Debunking the Myth of Free Samples: A Business Owner’s Perspective

Free samples are just something we don’t do, although I totally get that folks might not want to spend 50 bucks with us to get free shipping or to spend nine bucks on shipping for just one lip on. At the end of the day, someone has to pay for shipping. It’s either me or the customer. If someone spends $50 in my online shop, I’m happy to put the Bill. And it costs me $9 to ship an order to the US. But if they’re only buying one lip balm at $7, I’d have to pay $2 for my own pocket just to get it to them. And that’s if they actually paid for that one lip bomb. If I send it to someone for free, I’m out the entire $9 in shipping cost plus the cost of my product. And from my experience, people who request free samples rarely turn into customers. I tried it once a few years ago. All people had to pay was the shipping and none of the people who claimed a sample ever came back to buy. In order for my business to be successful, I need to be really wise about how I spend my marketing dollars. And free samples just ain’t it.