free stuff

I love free stuff. In the past I have written about free software, free music, free activities and free services. Today I present:

Free money (via slickdeals)

Spend at least $30 with a merchant that accepts PayPal and get a $15 rebate. Just sign up for this promotion and then purchase something with your PayPal account by March 31. You will be automatically credited with your money, hassle-free.


Free minutes (via gizmodo)

I’ve written about Skype before. It’s an easy way to save on long-distance and conference call fees. Computer-to-computer call are free, and computer-to-phone calls using SkypeOut are not more than 2.1 cents per minute. Various inexpensive plans are available, but to celebrate Chinese New Year, Skype is offering 24 free SkypeOut minutes. Get yours by following this link.

Free shipping and returns

Shoes seem like an odd thing to purchase on the internet. There are hard to fit: each manufacturer has different sizing, and even within a brand the shape and comfort can vary widely. Construction and material are especially important for shoes, and those can be hard to assess from a photo. Online companies realize this, and the best ones have developed a solution: free shipping and free returns.

Zappos offers free overnight shipping, and Endless take sevice a step further by charging a negative $5 for overnight DHL. Add in good prices and great selection, and you are presented with offers that are hard to refuse whether you are shopping for men’s, women’s or children’s styles. I’ve used both services, and if I didn’t have more shoes than almost all of the women I know, I might order these, these, these or these.