Vector Marketing Reviews: Is The CutCo Parent Company Running A Scam? (2023 Update)

Scam Risk is here to help you protect yourself and fight back
By: Scam Risk - Expert Reviewer

Vector Marketing Scam: Introduction

Vector Marketing is a money-making opportunity in the form of multi-level marketing (MLM).

It’s often promoted by people who have every incentive for you to join the company or buy products from them.

It’s supposed to show you how to become a “6 figure network marketer” but most members fall well short of that mark, often making no money. Which is very common in the industry.

Now, I do want to be completely honest in this review, so…

DISCLAIMER:
This Vector Marketing Scam review has been thoroughly researched with information and testimonials that are available online to anyone in the public. Any conclusions drawn by myself are opinions.

Pros: What I Liked

  • Help students develop skills to build a resume
  • Based on ethical business practices
  • You can be a high schooler or college student
The Good

Cons: What I Didn't Like

  • Extremely low commission
  • You have to find your own people for demonstrations
  • Many lawsuits against them
The Bad

Table of Contents

Vector Marketing Scam: Overview

Chances are you heard about Vector Marketing because someone – a friend or family member – introduced you to the company. Maybe you attended an online workshop or webinar, or maybe an in-person information session. 

Your head’s probably spinning. This might be the first time you’ve heard about a real way to make money outside of a typical job. 

So first off, congratulations! 

You’ve just entered a whole new world…the world of making money on your own terms.

However, you came in through the wrong door. 

Because Vector Marketing is – plain and simple – an MLM. Throw whatever fancy name you want on it…multi-level marketing (MLM), network marketing (NWM), direct sales, or anything else, it’s the same concept:

You pay some money upfront for the “opportunity” to sell products. 

The products are typically low-quality but with high price tags (because fancy labels and stuff).

You’re told that the key to building your own successful business is selling these products to friends and family, and getting them on a subscription (so you get “monthly recurring revenue”).

Unfortunately, like most people who get taken in by these types of schemes, you’ll quickly discover that the well runs dry faster than you imagined. 

After all, they make it sound really simple. “Just get 5 people you know onto this magic widget, and things will just grow from there.”

And in your head, you think “How hard can it be? I know plenty of people, 5 will be easy.”

But then you do it, and you realize people look at you like you’ve joined a cult. You’ve become “that person”, who joined an MLM, and is now trying to sell questionable products or services to everyone they meet. 

It puts a strain on your relationships, and you end up stuck between two worlds.

But it’s not your fault. These companies spend millions of dollars each year figuring out exactly how to brainwash and recruit people. And that’s why we’re here. 

To help you find a better way before it’s too late.

passive income

So, what if there was a way you could build a passive income stream that’s actually passive?

An income stream that doesn’t require:

  • Inventory
  • Selling to friends and family
  • Selling to strangers
  • Recruiting people
  • Dealing with questionable products that weigh on your conscience

An income stream that brings in consistent revenues every single month (from a couple thousand dollars to well over $10,000)?

An income stream you could actually build in your spare time, and grow as large or as small as you want to, without having to spend hours a day chasing, selling, or managing anything?

If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out Digital Real Estate. 

TESTIMONIAL - STILL GETTING PAID

This is nothing like MLM, and that’s probably a good thing. 

However, if you’d still like to know more about Vector Marketing, keep reading.

What Is Vector Marketing?

Vector Marketing Seller Of Cutco CutleryVector Marketing sells Cutco Cutlery.

They hire reps that are just out of high school and in college that will make a commission on the products that they sell,

As a rep, you are considered independent contractors for Vector.

The structure of Vector Marketing is that you do in-home demonstrations displaying the knives and other products. You will be paid a base pay for doing these showings.

And of course, your always encouraged to share the products with your friends and family. If you make a sale you’ll make money in commission from the sale.

They will provide the necessary training that will teach you about their products, and improve your communication skills. Their goal is to build your confidence and provide you with skills that you’ll be able to take into your career.

