1. The Rise Of Free Stuff Blogs

This trend is particularly alarming. It seems that everyone is going into free stuff for its market potential. But the funny thing is: there is only so much free stuff to go around. Eventually, most free stuff will become advertisments, and the intergrity of a real free stuff site will be tested. Hundreds of free stuff sites around, each serving a number of people ranging from 20s to 1000s, how much should companies spend on giving away free samples at this insane number?

2. Declining Free Stuff

If you have been a diligent and faithful free stuff seeker, you would know that free stuff being given out is declining. Even some major, trustworthy free stuff sites keep listing out freebies from the past. Is it because of the economic downturn that marketing budget is cut? Is it a time for companies to regroup and strategise? Or is the economic downturn an actual representation that free stuff efforts are useless and not converting into significant leads, which in turn affect profit margins of the companies?

3. Free Stuff Goes Out In A Matter Of Hours

Ok, anyone who has experienced the frustration of going to a page in the hope of finding a freebie only to find it turn to naught will know what i am talking about. How often do you find “due to overwhelming response…..blah blah blah”, “the promotions has ended…. blah blah”? Like the first point, the free stuff network is so congested, so saturated, and new entrees into this area are spoiling the credibility of finding real free stuff online with spams offers.

With that said, i find it necessary to inform everyone that free stuff is dying, support the real free stuff sites, and not the beautifully designed, ads filled, big corporation offering so called “free stuff” to you. Operators of real free stuff sites understand you, as we are freebie hunters as well.

I am Grimm, the webmaster, founder and owner of TotallyFreeCrap.com. I built the site for a fun hobby while I work way too many hours in the real world.

2. When did you first started with this free stuff site?

Way back in the old west days of the internet, during the years of piracy and debauchery online, you know, 2006. I posted free stuff and contests regularly in forums where people would get excited and tell everyone about what they won or received. This in turn brought in more people. I started the site as a way to manage a list of all the easiest to sign up for freebies.

3. What sparked your interest?

I was graced with a T1 (fastest at the time) internet in my dorm in college (2003). Many people were getting on the free stuff bandwagon, and unfortunately most of it was illegal such as piracy, or questionable such as dumpster diving. Everyone was looking for a way to get things cheaper. This trend continues today, the recent run in extreme couponing and the rise in black Friday sales have shown this. Lately the ability to brag about getting something for nothing is worth more than the end product. How many people need 400 rolls of toilet paper?

4. How popular is your site right now?

Too popular for an inside joke, not enough for a meme.

The site attracts a few thousand people a day, about 30,000 unique visitors and 280,000 page views a month. People tend to return to the site, and the daily updates have created a loyalty.

5. Does managing a free stuff site actually make money?

It was never about money making. It wasn’t until the site became somewhat popular that I threw a Google advertisement on it. I was very excited that first month when I made six dollars. I know people making six figures a year running freebie sites, it comes down to how much time you put into it and how many advertisements and popups you want on the site. Too many sites have gotten greedy, putting on tons of ads or surveys that make you purchase something.

6. Free stuff blogs have been on a rising trend, do you think market saturation for free stuff online is happening?

Back when I first started, freebie sites were not very popular, and most of them were spammy and scammy. I was one of the first to create a site that was simple and did just what you expected. A large number of sites copied my model. They are derivative and poorly executed, much like Nickleback. This simple, direct to freebie, posting was what people wanted. Any company or spammer wishing to collect names or to bring people to their site will pretend to have free stuff. Then the rise of sites that just had lists of freebie sites started, after that lists of sites that had lists of sites, that had free stuff on it started.

7. How do you feel about the current trend of free stuff online?

It saddens me that at one point you were able to tell what free stuff would come to your house, currently the percentage of actual freebies showing up has dropped dramatically. Even having been in this game for 5 years, I am not able to determine the legitimacy of a freebie. Social media has taken control recently, with Google+, Facebook and Twitter, everyone can post freebies they find and you can follow just the people you trust.

8. 1 tip for freebie hunters?

Don’t expect too much. The websites where you find them do not have any access to freebies, and many of the companies never plan to send the free stuff. Free stuff is simple and small, make it a slice of enjoyment in your daily routine.

9. Anything else you would like to add on?

I expect in the near future freebie sites will die out, the internet has been saturated with fake freebies to the point that people quit and start looking elsewhere, such as that “free” box at your neighbors garage sale. However until this happens someone could probably make a lot of money by charging people to be elite members of their site where they can click links, to sign up for free stuff.

My name is James Barton and I run the site http://www.JustFreeStuff.com/.

2. When did you first started with this free stuff site?

I started the website back in 1997

3. What sparked your interest?

I saw a website that was giving away free computers! They would give you a desktop, monitor, keyboard and mouse in exchange for viewing ads that were placed on it. You would have to vew ads for 5 hours a week. They were always on the bottom of the screen.

So I got my computer and was ready to go.

Then I got an email saying the company was going out of business and I can keep the computer. They also included instructions on how to remove the ads. It was bad for them, but awesome for me. I got a free computer! It was nothing to brag about, but it was still free.

