Freebies: The Truth

There are really a lot of freebies available on the Internet. However, why would someone give away things for free? The answer would be because it is simply for marketing purposes.

Freebies Defined

A freebie is defined as any product or service, which can be obtained without the exchange of money. It is usually provided as a form of a promotional scheme. Thus, intangible costs are sometimes involved in free offers. However, there are many “free” offers that are not truly free. There are those that require fees such as postage or handling fee and some of those freebies that require a small fee are valuable for some people – the value justifies the cost.

Intangible Costs

These costs include the time spent on filling up forms. Signing up for an email address for possible subscriptions on newsletter or mailing list offers could also be a cost. It is therefore, needed to determine if such offers are worth your time.

Requesting for Freebies Responsibly

Getting free stuff is fun, but sometimes it is better to avoid the temptation to request for stuffs in every free offer, there is. It could be a way of conserving the freebie’s resources.

• How

1. Request only stuffs that really interest you; otherwise, let others try them out.
2. Abide by the stated rules to be fair with others who also wish to avail of such offers.
3. If an offer is made specifically for you because of some special membership or reward, do not send out the information to everybody in your social networking list or in your email contacts.
4. Pay your gratitude and add thank you if a comment field is provided.

• Tips

1. Always remember that there are many free offers out there, and they are appearing all the time. You do not need to feel you have to grab them all.
2. Keep in mind always that when requesting for freebies on the Internet, you are still interacting with people and not just on computers or faceless companies.
3. Keep an attitude of gratitude.

Free Offer Scams

The lure of free stuffs is a powerful marketing tool which many savvy marketers used to good effect. Unfortunately, not every free stuff offer is what they appear to be. Sure there are a lot of great free stuffs out there, but using some healthy skepticism can fend you off from free stuff scams. Evaluating free stuff offers will make use of a little common sense mixed with some knowledge and a bit of experience.

• Tips

1. Too good to be true

Examine first the motivation of the free offer. A free makeup makes sense because they are trying to sell out makeup. A free makeover is unlikely, unless there are hidden charges or other commitments attached such as purchasing a specific amount of goods.

2. Ignore unsolicited offers

Just think of it as spammers who have nothing of value to offer. Variations of the advance fee scam are on the rise. Such emails should be deleted without giving second thoughts.

3. Don’t pay for prizes

If an email or postal mail proclaims you a winner of a prize and asks you to pay a fee or divulge sensitive information to claim it, then don’t. It is just a scam where the only winners are the scammers.

4. Free with shipping and handling

These are generally fine if the handling fees are reasonable, and you get something of value. The fee of $4 for shipping a CD-ROM that you are really interested in is fine, but $4 for just some accessory that is not worth the fee is just a waste of money.

5. Beware of email collection scams

Most sites that consist of nothing but a form offering free stuffs exist to collect email addresses for spammers. If you are tempted to sign up, make sure to use a disposable email address.