It’s another one of those making money online programs that is centered around selling a children’s book membership that supposedly makes you money by doing home parties and buying at wholesale.
It’s supposed to show you how to become a “6 Figure Network Marketer,” but most members don’t make money promoting other products.
The problem is,… you won’t build long-term wealth from a simple 25% commission.
And while I have to be honest for this review…
Usborne Books does come with some very helpful information to make money online and land some massive commission checks…
But it’s a bit outdated if you ask me.
Now, I do want to be completely upfront here, so…
MLMs like Usborne Books are a bit of a mixed bag. They CAN be a legitimate way to make money, but some have a reputation for literally ruining people’s lives – so it’s important to know what you’re getting, since each one is unique.
Like most of my readers, you were probably introduced to this one via a friend or some influencer you trust online.
And it makes sense why so many people recommend them:
Making money outside of a 9-5 can be… life-changing, to say the least.
So in this article, I want to help you explore two things:
- If MLMs are actually a worthwhile business to pursue
- If Usborne Books is a worthwhile MLM
Before that, I want to clear the air on something.
There are A LOT of people out there who bash all MLMs in any form. However I’m not one of those people.
Instead, I want to genuinely educate you about them so that you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.
If you’re unfamiliar with what MLMs actually do:
They’re businesses in which you pay money to a company for the ability to sell their products.
Sometimes the products are actually kind of decent (I still remember my mom throwing pampered-chef parties when I was younger).
Other times the products are really poorly made and come with a high price tag.
Typically, the only way to really make money is to get people (mostly friends & family) to sign up with you for a recurring subscription.
If the product is 100% legitimate & valuable, it’s entirely possible to get people to sign-up and continue paying you.
If the product is subpar, you’ll usually burn those bridges kinda quickly and end up with $0 coming in each month.
The biggest issue I’ve seen is that this puts significant stress on your personal relationships, as you’re reliant on selling to your “network.”
Think about it: if you KNEW that every time your friend Sally called, she’d be trying to sell you on one of her products… you’d eventually stop answering Sally’s calls.
Now, this doesn’t mean MLMs are outright bad… it means you need to know what type of MLM you’re getting yourself into before you sign up.
Again, some MLMs provide real value to people, but MOST don’t – and so in this article, I’m going to explore the case with Usborne Books.
But before that, I want to ask you a question: what if there was a way to build actual recurring, semi-passive income?
Income that:
- Doesn’t have inventory
- Doesn’t make you sell to your friends & family
- Doesn’t force you to recruit people onto your “team”
Something that you could make anywhere from $2,000 – $10,000 with consistently, month after month?
A stream of income that you can build as high (or low) as you feel like building it?
If that sounds interesting, you might want to consider using the Digital Rental Method.
If you wanna see what Usborne Books looks like on the inside, keep reading.
Usborne Books MLM: Full Review
What Is Usborne Books And More?
The EDC (Education Development Corporation) owns Usborne Books, which distributes more than 1,800 volumes of educational children’s books. However, they also have several other lines:
- Traditional books
- Sticker books
- 3D cut-out books
Being in business for over 40 years, Forbes Magazine has recognized them as one of the 200 best small companies and Fortune Magazine as being one of the fastest-growing.
Who Started Usborne Books?
Early in his career, Peter Usborne focused exclusively on children’s books after recognizing that he would soon become a father.
Finally, he founded Usborne in 1973.
He pioneered an entirely new line of groundbreaking and charming illustration books for children, including high-quality popular and contemporary subjects that were unmatched in the industry.
So, nearly 50 years later, Peter says that being a parent was the best time in his life and that publishing books for children have been a major factor.
He still loves getting up in the morning and going to work. Even though he’s in his 80s, his duties as a publisher have never been so interconnected with his role as a parent since he operates Usborne with his daughter Nicola, who is his Managing Director.
Martin Usborne, his son, has his own publishing company, Hoxton Mini Press.
Today, Peter and his children, Martin and Nicola, operate The Usborne Foundation. This charity, which the Usborne family founded, utilizes design technology to address contemporary issues of health and literacy with light-hearted animation.
