Profit Yard charges its members between $13.50 and $32.50 each month to join, then pays them to bring in new participants. No actual products or services are sold to customers outside this recruitment chain.
The domain profityard.com was first registered on January 5, 2013. Its ownership details remain hidden behind private registration. Records for the domain were updated on January 7, 2014, suggesting a change in control around that time. The lack of transparent ownership raises questions about the operation's legitimacy.
Profit Yard offers two membership options. The Classic Plan costs $13.50 monthly, while the Premium Plan is $32.50 per month. Both plans include web hosting, domain registration, and email addresses. These items serve as the only offerings, with no other retail products available.
Commissions are paid solely for recruiting other individuals who then pay the monthly fee. This system is structured as a unilevel plan, tracking down five levels of recruits. Money flows upward from newly enrolled affiliates through the chain.
Under the Classic Plan, members earn $4 per month for each Classic Plan recruit they bring in directly. They also receive $2 per month from recruits on levels two through five. For those recruiting Premium Plan members, the direct commission is $5, with $2.50 per month from levels two to five. The Premium Plan pays $5 per Classic recruit. It offers $10 per Premium recruit directly, then $5 per month for Premium recruits on levels two through five.
Recruiting five people at the Classic level generates $20 monthly. This amount is less than the $13.50 initial payment plus the ongoing costs of trying to recruit. Participants must constantly recruit just to break even. The company's own materials promise "unlimited monthly profits depending on the volume of your direct and indirect referrals." However, all revenue comes from recruitment fees, not from retail sales.
This structure means no money enters the system from outside customers. All funds originate from new participants paying their monthly fees. Most individuals in such systems lose money, while a small group at the top profits before the operation eventually collapses.
The inclusion of web hosting appears intended to create the impression of a legitimate product. However, it functions as a cover for a recruitment operation. Businesses typically sell goods or services that people desire to buy. Profit Yard sells access to a recruitment program.
Anyone considering membership buys into a system where success depends on finding new people willing to pay a monthly fee for the chance to recruit others. When recruitment slows, which it always does, the money stops. Consumers can report suspected pyramid schemes to the Federal Trade Commission.