What to look for when getting free stuff online

There is tons of great free stuff all over the internet. But there are also many freebies to be wary of. But how do you know if you are getting a legit freebie or not? Here are some things to look for when getting freebies online.

Cost associated with free stuff
Is there a cost involved? If you are getting something for free online then it should be free. If you have to pay than be weary. The only exception to this rule is that sometimes free stuff online will have a small shipping fee associated with it. In my opinion it is only worth it to pay a shipping fee if it is significantly less then the value of the freebie. I would never pay a $5.00 shipping fee for a free sample of shampoo or anything like that. But I would consider paying a shipping fee on a freebie like free 250 customized business cards, b/c if shipping is a few bucks it is still well worth it.

Signing up with personal information for free stuff
Almost all online freebies will require you to give your email and a shipping address. You should not worry about this as your address is needed to ship the freebie to you. And I recommend creating a special email address for freebies so you don’t flood your normal email with junk mail. But be sure you don’t give out any other personal info like credit card numbers etc.

Free trials
Many companies offer some really good free trials that are worth getting. But when signing up for free trials you have to make sure to cancel before the billing period starts, otherwise you may be charged. Make sure you make a note in your calendar for a few days before the trial period ends to make sure you cancel your trial offer. And you may end up liking the product or service in which case you might want to buy or subscribe to it. Just make sure that the free trial you sign up for is from a legitimate company. Do a Google search first.

Referral program freebies
There are many referral based marketing programs in which you can win free game systems, mp3 players, and other cool electronics. But in order to win them you have to complete a number of offers or refer a number of people. Some of these programs have good reputations, like Transcendent Innovations, who does free xbox 360’s, free Ipods, Free PS3’s and much more. But there are also a lot of frauds out there. Always do some research on the company before you sign up for anything. Also, be aware that these companies have strict Terms and Conditions and will not hesitate to deactivate you for even the slightest violation (even if you did not know it was a violation). I know from experience.

Free paying surveys
There are a lot of great free paying surveys out there where you can get real cash or gifts. There are even companies that you can sign up to and regularly do surveys for money. Again, do research before you sign up to any of these companies. And never sign up to a company that requires you to pay to be a member. There are companies that do this for free.

Free vacation packages
A lot of companies offer free vacation packages or other freebies that just seem too good to be true. That’s because they are. Stay away from any freebie that seems too good. There is almost always a catch involved. For example, last week I was offered a free 2 night vacation with paid airfare. I asked the lady who called me a number of times if there was any catch or if I had to make any payments down the road. She said no and assured me it was a free vacation package. All i had to do was come to them and pick up my free tickets and listen to an hour pitch from some company. But I was still a bit skeptical so I googled the company’s name who called me with the offer. Sure enough I found what I needed. Turns out the offer is a free vacation, but they don’t give you it for two consecutive nights, and they book you at a crummy discount hotel of their choice. Plus they try to sell you all this stuff you don’t want or need. Bottom line: stay away from anything that looks shady!

Now that you have some information on what to look for when getting freebies, you can hit the net and start searching for free stuff. Good luck!

Getting Free Stuff On The Net

Most people I know do not know much about getting free stuff online. I mean, I learned everything I know from my wife Before I met her I never knew I could get shampoo, golf balls, t shirts, and tons of other cool stuff completely free on the internet. If only people knew that they could get many of the products they use every day completely free on the internet.

Getting free stuff online is not as hard as you may think. Most offers I find online just require you to have an email address to get free stuff. Now I know what you’re thinking, “If I give out my email address to get free stuff online then I will just get flooded with SPAM and junk mail.” The truth is, you’re right! But it’s a good thing email addresses are free too! I have a separate email account I created specifically for getting free stuff online. When a free offer requires that I give an email address I just use my free stuff email. It’s really that easy. You can get a free email account from www.hotmail.com or www.gmail.com or a dozen other places. Once you have your new email account you will be ready to start getting tons of free stuff.
“What kind of free stuff?” you ask. The freebies are virtually endless. My wife and I have gotten free t-shirts, free shampoo, free cosmetics, free office supplies, free pots and pans, and tons of other really cool free stuff. You can see a video of some of the free stuff we got at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wtGja6WjDc .