What is Cutco Cutlery?

Cutco High End Kitchen CutleryCutco Cutlery is a manufacturer of high-quality kitchen cutlery. The name Cutco comes from Cooking Utensils Company and was established in 1949.

Cutco manufactures a variety of everyday and specialized kitchen equipment. They are mostly known for their knives but they also have utensils, shears, flatware, cookware and sporting knives as well.

They have more than 600 employees that work in the factory and administrative headquarters.

And Vector Marketing is the marketing and sales department for Cutco Cutlery. But Vector Marketing wasn’t always the only direct sales company that sold for Cutco.

There used to be hundreds of small independent sellers back in the day. Cutco is a 65-year-old company that works out of Olean, New York.

It wasn’t until 1981, that Vector Marketing was founded and became an independent seller for Cutco and because they sold more than any other independent seller Cutco Cutlery Corporation decided to purchase them in 1995.

And just like that Vector Cutco became one.

You won’t find Cutco products sold in just any store.

The only way to purchase these products is through in-home sales demonstrations, local events, or Cutco retail locations. As well as from their website.

Which is why you’ll often see a slew of ad’s for them. Positions such as a sales manager, and salespeople.

They need help with sales. And they hire a ton of people to train so that they can sell cutco products.

It’s likely you’ve seen their ad’s before when looking for a job. There are a ton of recruiting manager positions for Vector Cutco in various locations.

These entry-level and part-time positions are very enticing to both high school students and college students.

Is Vector Cutco A Scam?

Not at all.

Vector Marketing has simply become the primary seller for Cutco Cutlery Corporation.

It’s much easier to deal with one marketing company of independent sellers rather than many.

What Are Cutco's Most Popular Products?

32 Pieces Ultimate SetVector has a variety of quality products, but the knife block sets are their most popular products. They all come with a “Forever Guarantee” and free sharpening at anytime.

The Ultimate Set comes with 32 pieces and an oak block that you can purchase in a honey or cherry finish.

And the Homemaker Set which has 10 pieces.

Is This a Multi-Level Marketing Company?

No. Vector Marketing is a single-level direct sales marketing company. They don’t have levels, you don’t have to recruit people.

With multi-level marketing company, sales representatives make money by building their downline and getting more sales representatives.

With Vector Marketing all of the reps are going to make base pay.

But you’ll make more money when you sell products.

Vector Marketing does recruit people and is actually one of the largest recruiters of undergraduate students in the United States.

They send out job and interview “offers,” which is very similar to MLMs.

You don’t need any work experience so basically anyone is able to become a distributor.

This is one of the reasons why they are often looked at as an MLM company by many people.

Some would call this a smart recruiting strategy, but others consider it predatory.

Can College Students Make Money With Vector Marketing?

Vector Marketing Not A Multi level Marketing CompanyShort answer yes.

Vector Marketing has been helping college students and older high school students earn money.

But they offer much more than just money.

They provide sales force training and skills that will help with job interviews and job placement.

How Do You Make Money With Vector?

You get paid a weekly check as long as you work.

Reps earn a base pay between $15-$18 when they show Cutco knives to a qualified prospect. This isn’t an hourly pay rate, but generally showing the products takes any where from 45 minutes to an hour.

These showings can be done in-person or virtually.

What lawsuits Have Been Filed?

Vector Marketing Faced Many ChargesThere have been a few lawsuits filed against Vector, and it seems like they get sued every couple of years. Each one being worse than the last.

In 1990, the Arizona Attorney General sued them for their recruiting techniques, calling them deceptive.

Then again in 1994, they were ordered to stop deceptive recruiting practices in Wisconsin.

In 2008, they got hit with a class-action lawsuit. They weren’t paying their sales representatives minimum wages and this case settled for $13 million in 2011.

In 2014, they faced another class-action suit for unpaid minimum wage in various states, including New York, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio.

And also in 2014, they were sued by one of their distributors for not getting proper training. She was drugged and raped while on a sales call.

