<i>You essentially sell a promise for $5</i><p>Even worse -- you're selling a blank slate, into which the customer gets to inject whatever hopes and aspirations they have about your product.  Then, when you don't deliver on the things you never promised anyone and had no clue were expected, you're a dirty lying thief.<p>Compare this to the experience of the guy who bought the $250 Nook earlier today.  He got put through one of the worst CS wringers I've ever read about and kept coming back to get the issue resolved successfully <i>for months</i> prior to snapping.  But if you've got $5 (refundable!) skin in the game it had better cure your sleep apnea, make you the heart's desire of all women, toast bread by radiating pure awesome, and cost no more than $1.47 or you'll be on Twitter about it in five seconds of reading the email.