A friend of my told me that he got a free sample of this product delivered by the mailman the other day….
What’s really funny is he isn’t even married (or expecting). But he got a free ”kit” with 2 cans of this baby food and several coupons good for dollars off the next purchase.
Why did he get the samples? Because he signs up for every offer under the sun and gets samples just about every day as well as the really good, multi-dollar off coupons. And he sells this stuff on eBay (yes, even the coupons sell)
Check out some of these auctions for the baby food, enfamil…
You can go to this website and sign up for all kinds of free samples…
http://www.all-free-samples.com/
Or, the best way is to respond to free offers in magazines targeted to parents, expectant parents, pet owners, gardening, etc. That way you’ll be sure to get on all the mailing lists and since companies rent these lists you’ll get tons of samples and coupons.
Of course, the negative side of this is you also get a lot of junk mail but if you can deal with that this could be a nice little extra income stream.
Scott
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55 Responses to 'Getting Free Products Delivered to Your Mailbox'
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I usually love your selling ideas, I really do! However getting free formula to sell is just wrong. The company is making this product and nice enough to send it free in hopes for THEIR company to profit. I feel that this is equal to stealing.
Duh !!! you know the only “problem” with some of these little tips ? Once you tell us about them I know I for one sometimes feel a bit silly for not thinking of it myself.
But really Scott, thank you another gem.
P.S. We agree on that decrease-increase What’s better , a slap on this cheek or a slap on that cheek ? either way they get you.
Mike
http://www.wildwoodcarvings.com
Hi Scott- I get free stuff in the mail all the time. I have no idea why as I never (or at least don’t remember) signing up for it
I never thought of selllng it on Ebay.
Thanks!
I have been doing this since before I started selling on Ebay. I have been a freebie getter from way back. I just sold two miniature bottles of Tobasco Sauce for $9.50 that were free!. The items I cannot use or sell I donate to charity. Great idea to let others know about this source of possible income.
Keep em coming, Scott, and Thank YOU!!
Marcie
My sister-in-law has been selling coupons and formula in her e-bay store and they sell. I’ve thought about it, but now that I know where to start getting this stuff (she doesn’t share her sources), I’m definitely going to look into it more. I just love your down to earth approach for us “common folk” trying to get a bit of the eBay pie.
Marie aka MemeresPlace
I disagree. I think that whoever buys the product will most likely buy the product from the company. So the company still will get the intended results.And as an eBay seller we would have another source for products. Great Idea!
I had to laugh at your comments about ebay’s increase/decrease.
Many people don’t seem to be aware that regardless of what they say.., there has not been and increase.., or a decrease..
if you calculate all your charges (including the 3% for paypal) you will find that whether you use the old pricing.., or the new.., ebay still gets just a few pennies less than 16% of everything sold. I used a $25.00 item as a base for my calculations but whatever price item you use.., the charges are the same new or old.
Clancy
Scott:
Jean has a point but the idea is, in itself, a solid one.
keep smiling………
Jean.., I think your looking down the wrong side of the hill..,putting free products on ebay is anything but stealing from a company. Look at the facts that actually take place.
1) They send a sample to a single person.
2) you put it on ebay and increase their advertising by at least 1000 %
3) Someone buys the sample and uses it (which is what they wanted) and then begins buying that product.
4) what they are getting is greater advertising per/$$ than they originally expected.., at your expense if it doesn’t sell.
5) The company accomplished their goal.., if it does sell.
You can call it anything… but not stealing.
clancy
Another place to find ‘free’ stuff is at: http://www.volition.com
scroll down to “stuff I found” and away you go.
When I do the math for a $25 item, I see a $.48 increase. There is a $2.19 FVF in the new pricing structure compared to $1.31 in the old for a difference of $.88. Take away the $.35 Gallery fee and reduce the listing by $.05, and eBay just took $.48 of my profit. Not a big cut but multiply it by many items and it has to hurt the bottom line.