Then in 2017, Vector Marketing had to pay $6.75 million to settle another class-action lawsuit. They didn’t pay sales representatives that attended the training. In this same year, another class-action lawsuit was filed by division managers. They believed they should be compensated as employees, not contractors.

FAQ's

How much does it cost to join Vector Marketing?

It doesn’t cost anything for you to join, but you will need to go through training to become a sales representative. Upon completion, you’ll get a sample set of Cutco knives for demonstrations. You’ll need to return this sample kit when you quit.

vector marketing scam

Is Vector Marketing a scam?

So, is Vector Marketing a scam? 

Not technically.

You can make money with this program, but it’s definitely not as easy as the company makes it sound. 

There’s a ton of work to be done upfront, no real guarantee of success, and – most importantly – the actual commissions are pretty small. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong with front-loading the work and making the money later.

But if you’re grinding it out for 3 months and then your reward is a $50 commission, it’s not really worth it.

What if, instead, you could do that same 3 months of work (in your spare time), and your reward was a $500 to $2,000 payment that came in every single month?

And what if you actually didn’t need to wait 3 months? What if you could get started today and have your first payment in a week?

And what if you could double it next week?

Well, that’s the power of Digital Real Estate

And, unlike an MLM, you can legitimately do this from anywhere. It’s a true lifestyle business. 

Your laptop and an internet connection is all you need.

Some of the most successful students in this program run their entire 6-figure businesses from:

  • A camper in the middle of the woods
  • A beach chair on the water in Mexico
  • A small villa in Greece

TESTIMONIAL - SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR JOBS

They’re able to travel around, living their lives first, and focusing on their income second. 

Because even if they stop working for an extended period of time, the money keeps coming in. 

So adventure, memories, and experience are the top priority. 

And they never have to worry about how to pay for the next trip, or consider asking for time off. 

If this sounds more like the type of life you want to lead, just click here to find out more about Digital Real Estate.is vector marketing legit

Is Vector Marketing Legit?

Yes, Vector Marketing is a legit Multi-Level Marketing / direct sales company whose independent contractors make money by selling knives, kitchen cutlery and other Cutco products. The company business practices involve “job interviews” to recruit college students as sales representatives to sell to family and friends in their regional Vector marketing division.

Between the company’s scam claims and Vector’s vague job descriptions, it’s hard not to be suspicious – but for legal reasons, we cannot fully say they are a scam. 

What is Vector Marketing’s BBB rating?

Vector has an A+ BBB rating.

What is Vector Marketing’s revenue?

Vector reported $273.8 million in sales, in 2019. Their 2020 revenue has not yet been released.

How many Vector Marketing distributors are there?

With 5,590 distributors, this company isn’t the biggest out there.

Vector Marketing Online Reviews

Let’s hear what the people have to say:

“I was tricked into “working” for them by a former close friend and I can say with certainty that it’s a pyramid scheme, I was suspicious when I was told I’d get paid by-appointment and that I had to hock stuff to my family and friends.

Anybody that does “pay-by-appointment” like that and requires you to either recruit new “team members” or hock shit to family and friends is likely a multi-level-marketing scheme. It’s probably one of the least shifty of the MLM’s that I know of but it’s still most definitely multi-level-marketing and if I were you OP I’d cut my losses and split.

 

I worked with them for about 2ish months before realizing how I was barely breaking even and making next to no money. After I quit I got into contact with people that used to work in my office and we all kind of came to that realization we were in a marketing scheme, or had been convinced of such by family and friends.

 

I made way more in one month of Inventory Auditing than I did with 2 months of Vector, any wage job will typically pay you more unless you’re lucky enough to have a huge social network of people with disposable income (the only successful people in my office were rich kids who had rich friends and rich friend parents to hock stuff to).

