Selling ‘solar-powered’ dryers in the 90’s

In the early 1990’s, Steve Comisar, a con man from California, ran ads in major national magazines selling “solar-powered clothes dryers” for $49.95 (R176,32 / 1994).

When customers received their orders, they were shocked to find that the “dryer” was simply an ordinary clothesline. Some customers tried to contact Comisar, expressing their disappointment with the product they received.

Comisar responded by asserting that what they received was exactly what he had advertised – a clothesline, which, by definition, uses the sun’s power to dry clothes.