I also find lots and lots of cool free samples online. Now most people don’t want to spend any time getting free samples online because they think that it’s not worth it just to get something small like a free sample. People also think that free samples are just a way for companies to get your business. They see free samples as a form of advertising. But here is what those people don’t realize. Even if you are not getting a substantial amount of free product when you get a free sample, you are still getting enough of the product to try it out. This will allow you to really test out a variety of products, so when you go to the store you can buy the one you really like as apposed to wasting your money trying out products directly from the store. So although free samples aren’t that substantial, they will help you save a ton of money in the long run.

free article- Free Stuff on The Net By Philip Nicosia

The Internet is not only a source of information—it’s a mother lode of freebies. There are so many things you can find and download at absolutely no cost (and considering how easy it is to click and search, at absolutely no effort as well).Free sites are some of the most popular on the web today. Here are just a few things available:

* Free fonts. Why spend hundreds of dollars on font software, when you can get them for free? Some sites carry over a thousand fonts, all of them available at no cost. Other sites require payment for fonts, but offer free fonts which are rotated regularly so you always have something new to download at every visit.

* Free software. Called freeware, these programs can be downloaded and used requiring nothing more than a little patience and free space on your drive. These include applications you can use for work (or when you’re pretending to work), or recreational software like games.

* Free recipes. You’ll never buy a cookbook again when you find the recipes on the Internet: hundreds of thousands, to suit every taste, mood, budget, or dietary requirement. Many of these sites have sign-up programs so you can get recipes delivered to your inbox; others let you print the recipes in various formats, for easy pasting on to your index cards.

* Free music. No, you don’t have to break any copyright laws. Many websites offer free music, which are uploaded by new artists who want to market their music, Other classics have simply entered public domain. Looking for a little Bach to start your day, or a swinging rendition of Jingle Bell Rock? Find it all on the Web.

* Free graphics. Need something to jazz up your website, a poster, a school project? Find it all on the web. Aside from the nifty fact that it’s free, you can easily access what you need by typing in the key words or clicking on to the categories.

* Free cards. Forgot your mother’s birthday? Log on to an online card site and download a free card (you can also find a “sorry” card in case you remembered it two weeks later!). Many are customizable, letting you choose the font, the background color, and the kind of music you want it to play when it’s clicked on.

* Free e-books. The Internet’s got plenty of reading material—the web pages alone would take a lifetime to read. But you can also download e-books that you can read on your computer screen or on your Palm Pilot.

* Free ringtones. Personalize your phone with your favorite music, downloaded from the numerous sites that offer ringtones. Some of them even have entire packages that include screen savers and background.

* Free coupons. Print them out and bring them to the grocery! Some of those coupons can be exchanged for free product samples, or at the very least, discounts or bonuses (such as 25% off on the next purchase).

* Free classes. Sign up for a writing course, a photography class, or Photoshop seminar—all for free. Best of all you can actually take those skills and use it to earn money or improve your own career.

Resources.eu.com is an online resource centre covering many topics including free sites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Nicosia

95 ways to get free stuff and freebies

Here is a post I just came across on someone else’s blog. It is a whole list of different ways to get all sorts of free stuff. Some of the free stuff is over the net, but other freebies can be gotten in other ways. I think everyone should check out this list of freebies and let me know what you think.

Being fairly new to this whole free stuff thing myself, it seems like there are a lot of good links on here. But since my wife is a pro when it comes to freebies, I’ll have to show it to her and see what she thinks. Too bad she’s at work now.

Speaking of work, I start a new job at Arc Worldwide (www.arcww.com) on March 19th! Wish me luck! Starting then i will probably be posting the freebies I find at night.

