You’ve likely come across the just pay for shipping free product review offers and think – that’s too good to be true.
It often is but read the fine print.
If it’s from a company you’ve never heard of or an unsolicited email you received, chances are it’s a scam. While you’ll receive the items promised, you’ll quickly find that they aren’t worth nearly as much as promised. Most offers require you to pay double or triple the worth of the item in shipping – that’s how the company makes money.
So how do you tell if a just pay for shipping offer is legit?
Here’s what to consider.
Know your Source
If you’re receiving the offer from a well-known company and they have reviews from others acknowledging the offer, maybe you want to consider it, but look into the product. Look for the brand or style elsewhere and see if it’s even worth the amount they are asking for in shipping.
Look for Legitimate Product Testing Sites
There are many legitimate websites that pay you to try their products, or if they don’t pay you, they let you try full-size samples for free.
Why?
This is how companies do their marketing. They get the products in the hands of the public and let you spread the word. If you love the product, you’re likely to share what you thought about it with others. Some companies even ask you to share your opinion on social media.
In these cases, you won’t pay shipping – usually, the product cost and shipping is covered for you.
Look for Deals from Companies you Shop With
You may receive offers from stores you already shop with, like ‘spend $20 get ‘X product’ for free. That is legitimate. You already know you’re shopping at a legit store and sometimes they want to increase awareness of another product they offer.
It’s common for stores to offer this type of sale or offer. They do it to spread the word or to get you to increase the amount you spend. If you know you’ll get a free product if you spend $x, you’ll likely make sure you spend that much to get the free item.
What Information do they Want?
Companies offering free products just pay shipping shouldn’t have to ask for much more information than your name and shipping address. Of course, you’ll enter your payment information to pay for the shipping, but that’s risky too.
If they ask for much more information, it’s best to skip it. You never know what they’ll do with that information or if you’ll even receive the promised product. If it seems risky, err on the side of caution and don’t share your information.
Legit Companies Offering Free Products
If you’re interested in getting free products or companies, here are the top sites to sign up for to try to get free products:
Final Thoughts
Just pay for shipping, free product reviews can be legit if you work with the right companies. Exercise caution and do your research. Find out if a company is legit and pay close attention to the information they ask for to determine if it’s a good risk.
If you’re ever in doubt, don’t do it. There are many legit ways to get access to free products as samples and you don’t have to pay anything. Focus your efforts there to get access to the products you need.