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It happens fairly often. About one customer in 50 steals from me.

But I'm not alone. Virtually every person I know who sells information products says they have the same experience.

No matter how good your product, no matter how much value you pile on, about two percent of your customers will order your product, download it, then immediately request a refund. And usually there's only a delay of a few minutes between download and refund demand.
"Sorry this isn't what I expected."
"I didn't find anything new in your book."
"I was curious, but it didn't meet my expectations."
"It wasn't worth the money."
And my all-time favorite:
"Give me a refund, then eat **** and die."
I think of them as "professional refunders." But some of my friends aren't that polite -- thieves they call 'em.

Now I'm not talking about the occasional person who reads a book thoughtfully and truly does find it lacking. This happens; nobody's writing style is a perfect fit for every reader, not even mine. But these cases account for only about half my refunds, and most other info marketers find the proportion is about the same.

Do I resent these thieves? I used to. When I first began selling online, the first few refunds were a slap in the face to me.

Now, however, I just feel sorry for these people. They're so poor, so utterly impoverished in spirit, that they have to resort to stealing just to try and keep up with the world around them.

They're telling the entire world: "I'm such I loser that I can't compete on fair terms. I need an edge. I have to take unfair advantage just to try and stay even with others. Without cheating, I'd have no hope at all. I'm pitiful."

So what's my point here? It's about cutting corners.

That's what my "professional refunders" -- my thieves -- are doing. They're just cutting corners. And to them it's nothing more than a slick little shortcut. An edge.

"After all, it doesn't hurt anybody. Those guys in business, have plenty of money, so it's okay if I lift a bit of value for nothing. That's why they offer guarantees -- I say I'm not satisfied, and I get my money back. That's the way the game is played."

Clarles Burke blog