So I thought why not create a site that listed cool things and companies who gave out freebies. People liked it!

I also have to mention 2 more “interesting” freebies I got!

Nintendo was doing some kind of promotion and sent me a mannequin hand. Just a hand. It was weird.

I also got a million bucks! It was shredded and composted into dust and was in the form of a huge paperweight. I tried to get my daughter to glue it all together, but it didn’t work =(

4. How popular is your site right now?

I average about 10,000 – 15,000 hits a day to the website.

5. Does managing a free stuff site actually makes money?

I was making twice as much as my 40 hour a week job.

Now it’s a little slow because of the recession, but the potential is definitely there. It requires a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth it.

6. Free stuff blogs have been on a rising trend, do you think market saturation
for free stuff online is happening?

Most definitely! Anyone can go to blogger or wordpress and create a site now. Before, there were less than a hundred “freebie” type sites. Now it’s in the thousands and every one of them is listing more or less the same free samples.

7. How do you feel about the current trend of free stuff online?

More people are competing for less freebies. Company A is giving away 500 freebies, company B is giving away 1,000. Those are gone in a matter of minutes. And now a lot of companies are offering samples on facebook. Wendy’s for example was giving away 30,000 tee shirts I believe……they were gone within a couple of hours.

As a freebie site owner/blogger, that makes you look bad when you tell a person about something, they go there, and it’s gone.

8. 1 tip for freebie hunters?

Definitely definitely use a second email address!! We try to list freebies from legit companies, but a lot of times the bad ones fall through the cracks and then you start getting tons of spam/junk mail.

Gmail is probably my favorite out of all of the email providers.

9. Anything else you would like to add on?

Not much. Just a couple of personal tidbits.

I’m 41. Worked at O’hare airport in Chicago for 18 years. I worked on the website either before or after work. I quit over 5 years ago and and now work on the website full time.

I have 3 kids – 18 year old daughter, 11 year old son, and 11 month old daughter. Yeah, I know! =)

I have a black belt in kenpo karate and go to class 3 days a week. (been doing it almost 7 years now)

And when i’m not working on the website, i’m out taking pictures. I even started a photo blog at http://www.jamesbarton.com/.

Video poker is a game where you are unable to lie, bluff or trick your dealer. You simply have to decide which are the cards to keep after being dealt the first time. Your best hand is determined after the second deal, consequently how much you win. To learn more about playing video poker, please click Video Poker – How To Play. I feel that this game is based more on luck then on skills, though there are many others who disagree with me. But many people do play video pokers for leisure and more.

So, the question is, can people really win in video poker? Yes, when your stars are aligned and you feel like you are on a streak, or you have a rabbit’s foot. Otherwise, i would suggest you try other more strategic games online. With that said, i came across a rather good site casinotop10 that recommends various online gambling games. If you are someone who does not mind a bit of thrill from time to time, do head there.

In the end, what differentiates a true winner from a loser in casino gambling? I believe it is the realization that you have lost really nothing, even when you have lost money, that puts one above the rest. This means that one do not throw away their future by being too engrossed in gambling, but rather, experience and learn something from their gambling session, and use it for their future lessons.

Free stuff blogs are a on a rising trend since 2005. They are unlike traditional free stuff sites that list out free stuff in texts. Instead, they are more visual and uses pictures to show a visual image of what the free stuff is about, or where the free stuff is from. Also, while free stuff sites usually usually list free services offered by other sites, free stuff blogs rarely do so.

Next, free stuff blogs are usually much more easier to start then free stuff sites. While a free stuff site usually needs a complicated customized design and programming to bring some free stuff to their visitors, free stuff blogs can easily be created using Wordpress or Joomla, which explains the recent explosion in the number of free stuff blogs being created every second.

However, compared to the sustainability of free stuff sites, there are many free stuff blogs geting ousted out of the competition of the world of free stuff at a rapid rate. There is market saturation going on for providing free stuff to the masses and sadly, quality is compromised at every interval when wealthy webmasters pay top fees for advertising while offering nothing concrete to their users. 

I believe that both free stuff models can co-exist and its actually users that decide which type of sites they prefer to use when searching for free stuff online. However, do not be led by colorful designs and gimmicks offered by certain sites and get lost in your search for free stuff =)

On this topic, i would like to applaud the emergence of free stuff blogs. Similar to some free stuff sites, they have a very simple way to introduce free stuff to the the online community. They show you an image, and what the product is called, and thats all. They has no bullshit for you to weave in and out and does not try to bombard you with sponsored ads all the time. I do not know when it all began, but free stuff blogs is the trend now.

Well, regardless, i am not saying that all free stuff sites are dubious and heinous in nature. There are some free stuff sites that can still survive the competition and are doing better then the new entrees. These are free stuff sites that list legitimate free stuff with a short description of what the product is about rather then a picture. Personally, i prefer description rather then images but its up to the individual. After all, you have to find something that suit you, and a picture might tell a thousand words, but words can express what pictures can convey at a deeper intensity and level, provided the person has a good command of the English language.

