I have noted of late that there are plenty of people out there offering free stuff. But are you really being offered something for nothing or is there a catch?

Late last year I started searching for real freebies. You know stuff that you can use. Most of the things I looked for were things that I could use to build my business. Lets face it the more free stuff that is reliable that I can get the better. For me it is all about increasing my online sales so I can be financially free.

So what should you look for when looking at freebie claims? Here is my list of what to look for:

1. If there is a free period for you to use the product or service great but beware - don't give out your credit card details 'cause sure as eggs they will debit your card as soon as the free period is over. On the other hand if it is free for a period of time and you are not expected to give over your credit card give it a whirl. When the free period is over you can make an educated assessment as to whether it is worth purchasing or subscribing too. Oh and here is a hint - get yourself a yahoo, gmail or hotmail account so any possible junk mail is filtered.

2. Look for free products and services that don't offer a timed free period. There are plenty out there that are well worth signing up for. Better still they don't hammer you with junk mail. Many of these free services offer extra service for a fee that you can choose to subscribe to as an ongoing thing or as a once off.

3. If you are looking at items that are to be physically delivered to an address beware. (eg: product samples). Often you are expected to pay the postage/freight. You can spend a heap of time on the site to find once you get to the "purchase" they ask for your credit card to slug you with postage/freight. Also if you do get free items delivered either use a post box or a work address - you just cannot be too sure. Now in saying this there are some genuinely fantastic products that you can get for free and it is really worth paying the freight on with the savings you make. One example is printing of business cards - I have found this is a great for start out business.

4. Digitally delivered items can be a bit of a worry. Genuine businesses will often offer you free e-delivered products. That is fine but if you are getting stuff you did not subscribe to find your local authority and forward a complaint. Only ever accept digitally delivered products that you have acknowledged subscription to - normally as a confirmation email.

In a nutshell I recommend you look very carefully at the fine print before you leap into anything that states it is free. I have made it quite easy for you I have a list of recommended free sites. These include business promotion, free products and more. I have tested everything and use or have use 95% of them so it is up to you now to decide what you would like to do.

I wish you well on your hunt for internet freebies.

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