As far as the comment on ’stealing’ free samples from one of your readers that is ridiculous. Yes, the companies are offering free samples to get you to try their product, but if you sell it to someone else it is just expanding the market. I really don’t think the companies mind. It is getting their advertising out even more than the one free sample that you get.
Finally, yes, free samples are great, but the amount of time that you have to put into giving all your information in order to be on their mailing list is too much time! Unless you can suggest an auto fill in tool online, it just doesn’t add up to making money on Ebay as far as I can see.
In regards to the new eBay fees, there may be more profit taking by eBay on the sale of a $25 item, but the savings are realized by folks using the auction format for items that do not sell. All the auction format items that do not sell will ultimately not cost the seller as much to list. eBay is trying to encourage people to list more items by taking away some of the charges (gallery, etc.). Yes, if it sells they take more (and I think 3% more is too high an increase) but if you have a lot that don’t sell, you don’t get hit as hard.
I have read some very interesting ideas from Scott but I think this one is a little out there.
Would you seriously buy formula for your baby from an Ebay web site that was selling just one can?
Not me. Thanks - Kenny
Scott…
Your friend schould of donated to a needy family…
His Karma will come back in a negitive way to him…
There is a lot of ways to make money on eBay…
You have showed us just going to garge sells and even dollar store
you can make bucks. We also need to give back and help people…
He should take that money he earned and buy the food for the needy…
Reg B.
I think that as long as we price our items well enough to make the profit we want to, why shouldn’t eBay. Many who are making a good living on eBay aren’t complaining that they are taking advantage of it. And, as was said in another reply, just think about the number of people that we are reaching by using eBay. We wouldn’t be able to afford to do that with another advertising venue.
Also, I love these tips. I would never have thought of some of this. I’ve often refused very nice sample of items because I didn’t have a need for them. Now, I can get them, sell them on eBay, and pass on to someone that can benefit from them.
Thanks again,
Laurette
http://www.magickidsusa.com
– Dist. #MK51485
Clancy,
I agree with everything you say IF you received this product in the mail by accident. I say go for it. But if you are deliberatively signing up for things (especially expensive formula) just to sell them for your own profit…well I still feel this is so wrong.
Jean
I got the formula as well, and then started receiving more coupons/checks. And did sell on Ebay! But I found out that there are professional coupon buyers (all with private feedbacks) that work for formula companies and they are constantly looking to buy these on E-bay They buy these checks (several thousands of listings a month) and then sell it to the formula company that tracks the checks to their recipients by the unique number on the checks. They then go ahead and take these people off their mailing lists. Just mark your listings with a note saying - “If you have a private feedback, please do not bid ” like a lot of smart sellers say in their listings!
Many people overlook the power of free!
I once suggested people can approach me if they give me permission to list their polymer clay tutorial sites (pages) in my ebook. It’s just another ‘browser software’ that opens up like a n ebook and you know what some of the well-known polymer clay instructors said? That allowing free stuff in my ebook will spoil the market. HUH?
But guess what? They have all their visitors visiting their sites but the majority of them came from 1 or 2 Yahoo groups who spread the word by mouth. That’s it. No other “traffic”.
If they said YES to my ebook project, can you imagine they will actually be getting more targetted audience who want to read their tutorials and may be eventually buy whatever polymer clay supplies they have?
What a waste that people overlook the power of FREE!
Give ALL for free or charge something reasonable but not too cheap. The danger of pricing something too cheap? People think it’s a lousy product.
Giving away free stuff allows potential customers to try out your product. But giving away to those WHO ASK FOR IT is much more effective.
I am always getting stuff like this and listing it on ebay. In Fast Cash Generators I wrote about asking manufacturers for coupons which you can sell for cash too. These at least mean the manufacturer gets a sale out of the deal somewhere down the line. I fire off my standard template letter all the time and get really valuable vouchers back in return. Maybe this gets around the moral dilemma some seem to be having with this idea?
