Buying and selling gold isn’t what’s shady about Swissgolden.
The issue is with how they sell it. And in 2018, it may have finally fallen around their ears.
Swissgolden is a network marketing company that offers pure gold bars and ingots.
All gold everything. That’s the motto for Swissgolden — as a customer or distributor, you’re buying and selling 24-karat, pure gold bars.
But recent news has revealed this isn’t the gold standard. It’s more like magic beans.
FAQ
1. What does Swissgolden sell? Swissgolden sells 999.9% pure gold bars from 1 to 100 grams to clients of the Internet shop.
2. What are Swissgolden’s most popular products? Gold bars are the company’s most popular product. You may also be able to buy silver.
3. How much does it cost to join Swissgolden? To participate in the marketing program (that’s what they call the network of sellers), you must register for free through the referral link of a sponsor. You can either be a client or customer and purchase gold bullion directly in the online shop or participate in the marketing program. To start, you’ll pay 220 Euro, and your investment is placed into a Swissgolden payout structure. Your gold order isn’t placed until you recruit two more buyers at the same level you’re purchasing. When you’ve done that, you get paid a small bonus, and your gold order goes through. Be aware, you won’t actually receive your gold. It’s stored in a vault in Europe. To get any money, you’ll need to sell your gold back to the company.
4. Is Swissgolden a scam? Swissgolden says on their website, “Swissgolden is a real, registered and regulated company and not a Ponzi Scheme.” [1] But in order to participate, you have to recruit new investors, who must then recruit two investors of their own. Um… that’s a pyramid scheme. (For more information, see lawsuits below.)
5. What is Swissgolden’s BBB rating? They aren’t listed by the BBB.
6. How long has Swissgolden been in business? Since 2012
7. What is Swissgolden’s revenue? No financials are available online.
8. How many Swissgolden distributors are there? The company reports they have 200,000 clients in 120 countries. Because of their business structure, that’s probably the number of their distributors.
9. What lawsuits have been filed? It’s not a US-based company, so no lawsuits have been filed here. However, in 2018, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended three members of Swissgolden for scamming 7,000 Nigerians. A total of 216,402,565 Naira was recovered from the company. [2] At the time of this writing, registration is unavailable on the website, which simply means you can’t buy from them right now. Perhaps this is the end of this MLM.
10. Comparable companies: Karatbars, Legal Shield, Wealth Generators
So should you get involved?
I’m not going to say you won’t make money investing in gold, but there are certainly more sustainable income opportunities out there if that is what you’re after…
Click here for my #1 recommendation
Either way, here’s the full review on Swissgolden.
Overview
The company is headquartered in the UK but the business is registered in the British Virgin Islands… offshore bank accounts, not surprising. [3]
They are legally authorized to market gold, and they partner with a lot of the best gold manufacturers in the world, including Argor, Heraus, Valcambi, Umicore, and Metalor Technologies.
The company has expanded internationally into countries like Mexico and even Nigeria. [4]
But Mexican officials from the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services have called into question the legality of their practices, given that they provide financial guidance to customers and recruits — assuring them that the value of gold is invincible, will protect your money from inflation, does not expire or depend on changes in government, and can only increase in value — when they are not officially registered as an institution that can give financial advice. [5]
In 2018, an investigation was launched by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for defrauding 7,000 Nigerians. [6] While that’s going on, they aren’t selling gold.
Questionable, but that’s a danger in shady MLMs .
Here’s the thing: These guys have been around since 2012, so they made it past the terrible twos… but they still weren’t able to make a name for themselves.
That’s not a good sign, as one of the best perks of getting in early with a young, potentially risky MLM is the chance to ride a trend wave straight into loads of cash. And Swissgolden just wasn’t trending.
That’s surprising — for a legit business, at any rate — because all the fear and anxiety about money markets and economic instability in the past decade or two has caused interest in gold bar investments to rise. But Swissgolden looks shady from first glance.
The fact that you can’t buy online… that there’s a confusing block you have to complete before your money is invested… and that you never get to see or touch your purchase. Is it any wonder it never took off?
Products
Their products are pure Swiss and German gold bars from some of the most reputable houses of gold:
- Argor-Heraeus
- Valcambi
- Umicore
- Metalor
Valcambi bars from these manufacturers are 999.9 pure, or “four nines” fine, which is the same degree of purity used for gold money such as the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf and the American Buffalo coin. [7]
You might think you’ve got to be ballin’ out to buy a gold bar, but their product comes in all sizes, ranging from 1 gram up to 100 grams.
One gram of gold is something even the little guys can get at. It’s not a bar, but rather barely larger than a gold flake. It’s around the size of a microchip. In fact, it’s so small, they encase it in a plastic covering before shipping it out to make sure it doesn’t get lost.
All gold is purchased online, and then you can store your gold purchases in their storage facilities in Switzerland or Germany for a monthly fee that is equal to .1% of the value of your stored gold. If you want to have your gold shipped to you, you pay the cost of that, which can be upwards of $60. [8]
They charge a 10% processing fee on all orders, which can add up if you’re buying big. They do pay for part of this fee if you join their leadership reward program, of course.
The company also buys back gold, and you can sell your gold back to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through their webshop.
Compensation Plan
There aren’t any upfront costs to join as an affiliate. However, you have to make sales to get into their leadership program. If you do, you get a small discount (10% processing fee waived) on your gold purchases.
In effect, they’re making you spend your earnings on their products. The value you earn from selling gold alone can’t go toward anything but purchasing more gold from them. That’s not a great deal, especially when the value of their product fluctuates on a daily basis.
You get bonus credits if you can sell enough, but the standards are pretty high…
- In order to fill up your Main Table matrix slot and start qualifying for bonuses, you have to sell 7,000 euros worth of gold.
- After that, to fill a VIP Table matrix slot, you’ve got to sell 27,500 euros worth of gold.
- The VIP PLUS Table requires 98,000 euros in gold sales. Good luck.
Granted, you can sell your gold back to the company at any time, but it’s still weird to be compensated 100% with company product — no cash income from this job.
Recap
Gold is a good investment, but it’s not the magic beans Swissgolden promises to unwary investors.
If this MLM was a legitimate buyer and seller of gold, it would be an incredible opportunity to build some financial security with a product that will retain its value over the years. Trouble is, this business isn’t squeaky clean.
You won’t get a paycheck. You won’t even get to see the gold you’re buying. And the word is that you may not get your money even after selling back your gold — as promised on the website.
Based on the most current news, avoid Swissgolden at all costs.
Listen, I’m not a Swissgolden hater. I actually admire a unique business plan that gives people real success. But I wouldn’t waste my time with this business.
I’ve been involved with network marketing for over ten years so I know what to look for when you consider a new opportunity.
After reviewing 200+ business opportunities and systems out there, here is the one I would recommend:
Click here for my #1 recommendation
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