Brand Ambassadors Wanted

6 September 2022 11:56

Yesterday I got 6 requests on Instagram from businesses asking if I would like to become a brand ambassador or model for them. Of course, as a small content creator, I was almost ready to jump on the train but I decided to do my due diligence and see what they were about. I don't want to partner with anyone and be trying to refer others to their products without really looking at what they had to offer. The military and my mom trained me for these moments because I would have just been one more in a long line of people scammed out of money.

I say scam because between reverse image searches and just really looking into the companies almost every product was marked up in price well over what you could get from the same place they were getting them. Pretty much each one was reselling products you could get on AliExpress. I now know that is called dropshipping. Which fine do what you do but at least be honest about it. I'll be making a video on either Youtube or TikTok with screenshots of one of them. After the first one, I just said no thank you and blocked them. So what is dropshipping??? According to Shopify, dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that does not require a business to keep products in stock. Instead, the store sells the product and passes on the sales order to a third-party supplier, who then ships the order to the customer.

Meaning that basically these companies aren't actually creating any of the products themselves they go to sites like AliExpress and pick items to sell at a marked-up price and AliExpress ships the products to the customers. For example, I found a swimsuit one company was selling for $119.03 plus shipping for $5.50-$6.10 plus shipping on Alibaba. The person reaching out to me for this company was definitely claiming that the product was exclusive to their company and everyone else was just copying them. Like I said I have no problem if that's how you want to make your money just be honest about it and don't try to rip us off. It could just be dupes of their products but I would say probably not since these companies were companies I had never heard of. The company I called out claimed they had been in business for like 10 years but their website was just registered in July 2022, their only social media presence was IG, and there was no phone number or address listed on the site. Their only contact information was IG and an email.

I get new companies or small companies but you claim to have been in business 10 years and don't even have a business phone number and you are only on IG. In my opinion, I don't trust what you are telling me so no thank you. Oh, I forgot the best part this company had Ponzi scheme vibes because another part of their brand ambassador program is if you bring in referrals when they make commissions you make money off their sale link. If my referral makes a referral I make money off of that as well. If I have to pay you to be a brand ambassador when you reached out to me I will politely decline that's like having a job and I have to pay them to work there.

When you're considering becoming a brand ambassador, it's important to do your research and be sure that the company is reputable. I don't want to see anyone become one of the cases of people being scammed out of money after signing up to be a brand ambassador. Be sure to read reviews and look for red flags before signing up. Even if you are not trying to become a brand ambassador and just looking for companies to shop with a lot of these rules still apply. If you see any red flags, it is best to avoid that company.

Unapologetically,

K