Andy Brocklehurst
http://www.fastcashgenerators.com
I may have “missed the boat”. lol
Legally, the sample-receiver is free to do whatever he wants with the sample, unless there WAS a prior agreeement that the sample is only for personal use. eBay can remove any items that are sold without authority. They can also remove the ebay seller.
Scott,
Thanks for passing along another great idea. Wouldn’t have thought of it in a million years. I don’t know if I will use it, but it is still worth thinking about.
Is it ethical to sign up for free merchandise to sell on eBay? Of course it is. Free items are a marketing tool for companies. I can gaurantee your “distressed” readers that those who give samples and coupons are in business to make money. They don’t have any qualms about a “third party” pushing their products.
Susan
The man has told you how to make some money. You decide if it is right for you then do it or don’t do it but please let each individual make up their own mind and go to some other bleeding heart site to try to change peoples minds about what is right or wrong.
This is one of the best ideas for Ebay I have heard of in a long time. I agree with some of the comments by others, talk about a why didn’t I think of this idea, and as far as the morality of this I just can’t see it as anything but good for the company that gave the sample away. There is no moral issue here. Thanks for the great tips lookin forward to the next one.
George
Ethical to sell free samples on eBay? You bet!
The reason the company gives stuff away is to get it into the hands of a potential customer. Their hope is to turn that person into a repeat buyer.
By selling the free item on eBay, you get it into the hands of someone who really WANTS the product. That’s the target the company was aiming for in the first place.
By reselling this free sample on eBay, you’ve just helped the company reach their desired market, and hopefully made a bit of money for yourself.
AND, you’ve very likely saved the eBay buyer some money on a product they will use.
Thanks for another good tip, Scott.
John R. Cumbow
http://www.MisspelledBargains.com
Find the misspelled eBay auction
bargains that other bidders miss!
I suppose the only thing that stood out to me was the fact that you will be receiving alot of junk mail which in turn means more paper and plastic going in our landfields polluting our earth just for the sake of a few free items to make a few bucks. I’m not a “tree hugger” by any means but everything adds up over a period of time and people need to be aware that their contribution, negative or positive, does make a difference.
Two comments: getting the coupons and selling them on ebay, no problem as long as the recipient still gets a good bargain. And of course if it does not sell donating it to a Battered Womens Shelter or any other charity is good. If the Manufacturers cared who redeemed their coupons they would be more specific on who they send them to.
putting something on ebay too cheap so that someone thinks it is not a good item. Rubbish! Most ebay buyers are looking for bargains. just like the garage sale buyers. they want to save money. if the description is honest with the condition of the product than they can make a good decision. We go to the Auction and buy boxes of “stuff”. Some if it is treasures and some of it is junk. The junk is put in the garbage and everything that is worthwile is researshed to find the value, then cleaned and then described honestly, and put on to encourage bidding by putting it on at a low starting price. it is a chance you take that no one will bid and some smart person will pick it up at the listed price. Thanks for all the tips. Fossales
I don’t see a problem with it. If you go to Lowes and buy something that includes a free gift card (for whatever amount) do you have a problem with someone selling it?
Lowes (and other companies) has started doing the free gift card with purchase basically to avoid rebates but they also get a boost because now the rebate someone would have gotten as cash now has to be spent at their store. I don’t think they care WHO spends the gift card so I don’t think a company offering a freebie cares who uses it as long as it goes to someone in their intended market, which it will because if the buyer is willing to pay for it I am sure they intend to use it.
Rhonda
http://www.easyauctiondeals.com
Scott,
First of all thanks for all the great emails you’ve been sending and I did not know their was such a sight to get free products. My feeling on the subject is that once you receive any gift or sample from anyone whether personal or from a business, it’s your choice to do whatever you will with it.
Cynthia
Neat little idea. Not something I’d sell under my main eBay ID (I sell electronic gizmos, gadgets and digital cameras), but definitely something fun to sell.
