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Bidding Buzz review: ebay magic scam 184

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9:26 pm EST
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i purchased the ebay magic program which is a how to program to setting up a home business on ebay sold on mass by Matt and Amanda Clarkson, I got their VERY EXPENSIVE program expecting something amazing, and boy what rubbish... common sense would have served me. and went through it and I feel like i just throw my money down the toilet. very, very dissapointed.

what pisses me off is that their marketing is really pushy and they really push you to buy, only the product is not up to it when you consider what you pay. disgusted!

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184 comments
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judge27
Paradise Point, AU
Apr 19, 2010 12:13 am EDT

I totally agree with cleo1 the more people the better when it comes to the accc but it still won't guarentee a refund, but another story on a curent affair and the morning show with kerri anne kennerly might bring them down a peg or two, maybe these tv programs will investigate a bit further before doing these stories, I see from there website and their seminars they are using these shows as testimonials as to how good there courses are.Ebay is losing even the big players with there ever changing rules and fees.Find your niche build a website and drive traffic and make sales that way.Just like any business it will take time and effort, but at least the profit is in your pocket not anyone elses.

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tchip1
, AU
Apr 15, 2010 2:21 am EDT

Thanx very much for the above comments. I signed up to get free information and a CD so that I could check the details and cost of the course. I did not include my phone number. It was very strange that I received an email saying that they need my phone number in order to determine exactly what to send me. Alarm bells went immediately off. This is when I decided to research the company. Thanks again. you have saved me a heap of money.

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Anon3537
, AU
Apr 11, 2010 4:15 am EDT

Thank you kindly, everyone of you who have taken the time to detail your negative experiences with the ebay magic course. I was just about to put down the money for this, having known about it since May last year. I had to wait as I was out of work and now that I have a job, decided to start, but Providence brought me to this review site while I was researching one last time before signing up! Thank you. I have been saved the loss $4000 and I do have material from other websites that give one guidelines to selling on ebay. Should anyone be interested, I would be happy to pass on this material, it's free.
Anon

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DavidDee
Gosfo, AU
Apr 09, 2010 12:21 am EDT
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Interesting comments by all, and all take note of Cleo1 and the comment re regulation for the industry... 100% guarantee that will happen and I would give pretty good odds that Matt and Amanda would get a delightful degree of attention from Australia's ACCC (the watch dog).

Having been around these 'sort' of programs / courses a lot, and had plenty of success in some and not so in others, you get a fair bit of clarity and perspective. I too spent a few thousand with M & A and compared to practically every other course I have been involved with - it truly lacks substance and depth - that will bring them undone at some stage I personally believe.

You always get the people (& the industry perpetuates this) that if you don't succeed, you are either not an action taker or you haven't followed the system - ATTENTION PEOPLE! Some systems simply do not stack up. Nay sayers in the environment are called 'Chicken Littles' which is all funny at the time but it truly does drop your guard because you all say to your self "I'm not one of them" - then you buy when the push comes.

I am a total supporter of buyer beware but if you are going to 'throw' the ideas out there of tens of thousands of dollars a month, how is it is and paint a beautiful exciting picture (with some throw away line disclaimers), in the near future you are going to come under some pretty serious scrutiny if you don't deliver what you imply will happen.

So listen in Jim and Jim, reality is that it is extremely healthy to question such practices as it makes the entire process more transparent, and if all legit and if without a [censored] in the armour M & A should be more than happy to provide some real current true indications of their current ebay trading performance and those they mentor...

Think of it like this, and this is on the horizon with out a shadow of a doubt for the industry - watch the land sale advertisements on TV that say in big headline "blocks from $300, 000"...then in little writing below "average block price is $550, 000"

How would "$75, 000 per month selling on eBay" look with a disclaimer like "data from 2004 in the month of December, actual product costs total $63, 000"...now that wouldn't sell many JV or eBay Magic packs would it?

