Atomy USA Review: Retail focus still terrible
A few weeks back a reader tried to argue pyramid schemes were legal in Singapore.
After getting rekt they scurried off and were never heard from again.
During our conversation though I acknowledged that Atomy USA had updated their compensation plan.
We last visited Atomy as “Atomy America” back in 2016. Today we revisit the company as Atomy USA for an updated review.
The Company
Atomy USA acknowledges Han-Gill Park is CEO of the company on their website by name only.
The lack of executive information provided hasn’t changed since 2016. This is a poor effort on Atomy USA’s part and inexcusable.
Atomy USA’s Products
Atomy USA maintains a shopping mall full of products.
As with executive information, nothing has changed since 2016;
Atomy do a terrible job of presenting their product range to the general public, with no product information or pricing provided on the Atomy America website.
Visitors to Atomy USA’s shopping mall are unable to see product descriptions or pricing unless they login.
This is anti-consumer and discourages retail sales.
Atomy USA’s Compensation Plan
Atomy USA’s commissions and bonuses are tied to rank.
Atomy USA Affiliate Ranks
There are five ranks within Atomy USA’s compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Sales Rep – accumulate 10,000 to 299,999 PV
- Agent – accumulate 300,000 PV or 600,000 GV a month on your weaker binary team side
- Special Agent – accumulate 700,000 PV or 1,400,000 GV a month on your weaker binary team side
- Dealer – accumulate 1,500,000 PV or 3,000,000 GV a month on your weaker binary team side
- Executive Distributor – accumulate 2,400,000 PV or 4,800,000 GV a month on your weaker binary team side (PV is counted if the weaker binary team side has more than 300,000 GV)
- Sales Master – generate 2,500,000 GV on both sides of the binary team
- Diamond Master – maintain Dealer rank and have two Sales Masters on both sides of the binary team
- Sharon-Rose Master – maintain Executive Distributor rank qualification and have two Diamond Masters on both sides of the binary team
- Star Master – maintain Executive Distributor rank qualification and have two Sharon-Rose Masters on both sides of the binary team
- Royal Master – maintain Executive Distributor rank qualification and have two Star Masters on both sides of the binary team
- Crown Master – maintain Executive Distributor rank qualification and have two Royal Masters on both sides of the binary team
- Imperial Master – maintain Executive Distributor rank qualification and have two Crown Masters on both sides of the binary team
Note that from Star Master, previous rank qualification must be met and maintained for three consecutive months.
PV stands for Personal Volume and is sales volume generated by retail orders and an affiliate’s own purchases.
GV is PV generated by an affiliate and their downline.
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):
The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
Residual Commissions
Atomy USA takes 44% of company-wide monthly sales volume and uses it calculate residual commissions for Sales Rep to Executive Distributor ranked affiliates.
Residual commissions are paid based on “score”:
- Sales Reps with 300,000 PV receive 5 score
- Agents with 300,000 PV or more receive 15 score
- Special Agents receive 30 score
- Dealers generating 1,500,000 PV a day in weaker binary team volume receive 60 score
- Executive Distributors generating 2,400,000 to 5,999,999 PV a day in weaker binary team volume receive 90 score
- Executive Distributors generating 6,000,000 to 19,999,999 PV a day in weaker binary team volume receive 150 score
- Executive Distributors generating 20,000,000 to 49,999,999 PV a day in weaker binary team volume receive 250 score
- Executive Distributors generating 50,000,000+ PV a day in weaker binary team volume receive 300 score
What “score” is or how it’s used to calculate residual commissions in not clarified.
Also note that as per Atomy USA’s rank qualification, Sales Reps with 300,000 PV are rank promoted to Agent.
Thus a Sales Rep having 300,000 PV and remaining a Sales Rep seems impossible.
Master’s Bonus
Atomy USA takes 20% of company-wide monthly sales volume and uses it to pay a Master’s Bonus to Sales Master and higher ranked affiliates.
