All About Freebies
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What exactly is the scoop on freebies? Can you REALLY get stuff for free?
The answer is YES … IT DEPENDS … and NO. Sigh!
The YES part is … YES you can actually get stuff for free … as in no money. The “it depends” part involves what you have to give away in order to get the free. And the NO part is that in some cases the free is just an illusion!
In the freebie world what you are most often giving away is information. You may also find that you are spending TIME. If you have time to spend that’s great, go for it … if your time is limited and worth $$, then you have to consider what you are willing to “spend” in order to get your no money goodies.
For my own purposes I classify freebies into three categories –
1) free and easy 2) you pay the shipping and easy 3) jump though hoops (time involvement)
BEFORE you start your freebie quest it is IMPORTANT to get a free (or throw-away) e-mail address. Be sure that this is separate from your regular e-mail address … AND separate from the e-mail address you use for entering sweepstakes. Depending on the goodies you go after, your freebie e-mail box may fill with junk mail rather quickly.
1) free and easy
The freebies most often offered in this category are product samples. Companies who are promoting new products or product lines may offer to send you free samples. They hope that once you try their product you will become a loyal customer. And, my experience shows that they are right. The samples may range from the ridiculous (so small why did they bother) to the sublime (huge full product samples.)
My favorites in from past years are the Oil of Olay, Pantene shampoo, and Mr. Clean Eraser give-a-ways. I also got a HUGE package of goodies from the Swiffer people … they sent full sized containers of over a dozen different products. I was totally blown away! I liked many of these products enough to start buying them. I would never have purchased the products if I hadn’t tried the samples.
At the end of the year I sent for a half dozen free calendars. Two of them were great, the others carried too much advertising for me to want to hang … but I put these to use on my desktop and in my briefcase.
I have also subscribed to the Blockbuster DVD subscription service and purchased several software packages after sampling their trials.
What do you have to do for this category of freebies?
Normally you will have to fill out a very simple form — your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. It could be as simple as that. My experience is that you don’t get a pile of junk e-mail.
Occasionally you may have to join their “club” (free). Occasionally you may have to answer a very simple consumer questionnaire … ie. What skin care product do you normally buy?
2) you pay the shipping and easy
I have been VERY pleased with the give-a-ways I have received in this category. Because you are paying for the shipping, you usually get bigger and more substantial goodies. The samples are big enough that you really get a chance to see if they work, or if you like them.
Those of you who have been getting Contest News for some time will know that I am a RAVING fan of the free soup offer. I was so impressed by what I got that I just can’t shut up about it. I was amazed by the HUGE package of soup mix (enough for 20+ servings) I got, I continue to order it every month. (I like the Chicken Soup mix the best).
I also have loved several of the skin care products (30 day samples), a coffee maker and samples, and several of the CD software packages I ordered.
I additionally put the “trial + order” freebies here. You can get loads of free books and magazines this way. They send your free books and put you on their “regular shipping” list. I just make sure I cancel before they send a shipment they charge me for. In one case I stayed subscribed for six months because I LOVED the line of books … and it was a good deal.
What do you have to do for this category of freebies?
Normally, you just pay for the shipping. Sometimes the shipping charges are inflated … so you have to decide whether you want the product enough. Some of the companies never send you emails, other companies put you on their regular correspondence lists.
3) jump though hoops (time involvement)
This is where the something for nothing stops. The offers are great … get a free computer, get a free ipod, get a free flat screen TV. But in order to get these big money items for free you have to spend a LOT of time jumping through hoops.
The hoops may involve checking off a dozen (or more) offers for information … and then doing something with each of the offers. The hoop may involve filling out lengthy consumer questionnaires. Your e-mail box will fill up QUICKLY.
Most of these offers are available only to residents of the USA … so I don’t qualify. I have received several subscriber emails thanking me for the information, so some people get their free stuff and are happy with it. If you are interested in the goodies offered, you might try one or two of these offers to see if they are worth the effort.
What do you have to do for this category of freebies?
LOTS. If you understand that these companies are not going to give you a $1000 product for nothing … you’ve got the idea. You will also find yourself on dozens of lists and will get loads of junk mail. Many of these companies pay for the “freebies” by selling your name, information and e-mail address to dozens of other companies.
My preference INSTEAD of this category of freebies is to join one or more of the “mystery shopper” companies that actually PAY you for filling out their consumer surveys. You won’t get a quarter of the junk mail … and you’ll get paid in goodies or hard cash.
In all, I have been thrilled with my freebie experiences. I have had an opportunity to try loads of great products without any risk on my end. I think that the value I have received for the money I spent has been MORE than worth it.
If you have never tried sending for freebies before today, my advice is to start with the first category — free and easy and if you are happy with the results, give the other categories a try as well.
Melanie Rockett
Contest Guru
RESOURCES
The Secret To Winning Lotto Prizes Frequently – G U A R A N T E E D
Winning Orations of the Inter-State Oratorical Contests, Volume I
How To Make Thousands of Dollars by Winning at Contests
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RESOURCES
Double Million-Dollar Lottery Winner Shares Lotto Secrets
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