Freebie hunters: register for free products and services - no payment necessary

"Nothing’s free in this world” someone recently said after I mentioned I was registering for some free aftershave online. While he was correct in his worldly skepticism, I also knew that for years companies with profits have been able to afford to mail free samples as part of their everyday marketing and promotion. The individual paying for this free stuff is you and I, the consumer, whenever we purchase a product/service at retail price. In a way I feel as though I’m claiming compensation for all the times I’ve been dissatisfied but not followed it up.

If you intend to go on a freebie hunt, I recommend you register a second email address to accommodate all the potential spam you'll get when entering your details. This seems to be the primary concern of most freebie skeptics.

To me, it’s become more of a case of “who can sign up for the silliest products” which is guaranteed to provide the odd hoot. In no particular order here is a list of what I’ve registered for recently. Some are bizarre, some are useful:

• Free cinema tickets
  
• Arts and crafts CD ROM
  
• Aftershave
  
• Shampoo
  
• Soap
  
• Facewash
  
• Moisteriser
  
• Sim cards with free texts and minutes
  
• Digital photo prints
  
• Fabric softner
  
• Washing powder
  
• Dog flea treatment
  
• Cat food
  
• Free trial with Lovefilm.com
  
• Chocolate
  
• Condoms and lube
  
• A thong
  
• Steam bath fragrance
  
• Toothpaste
  
• Energy saving lightbulbs
  
• USB drives
  
• Free audio book (I chose “I am Legend”)

The list goes on so I won’t bother mentioning the rest. But what an earth do I do with it all you ask?

1. Use it. Saves me buying it.
2. Donate it. Give to a friend, family member, neighbour or charity shop, although offering a thong may raise eyebrows.
3. Bin it! How long did it take to sign up? 30 seconds? Hardly a loss, if you decide you really don’t need it.

I should mention the offers are normally limited to one item/sample per household but if you’re clever you’ll register under another family member’s name.

Here's a link to get you startered - Freebie Forum. There are plenty of other sites out there - just remember forums are best as you can view feedback and opinions from other users. Also check out www.free-samples.co.uk

Tips

• Register a second email address as a "parachute" to accomodate possible junk mail.
• Sign up for the same products again with another email address and in a friend/family member's name. That is unless they themselves would like to have the product to try.

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