Check out the whole list of freebies and free stuff at The Geek’s Guide to Getting Free Stuff. I don’t think you really need to be a geek to get free stuff from here…

How to Get Tons of Free Stuff to Sell on Ebay-By Bob Mathers

This simple method of getting free stuff works. Although I’m no longer doing this, I’m sure that if you follow these simple steps, you’ll wind up with so much stuff that you might have to get someone to take some of your stuff.

It works like this, grab the weekend papers, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Go to the classified section where it lists ‘Moving Sales’.. look for the ones that have addresses as well as phone numbers. Make a list of ones in your area. Visit some of them that are close, generally wait until Sunday to visit them and take note of what they have and how much they have left.

Now what you want to do is use a two pronged approach. After visiting the location, before leaving give them one of your business cards that you will have printed up before hand that states something like ‘We remove unwanted reuseable items-FREE!’ Next, sometime during the weekend, make a list of places that had a good bit of inventory and what you want to do is on Sunday evening mail out a letter to them with your letterhead again stating who are you, and that you’ll take away unwanted reuseable items in a hurry…free!

If they’re moving real soon and still have a bunch of stuff left, they’ll start to feel the pressure, and when you letter shows up stating again that you’ll get rid of their unwanted stuff, well, you’ll get your share of business.

One of the things that you’ll have to be careful of is that the people may try and unload a lot of junk on you but just let them know as your ad states, you only take reuseable stuff. Now, if they want to throw in some nice pieces in order for you to take some of the other less desirable things, well, then that’s your call.

From experience I can tell you that you’d be amazed at what people give away. I’ve received whole apartments full of furniture, antiques, even had people several times try to give me their pets; dogs, cats, rats and snakes. You just never know! One things for certain though is that you’ll have lots of things to sell at flea markets and on Ebay and you might even find some real treasures along the way.

Bob Mathers has been involved in Internet Marketing and related businesses for several years. His current website is…Home Business Income Opportunity
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Mathers

Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don’t like giving out your email address

Free Article-Firefox 1.5 vs. Internet Explorer 7 – It Is A Matter Of Trust. By Coenraad De Beer

Firefox has been around for a much shorter time than Internet Explorer and still it is much more secure and reliable. Microsoft has released the newest version of their web browser, Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate 1. Already you can see complaints everywhere about bugs and problems experienced by people who upgraded to the newest version. Internet Explorer 7 boasts an array of new features, but almost all of them have been around in Mozilla Firefox for quite some time.

I guess the one feature Microsoft is bragging with the most is the new tabbed browsing interface. This is nothing new to Firefox users and I would rather trust a browser that has been using this feature for a couple of years because it had enough time to straighten out all the bugs and problems associated with it. Internet Explorer 7 is new to the world of tabbed browsing and one wonders how many problems will one experience with this feature before Microsoft gets it right. I’m not saying that there are any problems with its tabbed browsing feature, but if they could not even get the basics right in the past one does not have much trust when they come up with a brand new feature.

Later versions of Internet Explorer 6 introduced a built-in pop-up blocker. Users of Mozilla Firefox has been enjoying pop-up blocking long before Microsoft decided to add it to their browser. With its pop-up blocking feature and enhanced security, Firefox has been much less vulnerable to virus and spyware attacks than Internet Explorer. Firefox may not be 100% secure but security issues gets fixed in a much more timely fashion than the ones in Internet Explorer. The main reason for this effective attention to bug fixes is the fact that Firefox is Open Source software. Many people argue that it poses a great security threat having your source code available to the public, because it is easier to discover and exploit vulnerabilities when you have access to the code. This may be true, but the fact that the source code is available to anyone, creates a bigger pool of software developers contributing to the development and enhancement of the software, which results in faster and more effective releases for bug fixes and security issues. You are left at the mercy of Microsoft to get the problems in Internet Explorer fixed and all of us know how slow their response sometimes are when it comes to resolving security issues.