One of The Usborne Foundation’s claims to fame is a series of games enjoyed by children worldwide called “Teach You Monster To Read.”
Can I Sell Usborne Books As A Side Hustle?
For $65, you can become a consultant, which includes the following:
- 1-year consultant status
- ten books
- 6-month e-business package
- business supplies
As a new consultant, you will earn a 25 percent commission on any sales you make and additional incentives for sales you push beyond your quotas. In addition, there are no monthly sales quotas to meet.
There are several methods to sell these books, but most consultants like to book parties online through Facebook and have house parties in the style of Pampered Chef.
In other words, the consultant usually has a few books for staging, but guests may buy books from Usborne and deliver them directly to their doorstep.
As a way to encourage them to have their friends over for a party (either at their home or online), the Usborne hostess will provide free gifts and reduced-priced books depending on the sales made at the party.
Typically, when you have a friend host a party for you, you’ll have the option of choosing from over 20 books in the Fuss Fish Library.
Keep in mind that most MLM companies use this type of direct sales tactic to get consultants to recruit new consultants by paying them a percentage of those sales.
What Makes A Good Usborne Consultant?
It’s OK for a side job but not earth-shattering. Usborne pays consultants an hourly rate.
No minimum purchase is required, and then you may take advantage of a 25 percent discount on books to build your child’s library.
My only reason for considering Usborne as a possible career path is because of this.
Usborne consultants are often asked what advice they would give to new consultants. Resoundingly, they say to go all in.
New consultants are encouraged by Usborne to get started quickly to get their library and business up and running.
Of course, when their direct sales businesses have seasonal fluctuations (like during the Summer and before holidays), consultants are told to keep their noses down during these business cycles.
As an Usborne consultant, one is often told to be over and over to be creative. To help with this, Usborne lets you sell their books in many ways other than just from your home.
Ironically, some consultants who have made the most money don’t sell the most books. Their primary goal is to build a team of consultants in their downline.
For the most part, consultants are encouraged to ask for help if needed, run their business as a business, and show their passion for books.
How Much Commission Do You Really Make As An Usborne Consultant?
According to the company’s homepage, consultants at Usborne typically earn $100 for every book party. In other words, how much does it work out to be hourly?
According to the BLS, most professionals’ median monthly consulting salary is $550, often falling between $150 and $4,100.
On average, it takes a consultant around 18 months to several years with Usborne to reach this level.
They usually have at least 5 book parties every month, and about 3 hours are spent on each party.
Honestly, Usborne consultants make a relatively good income, with the average being around $40+per hour and the lowest end being around $17.50 per hour.
You can expect a team lead who recruits consultants to make even more. One consultant claims to have an income of $600 per hour for building his team of consultants.
Clearly, the most profitable way to build an Usborne business (like all MLM companies) is to have consultants in your downline.
The way it breaks down is that as a team lead, you’re paid a 25% commission for your personal sales and a signup bonus for each new consultant. You also receive a commission for your team sales in addition to your personal 25% commission.
So, you can some pretty good side hustle money as an Usborne consultant with very little time in it. However, to make big money, you should consider making it a long-term career and set some long-term goals beyond just being a side hustle.
However, if you’re gonna put in that amount of work to hit it big with Usborne (which, trust me, isn’t easy), you might as well bring in some REAL money.
The program that helped skyrocket my online business to $40,000+ per month teaches some of the multi-level marketing skills but shows you how to monetize them in a much more profitable way.
Can You Make Money Selling Usborne Books To School?
One incentive as an Usborne consultant and organizer is being able to sell books to libraries and schools. Many consultants believe that you can make very good money this way.
However, selling to schools will only get you a 20% commission on your sales. Now, that is still a pretty decent commission, but not the 25% you normally get. So I’m guessing they must be getting larger orders.
But, before you can create a sales account with schools or libraries, you’ll need to have at least 6 $160+ orders under your belt… but I’ve found that consultants find this a little easier said than done.
On top of that, even if you are able to start selling to schools and libraries, you will have reps from other companies (like Book People) going up against you. Plus, these reps can offer their books to schools and libraries in bulk at a lower retail price, even the same Usborne books that you sell.
