One of the most researched questions when in comes to Stampin' Up (and other direct selling companies) is 'Is Stampin' Up A Scam?'.

So you could replace Stampin' Up with any other MLM /direct selling company like Young Living, Pampered Chef, or Usborne Books.

And the list could go on ...

Many people are looking for flexible working hours and the chance to run their own business.

Direct selling and MLM companies promise exactly that and that's why these companies are so successful in making money.

Unfortunately, most of the time the money doesn't trickle down to the representative. In fact, "According to a report that studied the business models of 350 MLMs, published on the Federal Trade Commission's website, at least 99% of people who join MLM companies lose money." [source: Wikipedia] 

But back to Stampin' Up. 

My detailed review will not only talk about the products and the joining process but also if you can make money with this company.

Lastly, I am going to cover if Stampin' Up is a scam, and also if there are better ways of making an income then joining a direct selling company.

Is Stampin' Up A Scam? [Review]

What Is Stampin' Up All About?

Stampin' Up is a family business, founded back in 1988 by two sisters who "...dreamed of being able to express their creativity while establishing meaningful relationships", as the companies story tells us.

They are based in Riverton, Utah and have 45000 demonstrators around the world.

You can find Stampin' Up in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, the UK, Austria, and a few more countries.

Since 2016, Sara Douglass, the daughter of co-founder Shelli Gardner, has been the CEO of Stampin' Up. 

It really is a company from women for women. Stampin' Up's main audience are woman who want to show their creativity by creating beautiful hand made cards, scrap books and other personalized items like diaries.

Which leads me to Stampin' Up's products. 

More About The Stampin' Up Products

Stampin' Up offers a wide variety of themed kits to make cards, stamps, coloring tools, ink, and anything else you can think off to get creative.

The product prices are reasonable and especially the kit sets are color coordinated with matching embellishments and coloring tools which is great for beginners.

Some of the products also show a video that explains more of it and how to use it.

I can imagine that it can be overwhelming to get started with so many options. 

Unless you are an experienced crafter, I think you would really need the personal assistance of a demonstrator (aka Stampin' Up representative) to walk you through the product range.

I know one demonstrator personally and she holds regular craft classes (weekly and monthly) to introduce new and existing products to 'her ladies'.

That way, she maintains a regular customer base and creates repeated business.

It also means though, that a Stampin' Up demonstrator not only need to be passionate about the products but  also has to be very knowledgeable and able to connect with her clientele.

How To Join Stampin' Up

The joining process is pretty straightforward and similar to other direct selling companies.

You need to fill in a form and choose a demonstrator as your referral person. The demonstrator will become your upline and hopefully support you in getting started with your Stampin' Up journey.

The starter kit costs $99 and is valued at $125. You'll also get free business supplies (worth $50) and free shipping.

By the way, you can choose from the catalogue what you would like to get which basically means you can create your own Starter Kit.

You'll also get your own demonstrator website with samples, a demonstrator manual, and more information.

It looks like that Stampin' Up offers lots of training via emails, tutorials as well as sending out quarterly magazines with lots of tips and ideas.

Can You Make Money With Stampin' Up? The Compensation Plan

The commission plan is easy to ready and understand. Every demonstrator starts off with the Bronze title and a basic commission of 20%.

Once you get to Bronze Elite, the commission increases to 25%.

The minimum quarterly sales requirements (every three months) are $300 which also includes your own purchases.

There are basically three ways to earn money:

1. A commission on your monthly sales starting at 20%.
2. Monthly volume rebates (depending on your sales volume) from an additional 3 to 13%
3. Team overrides - three levels deep - from 3 to 6.5%. To qualify, you'll need to have certain sales and recruit count.

Read the full compensation plan here.

Now, as you can see, the payment structure is very basic and has nothing to do with a compensation plan as we know it from an MLM company.

The focus is on the sales and not recruiting even though you'll get commission payments on your teams sales.

A demonstrator is also not required to have minimum monthly purchase like most MLM companies ask of their representatives.

The question remains, can you make so many sales through this company, that you can earn at least a decent income?

Is There A Stampin' Up Income Disclosure

Unfortunately, there is no Stampin' Up income disclosure available online.