Another feature of Internet Explorer 7 is the new anti-phishing scanner. It scans the pages you visit for the possibility of phishing scams. This is a welcomed feature for any browser because there has been an increase in phishing scams over the ears and action has to be taken against them. Now, many people may take the opportunity and throw some stones at Firefox saying that it does not have a built-in phishing scam scanner, but Internet Explorer does. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you can add the same feature to Firefox with the Google Toolbar extension. The newest version of Google Toolbar has a feature called Google Safe Browsing that stops the user from visiting a possible phishing site. The fact that you can enhance Firefox with extensions makes it a very versatile browser.

Web developers are jumping for joy with the introduction of the Developer Toolbar in Internet Explorer 7. The toolbar includes tools that assist web developers in troubleshooting and manipulating web pages. Again you can add the same (if not better) functionality to Firefox with the Web Developer Toolbar Extension. This extension for Firefox is packed with so many features that you will ask yourself: “What can this toolbar not do?” There is also better CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) support in the newest edition of Internet Explorer compared to previous versions, but any web developer knows that Firefox has always handled CSS much better than Internet Explorer.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds are starting to become a web standard and providing support for it is becoming inevitable. Firefox caters for RSS feeds through its Live Bookmarks and the Google Toolbar also supplies its own way of subscribing to RSS feeds through Google Fusion. Windows Vista will be geared towards RSS feeds and that is why Microsoft decided to incorporate support for RSS feeds in Internet Explorer. So once again, Firefox has been supporting this feature long before Microsoft decided to add support for it in their browser.

It took 7 versions of Internet Explorer to get it up to similar standards as Mozilla Firefox that is only at version 1.5 at the moment. Users upgrading from Internet Explorer 6 to version 7 will be introduced to new features, some may be confusing for people not used to things like tabbed browsing and RSS feeds. So if you are willing to learn new ways of browsing the Web, why not switch to Mozilla Firefox, the trustworthy browser that has been doing things right from the beginning.

About the Author

Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, leaders in Internet security, prevention of online fraud and educating users against malicious software.
For fast, safe and secure browsing, download Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Coenraad_De_Beer

Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don’t like giving out your email address

The Truth About Paid Online Surveys – A Question and Answer Session By Chris Ohlson

With thousands of people trying to find a way to make some extra money online everyday, paid online survey sites are popping up everywhere. With so many out there (some good, some – well, not so good) it’s hard to determine what to believe. In an attempt to clarify the ins and outs, and the myths and realities of paid online surveys, I’ve composed a series of questions and answers to help you sort everything out.

We’ll start with the basics and then get into the nitty gritty.

Question: Is this for real? Why would someone pay me to take online surveys?
Answer: Yes, this is for real. There are literally hundreds of legitimate market research companies out there who offer incentives for your opinion. Companies have come to these firms to get public opinions on their products or services and are willing to pay them to find out what you think. They then pass some of that payment onto you.

Question: What are the surveys about?
Answer: Just about anything that you can think of. You may be asked to review a movie trailer for a new movie, what kind of peanut butter you like, what restaurants you frequent, you name it. From barbeque grills to medical questions to appliances to what you had for dinner last night. There are sites for specific age groups, professions, hobbies and interests. The surveys are generally very interesting and these companies are looking for your opinion on how to shape their products.

Question: How does it work?
Answer: Each company works a bit differently, but here are the basics of online surveys. You will sign-up for a paid survey site. You will enter some basic demographic information (age, gender, etc…), and when they have a survey available in which they are looking for someone who fits your profile, they will send you an invitation to take a survey. The invitation will usually contain a link directly to the survey and the incentive they are offering for you to take the survey. Just click on the link and take the survey to qualify for the reward.

Question: What kinds of incentives are offered?
Answer: The incentives vary for each site, but generally the incentives take the following forms: cash, gift certificates (Amazon gift certificates being the most popular), merchandise (DVDs, small appliances, electronic gadgets, cookware, etc…), and charity donations. Each survey site will offer one or several of the above incentives for your participation in their surveys. Some will offer these straight out, for example “get paid $5.00 to take this survey”, some offer these in the form of a drawing and others have a point system in which accumulated points can be “cashed in” for the items above.