With that said, research has shown that without a simple and easy to understand navigation system for users, visitors will still leave your site given a better alternative. So my advice to all webmasters out there: Make your site as user-friendly as possible and you might just see your conversion rates double. Focus on long term profit rather then short term gain =)

1. Never use your real working email address.
The reason is simple, you will not want spams (in case you requested for a phishing scam) in your email inbox which you use for official purposes. The spams can go up to hundreds of emails a day and are extremely irritating. In this case, its better to set aside a few emails for use in requesting for freebies.

2. Observe the freebie being given away.
Is the freebie being given away a big ticket item? Is it a brand new luxury car, xbox 360, playstation 3 or a brand new television?! Well, if its anything even close to the value these items are worth, it will not be FREE! Remember, there is no free lunch in the world. However, companies do often give free samples away for marketing purposes. As a general guideline, anything worth over USD$50 is fishy, and any worth over USD$100 is almost impossible. If you see these offers, you most probably need to go through a string of “activities” to get the free stuff.

3. Website only has a single page.
This is extremely fishy. If a website offering something for free has only one page, the home page and the page is filled with a contact form, it most likely is a phishing site and is designed to capture your personal particulars. For example, if you come across a site that says free body lotion, and the site url is freebodylotion.com with no other pages, exit the site IMMEDIATEDLY! However, rarely but it happens that there are real freebies with a single page, usually the url will have a celebrity’s name or a well known brand. So exercise your own judgement =)

Avoid these sites at all cost, they have been complained by our users and are now deemed as websites that do not provide any free stuff. Check out the fake freebie sites at this url: http://www.activefreestuff.com/fake_freebie_sites.htm. If you know of any such sites, do come forth and let the rest of us know. Thank you!

With all that has been said, you still need to exercise your own personal judgement to see if a freebie is valid. Many people have benefitted from receiving free stuff online and i am sure you can achieve that too, as long as your safeguard yourself against the pitfalls of ordering free samples online. Cheers =)

Ok, one thing that always got me interested in freebies was the sort of delight it can gives to people. Thinking back a few days ago, when i was out partying with my friends, i observe a pheonomenon. Girls get free drinks all the time. I mean, when they go to clubs, pubs, guys buy them drinks all the time, albeit most might want to do it for certain hidden reasons. Guys are happy giving free drinks to girls who drink them. Well, this is common sense, but it has never been clearer to me (maybe i was most sober at that time, thinking about what to write for my blog etc haha) until then. 3 things most important to human survival, air, food and water and women get two of it totally free most of the time, 2 points to women.

Next, after being a freebie webmaster for years, i observed that most of the free samples are catered towards females. From young mothers to housewives, multinational corporations are all trying to forge stronger bonds and brand loyalty with them, which in turn results in many free stuff for females. I am not saying that there are no free stuff for males, just that predominantly, females get more freebies then their male counterparts.

However, i foresee a changing trend. Males might be getting as much free stuff as females in the coming years. But until that day come, females will be the one leading the pack, hunting for free stuff, and getting them =) Also, its even more clearer now considering that females are the ones using the household income, doing the grocery shopping etc. most of the times.

With that said, i end my posts, do let me know how you feel about this post, its quite a thought provoking post but the world of free stuff is pretty mundane, i will come up with something way cooler for my next post that is not only educational, but fun and will help you avoid the pitfalls of scouring for free stuff online =)

1. Http://www.heyitsfree.net/
The number of fans at this site speaks volume about how great the site is in providing free stuff and freebies to the internet community. The site often tries to update with relevant freebies for its users. The site has also generated a considerable amount of influence among the freebie hunters. Also, even though the host of the site is experiencing some personal problems, he has never failed to humor his visitors with his light hearted description about the free stuff and freebies he list.

2. Http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/
This free stuff site/blog is very straight forward. You see the images and title, if you like what you see, request for the freebies. Otherwise, go to their next freebie. The site updates regularly, almost daily so you can always find something new at the site.

3. Http://www.justfreestuff.com/
One of the few sites that has been around for quite a while yet remain relevant with the times and has continued to improve itself, Just Free Stuff is one of the most widely visited site online. Besides listing free stuff and freebies, they also have ties with other free services sites and recommend a list of useful sites for your various needs.

4. Http://www.active-freebies.com/
Active Free Stuff’s sister site. If you think we are similar in content, you cannot be more wrong. Active Freebies lists tons of free stuff and freebies that are legitimate most of the time. Also, they are gaining increasing popularity among their Facebook fans. Visit them to see their free stuff listings =)

5. Http://www.activefreestuff.com/ 
Well, the first choice i would recommend is definitely still our site haha. We regularly update with real free stuff and free offers. Also, we have a host of other attractive pages like our free money sweepstakes, promotions and more. Our site is also gaining a lot of momentum and seems to be more and more popular nowadays with higher user interactions.

With that said, you can suggests relevant free stuff sites here or if you disagree with me, let us know! We will be waiting to hear from you =)