For instance, you can sell “See Inside Your Body” from Usborne for $13.60 at retail price, but schools can actually purchase this book from Book People for $10.87. They can also buy “Looking After Your Mental Health” for $4-5.50 less than the Usborne retail price.
So obviously, in order to compete with these other companies, your books would need to be sold cheaper.
But does Usborne even sell their books that cheap?
If they do, then your commission would likely take a hit.
Just to give you an idea, a 20% commission on a $4.00 book would only be $0.80… before you even subtract your personal costs.
To make matters worse, Usborne corporate sells their books to schools without consultants.
So, in order to sell these books, you have to meet their requirements which will end up pigeon holding you. Unfortunately, these are a lot of hoops to jump through to make a consistent amount of money.
Why Do Usborne Consultants Love The Programs So Much?
Overall, Usborne consultants absolutely adore their books.
They enjoy the fact that they can buy books at a discounted price for their children, which in turn helps other children get books that they love too.
Why Do Some Usborne Consultants Not Like The Program?
Honestly, it’s rare to find a consultant who doesn’t have good things to say about us.
It’s most likely because Usborne consultants are enthusiastic about the company’s goods and the money they earn from selling books. These consultants, of course, are very bright and are constantly ready to sell.
Since direct sales is a major part of the business, more than 30% of the consultants say they were out of their comfort zone by not having any sales experience when becoming a consultant.
Most say that it’s pretty hard to get more than one party out of a hostess, and even though they can make a lot of sales at book fairs, companies like Scholastic can really be a hindrance at schools and libraries.
Another obstacle that most consultants often have to deal with is the technical issues with the Usborne website and the daily setbacks they encounter being a consultant.
It irks consultants to no end when a customer wants to order a series of books just to find that they’re out of stock or that there’s a delay in shipping.
Of course, shipping and website issues are typically out of the company’s control, but if a company keeps track of its sales and inventory for any given line, then it should never run out of stock. Things like this can be a detriment to the daily business of an Usborne consultant.
Although many things have been changed for the better when the new website was implemented, a fair amount of consultants still have their issues.
What Some Consultants Have To Say About Usborne Books:
“I love using Usborne books for our homeschool. Some of the best quality books out there, no doubt. By nature, I’m just not a very good salesperson.” – Rachel G.
“I love that we don’t have to sound salesy as a consultant. I just buy the books for myself at a discount and then sell the product to other parent. Stress Free!” – Brynn S.
“The thing I like about Usborne is that not only can we make money selling the best books on the planet, but we can really make an impact on children all around the world. Pretty sweet!” – Janice S.
“Unlike Usborne, a lot of MLM companies can be somewhat scammy. But, even if I didn’t make any money on the side hustle part of the business, getting at a discount or even for free books is such an awesome perk people still love the business, because my child loves Usborne books.” – Chelsea H.
Is Usborne Books Worth It?
When you become a Team Leader, you’ll get an advancement bonus of $120… and if you can do this within 4 months of getting started, you’ll get a double bonus of $240)
At that point, you’ll get a “Personal Team Bonus,” which is a 5% commission every month on all of your team sales so long as you:
- Meet a monthly sales quota of $120
- Your total monthly team sales are $1,800.
- You have 4 active Organizers that make at least $120 in sales one out of three consecutive months.
So how would all this affect you money-wise if we work out some numbers:
- For one party of $120, you make $22.80
- From your team sales, you’ll make a $90 commission
- If 4 people in your team sell $120, you’ll make $28.80.
So how much would you make in total?
You’ll gross about $238.80.
Now think about this… that’s almost $240 that you make by pushing yourself and your team to sell over $1,800 in Usborne books. You would only need to work 6 hours per week at a part-time minimum wage job.
If you ask me, that doesn’t sound like a lot of money considering all the time you have to put in on your “business.”
On top of that, you have to be paid this as a consultant for three rolling months in order to maintain your rank.
Do you see why nearly 99% of participants in MLMs typically lose money once you have to subtract out your business expenses, according to the FTC?
So is it worth it?
