Consumer Reports' Tips For Getting Freebies Online

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- You can get a lot of stuff on the Internet.

Most of it you have to pay for, and that's no fun.

But there is some stuff you can get online without paying a penny. Consumer Reports ShopSmart Magazine has found the best freebies, everything from cosmetics to pet food.

Consumer Reports ShopSmart Magazine has a lot of tips on how to get tons of free stuff, including Beneful dog food, Gevalia Espresso Coffee fixings, Emergen-C Vitamins, all kinds of beauty products and even free downloadable movies to keep the family entertained.

"The first thing to do is look at websites that aggregate free offers," said Jody Rohlena, of Consumer Reports ShopSmart. "We especially liked Freeflys. We got more free stuff from there than any other website."

Some other aggregator sites worth checking out: HeyItsFree, Hunt4Freebies, ICraveFreebies, PinchMe and SweetFreeStuff - that's where Shopsmart got the free movie.

ShopSmart was able to order more than 50 items in a few hours of online searching.

No-shows were a problem though. About half the freebies hadn't arrived 10 weeks after they'd been ordered.

Another problem, a flood of email marketing pitches clogging your inbox. So set up a separate email address just for freebie shopping.

Another tip when shopping for freebies: keep your credit card in your wallet.

"Shipping should be free, so there is no reason to give your credit card information. If they ask you to give your card number, don't do it," said Rohlena.

It's also worth looking at manufacturers' sites like Pillsbury or Walmart. You can often get coupons for a free full-sized product. But ShopSmart says be aware that if you do score a free coupon, you usually have to pick the item up at the store.

RELATED LINKS:
More Consumer Reports
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More Reports by Susan Koeppen

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