Yeah, you read the offer for this really great free stuff, then you find, tucked away at the bottom that you only have to pay the shipping charges. Of course, the shipping cost of the pantyhose I was going to order was so high that for the same amount of money, I could go to Walgreens and buy a pair. Same goes for just about any “free offer” you find on the 'net- outrageous shipping costs, so high that for the same price, or maybe a couple of bucks more, you could buy the item at a local store, and not have to wait three weeks to get it.
In my thinking, if you have to send them money to get it, it ain’t free. Be honest. Say up front that you’ll send me the item if I’ll only pay the shipping, and how much the shipping cost is, so I don’t waste my time reading your long ass ad about how great this item is, then find out at the end I have to pay five dollars in shipping costs to get your four-dollar item “free”. BTW, I know how it works, because I’ve worked in a shipping room- you negotiate a volume discount rate with the carrier of your choice, then tack 15% onto the per item rate, and voila, a profit on shipping. Add to this the fact that the item probably cost you less than half of its advertised value, you’re probably making money by sending people “free” stuff.
Also, I’ve found that internet shopping is no bargain. Not only is it no less expensive to order direct from the manufacturer than it is to buy from the store that has to pay overhead beyond the purchase price of any given item, but the shipping can add as much as 25% to the price of purchase.
No thanks, I’ll just pick one up next time I’m at a store that carries it.
Actually, if you sign up for Scorelarge’s newsletters Scorelarge and FreeStuff Depot (the first and third on the list) you can get daily newsletters with tons of completely free items. I don’t bother to get the stuff I don’t want, but so far I’ve gotten a little tube of Nautica cologne and a CD, both of which I use(d), without paying a cent. So there are some things.
Granted that business being business, lots of stuff on the net is not a great deal. Still, I’ve saved a fair amount of $, you just need to spend the time looking…
From my knowledge of how shipping works: a certain company with a name of <letter><letter><food> has a spot on their order form that says "for faster shipping, use Express shipping, add $1.50______ ". I found out from a former employee that this money will buy you a sticker that says “express” added to you box and nothing more.
I had a bad experience with a magazine that offered an “Free” two month trial subscription. It was a magazine I bought fairly frequently, so I quickly filled in my info and waited for my first issue…and waited…and waited…and waited…and forgot about it. Then one day, the postal fairy drops a little letter from the publisher of said periodical in my mailbox requesting that I pay for the subscription I signed up for. What kinda fucking trial is that!!! I used the little “No postage neccessary in mailed in the U.S.” envelope to mail back a note letting them know exactly which of their orifices they could direct future notices to.
The only place I’ve found that buying online is worth it is at express.com for DVDs. They’re generally $6-7 less than at the store (Saturday Matinee for example) and when you buy 4 or 5 at once, the shipping cost is still only $5, so you end up saving enough money to make it worth it. Plus they have a better stock than most of the stores by me.
But you’re right. Nothing is free on the internet. And most things costs more than in the store due to shipping costs. It sucks.