If I can be blunt…
The books themselves are worth it for the quality, maybe not so much the price.
Their website is often glitchy, so not worth it.
And the MLM business model they use is CERTAINLY not worth it.
Now, with the right program, it is entirely possible to build a profitable, successful online business.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Is The Cost To Join Usborne Books?
The process of joining Usborne is simple. There are two consultant kits available from Usborne. One costs $65 and the other $125 to join.
An internet business package is included for six months and a cool branded box, brochures, extra business tools, and books! The amount of books included makes all the difference between the $65 and the $125 kits. To learn more about kits and their contents, go here.
Is Usborne Books A Great Way To Work At Home?
Yes.
You can make money at home with Usborne Books, albeit not much money. You do need to put in the time to set up presentations, but it’s possible.
Here is what an Usborne Books consultant has to say:
“I’m an Usborne Books & More team leader and compared to other Direct Sales companies, we have such high quality products and so many additional perks that really make us stand out from our competition. Plus, the money that I can make as a work at home mom really helps with the day-to-day needs of my family. My kids are still pretty young, so I can make money and do most of my work after putting them to bed for the night. And the best part is that is the giant home library I’ve built for my children. I believe this is why most people sign up. And lastly, I’m not a salesperson. I am, however, a staunch advocate for literacy and I believe that is the primary reason why people succeed at Direct Sales, that is you love the business and the work you do.” – Katie K.
Are Usborne Books Any Good?
Yes, the books are fantastic!
However…
Now, I’m sure the first thing you’ll notice is the full price of Usborne books compared to the same titles that you can purchase more inexpensively from other companies.
So let’s look at how much more the books cost with Usborne Books at Home. If you signed up with Usborne right now for $65, this would include the following:
If you purchased all these books separately from Usborne Books at Home, it would cost nearly $200. But I looked at these titles individually and found that you could purchase them from other companies for about $120, saving you about $80. So you can see that there is a huge discount when these titles are included in the one-time starter kit fee, but not so much afterward.
Is Usborne Book And More A Direct Sales Company?
Yes.
Usborne Books & More is a publishing business that distributes its books through Direct Sales (aka, Network Marketing) via thousand of consultants within the US and internationally.
Is UBAM A Pyramid Scheme?
So is Usborne Books at Home a pyramid scheme like many people consider other MLMs are?
So for an MLM company to be considered legitimate and not a pyramid scheme, consultants have to be able to make money through public sales in addition to signing up new recruits.
So, can you make money by selling Usborne books to the general public?
Yes, you can sell these books to the general public. So, technically Usborne Books At Home is not a pyramid scheme, but if you want to make any decent money, you will need to recruit consultants into your team.
But at this point, I’m sure you realize that there are much better programs out there that can help you make A LOT more money than with Usborne Books.
Are There Alternatives To Multi-Level Marketing?
Yes, there are plenty of MLM companies to choose from if you want to pursue this business model. Here are just a few:
All of which you can make a decent amount of money to a great deal of money.
However, these business models are often too reliant on outside influences, so you frequently find yourself working without a safety net.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could have all the upside potential of an e-commerce business, none of the headaches of dealing with your Network Marketing downline, and all the passive income potential of Real Estate Investing?
I mean that there is one business model that allows you all these things.
It’s called Digital Real Estate.
Read Our In Depth Breakdown Of The Top 5 MLMOpp Courses For 2024
Is Usborne Books A Scam?
So, time for the $1,000,000 question: is Usborne Books a scam?
No, not technically. They aren’t going to run off with your money and not give you what you paid for. It’s 100% possible to make money with this program.
That being said, it’s not nearly as simple as they want you to think it is.
There’s A LOT of work to be done upfront and no guarantee that you’ll be successful. The commissions are also fairly small.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for doing hard work now so that I can reap the benefits later.
But if you’re going to work really hard for 3 months, and your reward is a $100 check… it’s not really a great opportunity.
If I’m gonna do that, I want the rewards to be HIGH and virtually guaranteed.
I’d rather put in that same 3 months of work (in my spare time) & build a handful of Digital Rental Properties that each produce $500-$2,000 checks every single month afterward (AKA recurring income).