- Sales Masters receive an equal share in 10% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Diamond Masters receive an equal share in 5% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Sharon-Rose Masters receive an equal share in 2% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Star Masters receive an equal share in 1.2% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Royal Masters receive an equal share in 1% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Crown Masters receive an equal share in 0.5% of the Master’s Bonus pool
- Imperial Masters receive an equal share in 0.3% of the Master’s Bonus pool
Rank Achievement Bonus
Atomy rewards affiliates for qualifying at Sales Master and higher with the following Rank Achievement Bonuses:
- qualify at Sales Master and receive a set of Atomy products
- qualify at Diamond Master and receive a “laptop computer” and set of Atomy products
- qualify at Sharon-Rose Master and receive $2000 plus “2 travel tickets”
- qualify at Star Master and receive $10,000 plus “4 travel tickets”
- qualify at Royal Master and receive $50,000, $2000 a month “for sponsorship activities”, “car rental fee” and “4 travel tickets”
- qualify at Crown Master and receive $300,000, $5000 a month “for sponsorship activities”, a “luxury car” and “4 travel tickets”
- qualify at Imperial Master and receive $1,000,000, $10,000 a month “for sponsorship activities”, a “luxury car”, an “office with a personal assistant”, a driver and “4 travel tickets”
Note that “sponsorship activities” is not defined in Atomy USA’s compensation plan.
Joining Atomy USA
Atomy USA affiliate membership is free.
To qualify for commissions however an affiliate must accumulate 10,000 PV.
Conclusion
Atomy USA claims to have a “well-balanced, righteous compensation plan”.
The most significant change from 2016 is Atomy USA has gotten rid of the Matching Bonus. Apart from that, commissions and bonuses remain pretty much the same.
Also unchanged is Atomy USA’s terrible retail focus, which lends itself to being a pyramid scheme.
We covered this in our Atomy America review but in a nutshell, Atomy USA affiliates generate sales volume via self-purchasing.
They recruit others who do the same to meet sales volume targets. What little retail activity might be going in insignificant when compared to affiliate purchase spend.
The simple fix is to require 50% of qualification PV/GV to be retail volume (actual retail customer purchases). Nine years on though and Atomy hasn’t.
Perhaps the most conclusive evidence Atomy’s business model isn’t sustainable is the fact the company isn’t thriving in Korea, its home country.
As I write this Alexa ranks India, Malaysia and Taiwan as the top three sources of traffic to Atomy’s global website. Back in 2016 Atomy wasn’t operating in India or Malaysia.
They were in Singapore, Japan and Canada though, none of which seem to have taken off. Ditto the US.
Atomy’s global website is doing far better traffic-wise than its Korean website. Granted Atomy’s global website includes all non-Korean traffic but still, I’d expect Atomy to be far more established in Korea if the business model was sustainable. Instead it appears to be on the decline.
A banner on Atomy USA’s website broadcasts that as of October 16th, Atomy is now active in Colombia too.
Unable to survive once recruitment tanks, it appears Atomy is migrating from market to market to stay afloat.
Remember, Atomy first launched in Korea back in 2009. That Atomy has made no effort to encourage retail sales or provide an adequate retail customer experience since is telling.
Taiwan is the notable exception here but unless Atomy is running a completely different compensation plan there, it’s unlikely retail is the reason. I imagine recruitment churn just hasn’t caught up yet.
As a prospective Atomy USA affiliate, what you can do is ask your potential upline how much they’re purchasing a month. Then ask for evidence of sales to retail customers and compare the volume.
Take any hesitation or refusal to provide this information as confirmation that affiliate is running their Atomy USA business as a pyramid scheme.
I have no reason to believe Atomy is operating any differently in any of the other countries it’s active in either.
If you’re reading this in the future, check out how Colombia is doing on Alexa. Atomy has added quite a few countries since 2016, none of which have taken off (or if they did, they’ve since died down).
Atomy is a membership-based company and only once you get your free membership are you able to access pricing. It is sorta like Sam’s Club. (Ozedit: derails removed, see below)
Members are Buyers and we do not sell products to each other. It is a membership-based company where you have access to the pricing schedule.
If you don’t buy anything then no problem. If you buy then you can earn based on team efforts.
Thanks for your reviews. I can not tell if you are pro-small business or against. It is good to see all sides.
Atomy is nothing like Sam’s Club because it’s an MLM company. Not showing retail pricing is anti-consumer and is a good indicator of Atomy USA operating as a pyramid scheme (little to no retail sales).
But you do earn on downline purchases, which without retail sales is what makes Atomy USA a product-based pyramid scheme.
Not sure about Atomy US, but Non US Atomy such as Canada or Malaysia did show the pricing and PV in its mall page.
For example, a HEMOHIM was sold at RM390.00 PV 54,600.