Question: Will you get spammed by signing up for paid survey sites?Answer: No, but you do have to be careful. There are some sites out there that are simply advertising firms posing as paid online survey sites. Here’s my advise on how to tell the difference. First, if they offer you a chance at a fantastic prize for signing up, such as a car or a boat, I would be a bit weary and do some more research before you sign-up. Second, if the survey to sign-up for the site consists of a lot of questions as to whether or not you want more information on other products, walk away, you’re certain to get spammed. Just remember that a legitimate market research firm will not endorse a product or service, they are supposed to be unbiased. Third, read the privacy policy if you have any concerns. The majority of the sites out there are legitimate and will only email you if there is a survey available or if there is important information they need to notify you of.

Question: Should you pay for a database of paid survey sites?Answer: No. There are several reasons why you shouldn’t pay a dime to take online surveys. First, with a little effort you’ll be able to find all of the sites yourself – free. There are a lot of free sites that have pretty good lists and also a few really good free sites out there that have comprehensive free paid survey directories with hundreds of listings. Secondly, market research firms are actually prohibited from charging people to participate in surveys and frown upon anyone who does.

Question: Can I get rich just by taking online surveys?
Answer: I’ve had so many people ask me if there are going to be able to retire by taking online surveys. Well, that’s just not going to happen. Where it is possible to make a decent amount of money by making referrals or by running a survey related website, you’re just not going to be making a full-time salary by simply taking surveys. There are a lot of sites out there advertising that you can make thousands of dollars per week or make $45 dollars and hour for taking online surveys (you can actually make $45 dollars an hour for a particular survey, but you won’t always make that much and it may only be a 10 minute survey).

Question: How much can I make?
Answer: That’s really hard to say. It really depends on a number of factors. How many sites did you sign-up with? How often do you take the surveys you are invited to take? What is your demographic? Etc… But I won’t just leave you hanging at that. I would say, if you sign-up for a number of survey sites, take the majority of the surveys you are invited to and are not limited in life experience, you could make perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 a year in cash or something equivalent. Mostly you will get smaller payments ($1.00 to $10.00) for a survey but I’ve seen them pay as much as $200. Treat this as extra cash, not a career. You can easily make enough to take the family out for dinner, buy a few extras, get a few nice things for around the house or save it all for your Christmas shopping.

Question: So, is it worth it?
Answer: Yes, I think so. Whereas, it’s not going to make you filthy rich, it’s certainly an easy and fun way to make a few extra bucks. I find the surveys to be enjoyable to participate in and for the time spent, the compensation is pretty good.That wraps up this question and answer session. Hopefully this article has shed some light on the world of paid online surveys. If you cut through the hype and know what to look for, online surveys can be an enjoyable way to make some extra money. You’ll get to see new products before they come out, give your opinion on how to make existing products better and get paid to do so. Not too bad for a few minutes of your time.

Chris Ohlson is the owner of http://www.freepaidsurveys.net/,Source: http://www.freepaidsurveys.net/

Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don’t like giving out your email address

Get Free Cosmetic Samples Just for Completing Offers by Gerardas Norkus

There’s almost nothing more irritating than buying a lot of expensive cosmetics and finding out after you get home that you don’t like them. You can protect your wallet from this drain by trying out free cosmetic samples first.

You don’t have to throw money down the toilet any more. Trial offers for free cosmetic exist online. With just a little investment of your time, you can get freebies to help you better choose what’s right for you.

Cosmetics companies and other manufacturers want you to have freebies so they can build a fiercely loyal customer base. It does a company no good if you get home and find out your perfume stinks or the color on the package didn’t match the shade inside. What’s even worse for them and for you in this situation is that most stores won’t take the items back once they’re opened. But, thanks to trial offers for free samples online, those worries could be a thing of the past.

