Welcome to this Thirty One Gifts MLM review.
So many multi-level marketing businesses fall short on expectations, not always because of the product but the business opportunity that comes with them.
At Thirty One Gifts, the products do look appealing and many are raving about them, although the business side for anyone interested tells a different story.
Whilst most MLM businesses hide any proof of income disclosure, at Thirty One Gifts they are happy to disclose their Thirty One consultant’s incomes, even though it doesn’t do them any justices, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
I am in no way associated with Thirty OneGifts and only here to produce the facts so that you can make an educated decision whether this is a viable business opportunity or not.
So, let’s get into this Thirty One Gifts review and see what you think.
[Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase anything through one of the links. However, this will not affect what you pay!]
Thirthy One Gifts MLM Review – Summary
Product: Thirty One Gifts LLC
Location: New Albany, Columbus, Ohio, US
Founder: Cindy Monroe
Founded: 2003
Website: www.mythirtyone.com
Product description: Selling a large range of women’s fashion accessories such as ladies purses, bags, Gifts, and home items, as well as a business opportunity for anyone interested.
Best For: Experienced network marketers with a big following (email list).
Cost to join: $99 or $130 which includes custom signature kits worth $231.
There is also a monthly fee of $16.95 which is for the business package, website, emails, landing page, etc.
That’s the first-year cost of $302.40 followed by $230.40
Price of products: As far as women’s bags go they are reasonably priced, up to around the $150 mark with many in the lower tens.
Recommended: NO – The product range may look great even though they are made in China, but a little let down because I thought this business would be US, through and through.
With regards to a business opportunity, looking at their income disclosure I really don’t see a business opportunity there but all will be revealed a little later on.
Summary: Thirty One Gifts is a party planning type business where consultants are encouraged to sell and market their products through organised home parties, which is not limited to Thirty One consultants.
Thirty One Gifts MLM Review -TOC
- What is Thirty One Gifts?
- Is Thirty One Gifts a Pyramid Scheme
- Thirty One Gifts Products Range
- Thirty One Gifts Business Opportunity – What You Need To Know
- What others say about Thirty One Gifts
- What We Like – Thirty One Gifts MLM Review
- What We Don’t Like – Thirty One Gifts MLM Review
- Is Thirty One Gifts a scam?
- Is Thirty One Gifts a Worthy Business to get involved with?
- Thirty One Gifts MLM Review – FAQs
- Thirty One Gifts Lawsuits
- Feedback, Follow and Subscribe
What Is Thirty One Gifts?
Thirty-One Gifts is the brainchild of Cindy Monroe,
which was started in 2003 in the basement of her Chattanooga home and now based in New Albany, Ohio.With one thing in mind and that was to help women with an opportunity to run their own businesses from home and help support their families, which still remains her number one goal today.
Thirty-One Gifts was primarily set up as a “Party Planning” business where consultants invite friends and family to their homes, pretty much like Avon and Amway.
Over the last 17 years, Thirty-One consultants have held well over 6 million parties in homes, bars, restaurants, with many nowadays taking advantage of the internet and social media.
Primarily aimed at the women’s market, with bags the main product, along with purses, jewellery and many other giftable items and even the inclusion of men’s products.
One thing Cindy noticed was that nobody was offering monogrammed products for sale and saw an opening there.
The company has grown from strength to strength with revenue peaking in 2015 to $700 million.
Nowadays, at Thirty-One Gifts, the revenue as somewhat levelled out to around $400 million in yearly sales.
They currently have around 1,000 employees and over 100,000 sales consultants playing actives roles, covering all the US states and Canada.
According to the CEO, the name “Thirty-One” is a reference to an old bible exert that refers highly towards women.
Her husband Scott who is/was a minister and end up switching careers and taking up an executive position at Thirty-One Gifts.
What I have noticed through the speed and growth of the company, is that they have not been able to keep up with demand from its customers and this is noticeable through the reviews I see scattered about.
Check out what the owner has to say in this short promotional video.
With Thirty-One Gifts, their heart is in the right place
Whenever any business gives back to the community then it has to be a great thing and at Thirty-One Gifts they are doing just that.
The organisation “Thirty One Gives” was born in 2012 to help less fortunate families like our own and has donated over $100 million in cash and products to non-charitable organisations throughout the US and Canada.
Focused on helping girls, women and families, whilst supporting life-changing research where children are suffering from mental difficulties.