As to sealing/not stealing, I don’t think it is. Like someone else pointed out here, I think you’re actually HELPING the company by expanding the reach of that one free can. It does not cost them a dime extra!
$0.02
(Question for Clancy) It would be interesting if you sent your strategy to the folks at Enfamil to see if they agreed with your philosophy.
(Overall Comment)There appears to be a hint of something wrong with signing up for free product just to sell it on eBay. It’s different if somebody gives you something you did not request. Like in the case of Scott’s friend.
I think if you have to proactively complete a company’s or anyone else’s info in a misleading way, in order to obtain something free or for less, it’s no different from any other form of robbery. It’s just plain old dishonest & cheap. As a buyer, these are sellers I would definitely shy away from!
eBay already has the “the greatest junk yard garage in the sky” image. I think they’re trying to cure this or if they’re not, they should be.
Mi own 2cents worth,
Thanks Scott for the info,
Mark
I think it is great and I don’t think anyone should feel guilty about this. They are promoting their items and this is an advertising expense that they as a company get to deduct. I get lots of stuff from my site for free like satellite phones, and software and it all goes on ebay. If we sell it on ebay, it is even more advertising for the company.
There’s a real downside to this idea. Most of the freebie sites want all your personal details and tell you that to get their free offer you have to promise to buy other stuff, or sign up for other things. For example:
To receive the gift for this promotion you must: 1) register with valid information; 2) complete the user survey; 3) complete at least 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 4 Platinum offers. Available offers will vary and some offers may require a purchase to qualify. Receipt of your item requires compliance with offer terms, including: age and residency requirements; registration with valid email address, shipping address and contact phone number; completion of user survey and sponsor promotions.
As they say - there really isn’t a free lunch…….
BOGOS and free with purchase are another way to get goodies to sell.If I need what is on sale I never refuse the free gift. You don’t have to sell it, you can give it away. Look at it as a contribution to the cosmic checking account.
great idea keep them coming i love getting youre e-mails ,,,
http://www.carstuffoutlet.com
This is a great idea for people who take all the TIME to answer ALL of their questions. As SGS says above- they ask alot of you to be able to receive their free samples. I signed up for some free stuff & you would NOT beleive the SPAM I received from these companies, including the scams from africa & Nig……..& the list goes on. These people begging for HELP & Money & e-mails saying,, “YOU ARE A WINNER”, Lotteries, etc. My box was flooded with spam e-mails.
I say if people can deal with that headache alone (the spam)- then let them do what they want with the coupons or free suff. It is definitely paying them back for all the trouble they had to go through just to get the free stuff. Also, they want you to use your credit card alot of times to get the silv, gold, & plat offers— then there is a big headache trying to get them to quit charging your card…..just to get these free things.
I think the people who do this- deserve to do with their free stuff as they WANT TOO, because of the HASSLE it takes, just to get it.
I forgot to add 1 last thing of importance……These sites say or PROMISE they will not give out your e-mail address or sell your info— but they DO! I never had given out my e-mail to anyone & was leary about doing it to begin with. I did though because my daughter had just had a baby– & that was the end results…..Tons of SPAM- That will get by your spam filter because of the way they send/word them.
It is a GREAT idea to make money- so go for it, because if you signed up for free things- you deserve whatever you can get from them.
The best idea is to get a 2nd email address & use it ONLY for these particular things- that way you can just hit “delete all” & not worry about it being on your main e-mail address- & by all means- get ALL the free stuff you CAN
Wow, I am a freebie and coupon fanatic, so this is right up my alley. Who knew I could make some extra cash off my freebies…
I’ll add that you can also sell Box Tops and Campbells soup can labels too.
Thanks for the info!
“I feel that this is equal to stealing.”
There’s your problem: You’re “feeling” instead of “thinking”. Far too many suffer from this affliction these days.
