For instance, my 'free' business checking account comes with a $15 monthly service charge if I don't pay at least three bills each month using the bill-pay service. Many banks will lure you in with free checking, but don't sign on the dotted line until you really understand what's being offered. You will find that on many occasions, identical products work out cheaper when you actually opt to pay separate shipping. So the next time you are looking at deals online, do some comparison shopping - especially on eBay. As you can see, the latter is actually the better deal - but people don't see it that way. When researching this, I discovered that it was better to charge $19.95 for a product and offer free shipping than it was to charge $14.95 and $3.95 shipping. In fact, one of the most popular ways to sort products on eBay is to click the box that says 'free shipping.' Free ShippingĪs an occasional eBay seller, I know the power of free shipping. (See also: 20 Ways to Entertain Your Kids for Free) 1. Here are eight instances when something free may end up costing you in the long run.

But, even when there doesn't appear to be one, free is not always what it's cracked up to be. It's become so bad that we are always skeptical, and look for asterisks or legal copy to see what the catch is. Free has to be one of the most abused words in the English language.

Bad things free