Even though the question may seem silly at first, the short answer is that it is definitely possible to get coffee samples completely free. That includes free shipping. It’s also possible to get free samples in person, but that’s not the topic of this post so I won’t say any more on that here.
The reason why people may scoff at the question is that getting completely free coffee samples can sound like a scam. So it turns out many people are right, because more often than not it’s at least part of a disingenuous plot. Said another way, suggesting the possibility of getting free samples can be part of gimmicks such as click bait (getting additional website traffic while offering nothing of value) and phising (tricking people into sharing sensitive information such as credit card numbers).
What’s the catch then, why would a company give away coffee and pay for shipping too? Companies legitimately do this as part of their marketing plan. It can be viewed as an investment (it’s part of a promotional budget), because a few ounces of free coffee can lead to regular purchases of many pounds of coffee in the future. If someone likes the coffee, they’ll be back for more as a paying customer.
A Case Study of an Article about Free Coffee Samples
This post (my post) is an introduction into the topic of free coffee samples. A lot can be said to help people save time and avoid scams, so I will be following up with more information in the near future.
For now, I will be dissecting one article I found on the internet when I performed a search for free coffee samples. My intentions are not calling specific people out by naming names. For one thing, my impression is that the person who wrote the article had good intentions (which is better than I can say about many others).
This particular article I examined mentioned over 20 ways to get free coffee. That’s general enough so that a specific article won’t be attacked with “hate mail.”
Free? Sometimes Yes, But Usually Only the Coffee
The first thing I want to mention is that I could only readily verify six companies that do in fact offer free coffee samples. None of these companies offer free shipping for the samples, though. To me a free sample that I’m ordering online implies free shipping also. That’s the first catch. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only catch as I will be explaining below.
What about the other 14 plus “free samples?” I’ll also be explaining that below. For now, I’ll say that some are neither available by mail nor in some cases otherwise available at all.
The Best of the Rest
No nice way to say what follows occurs to me right now. Most of the leads in this article are either obsolete or wishful thinking. You’ll understand what I mean better when I mention the “best” of the rest. At best, free samples from three additional companies MAY at times be available by mail. If and when they are, you can expect to pay for the shipping.
From this point forward, we only get farther removed from tangible free coffee samples in the mail. What I understand by free coffee samples in the mail is receiving a few ounces of coffee without paying any money at all. Not even the companies in the section above met that criteria. Some were close, but still. If I’m not getting free shipping, then it’s not what I had in mind.
The “free samples” in this best of the rest section most of the time are nothing but an illusion. You can imagine the sorts of things that are left to mention below.
The Good, The Bad, and Finally the Ugly
Now that the “good” and the bad have been discussed above, it’s time to look at the ugly. It’s not just one type of ugly. There’s everything from picking up a sample at a kiosk (maybe) to one that looks like an outright phishing scam.
WALK IN OPTIONS
There are stores that have Freeosk machines that sometimes have coffee samples. There is also a company from the first section that will give free samples in person at a location in Wisconsin. The chances of that are so low, that even the “maybe” Freeosk option seems better (at least there are Freeosk machines in many different stores).
COFFEE SHOPS
Getting a free cup of coffee at a coffee shop with loyalty points (after previously buying several cups of coffee) and free coffee samples in the mail to me isn’t even an apples and oranges comparison. It’s more like comparing fruits and vegetables.
STAY AWAY FROM THE KONA!
I’m going to skip a few other potential sources of free coffee samples that are even farther removed from free coffee in the mail than the ones above. I’m going to mention the Kona offer as the most potentially worrisome, but what I’ll be covering applies in general to some similar ones.
Here is the link to the official Kona Coffee website: https://www.konacoffee.com/. The link for the Kona Coffee free sample is: https://s3.amazonaws.com/konacoffee/index.html?. Enough said for those who know about scams. For the benefit of those who might not know as much about these matters, I will explain further.
If I type the second link in a search engine, one of the results contains: “S3.amazonaws.com is a misleading domain, which has been reported for hijacking web browser’s new tab URL …” in the short description. Let’s say there’s that less than 1% chance that it’s actually a legitimate web address, I wouldn’t give it a try unless I contacted Kona Coffee first.
A similar warning applies to websites that aren’t secure. There’s one of those too in the article I’m using for the case study. Always make sure that the site is secure. When the complete address isn’t visible to show “https” there is usually an icon like a lock, for example. In general, never enter any personal information in a website that begins only with “http.” Especially if something being offered is “free” or “too good to be true.”
Read the Fine Print
In closing, I want to share my perspective when it comes to “free” things in general. I treat everything I read as fine print. Taking extra time to read everything carefully is not something any of us would like to do, but it can save us from a lot of headaches later on.
The best way to get a free coffee sample in the mail with free shipping is to contact each company directly. Be honest and be nice in explaining your situation. You can say something like, “I have heard great things about ______ Coffee, and would love to sample it before I commit to buying a large quantity. Is there a way I can do this risk free?” Companies will usually know what you mean by that.
Please feel free to share suggestions on how to be careful with offers for free coffee or any other related tips you might have in the comments section.