Disclaimer: I am not a Atomy distributor, just curious about Atomy when my friend joins.
atomy.com:449/my/home/product/mallmain
It’s 2021 and you have not logged in yet? Log in and get all the info you need.
It’s free. Use this sponsor’s ID (Ozedit: recruitment spam removed, first and last warning.)
If I have to sign up to an MLM company to get basic product information, they are doing “a terrible job of presenting their product range to the general public”.
Not that that matters in a pyramid scheme like Atomy USA, but the point still stands.
Log in and you will see the product details. (Ozedit: snip, see #5)
I can see that you you still do not understand how atomy really works. (Ozedit: snip, see below)
I know how Atomy works, see review you’re commenting on.
An MLM company hiding its product information from the public obviously has no retail customers. This would matter to legitimate MLM companies but for pyramid schemes it’s a non-issue.
This is the second time you’ve opened a comment on a false premise and proceeded to build arguments around it.
If I see one more (or any further attempts at recruitment spam) you’re going to the spam-bin.
Atomy is not hiding anything if you just try to look harder. There is a website where you can see all the details even without joining the company.
If you want to buy at cosco, how can you see their products? Is there a way to see the product details without becoming a member?
Any MLM company that does not provide product and compensation information on their website has made a choice to hide that information from the public.
This is not a decision a legitimate MLM company would make as hiding product information discourages retail sales.
1. Costco is not an MLM company. This is a derail.
2. Costco provides a product catalog on their website which can be viewed by the general public. You just can’t order unless you’re a member.
1. US website could be better.
2. I think Atomy is thriving since they surpassed sales of Amway and have become the leading MLM company in Korea.
3. Atomy is sustainable with low risk business structure. Their products are third party manufactured, easy to do cost, quantity control and phase out the product.
Pyramid schemes by definition are not sustainable.
Hi,
I think it’s wild that Atomy Australia has started trying to gain traction again, recently had some friends get sucked into it. The main speaking point for them is the current country director (for Australia) being an ex-Samsung Exec Assistant to Samsung’s CEOs in Korea (albeit, from basic research they were never employed by Samsung).
Another flag is a product of theirs “HemoHIM” currently being pushed as a cure to skin cancer by their members here in Australia. It was flagged in 2021 in Hong Kong for containing methoxsalen, a “Part 1” poison. Medically it can be used for psoriasis and vitiligo, but if you don’t suffer from it, it is technically a poison you are ingesting. The main damage is towards your reproductive system + will make your skin incredibly sensitive to UV light. Along with that, there is a high chance of permanent liver damage. If it’s sold outside of Korea, technically, it does not pass any global standards.
Currently their praying on university students / people in their mid 20s that are caught up in the “get rich quick” mindset, which is easy bait for diffrent economic cults / MLMs in Australia.
Hello, my name is Robert POLO, Atomy Sales Master for the French-speaking world. I would like to provide a factual clarification regarding Atomy’s international compliance and its unique consumer-centric model:
(Ozedit: marketing spam removed, see below)
@Robert
Nobody asked for Atomy marketing spam. Feel free to address concerns raised in the review, namely Atomy’s autoship recruitment scheme. Anything else will be marked as spam.
Seeing as it’s been a few years I went and checked Atomy’s current compensation plan, still no retail volume requirements. I.e. Atomy USA is the same pyramid scheme as reviewed here in 2020.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and for taking the time to review the compensation plan. It is truly refreshing to engage with someone who performs such diligent research; your commitment to transparency in this industry is commendable and necessary.
I completely understand why the absence of traditional retail requirements might raise a red flag based on standard MLM evaluations. However, I’d love to offer a different lens through which to view Atomy’s model.
Atomy is often perceived less as a traditional MLM and more as a global distribution hub, similar to a membership-based Amazon or Costco. The ‘magic’ of the model, and why we see many established leaders transitioning from other companies to Atomy, lies in a few key distinctions:
Zero Barrier to Entry: Unlike pyramid schemes that rely on sign-up fees or ‘starter kits’ to generate revenue, Atomy is free to join. No one pays for the right to recruit.
Pure Consumerism: Since there are no monthly ‘autoship’ requirements or forced quotas, the volume is driven by genuine product demand. People buy the products because they love the quality and price (the ‘Masstige’ concept), not because they are trying to ‘qualify’ for a check.
A Global Loyalty Program: We view ourselves as a community of consumers. The compensation is essentially a referral-based loyalty program. In a world where even major banks and retailers pay for referrals, Atomy simply allocates its entire marketing budget back to its loyal shoppers.
