How I Test Stuff: My 4 Rules for Reviewing Products
One of the most common questions I get in my inbox is: James, if you aren't dropping thousands of dollars every single week to buy all these courses and software apps, how do you actually review them?
It's a completely fair question. If I were pulling out my credit card for every single "$2,500 passive income masterclass" or $47 "push-button AI loop" that pops up on my timeline, I'd be completely broke.
The truth is, I don't buy all of them. And frankly, I don't need to.
I've spent years running a local digital marketing agency for a living. I look at landing pages, ad auctions, and payment setups every single day to pay my mortgage. When you spend that much time in the digital trenches, you start to realize that the "make money online" industry is incredibly lazy. They recycle the same scripts, the same tricks, and the same traps over and over again.
Here is the exact, no-bullshit reality of how I vet everything on this site before I write a single word.
Tier 1: The Autopilot Scams (Spotting the Recycled Garbage)
About 50% to 60% of the products I look at fall into what I call the "Autopilot Tier." These are usually the $27 to $47 sales pages claiming a secret AI bot or a hidden loophole will make you hundreds of dollars a day while you sleep.
I do not buy these, and I do not put my personal data or credit cards at risk on their servers.
Instead, I analyze the mechanics of the sales pitch itself. Because these scammers launch dozens of these sites a month, they reuse everything. I run background checks on their assets:
The Testimonials: I check the video reviews. Nine times out of ten, they are the exact same hired actors from Fiverr who I've seen praising five other failed software loops this year.
The Blueprint: I look at the actual claim. If they promise zero work and instant riches, it's a scam. Period. Common sense is my primary tool here.
The Digital Footprint: I look under the hood at their checkout pages. A lot of these guys will change the front-end website name every week to outrun bad reviews, but when you click "Buy," it routes to the exact same blacklisted vendor ID or payment processor.
I write these reviews to warn people away before they hand over their data to a ghost company.
Tier 2: The High-Ticket Programs (Vetting the Business Logic)
When it comes to the $1,000 to $5,000 coaching programs or extensive masterclasses, my approach is completely different. I don't buy into them, and I don't pretend to.
Aside from the fact that it's financially impractical, I also don't think it's fair to the product creators. If an educator is genuinely trying to work closely with a small group of students to get them real-world results, it isn't fair for me to take up a seat just to snoop around and write a blog post.
Instead, I review these programs based on what is available in the public domain, the track record of the person behind it, and the actual business model they are teaching.
Because of my day job, I understand the real unit economics of digital business models. A guru can show a newbie a screenshot of $200,000 in e-commerce sales and blow their mind. But I look at that and immediately know that after product sourcing, high freight costs, and the current state of expensive social media ad auctions, their actual profit margin might be closer to 5%.
I judge these courses on whether the business model they are selling is actually practical for a beginner with limited capital today - or if it's a model that only works for the guru selling it.
The Bottom Line
My goal with this site isn't to pretend I'm an undercover spy buying up the whole internet. My goal is to save you time and money by looking at these offers through the lens of a regular guy who understands how internet business actually functions.
I write these articles exactly how I'd talk to a friend who asked me for advice at a backyard cookout. No high-brow theories, no corporate fluff - just an honest sanity check from someone who spots the red flags so you don't have to.