I think freebie sites should allow people to unsubscribe easily from:
1. 3rd party mailings and emails
2. the freebie site itself
All emails they sent should have a quick unsubcription link or instruction. Failure to do so is a “spam crime”.
But I always use another extra email for all free stuff and newsletters….just in case!
To me, giving away or selling things which you got for free is called FREE AWARENESS BRANDING for whoever who gave it away in the first place.
I used to do something…collect decent flyers that have only one side printed. I collect as many as I can from the giver saying I’d help him distribute. Gave some out. Went home and print my ad on the OTHER page of the flyer. Gave out again. lol I just saved myself some paper!
I think a lot of people are missing important points here.
It’s similiar to my 3D community where I am a member. Technically, I can always send a message to a buddy asking him/her to vote for me in a contest. See? Cos that person is my buddy. Many people do not see anything wrong with asking a buddy to support them in whatever cause. But if my buddy flags my message, my 3D chat community takes my messages as spam and my 3D chat community account will be disabled.
Anyone can sell free samples at eBay or elsewhere. But if a company complains that a “free stuff” which was given away as a “sample only” to you is “used illegally”, even if you didn’t request for for the free sample, eBay can still “take action” to stop the auction/sales. Just because the company complains.
And if the ebay seller wants to fight for his/her rights (to continue selling samples), he/she can do so by sueing eBay.
>>>>Brenda: putting something on ebay too cheap so that someone thinks it is not a good item. Rubbish!
You may say,”Priced cheap, who cares? As long as people are wanting your product for 5 cents each hey I’m selling!” But you won’t sell long-term that way, unless you’re selling digital downloadable products.
If given a choice of exactly 2 seminars…same speaker…same venue…same content….same duration…just different dates/time. One is priced at US$12 whereas the other is priced at US$2, most people will pick the US$12 seminar. Because it’s your perception of quality that makes you pick US$12. If you’re already getting good stuff for free or on the cheap, your perception is you’ll get better stuff if you pay more. Also because of your GREED will you pick the more expensive item.
Anyway eBay isn’t the only place to sell - free stuff or not. Yep, another of my “2 cents”. Thanks for listening!
Are these freebies available to Canadians? I couldn’t find an answer to this in the help section.
Scott, I still think your first blog about things around the house, you would never think of was the Best, the rest are ok. Another good site is slickdeals.net , but you have to check it daily because they add stuff all the time. I just opened an Ebay basic store, I dont really have a nitch yet, just a lot of items but the name Walmart was taken. Any ideas how to get it off the ground when there is no main attraction? Thanks again, and to all.
Hi Everybody,
Usually I “lurk” and read.
Scott has spent a lot of time either learning how, or already had / has the discipline of “Thinking Outside of the Box”.
Just a cursory thought about selling free samples
Agreed, if the sample comes to you accidentally then it is yours to do with as you see fit.
I wonder if the point that seems to have gone missing is the intent to deceive.
When I order a free sample form the company, unless I write and explain my intention then the perceived intent from the company’s perspective is that I’ve ordered this sample to use for its intended purpose.
Regardless the benefit or intended benefit, when I order a sample the intended purpose unless otherwise stated is to use the sample for its intended purpose - feeding my baby - at least in this case.
This argument has little to do with the company’s ultimate benefit, and mostly to do with what monetary return (benefit) I can receive. The company’s intention is 1st to sell their product to people who need it via the free sample.
If I order it for any other purpose without telling the company I’ve deceived them. Thus the conundrum and paradox, which there really isn’t any of; we fool our selves into thinking we are doing the company a benefit, which in one vein is true but the greater disservice is done to our selves for when we dull our sense of integrity we lose! We lose a small portion of what makes us good people.
An antidote for your consideration:
Where integrity is lacking, narcissistic mediocrity will always fill the void left behind.
Respectfully,
Reeder Lyons
About getting a lot of junk mail, I say yeah!!!
