enforcement efforts are done AFTER a product is available in the market not BEFORE.

As for FDA’s European counterpart, European Medicines Agency, PM-International also gives no proof they underwent evaluation with them. 

Here’s the thing:

European food authorities mostly focus on what nutrients should be and shouldn’t be included in a nutritional supplement. Checking an MLM’s health and wellness claim like the “Nutritional Transport Concept” is out of their way. 

If you’re still interested in knowing more about PM-International’s FitLine products, here’s a brief list with what it’s supposed to function is and how much it costs:

  • CC-Cel Lotion ($32 for 125 ml tube) – claims to help with skin’s moisture and cellulite
  • Activize Oxyplus ($37 for 174 g box) – energy supplement
  • Power Cocktail ($104 for 600 g box) – multivitamin containing B2, C, E, and selenium
  • ProShape All-In-1 ($34 for 420 g canister) – meal replacement supplement
  • Basics ($69 for 600 g box) – herbal extract  containing vegetables, fruits, fibers, cereal, enzymes, and live lactic bacteria for the digestive system
  • ProShape Amino ($62 for 115 g canister) – claims to help with muscle strain for those who workout
  • CC-Cel Capsules ($64 for a bottle with 60 capsules) – claims to help the skin be better
  • Restorate ($23 for 200 g box) – multi-vitamin-mineral made for regeneration
  • Q10 ($47 for 30 ml bottle) – claims to help cell energy
  • Heart Duo ($74 for 50 mg bottle) – heart supplement containing Omega 3
  • Omega 3 ($38 for 50ml bottle) – also claims to help heart health
  • Herbalism Tea ($15 for 100 g box) – herb-containing tea
  • D-Drink ($37 for a box with 14 single-serve packets) – daily supplement drink
  • Fitness Drink ($48 for 450 g box) – nutrient drink mix containing B-vitamins and magnesium
PM International Products

Here’s something interesting:

PM-International has a long-standing war between a Danish TV Station. TV 2 claims PM-International is making money from selling supplements that are merely powdered sugar. 

Even a nutrition science professor at the University of Oslo says that the powdered supplements are 50% sugar and does not contain organic fruits and vegetables as what they claim to be. He also says the supplement does nothing to anyone except bring in money for PM-International.

Because of this defamation, PM-International filed a lawsuit against the TV station back in 2017 which ended up getting rejected. They continued their appeal but unfortunately lost thrice in a row. 

I don’t know about you but this doesn’t sound good to me, if the court rejected them 3 times, it means there’s no substantial evidence to counter the TV 2’s claims. In my eyes, TV2’s claims are valid. This can mean instead of getting nutritional benefits from FitLine, all you’ll ever get is diabetes.

This is just for the FitLine products, here’s for the BeautyLine products:

  • Cleansing Tonic ($28 for 200 ml bottle) – claims to help skin from harsh outdoor environment
  • Ultimate Young ($117 for 15 ml bottle) – toner and wrinkle reducer
  • Cleansing Milk ($28 for 200 ml bottle) – facial cleanser
  • 4ever ($66 for 50 ml container) – 24-hour facial mask claiming to rejuvenate skin

PM-International also offers Pool Packs ranging from $481-$500. Selling a Pool Pack gets you additional commissions which I’ll talk about in a bit. 

PM-International's Compensation Plan

Like most MLM’s, earning more from PM-International involves qualifying for higher levels. A higher level gets you the chance to get more bonuses and higher percentages on commissions.

To start off this section, I’m going to talk about the 12 ranks of PM-International:

  • Team Partner Rank – only needs to sign up as an affiliate
  • Manager Rank – produce 1,500 GV every month
  • Sales Manager Rank – produce 2,500 GV every month and maintain 2 Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Marketing Manager Rank – produce 5,000 GV every month and maintain 2 Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • International Marketing Manager Rank – produce 10,000 GV every month and maintain 3 Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Vice President Rank – produce 25,000 GV every month and maintain 3 Sales Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Executive Vice President Rank – produce 50,000 GV every month and maintain 3 Marketing Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • President’s Team Rank – produce 100,000 GV every month and maintain 5 Marketing Manager ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Silver President’s Team Rank – produce 200,000 GV every month and maintain 3 Vice President ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Gold President’s Team Rank – produce 400,000 GV every month and maintain 3 Executive Vice President ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Platinum President’s Team Rank – produce 600,000 GV every month and maintain 4 Executive Vice President ranked affiliates who are personally referred
  • Champion’s League Rank – produce 1,000,000 GV every month and maintain 5 President’s Team ranked affiliates who are personally referred

Here's a video of the compensation plan if you want more info:

Retail Commission Bonus

PM-International has 3 retail commission amounts you can earn from

  • Buy a wholesale-priced item and sell it at retail
  • Buy a wholesale-priced item and sell it at retail price plus an additional 10% when in a 100 PV monthly auto-ship
  • Buy a wholesale-priced item and sell it at retail price plus an additional 40% when in a 100 PV monthly auto-ship and being at least in a Manager rank

Top Retailer Bonus Commission

This bonus depends on GV. If you produce 2,500 in GV, you’ll get 3%  on the team’s retail sales each month. On the other hand, if you produce, 5,000 GV, you’ll get 5%. 