The lack of retail requirements isn’t a loophole; it’s a reflection of our belief that a distributor is simply a ‘satisfied customer’ who shares their experience. It’s this consumer-first philosophy that is changing the landscape for many who have been disillusioned by predatory structures in the past.
Atomy is an MLM company. MLM compensation plan = MLM company.
Like product-based pyramid schemes however, Atomy pays commissions primarily on sales volume generated by purchases of recruited promoters.
MLM + no retail sales = pyramid scheme.
You cannot wax poetic about Atomy’s products if there are no retail customers. All you have is an MLM opportunity full of people earning commissions on product-purchases that qualify them to earn commissions on people they recruit.
I appreciate your perspective, although I believe it focuses on the theoretical structure rather than how Atomy actually operates on the ground.
If we look closely, most successful modern businesses follow a similar hierarchical structure. Take the automotive industry, for example:
(Ozedit: snip, see below)
Organic Demand: The vast majority of Atomy members are ‘end-consumers’ who have no interest in the business side. They buy products like HemoHim or the skincare lines simply because the quality-to-price ratio is unbeatable.
No Barriers or Pressure: Since there are no joining fees and no forced monthly purchases, people buy out of need, not to ‘qualify’ for commissions.
In my view, Atomy is simply Social Commerce. It’s a platform where satisfied customers share their experiences, much like a referral program for a major tech company or a traditional sales network. I’d love for us to look past the label and focus on the product value itself, as that’s where the real strength lies.
If you’re running these responses through an AI waffle translator, please stop.
I’ve pointed out Atomy’s compensation plan doesn’t incentivize retail sales. Combined with no retail requirements and your own admission that the goal is to recruit promoters who purchase products, that’s a pyramid scheme.
You can come up with any number of names for a pyramid scheme, e.g. a “unique consumer-centric model”, “pure consumerism”, “social commerce” etc. etc. A pyramid scheme in which the majority of participants inevitably lose money is still a pyramid scheme.
Feel free to provide audited financial reports detailing what percentage of Atomy’s company-wide revenue is attributable to retail sales versus promoters (active and inactive). Your opinion on illegal pyramid schemes is irrelevant.
Also Not interested in paragraphs of marketing waffle, or irrelevant comparisons to non-MLM industry. Thanks.
Promoters != retail customers. No retail customers = no retail viability. You cannot make claims about retail demand for Atomy’s products when there are no retail customers.
In fact the only logical conclusion to draw from an MLM company with no retail sales is the products have no value outside of the income opportunity. Whether the majority of promoters are failing at the income opportunity (inevitable in a pyramid scheme), is not justification for fraud.
Ignoring the income opportunity and pretending all promoters just signed up for the income opportunity for the products is disingenuous. Didn’t work for HerbaLife and Vemma with the FTC, doesn’t work for Atomy here.
It is important to clarify that no law forbids the use of AI. (Ozedit: snip, shutup clanker)
I am old enough to formulate my own responses. I only use AI to correct my French-to-English translations so that I can communicate more clearly. Furthermore, you are mistaken. At ATOMY, no one—and I mean absolutely no one—loses money. Claiming otherwise without proof is defamatory.
Every customer purchases and receives a product they actually use, so how could they possibly lose money? You need to take off the blinders and be realistic.
(Ozedit: snip, derails removed)
I asked for audited financial reports to back up your claims, you didn’t provide any. Thank you for confirming the majority, if not all of Atomy’s sales revenue is from promoters. This confirms Atomy is a pyramid scheme.
You cannot speak for every Atomy promoter. Again, “our promoters are retail customers” has already failed in FTC v. Vemma and FTC v. HerbaLife. It’s an illogical claim to make if you don’t have retail customers.
Math guarantees the majority of participants in a pyramid scheme lose money. Whether you acknowledge those losses is neither here nor there.
Conclusion: Atomy is the same pyramid scheme it’s always been. Stop making excuses for fraud.
Thank you for your feedback. First of all, I would like to clarify that I am an independent partner (and above all, a loyal customer) and not the official spokesperson for the company’s financial department. Therefore, I cannot provide internal documents ‘on the spot.’
However, I took your request seriously and contacted support. Here is their response: ‘We have contacted our financial team regarding your request. As soon as we receive confirmation, we will inform you.’ I will let you know as soon as possible.