Is Thirty One Gifts a Pyramid Scheme?
Thirty-One Gifts is not a pyramid scheme.
It operates as a legitimate direct sales company, focusing on selling personalized bags, totes, and home organization products through independent consultants.
Consultants earn money primarily through product sales and hosting parties, not just by recruiting others.
This distinguishes it from pyramid schemes, where income is mainly derived from recruitment rather than product sales.
While success in Thirty-One Gifts can benefit from building a team, the business model is based on tangible product transactions, aligning with legal MLM standards
Thirty One Gifts Products Range
Thirty-One Gifts has an extensive product range and they just keep adding more to it.
I lost count at 500 products on the official Thirty One Gifts website!
The product range is mainly based around the everyday women’s bag, whether a handbag, thermal bags, or travel bags, with additional categories added to include household goods and gifts.
What helps make Thirty One Gifts unique is that their competitors don’t offer a monogrammed option whereas Thirty One does and allows most of the items to have that personal touch.
Thirty-One Gifts most popular product range
- Thirty One Fresh Market Thermal
A great looking thermal just right for those scorching days out on family picnics and trips to the beach, made in water-resistant material.
The sides snap open to extending the space inside, with long handles to carry over the shoulder.
Comes in a total of 9 different styles
- Thirty One All Packed Duffle
A bag suitable for the gym, camping or week-ends away with an outside pocket to keep shoes away from your clothes.
Comes in 4 different styles
- Thirty One Close To Home Caddy
A very chic looking handcrafted caddy in Mango wood, with 3 compartments for storage items that would look great anywhere in the home.
- Thirty One Zip Top Organizing Utility Tote
A very handy bag that comes with 7 exterior pockets and comes in 11 different styles.
- Thirty One City Chic Bag
For that night on the town that comes in 3 different colours.
- Thirty One Large Utility Tote
One of Thirty Ones most popular products that are large enough to accommodate many larger items and come in a sturdy wireframe.
Can be bought in 19 different styles.
Please to note that…
All the above items can be monogrammed to give you that personal touch.
The Thirty One Gifts product range can be found within the categories listed below…
- Bags
Everyday type of bag for every eventuality. Shoulder, Totes, Backpacks, Work bags, Diaper bags.
- Accessories
Wallets, Pouches, Travel, Techie, Straps, Small accessories.
- Travel
Weekender and overnight bags with accompanying accessories.
- Thermals
Cooler bags for those really hot days. Kiddies lunch, Work, Sports, Beach and Pool, Small thermals, Large Thermals.
- Home Accessories
Utility on the go, Storage and Organisation, Family Room Organisation, Playroom Organisation, Pillars and Home Decorations.
- Gifts
Personal gifts, for him and here. Weddings, Graduation, Birthdays etc.
For a closer look at the extensive Thirty One products range with current prices…
Check out the full range of products on their website by clicking here.
To get a better idea of what’s on offer before you decide to purchase and whether this could be a good business opportunity for you.
You can also find reviews against the individual products there and whilst I expected only positive reviews you can also find negatives reviews there too.
Thirty-One Gifts Business Opportunity – What You Need To Know
Like all MLMs, there is a business opportunity and it all depends on whether the products are something you believe in and can trust.
I think you will agree there are more than enough products at Thirty One Gifts and something for everyone. That’s women really, although I gather that more men’s products are been added.
With well over 100,000 Thirty-One Gifts consultants out there then many obviously do think that there is a lucrative business here.
Many are only too happy to be able to make a few dollars here and there to help pay bills, and if it’s just a few dollars you are looking for then look no further and all will be revealed a little later in this section.
How to Make Money With Thirty-One Gifts
Like with all MLMs businesses you can make money by…
- Purchasing the products yourself.
- Selling to interested customers.
- Recruiting others and building a sales team.
It’s all about building your PV (Personal Volume) and your GPV (groups personal volume), which all goes to your ranking within the business so building a team is paramount if you want to have any chance of success.
As you can see by the image below, commissions start at 25% and increase to 35% for monthly sales that achieve $500 and more.
At first glance, this does look extremely lucrative and you’re probably thinking I can do this.
Just sell $10,000 worth of products and you would receive $2,500 in commissions along with a $1,000 personal sales bonus.
Here you can check out the Thirty One Gifts Compensation Plan for yourself
This is a pretty straight forward compensation plan so I’m not going to get into the figures and let somebody else do this for me.