And the cool part is that you can do it in a lot less time than 3-months (I personally did it in my first 2 weeks of using the Digital Rental Method).
Unlike with MLMs, you can do it from anywhere in the world, so it’s a genuine “laptop-lifestyle” business.
All you need is an internet connection.
Some of my friends are Digital Rental Method that run their 6-figure businesses from:
- Camping trips at national parks
- Beachfront in Hawaii
- On the road in a camper van (with a pet pig!)
They focus on living an enjoyable life first, and focus on income second. All thanks to this program.
They can take weeks or months off, and money keeps rolling in.
Living happily is the top priority.
If the thought of living perpetually at your dream vacation spot interests you, using the Digital Rental Method might be for you!
What Is The #1 Way To Make Money Online In 2022?
I’ve personally tried all of the major online business models:
- I’ve sold fidget spinners through Amazon FBA
- I’ve dropshipped a toilet bowl putting green on Shopify
- I’ve sold women’s health supplements via Clickbank affiliate marketing
And I made money with all of them, so trust me when I say: there is no “perfect” business model.
I’ve also been on the other side of old friends trying to sell me their fancy new MLM products.
That being said, my #1 recommendation for making real money online is, hands-down: being a Digital Landlord.
Whether you’re a complete newbie or you’ve been around the block before but have never had that “big win” to propel you forward, using the Digital Rental Method is for you.
Why?
Time: If you’ve got a spare hour or two each day, you can do this. If you want to drop everything and go all-in, you can do this. More time obviously means faster results, but even putting in a few hours per day is enough to see real success.
And because of that flexibility, you don’t need to trade your time for money. Once the income starts, it’s recurring.
That means you can take a month off, travel the country, pursue a passion project, chill on the beach, or charter a boat across the world.
But you can only do that once you’ve created an income stream that doesn’t require YOU to be there all day, every day.
Ownership & Control: With MLMs, you don’t really “own” anything – everything belongs to the MLM.
If you read the contracts, they can kick you out or change your commission at any time (it’s happened in a few high-profile MLM cases recently).
Why pour your soul into a business that could be taken away from you at the drop of a dime?
With the Digital Rental Method, you literally own all of the assets, which means you have ultimate control.
Big Margins: With MLMs, you’re often going to have really slim margins. That means you need to have a VERY large network to make serious money. This usually entails spending A LOT of money on ads and other methods for recruiting members.
using the Digital Rental Method, your profit margin is nearly 100%. Watch here to learn how.
Just a reminder: these Digital Rental Properties are worth (at a minimum) $500/mo in semi-passive income. And each time you create another one, your income increases, and the effort put into creating the next property decreases.
Best-case scenario, you have properties bringing in over $3,000+/mo on auto-pilot.
It’s Effectively Copy-Paste: Here’s my favorite part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up, you can literally copy-paste another version of it and find another willing “renter” in a few days. DOUBLING your income doesn’t get much easier than that…
If you wanted to double your income with an MLM, you would need to sell twice as much inventory. And I can guarantee you that’s a lot harder than a few clicks & a phone call.
You’re Helping REAL People: My biggest gripe with MLMs is that you’re likely going to ruin your personal relationships.
The MLM may have convinced you that you’re helping people, but it’s often not true.
But With the Digital Rental Method, you’re helping solve REAL problems that people are ASKING for help with:
Small local businesses around the world need one thing: customers. Without them, their business would fall apart. If you can provide those customers, they’re going to be really happy – and they’re going to pay you for it.
You’re helping a struggling mother or father put food on the table for their families, put their kids through college, or simply live life a little bit more comfortably.
Having this type of impact on the world is what will help you sleep soundly at night.
So, the rest is up to you. You could keep looking at other MLM programs like Usborne Books, which might make you money 12 months from now.
You could keep researching and researching for the next few months (or few years), never making a concrete decision.
OR, you can look deep inside, think about those dreams, hopes, & desires, and make the decision to ACTUALLY make it happen, just like it has for thousands of other students before you.
Making a fortune while actually helping real people that need it.
If this sounds like you, click here to see how it all works.