That being said, at every public Atomy event, growth reports and figures are projected publicly. Transparency is total; they have absolutely nothing to hide.
Where you are fundamentally wrong is in claiming that participants lose money. This is mathematically impossible with Atomy:
Zero fees: Membership is 100% free and there is no obligation to purchase.
Real value: Every dollar paid corresponds to the receipt of a high-quality physical product (factory price), much cheaper than what you find in stores for inferior quality.
Free access: Every online shop is provided free of charge. No one spends a single cent to have access. In fact, I can offer you one if you’d like? It is completely free and will give you access to all the information transparently so you can make up your own mind.
Zero recruitment costs: We do not pay a single cent more to sponsor someone. It’s the same as if you bought a product in a store, except here, you win on both price and quality.
How can a customer ‘lose money’ by buying a daily consumption product they need, at a better rate? Your claims are unfounded. Atomy is the exception where 100% of customers win, whether they develop the business or not.”
That’s not the same as “x% of our company-wide revenue is attributable to retail customers, x% is from promoter accounts (active and inactive)”.
I sign up because some schmuck tells me Atomy is easy money. I buy products to qualify for commissions but can’t recruit anyone.
After x months I accumulate mounting losses and quit. I have lost money in Atomy.
This isn’t unique to Atomy, this is every product-based MLM pyramid scheme.
This sounds like your first MLM pyramid scheme. Sorry for your loss.
Who told you that recruiting was mandatory? (Ozedit: snip, see below)
Nobody said recruitment was mandatory. You don’t get to build arguments around statements nobody made.
I’m going to answer you by following your own logic: It’s ironic. You claim that ‘nobody said recruitment was mandatory,’ yet your entire ‘money loss’ argument is built specifically on the idea that a member must recruit to avoid financial loss. That is a total contradiction.
(Ozedit: snip, see below)
Recruitment is mandatory to earn commissions, same as any other product-base pyramid scheme. This can be evidenced by Atomy not having any retail customers.
Recruitment is not mandatory in Atomy’s compensation plan. Stop being cute, you’re wasting both of our time.
Do you earn commissions? How much of your monthly GV is from actual retail orders each month? If any, what is the ratio of retail sales volume against promoter accounts in your downline (active and inactive)?
I can’t stop you from lying but I will ask you to be honest.
Look I’ll make this simple by re-stating what I said shortly after you showed up: MLM + no retail sales = pyramid scheme. Nothing else matters with respect to Atomy operating as an illegal pyramid scheme.
Very interesting to talk with you !
I’m going to make it even simpler for you: At Atomy, everyone buys at retail. (Ozedit: snip, see below)
MLM promoters are not retail customers (ref: FTC v. Vemma, FTC v. Herbalife).
I’m going to answer you by following your own logic: It’s ironic. You claim that ‘nobody said recruitment was mandatory,’ yet your entire ‘money loss’ argument is built specifically on the idea that a member must recruit to avoid financial loss. That is a total contradiction.
If you are trying to compare Atomy to FTC v. Vemma (2015) and FTC v. Herbalife (2016), you are comparing things that are not even remotely comparable. It’s like comparing a modern electric car to a horse-drawn carriage. Here is why your comparison is intellectually dishonest:
(Ozedit: snip, see below)
I’m not here to argue with an AI chatbot. There is no way you familiarized yourself with the FTC v. Vemma and FTC v. Herbalife cases in <30 mins. This is evidenced by my wholesale customer references going over your head.
Vemma settled with the FTC because it was a $200+ million pyramid scheme. HerbaLife settled with the FTC and agreed to make changes to its pyramid scheme compensation plan.
Both Vemma and HerbaLife tried the "our promoters are retail customers" defense. Both were rejected in court.
You are trying on the same defense with Atomy. That was my point.
You didn’t write this.
I’ve been more than patient. I’m not interested in addressing whatever bullshit your AI chatbot comes up with once you feed this comment into it. Goodbye (spam-bin).
AS i promise you Oz, this is the answer of ATOMY :
Obvious compensation plan with no retail focus leading to no retail sales is obvious.
Atomy is a pyramid scheme. They can’t be honest and directly admit there are no retail sales because… well, y’know.
are you blind ?
you must open your mind
seriously !
“Open your mind” isn’t justification for an illegal pyramid scheme.
We’ve confirmed Atomy doesn’t have retail sales so I believe we’re done here.