Are Thirty One Gifts Consultants actually making money?
As you can see in the image below as a business opportunity it doesn’t look good at all, but I suppose it all depends on what you are looking for.
Just like any business if you are prepared to get your head down and work hard who knows where this venture could take you but we have to be realistic here, don’t we?
Whilst you have to praise Thirty-One Gifts for actually disclosing these figures you can understand why many MLMs are not for the fainthearted.
Just looking at these figures should be enough for you to run a mile, but you might choose to ignore and decide to go ahead anyway.
As you can see its the top 1-2 per cent who make the real money. In fact, it is just over 1% according to the above income disclosure.
Thirty One Gifts consultants hard facts on a yearly basis!
87.4% alone earn less than $1,000
98.9% of all consultants make less than $10,000 a year
Would you call this a good business to get involved with?
These figures are pretty much what to expect with all MLMs so don’t think because Thirty One Gifts figures look bad that you are going to find a better business opportunity somewhere else because you won’t.
What Others Say About Thirty One Gifts
There are plenty of Thirty One Gifts reviews to be found on their website against individual products, along with their Facebook Page as well as their Google My Business Platform.
I chose to dig out a few mixed ones.
You are always going to get a few issues no matter how good the products appear to be.
Overall, Thirty-One Gifts get 4.5+/5.0 stars which in my book is pretty good, to say the least.
What We Like – Thirty One Gifts MLM Review
It’s not all bad because there are a few things I actually liked about Thirty One Gifts.
- Accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2013.
- Extensive product range with many popular items.
- The compensation plan is straight forward.
- Reviews are positive.
- They donate to charities.
- I like the fact that there is an income disclosure which is pretty rare amongst MLMs.
- What is unique at Thirty One, is that most of the products can be monogrammed to give it that personal touch.
What We Don’t Like – Thirty One Gifts MLM Review
I could have gone a little overboard here with the dislikes but the business as a whole did look OK, it’s always the business opportunity that lets the side down.
- 98.9% of all Thirty One consultants earn less than $10,000 a year.
- As much as 65% will have left the business by the time their year is up.
- Not for beginners trying to make a living online.
- Supply doesn’t appear to be able to keep up with demand.
- Customer support is not very good.
- Getting family and friends involved.
This is the first thing they teach you and I can assure you it does not work.
Is Thirty One Gifts a SCAM?
Thirty-One Gifts operates as a legitimate direct sales company with a focus on product sales and providing business opportunities for individuals.
However, as with any MLM, prospective consultants should carefully consider the potential costs and earnings, and do thorough research to ensure that it aligns with their financial and personal goals.
Is Thirty One Gifts A Worthy Business To Get Involved With?
OK, the product range does look hip and trendy and whilst I did like the style of many products I felt that the extensive range came with flaws.
For a woman who’s vision is to help families and charities, I found it a little disappointing that the products weren’t made in the US.
Obviously to save on costs, but saving on costs usually means inferior materials, which ultimately mean poor quality products.
I think you can see that as a business venture this is certainly not a good one and that is not me, but Thirty One Gifts and their income disclosure that tells you this.
It is not often that an MLM business will disclose incomes, but as we can see here Thirty One Gifts do but this doesn’t work in their favour.
Many MLMs will not disclose incomes and that should be obvious to anyone when researching a business opportunity.
If you are still interested in “actually” making money online
Then affiliate marketing is the place to be and I can recommend Wealthy Affiliate who teach you everything you would need to know.
A training platform designed with the newbie in mind and the beauty about this is that it’s free!
I can see you are looking for a business opportunity so why not learn from the best or at least check them out to see what all the fuss is about.
Thirty One Gifts MLM Review – FAQs
- What is Thirty-One Gifts?
Thirty-One Gifts is a direct sales company that offers personalized bags, totes, accessories, and home organization products through independent consultants.
- How do I become a Thirty-One Gifts consultant?
To become a consultant, you need to sign up on their website, purchase a starter kit, and start selling products through parties, online, or catalog orders.
- What types of products does Thirty-One Gifts offer?
Thirty-One Gifts offers a wide range of products including handbags, utility totes, storage solutions, wallets, thermals, and personalized home décor items.
- Can I personalize my Thirty-One Gifts products?
Yes, many of the products can be personalized with names, initials, or custom text to make them unique.
- How do I host a Thirty-One Gifts party?