Why not try before you buy? Go ahead and take advantage of the offers available online from manufacturers. Even better, you can receive great free stuff or make extra money for completing the offers!

To take advantage of free cosmetic samples online or other offers for free product samples, just look at the list below and decide what you’re interested in. To get the good freebies, you might have to invest a little bit of your time by completing offers, but the money savings in the long run makes the time investment pale in comparison.

You can:

Get free cosmetic samples, learn more about other freebies, find out about offers that reward you for completion with free money or free merchandise, learn how to get free stuff and/or money for shopping online.

The only thing standing between you and getting free stuff online including free cosmetic samples is a little bit of your time. Manufacturers want to know what you think and they want you to become a customer for life by providing you with products that make you happy.

So, sign up with a rewards program today and get paid cash or receive free stuff for accepting offers including free cosmetic samples.

Sherri Lonon is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-in-rewards.com
Great tips on receiving free merchandise and money from top online rewards programs.
(c) Copyright 2004, http://www.1st-in-rewards.com. All rights reserved.
Publishing Guidelines: You may freely distribute or publish this article provided you publish the whole article and include the copyright notice and links in full. A courtesy copy is requested upon publication.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerardas_Norkus

Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don’t like giving out your email address

How To Get Free Stuff

by Steven Gillman This is a great article on free stuff. read it

You really can get free stuff, but yes, sometimes there are strings attached. For example, when we were at universal studios I got a free backpack. The catch? I spent six minutes filling out a credit card application. On the other hand, we ate pretty well on free sample days at local food stores when we lived in Tucson, and there really weren’t any strings attached, other than the risk of being sold a delicious new food. Check ut the easy freebies that follow.

Free Entertainment
Many libraries carry movies on DVD, and most at least have documentaries. We ‘ve even seen music videos on DVD in one library. The only cost? The time to get a library card.
Want free concerts? Festivals usually have some free musical entertainment. For example, the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan has free entertainment every night during the week-long festival, including many recognizable bands and (often) a Beatles tribute band. Go to Google and type in “festival” and the name of towns around you to find these freebies.

Free Vacations
In Hawaii, Costa Rica or Colorado, someone is just waiting for you to come and stay in their house while they are away. You may have to water the plants, and even get the mail for them, but you get to stay in a beautiful home in a sunny place. Sometimes you even get paid for these vacations. The only catch is that to find these opportunities, you may have to subscribe to one of the newsletters that list them.

We camped for ten days in our van, at Williams Landing, east of Tallahassee, Florida, on Lake Talquin. It’s a beautiful place, and even has hot showers. Our cost? Zero – and you can stay up to two weeks. There are many free campgrounds scattered around the country. To find them, buy a Woodall’s directory from any large RV dealer. Camping can be an essentially free vacation if done right, because you may spend less than if you stayed home.

More Ways To Get Free Stuff
Many states give away free road maps. Some also give away free legal forms, like statutory wills. Check the state’s online sites.
You can get free dental x-rays at some dental colleges. Be patient, as the students are just learning, but an experienced technician is always with them. When done, you’ll get the x-rays to take to your own dentist, which can save you $30 to $80. Some schools charge a small fee, but is always less than the regular cost.

Many utility companies offer free “energy audits.” They’ll come to your home and find the places where you are wasting energy. Some even han out free kits for caulking windows and weather-stripping doors. call and ask.

Want free, confidential business advice from a business expert? Go to the website of “SCORE” (Service Corps of Retired Executives). These are successful business executives who volunteer time to help others in business.

Some restaurants will give you a free dinner on your birthday. Others give a free birthday cake. Bars will often buy your first drink for you if it’s your birthday. How do you find the ones that do this? The way you always discover how to get free stuff – just ask.

Steve Gillman has been hunting down obscure knowledge and useful secrets for years. For more details on how to get free stuff, and to get a free gift, visit: The Secret Information Site (http://www.thesecretinformationsite.com/)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Gillman

Resources:
How To make sure you get new free stuff every day
What to do if you don’t like giving out your email address