I shred all of mine and use it for packing. Saves me a ton of money.
Keep the info coming. It is great. Thank you.
I personally wouldn’t buy baby formula from ebay. I’d be frightened that the stuff had been tampered with (there are some sickos out there) but more realistically, I would worry about it getting damaged in transit and the seal getting damaged and wouldn’t feel safe using it. My step mother however earns thousands of pounds (GBP) on ebay and even makes money selling packs of black plastic rubbish sacks that she buys from a high street shop that anyone could go into.
It seems some people will buy even the most mundane items from ebay. Maybe they just don’t like traditional shopping anymore.
ps I did receive a lovely free beer glass in the mail and I will definitely be putting that up for sale.
thanks for all the tips.
Thanks for another great idea.
I was a long time refunder who clipped coupons and sent for refunds/rebates for 20 years. I even got a new computer way back when with my “earnings.” I quit because all the good refunds dried up. They dried up because of greed. First, people would mail in multiple refunds, so there was a limit of one per household. Next, manufacturers required cash register tapes, so the cheaters made fake tapes. People were trying to pay the mortgage by refunding. (By the way, what I “earned”, I got LEGALLY!) If we want to have companies stop sending out samples for us to try, and they see hundreds of people selling their samples on ebay, they will soon stop these offers.
Scott, I enjoy this newsletter and ideas, but this is the first idea I am disappointed in.
Hi Scott:
My daughter-in-law does a variation of this. she doesn’t sign up for the products, just the coupons. She gets sevral hundred dollars worth of coupons in the mail and by downloading them for free from the net and she batches the copons and sells them on eBay. This nets her about $500 a month in extra spending money.
Skip McGrath
ya i agree, that is actually a very good idea, it is guaranteed that you wont lose money on it, even if u sell it for very cheap cuz its free. but anyways i wanted to ask, i have looked at the free samples and its only offered in the U.S. .. and i live in canada, so i guess it wont help me much… but does any1 know of a site that offers free samples in canada?
I’m not understanding how anyone can afford to sell stuff this low priced on eBay and really make any money. They just raised fees yet AGAIN, and you can’t give negative feedback about buyers anymore. I just had a hassle getting a repeat bad buyer to honor his bid. eBay is rapidly becoming a place for pure pro large volume sellers who can eat losses from bad buyers.
I would like to say that I once thought of selling my “samples” that were given to me by the different companies and by the Doctor’s office for my baby to use. I breastfed and never used them, but had them on hand to cover me just in case I needed them. I decided to donate my 14 cans to a lady who had a baby and not too much money. I would never buy formula from someone I didn’t know…there are way too many stories about the crack pots that do bad things to stuff like that…so I donated them…the cans that are samples do say not for re-sale on the can also..
Just my opinion…
When it comes to baby formula its important to know that it is a big business that is tightly regulated by the FDA and the drug companies. Similac is made by Ross and all of the store brands are made by Wyeth. These companies have huge budgets for advertising, ironically a much larger budget then they have for research and development.
For low income moms, they have access to free formula through WIC. Our government subsidizes these drug companies with our tax dollars to be the vendors for WIC. Low income moms are not eligible for samples if they check on the form that they receive WIC. The money will be spent by the drug companies to produce samples regardless of the actual needs of the general population.
Next time you or someone you know without insurance needs a non-generic prescription and has trouble paying for it, know that they are paying more for it because of this. Since our government is part of the problem, enjoy the few bucks you make selling samples and checks. It’s not like selling the samples it taking the food out of the mouths of babies.
Currently we spend about $100 a month to feed our 9 month old formula. And that’s getting it from Costco.
I agree with this. I am expecting, and our child will be breastfed (more economical, of course), so I turn right around and sell the coupons online. I’ve sold $21 worth of coupons for $10 on a Buy it now auction on eBay…hey, it’s $10 we can spend on baby stuff we actually NEED!!