 

Outside of my experience I know they target high school and college students because they assume that at that age we’re easy targets (which is unfortunately true for a lot of people, it’s how I got roped in). They also use deliberately misleading language, not technically lying per-se but hiding a lot behind fine print; like the pay-by-appointment thing, it seems like a lot until you realize it’s basically working below minimum wage. They also do the old trick of pimping these legendary salespeople but usually they’re the 1% that actually achieve the dream you’re sold.

 

As Princessluna44 mentioned, check r/antiMLM. It’s a subreddit dedicated entirely to pyramid schemes and MLM shenanigans and you’ll find a lot of resources there as well as an audience to vent your frustrations, including reformed people like myself. Again, Vector isn’t the worst but they’re still an MLM, so take that as you will.”

“Basically there is this company Vector Marketing that markets towards high school and college students. They say you can make $15/hour base pay, and you don’t need any experience. This sounds great right? Perfect Summer job! That’s what I thought. I applied for a job with this company online, and they literally called me back 30 minutes after I applied, which is absolutely crazy; that never happens. The person I talked to was very vague about the job description. She then told me the only open available times to come in for an interview was the day they called me or the next day.

So they scheduled an interview and I was psyched that I got an interview and all that. So then I googled the company because I realized I had no idea what the company did. Turns out if you google Vector Marketing you end up with a bunch of forums and pages telling you it is a scam. I was shocked and researched further. Turns out they sell kitchen knives from a company called CUTCO. I also learned that every single person who has gone in for an interview says the interview is the easiest interview ever, then you go in for a group interview and they give you a long presentation about their knives.

Now to actually work for this company you have to buy a set of the knives to use as demonstration knives. It costs around $100. So before you would even start you are in the hole 100 bucks. Then I learned that you have to schedule “appointments” by your self with no help, and what I mean by that is you have to first rely on friends and family, and then you just have to find people by yourself, with no help from Vector. Also these appointments are how you get paid, $15 per appointment. So all in all, don’t fall for this. yes you could potentially make money off of this, but you would have to work extremely extremely hard to get the money. Don’t fall for it like i did. I don’t want the karma, but I would appreciate the upvotes so that other college and high school students on reddit can see this post. Thanks guys, and I hope your job prospects are going well.”

This next one sounds a little exaggerated.

“I went to the interview (without prior knowledge of the company) and I thought I wouldn’t get it because I was late 20 minutes (I wasn’t familiar with the area), but they took me in and treated me for a serious interview which I thought was weird considering my gaffe.

Then they said that I came just in time to watch a video to get a better understanding of the company. I thought no big deal, I mean I’m just spending my time here so far. It was a bullshit vague video that lasted 30 minutes. As soon as it ended and the lights were flipped on, the person next to me immediately turned to me to get me to buy something.

At that point I looked at the person and I said “are you serious?” He looked at me dumbfoundedly, “Are you seriously about to ‘sell’ me something during an interview?” He was trying to shush me (group interview) and trying to keep the conversation quiet.

I got up and said loudly to him “Thanks for wasting my time with this bullshit. If I would’ve known I had to actually pay for this crummy product that I never heard of before, I would’ve never showed up.” I left promptly, ripping the application up that he had for his ‘order’ and let it litter the floor as I left.

Some people, not all, followed me after.”

“Gonna get downvoted for this but what the hell.

Back in the day when I was a young lad, I also heard about this company. Read about it, realized what kind of feedback/press these companies were getting and decided to steer clear. Now I am a fairly outgoing guy and can generally sell most things. Even with this being the case, I still decided against it.

Now, my best friend on the other hand is this super quiet guy who on a separate occasion heard of the same opportunity. But instead of me, he took it upon himself to give it a try. It was hell for him the first little bit because not only did he have to sell this stuff, he really had top come out of his shell to even have a chance. But as it turned out, through trial by fire and brimstone he decided he was going to do a damn good job at it and did. Ended up making decent money over the summer and became super outgoing because of it.

tl;dr had a friend who became much more outgoing and social because he had to knock on strangers doors to sell knives. Good life experience if you are willing to see it that way.”

