Free Shipping
Put the word ‘free’ in front of a product or service and some people act like mad, raveous, dogs. Throwing caution to the winds they push each other out of the way to be the first to get taken. And taken they will get because desirable products and services are never free.
Offers of free stuff are either schemes to dispose of junk at zero cost or lead-ins to scams and rip-offs. I know because I have been scamed and riped-off.
For instance, take the free shipping offer.
A recent search on the internet for a computer video board disclosed prices ranging from $99 to $150 for the board. There was either a modest charge for shipping and handling or it was FREE. You will never guess which price offered FREE shipping.
The vendor with the overpriced, $150 board offered free shipping.
The vendor with the reasonably priced, $99 board charged $15 shipping and handling. Do we need to explain that paying $114 for the item is better for the customer than paying $150? Another way to view this is to realize that normal shipping and handling will only cost you $15, but FREE shipping and handling is going to cost you $51.
Dont be fooled by that word ‘FREE’. In nearly every case, free stuff is free because no one wants it. Just because a vendor claims something is free, does not make it so. If the claim is being made through an ad that the vendor has paid for, you can bet that it is not merely a lie or misrepresentation but most likely the bait for a major scam or rip-off. Honest vendors dont play these games.