Think about it in a very clear way people...call a spade a spade...or looks like a duck...is a duck..

You know what I mean

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cleo1
bundall, AU
Apr 08, 2010 10:01 pm EDT
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Agree completely, elr - I am so glad to hear I am not the only one that purchased the 'joint venture partnership' all I can say is I was pregnant at the time and I was really sold by the hype. (I am actually very embarrased about having been sucked in). Basically I believe they use predatory tactics. They get you in a room, hammer you with success stories and motivational speakers and then at the end...if you want to really get your business off the ground they 'sell you the idea of a joint venture partnership, they say they help you every step of the way. You put in an application to join the program and they phone you directly to interview you to see if you are suitable. Once they have your $20 000 you really don't get to speak with them again, you only get to speak to the mentors.

I find it amazing that Amanda says that they know other mentoring programs where they offer a pay by the month system and she says that she doesn't believe in that, she only wants people who have the money to join. The reality is that if they were to offer a pay by the month system people would pull out after the first couple of months and they would not get get the full $20 000 as people would realise it is not all it is cracked up to be.

I put in alot of time researching a niche and found products to sell however the majority do not have the margins to make a profit. The worst of it is that during the seminar Amanda is always waving her blue book around telling you she has hundreds of ideas in her book that you could sell tomorrow and make money...but of course she won't tell you any of them. By signing up to the joint venture they truly make you believe that they have a vested interest in you being successful but really all they want it is your $20 000.

I would like to investigate a way of getting my money back although I don't think this will happen, but I bet A Current Affair would be very interested in their preditory practices.

If anyone has been sucked in by them and interested in taking it further let me know...I think there would be more power with a few of us on their back.

Bottom line is I think this industry needs to be regulated which it currently isn't!

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Milicent
Newcastle, AU
Apr 07, 2010 6:47 am EDT

Hi
Very interested in responses to elr & Betudo re other options and experiences with John Thornhill. With regard to M&A - how many hours on average would one need to put in per week to get returns of say $2.5K per week?
Cheers
Mill

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ojwin
Melbourne, AU
Mar 21, 2010 6:26 am EDT

i am looking at the $4000 course the $ 4000 i have is the only savings i have can people email me there good and bad coments about this my emai is owen_winsor@hotmail.com

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elr
gc, AU
Mar 20, 2010 1:44 am EDT

I definitely agree with Ali191, especially Greg2010 and suchlife.I too have bought the course and also joined as a jv I have implemeted the strategies and spent even more money on research software, the amount of hours i spend researching to try and find the niche and the products at a price that will allow me to profit has ultimately cost me my marraige, and I am also very close to losing my house.If you look on the internet and even on ebay itself there is a lot of the same information that won't cost you a thing.As a jv I have rang the office a few times and sent emails and only got the staff working for matt and amanda, I also find it amusing that in there 3 day workshops they don't actually reveal what they are selling.They have a beautiful house on the gold coast which they say was funded by there ebay sales, when you work out how many people bought there courses and partnered in the jv scheme, that is what has paid for the house not the sales from whatever they sell on ebay.It seems to me the only people who are making money on the internet is the people who are selling all the courses on how to make money on the internet.I have bought most of them and spent a small fortune.If anybody out there knows of anything that does work let me know and if I make a decent amount of money i will gladly give you a cut.

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RyanNeil
Brisbane Metro Area, AU
Mar 16, 2010 6:12 am EDT

I definitely agree with Ali191, especially Greg2010 and suchlife. What doesnt surprises me, the two Jims havent obviously purchased the course.
So, why do you post if you havent seen it for yourself?

