I would not dismiss all ebooks.
There are alot of things that people don't talk about on forums, because they don't want competition in their niche. If you discovered a little trick that had the money rolling in, would you brag about it on a public forum? Some do, but alot of people don't.
But with a ebooks, its to their advantage to spill the beans. Refunds cost them money.
Sure, alot of ebooks are crap. You just have to do your research. But if they are selling thru clickbank, you can easily get a refund back. No question asked.
I brought Google Money Pro from here :
http://www.googlemoneypro.co.cc
The main reason not to dismiss ebooks is it only takes ONE good idea to triple your income. Thats the reason i spend money on ebooks now and then, i'm happy with one new idea.