Selling It

Just how much would you pay for those "10 free minutes" of long distance? Will "slimming insoles" do more than cushion your tired feet? Are you really the "guaranteed winner" of a $10 million sweepstakes? For more than twenty years, the "Selling It" column of Consumer Reports has been keeping tabs on come-ons like these, poking fun at and, more important, bringing them to the attention of millions of consumers. Collected here are the best—that is, the worst—from the past decade. Whether showing what's inside "official government" envelopes, illustrating the lunacies of labeling, debunking mysterious medical potions, or looking at the ever-more-clever ways in which packaging is designed to deceive, Leslie Ware and her fellow editors expose and inform in equal parts. With historical context and tips for consumers, Selling It offers entertaining reading and constructive solutions, and proves again that in today's marketplace, vigilance is all.