I also call the average ebay trader single Mum's and Dad's because they are extremely "naive" and easiest to target with the overpriced courses M+A sell.
M+A are ebay professionals, but the thing they are better at is "selling" and "marketing"! And why? Because M+A have realised the ebay "window of opportunity"
is slowly closing down for them. I do own the course, I know the mentors very well, and I even know'what M+A sell. I wont make it public what they sell.
Suffice to say, I follow their ebay sales very closely, and they have been dropping massively over the last 12 months. It is obvious their current profitable
niche is just selling the courses, and their so-called Joint Ventures and Franchises - that's the only way for them to make serious money on ebay!
Their current sales still make money but compared to the courses they sell, these are peanuts!

Dont you guys realise that? Ebay can be used as a business, or better supplement an existing business, but what M+A are trying to teach is how to set up a money making
system by following steps 1, 2, 3... It doesnt work like that anymore - it used to. Thats why I find people should be aware of what they are getting into before they purchase
the course.

Ryan Neil

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suchslife
Cleveland, AU
Mar 11, 2010 11:29 pm EST

I agree with you Greg2010 and Ali191. I brought their course back in October 2009. I tried Ebay couple of years ago and greatly failed. I did their course hoping to understand and improve in selling items that I failed to sell.

I agree they are very pushy and there is no help to source the niche product/category they talk about. I have fully implemented the course, done their step by step and my goods are still not selling. Once again Ebay is making money from me. Since taking their course I have not had one email and phone call from Matt and Amanda - only ever reach the staff.

One thing I will say about Matt and Amanda - they are great sales people - just like Car sales and real estate people.

I thought I would safe doing their course as they were featured on Current Affair and being Australians I thought they are honest, trustworthy people and they offer a money back guarantee.

from another dissatisfied customer

As yet they have not honoured their money back guarantee "100% Satisfaction Guarantee - double your money back guarantee on your course".

I just warn anyone doing their course in March 2010 be aware - their are other people out there to help you and charge hell of a lot less.

The manual is very basic and gives no extra help to going forward especially if you already a person who sells on Ebay. Don't waste your money and come like a poor sucker like me. I bought the magic deluxe course which cost $5, 597 and so far I have not recouped any of that cost yet - which their course promises you will.

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Helpfull619
Townsville, AU
Mar 04, 2010 5:35 am EST

I Agree with Jim and Peace, it is plain to see you double back on yourself several times and completely by the end make the learned person think there must be some money to be made if so many people are doing it.
I have been in the motivational industry for over four years now and I can tell you it as helped me far from just being able to build a successful business outside traditional work. I suffer from a heart condition that 1% of people survive and live a normal life I am that 1%. Also it as helped me in thinking outside the square and increase the sales of the company I work for by 193% each month based on previous years sales. It as also taught me that there are several ways you can make money and setting up several residual incomes is a must if the lay person ever wants to retire early or at all (unless you are born into money that is meaning your forefathers had the vision that working for others was for the 95% they wanted to be the 5%).
You talk about the single mum's and dad's and the mum's and dad's being single out so what your saying is every successful person whom has walked this earth as not been what there just single people or what are you saying let's just look at one as I could list millions but J.K. Rowling's comes to mind and person a mother a wife and a person who was suffering from depression who decided to follow her dream and write a book called Harry Potter characters which she had created in her own mind whilst suffering depression in hope it may make her feel better. Hang on what about Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, the founding President of your country George Washington, Abraham Lincoln some say he was the greatest President ever and man that could bring the best out of any man by using words of encouragement rather than words of destruction. If we stop for a minute and look at Thomas Edison when his factory burnt down as the fire brigade was dousing the flames he already was planning a bigger and better factory the very first thing on his mind was his staff the last thing was his money.
You say common sense would of served you better needs to gain some before writing such gibberish as you have with no understanding of what you talk about. These single mum's and dad's these couples who just want more for there family who want to break that go to work come home cycle for there family could just be someone who becomes a great leader and finds away to help even more people than what Matt and Amanda have by creating a even easier system to help the masses that want help.
Also are you saying that you are surprised by the up-sell at the seminar isn't that what they are there for to take the moment of advantage to get you to buy something that may not help you but will help others or in fact it may help you unless you went unless you researched it how would you know how it would help you. Also they offered a limited offer for $20, 000 or a franchise for $50, 000 if people have the money believe that it can help them or in the case of the franchise run it successfully than who are you to judge there decision.
The major thing you have refused to say or anyone else as also failed to mention is the course in question is 100% refundable if now this is why you haven't mentioned it if you follow the course step by step and you don't double or investment in the first 6 months they will give you a 100% money back guarantee now that to me Say's they must really trust this system to give that and brings m to my final point you must not have done it to the letter otherwise you would of got your money back which brings me to the conclusion that you also must not have followed the system. The most successful business with a system as over 37, 000 stores world wide and anyone that buys one of it franchise is not buying the business but the system and is the most successful fast food chain ever why because of the system that Mr and Mrs Kroll that's right a mum and dad who set up Mcdonalds which now earns his daughter as they have passed $500 a day from each of it's 37, 000 stores so 37, 000 times $500 dollars a day mmmmmmmm let me think hey that's about $7000, 000 a day I think he was a man with a DREAM that put the work into getting him what he wanted. Do the work and get paid we do it everyday for some employer but we give up when it comes to working hard for ourselves as it seems to hard to earn the big bucks for ourselves but we do it without question for others.

