Muscle Master: rhymes with disaster

Muscle Master: rhymes with disaster
by Anthony Roberts

MuscleMaster.com, the anchor site of Apollo Fulfillment, is in the process of being sold off along with the 30+ sites in their stable, (AffordableSupplements.com, DiscountAnabolics.com, BulkNutrition.com, CheapSupplements.com, CheapVitamins.com, DAMuscle.com, WholesaleSupplementStore.com, etc…). Although MuscleMaster.com grew their sales from $2.2m in 2001 to $8.1m in 2002, it appears that things took a drastic downward turn in the following years, bringing us to the point where the company has gone almost completely bust. Unfortunately, while they have no way of filling certain orders, they are still online and operational, taking orders (and money) from their customers.

* The complaints about unpaid debts stemming from this company began hitting my inbox in the winter of last year, and it surprises me that it’s taken this long to catch up with them.

* They’re under a mountain of debt, and by all accounts, Nick Chunias, the man in charge of the downfall, is in cut & run mode, and since these sites are being bundled up and sold off together, he can file bankruptcy and screw over his creditors – while still walking away with a tidy sum of money. The sites and the deal(s) surrounding them are currently in the hands of Finn, Warnke, and Gayton, a CPA firm from Boston. Calls to Mr. Finn were not returned, he has never been in his office when I call, and he has failed to responsibly handle this situation with regards to prospective buyers. I suspect that something is going on behind the scenes here, even shadier than the stuff I’ve been able to find out (which is still pretty shady).

I’d advise anyone who orders supplements online to avoid any companies associated with Muscle Master and Apollo Fulfillment, as orders are being taken with no chance of being filled, while customer complaints are piling up on various discussion boards. What they’re doing is taking all orders, then shipping whatever items they have (which they still owe $$ to vendors for), and refunding the rest of the order, to keep some kind of positive cash flow coming into the company.

Muscle Master and their related companies owe millions of dollars to the bank, as well as a considerable sum of money to different vendors, and some estimates are placing their debt in the $6m range.

* Numerous wholesalers are owed $100k+ and won’t drop ship for them…All Star Health and USA Sports were drop shipping for some of these sites, and quit due to unpaid bills, debts, and late payments. Inventory purchased last year and into this year has almost no chance of being paid off, leaving companies such as

Allegedly Dymatize, Europa, and Optimum Nutrition are all sitting on unpaid debts that range from a quarter of a million to nearly a million dollars. What we’re seeing now is a fire sale of the company and all of its assets, and the people getting screwed over in this deal are the customers and the vendors who fronted them products. Again, whether you are a supplement wholesaler, a vendor, or just a guy who buys supplements online, you need to avoid doing business with this company until it is in the hands of a responsible owner. And at this point, with the way they’re handling the fire sale, that day may never come…

* Last year, after they were contacted by the FDA, Muscle Master had their d-bag lawyer threaten me with legal action in an attempt to cover up the visit from the Feds. Then, earlier this year, they recalled 17 products, and got caught selling a prescription item, which they also recalled. I, for one, am glad to see these guys being essentially run out of the nutritional industry.

source