To host a party, you can contact a Thirty-One Gifts consultant who will help you organize and set up the event, either in-person or virtually, to showcase and sell products.
- What is the return policy for Thirty-One Gifts?
Thirty-One Gifts typically offers a return policy for products that are defective or not as expected.
Customers should check the official website or consult with their consultant for specific return details.
- Are there any discounts or special offers available?
Thirty-One Gifts frequently offers discounts, special promotions, and hostess rewards for those who host parties. These can include free products, discounts, and exclusive items.
- How can I find a Thirty-One Gifts consultant near me?
You can find a local consultant by visiting the Thirty-One Gifts website and using their consultant locator tool, or by asking friends and family for recommendations.
- What are the benefits of being a Thirty-One Gifts consultant?
Benefits include the opportunity to earn commissions on sales, access to exclusive products, flexible working hours, and the ability to build your own business network.
Consultants also receive training and support from the company.
Thirty One Gifts Lawsuits
Thirty-One Gifts has faced a few legal issues over the years.
One significant case involved a lawsuit filed by Leshawn Dawson in 2019, alleging that the company’s website was not accessible to individuals with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The complaint highlighted issues such as missing alt text, broken links, and the necessity of a mouse for navigation, which made the website inaccessible to blind users.
Another notable case was a trademark dispute with Miche Bag in 2010.
Miche Bag filed a lawsuit against Thirty-One Gifts, which was partly resolved in Thirty-One’s favor, with the court ordering Miche Bag to pay $10,000 in damages to Thirty-One Gifts.
However, some aspects of the motion for costs and attorney fees were denied.
Additionally, in 2019, Thirty-One Gifts announced the closure of its distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, resulting in layoffs of approximately 620 employees.
This decision was part of the company’s restructuring efforts amid business challenges.
These legal issues reflect some of the challenges Thirty-One Gifts has encountered, but the company continues to operate and provide products through its network of independent consultants.
Feedback, Comments and Subscribe
OK, what did you think of the review and did I hit all the important points?
Any questions, please add them in the comments section below and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience.
Until next time, stay safe.
Hello Mick , great article about Thirty one gifts, I just find a new store for me to do shopping!!! Like your website good content.
Take care
Lyne
Hey Lyne, a shopping website for women where you can find some really cool products but the business opportunity leaves a lot to be desired.
Thank you for commenting.
Thanks for your honest review mick. Nowadays MLM strategy is not as easy anymore especially for a beginner. It is really rare for a MLM company to disclose their consultant’s income, but it does provide us an overall picture of this business opportunity wheter it is good deal or no deal. Thanks again Mick for your analysis on this business opportunity, I learn something today.
Thanks, Gary and glad you enjoyed this review on Thirty-One Gifts.
It’s great to see an information source that explains in detail other ways one can make money online. Nowadays there are lots of fraudsters and scammers out there who would say and do so much to make people give up their money. So yes, this is a great source of information. I’m sure whoever reads this will feel at ease to invest in thirty-one gifts. Thank you for this information.
Thanks for the comments
Wow! Thank you so much for this highly informative review, Mick! When I saw the title, I instantly thought of Proverbs 31, which is the passage of scripture describing the virtuous woman. Haha As for the business itself, it definitely doesn’t seem like a lucrative opportunity for someone trying to make a sustainable living online. As you had mentioned, I do like the fact that they are honest, straightforward, donate money to charities, and want to help women to be successful entrepreneurs and take care of themselves and their families. However, it just doesn’t seem like most people are going to make money with this company. With the current economic climate, people are looking for tangible economic benefits with a job, not simply “chump change.” I would definitely steer clear of Thirty-One Gifts. Haha Great read! God bless you!
With many of these MLM businesses, the products in a lot of cases are quite good, its the business side that lets them down.
It doesn’t matter how good the MLM looks you just can’t get away from the fact that the top 1-2 per cent are the ones who make all the money, with around 85% making very little, not to mention that as many as 65% and maybe more will leave the business by the time they have been there 12 months.
Thanks C.N. for your time in reading and commenting on this review. Much appreciated.
Hi there and thanks for sharing this article. There is plenty of information and detail here shown in regards to the review. $400 million is yearly sales is outrageous, but good for them. Did I miss out on the section to why it was named 31 gifts?
Ashraf, thanks for taking time out and reading this review on Thirty One Gifts.
The term 31 gifts I do mention in the review which refers to the bible.