Yours Sincerely

Jim from Australia
(another Jim different from the first)

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actionandshutup
middlesex, GB
Feb 17, 2010 5:37 am EST

Hi I agree with jim, the comments made are not called for, matt and amanda are wonderful people who make a living online using their own system, I am not sure whether you have gone through the course a few times before putting up these comments but I have access to this course which I bought and from the 1st cd I began to learn things I did not know although I had been on ebay for over 18 months and made some money, purchasing the ebay magic course has prepared me to treat it as a business and not a hobby like the vast majority of people on ebay do which is why they dont make any real job crushing, 9-5 busting money, the figures I call job crushing is a minimum of 2.5k per week in profit for my ebay business, if you replicate what is being taught and can imagine that starting point it wont be too long before you get there and say screw working for some else to make them rich get rich and financially free using a business

My Point is that its like any course you take, you either implement what is being taught fully or the results will not materialize, but hey thats just my 2 pence right here...

all the best

Peace

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Aussie Jim
Surfers Paradise, AU
Feb 15, 2010 5:41 am EST

Hi Gregory,

I think you are being pretty rough in your comments and also quite contradictory in parts of your statement...are you jealous of their success? I have searched high and low on the net to find anything bad about Matt and Amanda and you seem to be the only one?
I have a friend who bought this course and you are right he is a single dad, but guess what he is not complaining about the opportunity he was given, he took advantage of it and the extra $$ he makes every week from ebay is nothing to complain about.

From seeing his success I am now ready to buy the course, and you being the only negative comment I can find makes me wonder, but then I re -read your review and here is what I see..." the testimonials are true, but come at a much higher price then just purchasing the course...so if the testimonials are true they are true right...so the course does provide the information you need to be successful on ebay? I am not understanding what you are trying to say?
You are also saying that you are automatically signed up for the $49 monthly membership, I asked Zac about that and he said the first month is free and you can unsubscribe whenever you want...so its not like a life time commitment.

You also talk about the only way to make big $$ is by importing and you need a large capital to do that, that is complete BS, I used to import and I know that my first lot of goods I imported cost me $900 aussie dollars I don't know waht sort of money you are used to but I would not class that as Big Bucks.
I asked Zac about the seminar which he attended, not the one you did in Novemeber so unless its dramatically changed he said it was one of the best seminars he had ever attended, he also said Matt and Amanda donated like $12, 000 to I think it was Make a wish foundation whatever the audience raised they matched...mmm didn't see any mention of that in your post.

I also find it quite humerous that you state you are not business or ebay savvy and yet you say the mentors are not business minded..well if you are not business savvy...how would you know what business minded is..maybe they where talking in a language they hoped you would understand.