Recruiting Commission Bonus

As said earlier, PM-International offers Pool Packs. Selling a Pool Pack can get you $60 as a commission, another $60 will be rolled up to a Manager ranked affiliate above you. If you are however in a Manager or higher rank, the whole $120 will go to you. 

Residual Commission Bonus

PM-International gives a residual bonus from the monthly autoship orders from all team members in your uni-level compensation structure. You will be paid based on the percentage of the sales volume produced in one leg. 

This can be quite confusing so here’s a table format to make it easier:

PM International Residual Commission Bonus

To put it simply, most of the difference from each generation and rank is around 2%. If you think about it, your commission is dependent more on how much your downlines produce than on how much you personally produce. 

At first glance, the income potential can look great. Keep this in mind though: the process of getting to a higher rank involves recruiting people who are fired up to recruit others who are also fired up to recruit others to achieve higher levels like you. 

Unless you can find people willing to spend on at least 100 PV autoship and who have a knack for recruiting people who are ready to work on the business like you do, you’ll get nowhere. 

Rank Achievement Bonus

This is a one-time bonus given to International Marketing Managers and those of higher rank if they meet the qualifications.

  • International Marketing Manager – You can receive $500 when you reach this rank within the first month of signing up as an affiliate
  • Vice President – You can get $1,250 when you achieve this rank within 3 months upon signing up as an affiliate
  • Executive Vice President – You will be given $2,500 for getting to this rank within 6 months upon signing up as an affiliate
  • President’s Team – $5,000 awaits you if you get to this rank within the first year upon signing up as an affiliate

Other Bonuses

A car bonus available for those with the Vice President rank or higher. There are also qualifications you need to meet to get this bonus. The bonus starts from $222 for an affiliate with Vice President rank to $2,222 for those with Champion’s League rank. 

PM-International also awards a pension plan wherein they add 50%  to the pension wallets of “top-ranked affiliates” but there’s not much information given on these beside what I just mentioned. 

There’s also an all-expense-paid World Tours reward for International Marketing Manager ranked affiliates and higher and a President’s Team Recognition reward which is a personal invitation from Sorg to visit their private villa in France. 

Pros Of PM-International

  • The company has a long history
  • The owner is widely recognized and awarded

Cons Of PM-International

  • Expensive products
  • Rank is hard to achieve and maintain
  • Alleged to offer supplements which are mainly sugar other than the organic content in claims to have

Is PM-International A Scam?

PM-International is not a scam. However, because they offer autoshipment for recruits, they are a borderline pyramid scheme. Unless they have a steady flow of retail customers buying their products, the system will collapse when the only people purchasing are members trying to reach a quota to get to a higher rank. 

PM-International does not provide an income disclosure statement so there’s no way to know if the money coming in is mainly from recruits, an auto-shipment of recruits, or retail customers buying products.

If the members are the only ones buying the products, when they get tired of the cycle, they will eventually quit and the source of revenue decreases. 

Think about this: 

How many months will it take for new members to realize, getting a higher rank will mean hefty amounts and tireless nights thinking of who else to recruit and help to advance in ranks too?

Once they realize making money from it is too daunting, they’ll obviously quit which takes a portion of the monthly revenue coming in. 

How about when not just one but a whole unilevel team quits?!

PM-International Review: Closing Thoughts

PM-International products are expensive. Item prices are around $100 on average. Amazon products with the same function are way more affordable. This means you’ll have a hard time selling at the retail level and ultimately settle in making recruits. 

Reality check though:

How many family and friends are willing to work on the business as much as you? I thought so too. 

Here’s another truth:

With MLMs, you’re not building your own business, you’re just helping somebody else build theirs!

If you want to have your OWN business, why not try affiliate marketing?

  • There’s no need to recruit
  • You’ll have a business you can call your own
  • You have tons of products to promote
  • You have the freedom to choose products which truly interests you
  • Can potentially make money around the clock

Check out this SUPER in-depth Wealthy Affiliate review to find out how it works and get started for free.

What Do You Think?

Is it enough for PM-International to be legit to ensure you’ll make tons of money?

Do you think it’s better to focus on another income-generating opportunity?

Share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you. 

3 thoughts on “Is PM-International A Scam? My Review Will Help You Figure That Out”

  1. Diabetes is primarily caused by a problem in fats, not sugars. Sugar are the secondary problem of diabetes. I believe your evaluation doesn’t take in consideration the results of people who take those supplements for years, without getting any diabetes…

    Reply
  2. Simon crowe. I smell conflict of interest. Can you explain how you know the product is mostly “sugar” and not organic ingredients? They state they have 60 kinds of organic ingredients in one of their products. If that wasn’t true, this would be false marketing

    Reply
  3. Stay out of the way of a black BMW in palm coast Florida. Fit Line decals on vehicle. This person ignores our traffic & speed laws here so therefore one must assume they are just basically a criminal. I would not do business with a criminal, not wise. Fit Line products definitely sound like a ripoff.

    Reply

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