Thanks for commenting
Hi Mick,
My initial reaction when looking at this from a business perspective was, “Ouch”!
Just barely 1% of consultants make over $10,000 a year.
I can see how many people would be drawn to the attractive commission rates on offer, and they are indeed very generous. But, to be completely honest, the successful consultants are probably the one’s who run this as a real business and are hungry for success.
The business opportunity reminds me a little of the old-style Avon parties, or the newer breed of Ann Summers parties, i.e. get the girls together for a night in, have a few glasses of wine, look at some products, and hopefully make a few sales and sign a few friends up in the process.
Sounds great in principle, but I think the income figures show a different story (you basically have to treat this as a real business, rather than a bit of fun on the side).
Do you think I’m perhaps being a little harsh in my critique?
Great read as always.
Partha
Hey Partha, thanks for stopping by and reading this review on Thirty-One Gifts.
Harsh, no not at all. Your analysis is exactly the one I came to!
I even got in touch with one of their consultants through Facebook and asked what her opinion was on the income disclosure. Its as though that didn’t matter at all but focused on the products and how good they were.
Either the customer is taken in by the consultant’s BS (which in most cases a newbie will) or they were naive, or maybe just never thought of the business side until they joined. Now, they feel that they have to protect their decision to save face.
There are many reasons, but as you can see for yourself the business is very weak just like all MLMs that I have come across.
Once again, thank you for commenting.
Thank you for sharing this information. I really like thirty one products and have considered partnering with them. I appreciate understanding how the business actually works.
Christy, the products do look nice and trendy especially as you can have your own personally monogrammed. Always a nice touch!
However for anyone looking for a business incentive, then based on their income disclosure I don’t think there is one.
MLMs are hard to crack and for anybody coming into the “Make Money Online” niche as a newbie, not a route, I would advise.
Thanks for commenting
Hi Mick,
What a comprehensive review! Well done. I’m not associated with any MLM, but, generally I think MLM is a very good model. In fact it is very much like any other company organisation, with more levels of employees, executives and high executives, all variously paid, all from the company’s revenue, but not determined by the actual work and success of individuals as in MLM. Also, in MLM you don’t get appointed, you earn your position. What usually it doesn’t work out for, is that it was though to be a good money making opportunity with little or often, none at all work. The majority thinks: let the others work, I’ll just recruit people to work under me and lay back to wait for the money to pour. And, sadly, this is often how the opportunity is introduced to the prospects. Dishonest people enter this business also, pretty much as any other. When the no-work-make-money turns out incorrect, everyone is disappointed. On the top of it, unfortunately, there are MLM companies out there who somewhere in the process forget that they live out of the representatives’ work an try to cut their earnings, so people, again disappointed, leave, or even more often, just stop trying. Those who earned less than a dollar in a year…? and those who earned less than $99…? The numbers you’ve seen, however, are only slightly higher elsewhere, with around 3-5% actually earning descent money. People absolutely tend to forget they are entering a business and need to build it up, as any other, working a lot and overcoming obstacles, as anywhere else. An active sales work is the base of any MLM, or at least should be. Your observations are very true and extremely valuable for those considering to start a business in MLM of any kind, not only this exact company. While I think it is a good model, I’d always advice everyone to think thoroughly, researching deeply before joining, which, regarding Thirty One Gifts you marvellously did for us. As for your other recommendation, I’m familiar with it and couldn’t agree more.
Thank you for the comprehensive comment and you nailed it except for the 3-5 per cent of which I have never seen any proof of.
Having been involved with MLMs in the past and reviewed many it is hard to find any real proof because most MLMs do not disclose company incomes.
However, if 3-5 per cent of people who joined were earning good money then I think we would be seeing more and more income disclosures.
Thank you for your comment.
Thanks for sharing he great content! Although i’m not a mlm marketer but still thanks for let me know more and understand what’s thirty one gifts about. I think ladies would love this platform.
Yes, Samuel, this is one for the ladies and glad you enjoyed the review.
Thank you for your comment
Hello Mick,
This is a very detailed review. I am not an MLM marketer but I now know where to go to when I am ready to explore it. I am a beginner and agree with you on the fact that it is certainly not for beginners trying to make a living online.
Your research and time put into this post has made it a great read.
Thank you!
Thank you Ekufaa for stopping by and reading this Thirty One Gifts MLM review.
Glad you enjoyed the review and thank you for the kind words.