“I went in for an interview with this company YEARS ago. I noticed that my interviewer was younger than I was and had a stutter. At first it wasn’t a problem but I caught on that this was a bullshit scam, like amway, and played along just to see what the next step was because the details of the position are left purposely vague. The next step was a group presentation given to all of the candidates that still remained, 10-15 people scattered haphazardly among the folding chairs of the makeshift room of a rented second floor office in a highway strip mall. So Mr. Smith (we call him) started into his spiel about the company, which isn’t going along so well as he is nervous and stuttering a good deal more now he is the center of attention. This is when I get the giggles. Every time he seizes on a word I’m snickering uncontrollably. It gets to the point where he calls me out and I decide to leave. Felt like a champ, even though I was acting like a schmuck, unintentionally.

BTW its $15 an hour base pay by app. or apportionment from what I remember. What shady shit pay that means I have no idea.”

Conclusion: Can You Really Make Money With Vector Marketing?

money from homeYes, You can!

But…

There’s a lot that comes along with MLM that many people struggle with.

In fact, check out these Top 5 Reason Why Network Marketers Fail.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea…

It’s not impossible to make money with MLM, but if you’re gonna put in the amount of grueling work to do this business (which, trust us, isn’t easy), you might as well bring in some REAL money while you’re learning the ropes.

Is Working For Vector Marketing A Good idea?

It all depends on your personal income goals…

Listen, most people are not knocking Vector, and Cutco has quality products.

But with all of the law-suits dealing with payment, most people don’t want to risk not getting paid.

And even if you do get paid it’s not going to offer you any type of substantial money, unless you’re able to book showing after showing and make sales.

And to do this you’d have to be doing more than part-time work. With a base pay of just $15-$18 per showing won’t be sustainable.

How many showings will you have to do just to make $100 for that week?

How many Cutco products will you have to sell?

Face it…this is modern day door to door sales. People hate it.

But what if you got involved in something that people actually like…something business owners actually need. ESPECIALLY after the pandemic they all went through!

Update

Vector Marketing Corporation has long been accused of being a pyramid scheme due to their recruiting styles and vector employees not making much money.

However, they’ve been able to dodge such claims because they do offer products and their other employees do make some money enough to be considered “full time”.

Still family members seem to get countless phone calls from their relatives who get roped into it all.

How do they get roped in? Some say that Vector targets college campuses to get students their “first job“. It’s usually a division manager who does the recruiting but sometimes other newbies do too.

The fact that they can get paid for dialing phone numbers and work on their own schedule is what appeals most. However, most are disappointed when they find out it’s just sales.

But hey, it could be worse…it’s not like the labor laws on wall street at least.

Still, we recommend you look elsewhere if you’re looking to make real, sustainable, money online.

Are There Alternatives To Vector Marketing? 

Alternatives

Yes, there are plenty of MLM companies to choose from if you want to pursue this business model.  Here are just a few: 

What is our #1 way to make money in 2023?

Digital Real Estate

The ScamRisk team has spent months researching, reviewing, and vetting dozens of business models and thousands of programs.

While there may be no “perfect business”, the research IS conclusive:

Digital Real Estate is the #1 online business model for those just starting out.

Whether you’ve never made a dollar online, or you’ve been in this space for a while but never really “made it,” Digital Real Estate is for you.

Why?

1) It’s Flexible: got an hour a day? You can do this. Ready to drop everything else and dive in full time? You can do this. Yes, the more time you put in, the faster you see results. But even with a little time each day, you can move the needle in a Digital Real Estate business.

And because this system is so flexible, you don’t have to constantly be working to make more money. It’s called PASSIVE INCOME because if you stop working, the money doesn’t. 

Imagine taking 3 months off to just tour around Europe, rent a cabin in the woods to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, or live on the beach and surf all day. 

This is only possible if you have an income stream that’s not tied to your time.

