In June 2017, the startup fee to become a Market America distributor was reportedly $399 plus additional monthly payments of $129.

"[4] In 2004, consumer awareness group president Robert FitzPatrick commented that based on available figures, the company's growth "could not go on forever" and disputed the claim that "distributors can achieve financial independence".

[22][4] In a 2017 federal lawsuit, two distributors accused the company of violating the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and California state law.

The suit claims the company targets Chinese-American immigrants to sell products to friends and relatives in Asia.

The lawsuit characterizes Market America's business practice as "racketeering" and says that "while the executives tell distributors they can earn more than $560,000, only those at the top make that kind of money.

The investigation found that "in the first nine months of 2020, Market America published more than 450 deceptive income claims across its website, blog and social media pages".

According to the organization, "As a 28-year veteran of the MLM industry with seasoned lawyers on staff, Market America should not have to be reminded of the rules.

And the rules state that using atypical earnings claims to recruit distributors is not only deceptive, it's against FTC law".