Costs Zero: Maybe Not Such a Bargain After All?
A few weeks ago I told you about a new site I stumbled upon called Costs Zero. Costs Zero sells items only for shipping, though they claim you get them at no charge. Since the shipping charges are less money than paying full price on these items, it seemed like there were bargains to be had. I decided to order a couple of cosmetic items so I could report back to you.
I ordered three items. Each item had a separate shipping charge and the total came to $18.00. I assumed they were all coming from different places, which is why each item had a separate charge. So here’s the thing…I receive a handwritten manilla envelope within a couple of days with all three items in the envelope. The shipping cost marked on the envelope was $1.58. Yup. Nice profit.
Here’s something else I noticed about Costs Zero. In the month or so I’ve been checking back at the site, the same 7 or 8 products haven’t changed. I don’t know if that means anything but it sounds to me like someone got a few cases of certain products and are trying to make a little money off them. I’m not sure if stores "pay them to give away the product for free" as claimed, but I do know they’re charging quite the markup on their true shipping charges.
Yes, you still might be getting each product at a cheaper cost than paying retail, but the HUGE inflated shipping charges turned me off and I’ll never use them again. I understand wanting to make a profit, but wouldn’t that come from the stores that "pay them" to give the stuff away?
What do you think?
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2 opinions for Costs Zero: Maybe Not Such a Bargain After All?
irecycle
Dec 24, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Thanks for the tip! I generally never believe any company that advertises something for “free” — they always have hidden costs.
Like the use of the term “free gift” — which is dumb as a gift is by definition free — I tend to think of all claims suspect. We have television advertising corrupting the English language — and our intelligence — with such slogans as “real langostino lobster.”
Lisa
Jan 26, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I checked out the site myself. You are right, they probably make money off of shipping. They do have good deals though.
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