The last thing I am concerned about is the fact that you said you will keep going with ebay until you make your $4000 back...well if you use what they have taught you to make $4000 wouldn't it be fair to say you could make $8000, $12, 000 $16, 000 man for someone who is not business savvy you might just get a business out off the course if you are prepared to do the work...or were you hoping for a get rich quick scheme..and then got p... off when you realized you actually had to do some work.

I will still buy the course, I have seen my friends success, he worked at it but 12 mnths down the track he has gone from full time teaching to part time and that is good enough for me.

Sorry if I have been abrupt, but I think your comments are very one sided and if it was as bad as you say it is there would be comments everywhere and yet there are only 2..?

Best wishes from Australia
Jim

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betudo
Waitara, AU
Jan 28, 2010 3:25 am EST

Thank for that Gregory. May save me some money by the sound of it. Do you or anyone else have any experiece of John Thornhills Master Class offerings

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Greg2010
Sydney, AU
Jan 26, 2010 1:55 am EST

Hi there,

I can only endorse the top writer's opinion!
I am from Sydney, Australia and I joined Amanda and Matt's Bidding Buzz program last year in November.
I was curious of making money on the net and since I have had used ebay before for casually buying and selling
items, I thought this was an honest online business course provider.
I spent A$4, 000 (US$3, 600) on the "basic" ebay magic course. This included a bunch of dvds, cds, 2 manuals, life time
guidance and support via email and phone, teleseminar sessions, two tickets for a 3 day ebay seminar. There is also a
"deluxe" course including additional teleseminar sessions for A$5, 500 (US$4, 940). Alot of money I can tell you!
As soon as you sign-up you are also automatically in their membership program which costs additional A$49.90 per months
which is not so cool.

And now on to my review: it all seems to good to be true. BiddingBuzz claims of being the only expert in eBay
and providing high quality tips, tricks, and secrets around the eBay market. Their testimonials are true, but
come to a much higher prize than just by purchasing the courses. BiddingBuzz does target the single parent, Mums
and Dads kind of market by claiming how easy it is of creating a full-time income stream on eBay with just a few mouse
clicks per day. And their slogan is simple 'money making on ebay is so easy!'. And, yes it is, and you wouldnt actually need
their high-priced courses to make a buck or two. Alot of people are obviously enticed by their claim of making at least
A$50, 000 a months by just 2 hours of work per day and this is where the catch with BiddingBuzz is. Yes, this is possible without
a doubt, but not by purchasing their high-priced courses. If you are business-minded or entrepreneurial and looking
to expand your existing business over eBay then, yes you can achieve this. However, the single parents, Mums and Dads
wont get that far. There are several methods of generating an income through ebay, via consignment, dropshipping, being
an ebay sales agent, wholesalers and import export. If you have some common sense you will immediately understand that
the big bucks can only be made through import and export. However, this requires significant amount of funds,
business knowledge, and most importantly experience to set-up, which most people (who just bought the course, because
they thought of making money quick and easy - like BiddingBuzz proclaims) dont have. To me, it is not very honest and
sincere to rip people off for their hard earned cash and make them believe to earn up to $50, 000 if they read and listen
to all their material!
Also, BiddingBuzz claims of providing study material (eBay secrets and tips and tricks) that no-ones knows about, which
is just BS. The written manuals, 2 x 280 pages, are written in such an easy, non-business centric manner that is was
such a disgrace to me of having spent so much money for the course! Common sense would have served me better! Most
information is so obvious and easy to understand that I would say it is almost a waste of time reading it. Also, certain
chapters are out-dated as eBay rules do change almost every month. Another negative point, the BiddingBuzz membership
area which costs additional $49.90 per months. The user gets access to additional videos which are sent through email
on a weekly basis. I never found them very useful since most information was already mentioned in the manual or in some
other DVDs or CDs. You also get access to a help desk which is the only positve feature from my perspective. Through email,
the user is able to send any questions to the BiddingBuzz mentors and answered within 24 hours. But again, I have noticed
most mentors are actually not business-minded and answer questions very superficially almost being of no help at all because
it is all common sense related. The membership site also includes a forum where people can post all sorts of questions, opinions
and concerns around ebay. To be honest, the forum is a waste. There are absolutely no people making use of it and it doesnt seem
none of the BiddingBuzz mentors seem to care! I have posted many times questions and have attempted to make contact with other
people. It's simply a dead end and not worth it. Apart from that, what is most upsetting is the fact that Bidding Buzz is all
about up-selling people for their hard earned money! The 3 day eBay seminar at the Gold Coast, which is meant to be an eBay training
weekend, is all about that! I am not a business or ebay savvy, but I can testify of having learnt very, very little over these three
days. What literally pissed me of was that these training sessions usually ran for 45 minutes and were then interrupted by some other
mentor or coach who promoted their cds, books or other products. So, for example, we had a motivational speaker who 'urged' people to
buy his cds and books, because otherwise they would need it to be successful in their eBay business. I thought what
a crap! Sure, it has alot to with your mindest to be successful, but in fact, there are many other ways of getting advice and
guidance. I for example read books such as the 'the richest man from babylon', 'mindset mastery', which are FREE! I mean, there are
so many ways of getting help if needed anywhere on the net, but BiddingBuzz is extremely pushy and makes it a necessity if people
dont buy a certain product from then then they cannot be successful. So, disgusting and appalling!
Another speaker was Pete Godfrey, the so-called Wizard of Words, which he truly is! He indeed is amazing. However, I refrained
from purchasing his A$1, 500 copywriting course which he promoted during the seminar. As a side note, I ended up buying his course on eBay
for merely A$60! And thats what I mean with looking for other options if needed, dont just go for the first offer!
And this went on for the next 3 days. At the end of the 3rd day, BusinessBuzz eventually let the cat out of
the bag with another rip off: People had the option to sign up for a so-called "joint venture" if they would spend another
A$20, 000 (US$17, 960). I cannot remember what this included, but it must have been an all-around support package with unlimited
phone calls. The other option was to sign up for a BiddingBuzz franchise for over A$50, 000 (US$44, 874)! On top of that, BiddingBuzz
imposed a strict deadline if people wanted to sign up for the joint-venture or franchise, they only had a couple of hours until 5pm
to decide. I felt sick after this last day to see how people were brainwashed with all these up-selling and "urge" to "buy" their success.
I would say the majority of the 400 people audience were single parents, Mums and Dads and with little or no business or eBay experience.
I mean, it so wrong to take advantage of these peoples' pockets since a small of them had only sold a few items on eBay. So, it wouldnt make
sense to lure them with additional high-priced joint-venture and franchise options.

As for myself, I was curious what this was all about. I spent a premium price of A$4, 000 for the course of very low quality, but this was
the risk I need to take. Believe me, there is no short-cut in an online business. If people say they make $50, 000 a months, then yes,
it can be true. But usually it is very different from what the rest of people is doing. I understood from the beginning, BiddingBuzz is
selling a step-by-step "system" to make people believe this is what it is called business. A system may work, but usually only for
a short period of time, and it is NOT business. Now with BiddingBuzz, this system has been saturated since eBay is no longer a make-a-quick-buck
business scheme. Businesses utlise eBay as "supplementary" income stream, but with increasingly stricter eBay policies and fees, it all seems
to be a dream to generate a full-time income. I will keep going with eBay until I have my A$4, 000 back, cos thats what BiddingBuzz
owing me!

Best wishes from Australia,

Gregory

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betudo
Waitara, AU
Jan 20, 2010 5:34 am EST

Seriously thinking of getting involved. Can you explain more

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betudo
Waitara, AU
Jan 20, 2010 5:33 am EST

did you implement any of their idea.

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