Sure-fire, no-risk scheme - REALLY!

[ynot]

I have a guaranteed, sure-fire, no risk, get rich quick scheme that I offer for a very modest price of US$100. No experience necessary, modest set-up costs, run from home, no stock to buy, no selling required, etc.

Because you guys are so nice I will give it to you for FREE!!! (donations accepted :-).

All you need to do is advertise the benefits as above. When someone sends you money you send them the following . . .

“The scheme is to sell this get rich quick scheme offer to others as the get rich quick scheme. The selling of the concept of selling a get rich quick scheme is the get rich quick scheme!”

You will let me know how it works won't you?

[Bethany]

It would be better if it was also a pyramid scam, so that we could get a percentage of all of the money that came in, not just from the people who paid us directly.

[madurobob]

Between the two of you, you've pretty much just described Amway in a nutshell.

[my_wan]

In order to make money even with a ruse like that you need to understand marketing in your choice of ad media, ad tracking, after sale profits, etc. In the old days of mail order there was a Dept. # in the address. This wasn't actually part of the address but an identifier for which ad you ordered from. You didn't want to keep paying for ads that wasn't making money. On the internet that is done with the funny characters after the "?" in the URL.

After sale profits were selling your list of customers addresses etc. Anyone that falls for crap was after all very valuable to a wide range of marketers. The internet version is of course email and junk mail. Email harvesting is pretty much automatic from guestbooks, profiles, or even <random>@isp.com. They even like to include pics visible or not so they can see if you read it. Any actual buyers are usually kept inhouse to continue marketing more crap to the same proven customers rather than sold.

You'll never get rich this way without tuning your ad budget to a good mix of proven ads and test markets.

Between the two of you, you've pretty much just described Amway in a nutshell.

Amway stays out of trouble with the FTC for a very simple reason. Some kind of goods is always exchanged with any money. So even if you fail to get what you thought you have real goods for the money you spent. The pyramid structure is designed to mimic the margins associated with traditional business, manufacturers, bulk buyers, distributors, retailers, ad cost. The problem is that doing business that way went out years ago and the only people paying suggested retail are brain dead rich people and/or label buyers. In years past it was not that bad a business model (marketing BS aside) but unlike models that the likes of Wal Mart later innovated it was not designed to make the customer cost any cheaper. The structure of later copycats was often purely arbitrary for the benefit of of a few prechosen people. It remains legal as long as goods/services accompany payments.

[Father Dagon]

Then no-riskers are basically ghouls of capitalism. If people knew more about economics, then these vampires would've stand no chance at all. The outrageous high profit percentages can only be achieved in the pioneering days of a legitimate business or in illegal business. Period. When a business has matured, then the high profit in absolutes kicks in, yo.

The move from high percentages to high absolutes can only partly be explained by higher production efficiency and returning customers. It's also beacuse 20% of 10 is smaller than 10% of 100.