Foiled again by network marketing

Lately I've found a couple of companies and products that I fell in love with, only to realize that they are only sold via network marketing. DENIED!

The first is Young Living, who make essential oils and household products made from essential oils. I already use Thieves Oil floor cleaner and I LOVE it. I received it as gift and since I am running out, I tried Googling to find where I could buy more. It turns out that stuff is expensive! But, the bottle I have has lasted me almost 2 years at this point and I wash my floors about every 7-10 days. In addition, the members of the HealthSource online group hosted by our CSA are always suggesting holistic solutions to various ailments using essential oils from Young Living. Supposedly one of their essential oil mixes instantly calms fussy children when applied to their feet - SIGN ME UP! Except, no, don't sign me up for network marketing...

The other company is CAbi clothing. I fell in love with this brand after seeing a vlog from Charmed Valerie modeling some of their pieces, which would be PERFECT for after I have the baby and need new clothes but might not ever be returning to the form-fitting things I wore before having 2 babies. Then, when I visited the web site, the only way to purchase from them is to schedule a home show...

What is it that I have against network marketing? Nothing, really - I think it's more that I fear it.

I actually fell in love with Arbonne products a few years ago and signed up to be a distributor for the discount. The thing is, I am not a salesperson. No matter how much I love something, I cannot bring myself to try and convince someone else to feel the same way. I just believe that people will and should make up their own minds about things, and I get a huge cognitive dissonance when I try to push my own opinions onto someone else. Therefore, when it came to Arbonne, the only person I was selling to was myself! I cannot tell you how many hundreds of dollars I spent. They have great products! But we don't have that kind of money!

When it comes to hosting or attending network marketing shows, I always feel obligated to buy things that are not in our budget, or that we did not plan for, just to help a friend out. And then there are the package discounts they offer you that get you to buy more and more... it's a slippery slope.

So, I'm kind of bummed about the whole thing. I am sure I can find some other post-pregnancy clothing by going to various stores over the course of a few months. And I actually did find some Thieves cleaner on Amazon, I just feel bad that I'm bypassing some needy network marketer...and you know how I feel about Amazon.