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 dont 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, free Ipods, Free PS3s 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!