well everyone needs to believe in the kindness of the human spirit? so no harm trying anyway .. if he does get replies, all the better for him and who's to judge!
hot products could or could not work as it really depends on your location - i see you are based in the UK, hot products in the USA, might not work directly in the UK and even if it could, sometimes the conversion would be far poorer, so it depends on your own market and niche and your target population.
but i do agree that a GOOD product goes a long way to reducing your reliance on those other factors above