Appliances and electronics that last, and how not to get taken at the register.
Forty years on the selling side of the counter, in plain words, so you buy the right thing once and never pay more than you should.
Get the Guide · $14.99reported lost to fraud by Americans 60 and older in 2024.
Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2024–2025People 60+ were five times more likely than younger people to report losing money to a tech support scam.
Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2024–2025a year more to run a refrigerator that's over 15 years old.
ENERGY STAR, RefrigeratorsIt's a Monday morning in the spring of 1974, my first year on the job, and I'm sitting across the desk from my boss, Irv. Big man. Cold cigar in his mouth that he never once lit in all the years I knew him. He's going through a stack of letters from the factories we carry.
He pulls one out and slides it across to me. A television maker is offering five dollars to any salesman who sells their new 19-inch color set. Not to the store. To the salesman. Cash, in an envelope, at the end of the month.
"That's a spiff," Irv says. "Every store on your route has a few. You'll want to know which ones."
I ask him if the 19-inch set is any good.
He takes the cigar out of his mouth and looks at me for a long time. "Vince," he says, "that's the first smart question you've asked me."
A spiff is money paid to a salesperson, usually by a manufacturer, for selling one particular product. Spiffs have been around as long as I can remember, and they're not illegal. But they explain something that confuses a lot of shoppers. Sometimes the salesman steers you hard toward one model and away from another that looks just as good. He may honestly think it's better. Or there may be an envelope at the end of the month.
Watch how he answers the third one. An honest salesman will tell you. He's seen the returns pile up in the back room the same as I did.
Real comments from viewers of Vincent Thomas's YouTube channel, quoted as written.
"The man behind the counter knows exactly what he makes on everything in the store. By the time you finish this book, you'll know too."VINCENT THOMAS · 40 YEARS SELLING APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS
Read the whole thing. Use the checklists. If you don't feel it was worth it, reply to your receipt email within 30 days and you'll get every penny back. No questions asked.
No. It's a PDF you download right after you buy. You can read it on a computer, tablet or phone, or print it at home.
Yes. A PDF zooms in as far as you like on any screen, and the pages print clearly too.
The rules in the book are mostly federal, and every chapter tells you where state laws differ and where to check yours.
No. It's what Vince learned in forty years of selling, plus facts from the FTC, CPSC, ENERGY STAR and other official sources, all listed at the back.
Checkout is handled by Gumroad. You'll get a download link on the screen and by email right away.
Reply to your receipt email within 30 days and you'll get a full refund. No questions asked.
Forty years of what I learned on the selling side of the counter, for less than the price of a lunch out.
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