From collectibles to cars, buy and sell all kinds of items on eBayWelcome! Sign in or register.
aAdvanced Search
Popular products
No suggestions.

Reviews & Guides

Write a guide

How TV Infomercials Work and How They Get Your Money.

by: csotp( 749Feedback score is 500 to 999)
7 out of 11 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 1226 times Tags: Infomercials | Television | Information | Trudeau | Cummuta


Infomercial Revolution

As a kid, I remember falling asleep on the couch to the CBS late movie only to be awakened around 2 AM with the colored "test pattern" stripes on the television, complete with an obnoxious, prolonged and continuous "beep" sound.  If I was fortunate enough to have remained awake, I remember the old "off the air" display, with the weird shapes and indian head in the center.

Now, however, networks have found folks who are willing to pay to be on the air.  They buy large amounts of air time to hawk their products.  Click on just about any channel during late night / early morning hours or weekends and you'll find plenty of infomercials.

ALL infomercials work the same way.  More on that below...

Gateway Products

Infomercial products are ALL considered to be "gateway" products by marketers.  In other words, they hope that you will buy their intial product advertised on TV, only to be encouraged and bugged to buy more at a later time. 

The initial product is usually presented very carefully and creatively to answer all of your questions.  However, once you order, you find that you must order more.  For example, John Cummuta wants to help you get out of debt.  His initial service ordered encourages you to get out of debt by generating more income.  Generate more income by several methods, including getting involved in real estate.  How do we get involved?  Well, you must order John's much more expensive "real estate" course to learn more.  That's how they ALL work.

For example, buy a workout program like "p90x" and then find that you will be hounded to buy accessories for the workout program (i.e. pull up bars, supplements, etc...).  Or, order Kevin Trudeau's "Debt Cures" only to be hawked his monthly newsletter service for a recurring fee of $9.95.  ALL informercials operate this way.  Buy the first product, then get "on the hook" for others.

Hard to Cancel Recurring Charges

And once you find that you've actually paid for the recurring "service" charges (i.e. newsletters, mentoring, advice, counselors, etc...) you will find that it's very difficult to cancel such services.  Some gurus requiring as much as a 60 day notice to get off the hook, thus, generating more easy income for them.

My Reports

This does not mean that all infomercial products aren't helpful, alot of them are, but it DOES mean that you should be very careful about ordering and know what you might be getting into.

If you have questions about infomercials, consider buying one of my reports.  They have ALL of the information included in the infomercial product, PLUS MUCH MORE!  I've "been there and done" just about all of it.  I'm tired of you and I being taken advantage of.  If you want real help, I offer not only my report but a relationship.  Every order is personally emailed by myself and I look forward to helping each customer individually if that is needed.  And unlike the "big guys", I don't charge you for anything extra! :)

God bless you and I look forward to helping.


Guide ID: 10000000004920306Guide created: 01/01/08 (updated 03/04/09)

 
Was this guide helpful? Report this guide

Ready to share your knowledge with others? Write a guide



 


eBay Pulse | eBay Reviews | eBay Stores | Half.com | Austria | France | Germany | Italy | Spain | United Kingdom | Popular Searches
Kijiji | PayPal | ProStores | Apartments for Rent | Shopping.com | Skype | Tickets


About eBay | Announcements | Security Center | Resolution Center | eBay Toolbar | Policies | Government Relations | Site Map | Help
Copyright © 1995-2009 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time