Susan Stribling asked:


Do you remember seeing one of those ads for some wonderful gift while you were surfing or, more likely, staring back at you from your inbox? Maybe it was an offer for a huge Plasma TV or a $500 gift card from Walmart. You looked it over and saw you had to take a survey or sign up with participating merchants before you could get this tempting gift. Then you thought “That’s crazy. It must be a scam.”

Surprise! Those offers are for real, and people do get them. The freebie form of advertising is a major business tool that works – and it works for them and you. Maybe the gifts aren’t literally free because you must spend some money to qualify. If what you commit to are things you want anyway, then it is essentially free. If not, the commitments cost a lot less than what the gift is worth. However, this article isn’t a tutorial to get things free. There is a more fascinating entrepreneurial story to be told.

The freebie advertising industry has created a niche home business opportunity in which thousands of people are participating. Through IFWs (Incentivized Freebie Websites) that promote free products, home businesses are converting the completion of a few inexpensive offers into much greater value. A majority of these freebie sites also offer cash payouts, usually through PayPal, as an option. As expected, most traders take the cash payout option for instant liquidity, but some do choose merchandise to resell on an auction site such as eBay. In either case the profit margin can be quite enticing since initial costs are low.

This niche has grown to include forums established for people to communicate, trade and complete deal agreements on preselected IFWs. Veteran members work freely together and warmly welcome newcomers who are trying to establish their businesses. They offer detailed training assistance and moral support to help each other become reliable trading companions while expecting little in return other than honesty and fairness. Many freebie sites owners are also members of forums and use the forum platform to promote their site and provide instant answers for questions. This spirit of openness, combined with a willingness to share personal matters or a few laughs, gives forum life the feel of a large family. Nevertheless, as with most large families, there a problems.

The prospect of cash payments for a minimal investment attracts hundreds of new people every day, and many of the newcomers enter this community for the wrong reasons. They anticipate instant rewards for little effort and are disappointed when this doesn’t happen. Freebie trading is not a get rich quick business. It requires patience and self discipline to work trades through properly in order to get paid. Often the impatient person will try to circumvent the trading process and thereby leave a trading partner in a sticky situation. Fortunately for the professional trader, forums have developed methods to police and punish such actions. It is common for unfair traders to be punished and unethical traders to be banned from both forums and IFW sites.

A freebie home business is well suited for the average person, and it can be fun as well as rewarding. There are people of all ages from all over the US and Canada, male and female, who share their trades and their stories. Anyone who would like more insight to this fascinating business should visit Project Payday. They are a pioneer in the industry and a major influence in the forum community.

If you decided try freebies as your home business, be patient and the rewards will come. Good luck and have fun with it.



PHIL