China: Ark Tickets Selling Well
February 19, 2012
A strange-but-true story from China, where 2012 is a very popular topic, in part due to the blockbuster 2012 movie – the survival arks launched from Tibet.
Tickets to board such an ark have a face value of 1 billion Euros, and are selling fast at taobao.com for 50 cents. They look pretty good:
That’s because they are replicas from the movie. Fortunately (most) purchasers are not planning actually using the tickets.
Here’s an example of one being sold:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=13549121416
Crystal Skull Vodka
January 26, 2012
I’m not suggesting that a staying drunk is a valid coping mechanism for 2012.
Nor am I giving any value to the idea that crystal skulls have special powers, or were even made by the ancient Maya.
But you have to admit, as far as vodka bottles go, this is impressive and somehow appropriate:
Available (when in stock) at FireBox
Nice Calendar for 2012
January 12, 2012
Nice in that it is a nice fit for a doomsday year… http://www.lulu.com/product/calendar/2012/18783665
I have it, and don’t judge it by the cover – it’s the best doomsday calendar I have seen so far.
UPDATE – In Australia another 2012 calendar has just become available. It’s a bit odd – Cats of the Apocalypse.
2012 Site Sold for $70K
December 22, 2011
In the last couple of years many internet marketers have decided to profit from the 2012 meme. The only reason is that it is popular, and people have an eagerness to learn more. The same marketers also target golfers, people looking to lose weight, and people looking for a partner. It’s all about the numbers and the neediness.
Generally how it works is like this:
- Use online tools to research which keywords and topics are most searched for
- Pay someone to create an ebook, a website and a video
- Buy ads on Google and Facebook and various websites
- And/or let affiliates promote the product for you, via Clickbank
- When people buy the product, offer them an upgrade or additional product, for extra $$
- Bombard customers with emails promoting similar products
The most successful of these in the 2012 niche is 2012OfficialCountdown.com. Of course it isn’t official, but that doesn’t matter – official sells.
And it covers a number of topics that actually have nothing specifically to do with 2012:
- Planet X
- Hopi Prophecy
- Age of Aquarius
- Nostradamus
- Crop Circles
- Mother Shipton
But if you tell people Planet X is coming, and other prophecies confirm it – people will buy it!
In convincing you to buy, the sales pitch says:
I personally have put in over 11,557 hours of painstaking research for this project. Eleven thousand five hundred fifty-seven hours!
That’s more than 5 years at 40 hours per week… Yet when selling the site, the owner gives a different story:
- Design Work – $1,500
- Content & Product Creation – $3,000
- Programming – $200
- Sales Copy/Marketing Content – $30,000
The product creation was outsourced… yet it pushes all the right buttons – fear times validation. Consequently the enterprise has profited at a rate of $100,000 per year. Not bad considering the nameless author is just a gun for hire, and probably not someone with an interest in the topic.
Today the site sold for $70,000 – see here:
https://flippa.com/2674089-established-clickbank-bestseller-9k-month-profit-pr-4-high-se-rank-no-res
A 2012 Patch at KickStarter
November 25, 2011
For people who or collect patches, there is now one for 2012 – an embroidered reproduction of the Aztec Sun Stone, commonly used to represent the Mayan Long Count calendar.
It will only be produced if enough people pledge to buy it via the Kickstarter system. Prices start at just $5:
