Blast From the Past: Door to Door Magazine Sales
Just over a year ago I wrote about our experience with DSS Inc. a subsidiary of All Star Promotions and the shady magazine sales they run.
Boy am I a sucker sometimes. Anyway I looked into the company DSS Inc, which is owned/operated by All-star Promotions based out of Texas. Well All-Star has had 49 BBB complaints in the last 36 months so I have issued a stop order to my check and I am sending the cancellation in tomorrow via Fax. Apparently if you do not cancel your order within 3 days before midnight in writing All Star et al will pursue you with a debt collection agency.
The article has been getting numerous comments lately and it is good to remind people that these door to door sales for magazines are often under shady circumstances. These prices are often way over even retail price. If you want to save money look for the digital version or a blog covering a similar topic. If you enjoy magazines as much as I do then try to subscribe through a more beneficial source.
Good sources for magazine deals:
- Slickdeals free magazine forum
- Blogs with similar topics - look for giveaways used as a source of promotion for the blog
- The Magazine’s website - often they have online specials
- School fundraisers - Real ones, from people you know. (Ask your Boss or Co-Worker, one is bound to have a kid selling subscriptions)
If you are new to the world of free magazine subscriptions you are likely asking how or why they give away the magazine which others pay so much for. The reasoning is quite simple, money. Magazines make their big bucks through advertisers and the advertisers pay more for ads which are seen by more individuals. Hence giving away subscriptions translates into more money for the publisher.
Remember, don’t by subscription from door to door sales unless you have money to throw away.
Josh Smith is a blogger, database manager and adjunct professor of business and technology. 
I am glad that I found your posting. Earlier today someone came by and did the same thing to me, I fell for it. It seemed like a nice person who was trying to get a trip and some of the magazines were interesting. After reading your blog I looked up the subscriptions online and was able to find the same magazines for a third of the price. I am glad that I thought about looking it up before my check got cashed and I am mailing out my cancelation tomorrow morning. Thank you.