TESTIMONIAL - JUMP ALL IN

2) You Own & Control EVERYTHING: With MLMs and Network Marketing, you don’t really own anything. You have no control over the quality of products. You don’t even own your “team”.


Look at the fine print for most of the agreements folks sign when they join one of these companies. At any point, the company can change your commission structure, reduce your profit margins, or kick you out entirely.


With Digital Real Estate, you own the assets, which means you have all the power and all the control.

TESTIMONIAL - FEELING BLESSED

3) Little To No Startup Costs: It’s possible to get into Digital Real Estate with zero dollars upfront. Because, using the strategies outlined in this program, you can get a client to pay you BEFORE spending a penny out of your own pocket…even before you do any work. 

Even without getting paid in advance, you can have your first Digital Rental Property up, running, and generating profits for less than $100.

TESTIMONIAL - SCOTT LEAD GEN

4) No Inventory: Alright, so most MLMs don’t make you buy the products and fill your garage with them anymore (unlike the good ol’ days), but you’re still in a physical products business. 

And physical products always have physical limitations. Even if you don’t have to manage the inventory, you still have to deal with supply chain shortages that cause major delays. 

Imagine finally landing your first customer, and then losing them after one sale because they had to wait 6 weeks to get their order.

With Digital Real Estate, a 100% online business, you never even have to think about that risk.

ANNA DONE DEAL

5) Easy To Duplicate: Ok, here’s the best part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up and running, you can literally DOUBLE your income with a few clicks, a couple keystrokes, and a single phone call (and you don’t actually need the phone call).

Remember: each Digital Rental Property is worth $500 to $2,000 a month in semi-passive income (over 95% profit). Every time you decide to create another one and increase your income, it gets easier.

Because you have more knowledge, more experience, more results, and more momentum. 

If you wanted to double your income with an MLM, you’d have to double your customers OR double the average order size of your existing customers. And, guaranteed that’s a lot harder than a few clicks and a few minutes of your life.

LANCE LEAD GEN

6) Make Money Helping Real People: This part is what makes it all worth it. In an MLM, your “upline” might convince you that what you’re selling improves people’s lives, but deep down, you likely know that’s not true. 

Most of the time, you’re either selling a dream or a poor-quality, overpriced product with a fancy label. 

And that makes it pretty hard to sleep at night.

But with Digital Real Estate, you’re actually helping people by solving your clients’ biggest problem:

Small, local businesses need more customers, and with Digital Real Estate, you are unleashing a flood of happy, paying customers for these businesses. 

You make money by helping them make money. 

Not a big, faceless corporation either…a small business owner who’s using that money to put food on the table for their family, start a college fund for their kids, or take care of a sick parent. 

Once you see how Digital Real Estate makes a real impact in the lives of real people, you’ll sleep like a baby with a big smile on your face.

TESTIMONIAL - BOSS OF MY FUTURE

Now, the choice is yours. 

You could continue browsing, looking at opportunities like Vector Marketing which could one day make you money.

You could continue researching, never making a decision. 

OR, you could take a look inside, consider what you really want, and join a program that makes your dreams a reality. At the same time, joining a community of over 2,000 successful students that are living life on their own terms thanks to Digital Real Estate.

Simon Is Crushing It!

A consistent, reliable, semi-passive stream of income that doesn’t depend on you or your time to keep producing profits. 

All while genuinely helping real people who are grateful and happy to pay for it. 

If this sounds more like what you want out of life (or if you just want some nice side income), click here to learn more about Digital Real Estate.

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3 Comments
Show all Most Helpful Highest Rating Lowest Rating Add your review
  1. alright my buddy was right lol looks bad

  2. Any kid out there, take my advice: avoid MLMs. I tried em, they suck. I’ve barely started this review’s recommendation (digital real estate) and YOU DON’T HAVE TO RECRUIT ANYONE.

    Sales should be about sales, marketing should be about marketing.

    Good luck

  3. tried this in high school, good lesson but wish i could have avoidded it. pyramid schemes are not the way rto go, i never made my money back for them

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