But of course they will give you your money back and in the case of lost cargo, you will get more money back for your investment.  There are some legitimate deals that you should still only put money into if you can afford to lose it.  But in general terms, if a home business is asking you to put money into it first and pay for some kind of package or whatnot, then chances are it’s a scam.  Now if it’s a well known and legitimate company that uses a payment plan for referrals, then you’re usually fine.  But if it’s some kind of training program that requires investment first, then yes you are getting scammed.