So it is really hard to answer the income possibilities. I assume that many ladies start up with Stampin' Up to take advantage of the wholesale prices and commission payments.

Others may just want to do it part time to earn some extra income.

But, if you want to make a decent income you have to be willing to get out there, do workshops and in-home presentations on a regular basis.

I personally know a Stampin' Up demonstrator who even has qualified for an incentive trip to Alaska.

She holds regular workshops in different locations and travels a lot, especially on weekends. But she loves it and through her passion to arts and crafts has been able to build a great relationship with her customers.

So if you are willing to travel, ring and email customers on a regular basis (as a part of customer service), hold workshops, and in-home parties, then Stampin' Up might be a good way to earn an income.

There is no financial risk involved as far as I can see.

Let's Party With Stampin' Up

As mentioned before, the main way of selling Stampin' Up is by holding workshops and in-home presentations.

A demonstrator can organise their  own party and take advantage of the hostess rewards (see the image above) or, even better, find a hostess who invites friends, and family.

That way, you can increase your customer base and hopefully increase your sales and find recruits.

Speaking of experience, it can be hard to find hostesses and you  have to deal with party cancellations as well.

This can be frustrating especially when you have set yourself a certain sales target etc.

Further down, I am going to talk about another way how to sell Stampin' Up and to recruit people into the company.

But before that, let's have a quick look at the Pros and Cons of  Stampin' Up.

The Pros Of Stampin' Up

Here Are The Cons Of Stampin' Up

In Conclusion - Is Stampin' Up A Scam?

No, Stampin' Up is by no means a scam. 

Stampin' Up has been a long standing direct selling company with being in business for over 30 years.

The compensation plan has a strong focus on sales volume and the company offers lots of training and support.

There are no minimum sales requirements to get paid a commission.

Of course, you will earn more the more you sell and the more people you can recruit into the company.

As far as I can see, there is no (financial) risk involved for people who would like to join Stampin' Up as demonstrators.

If you do aim on earning a good income with Stampin' Up you will need to be passionate about arts and crafts and willing to do workshops and presentations.

Keep in mind though that your clientele will be mainly women with a strong interest in hand made paper craft and scrapbooking.

So if you know lots of them, you will have a good headstart with Stampin' Up.

But if you are not so much into traveling and holding presentation, here is an alternative way to find new customers and even recruit team members.

An Alternative Way Of Sell Stampin' Up Products, Recruit  And Make Money

I do thing that the personal touch with workshops is an essential way of building a strong customer base with Stampin' Up.

But here is something I would suggest you could do in addition.

Read, how I earn four figures a month with affiliate marketing

The key to find new customers and team member is to have your OWN website/blog.

Having your own blog gives you the chance to build your personal signature as Stampin' Up demonstrator.

Here is a great example of a blog a demonstrator has built over the years:

​Do Stamping With Dawn

She is using her personal blog to connect with customers, is advertising her workshops, offers tips and ideas, and also links back to her Stampin' Up website.

Well, why build your own website when you get a companies website? you may ask.

The problem is that every demonstrator will have one Stampin' Up website (remember, there are over 45000 demonstrators world wide!)

To stand out from the crowd, my best suggestions for you is to build your own website.

It will take a while to build it up to get lots of people on your site but your efforts will pay off big time.

Don't Know How To Build A Website?

Of course, most people don't know how to build a website but it is easier than you think.

Even so, in order to succeed and getting as many 'eyeballs' as possible on your website, you will need to learn

1. How To Build A Blog
2. How To Write Good Articles
3. How To Get Traffic (aka readers/your targeted customers) to your blog

That's where my recommended training platform Wealthy Affiliate comes in.

Here, you will learn everything step-by-step you need to know to build a successful online business.

But not only that, Wealthy Affiliate also offers hosting and other incredible tools to build your website.

The good news is that you can join for free to test the platform and online course out.

So check it out for yourself -  NO  Credit card needed, no strings attached.

Sign Up Now For FREE

I do hope this post will help you to build a successful customer base and generate income besides doing parties and workshops.

To Your Success!
Anke

Please note, this post  contains affiliate links.