/General Questions
Question
Is “free + shipping” still a thing or just a way to attract bad customers?
Posted by •11/19/2025
I keep seeing people talk about “free + shipping” funnels:
- Product is “FREE”
- Customer pays $7–$12 for shipping
- You make profit in the shipping and upsells
Some say it's amazing for building lists and getting lots of orders.
Others say it attracts the worst type of customers (cheap, more refunds, more complaints).
I'm considering testing it with a low-cost accessory in my niche:
- Product cost: around $3 shipped
- Thinking of doing “FREE, just pay $9.95 shipping”
Questions:
1. Is this model still working in 2025 or are customers too used to it / suspicious?
2. Does it mess with your payment processors (PayPal, Stripe) because of higher refund/chargeback risk?
3. Would you recommend it for a beginner, or should I stick to a normal paid product offer first?
- Product is “FREE”
- Customer pays $7–$12 for shipping
- You make profit in the shipping and upsells
Some say it's amazing for building lists and getting lots of orders.
Others say it attracts the worst type of customers (cheap, more refunds, more complaints).
I'm considering testing it with a low-cost accessory in my niche:
- Product cost: around $3 shipped
- Thinking of doing “FREE, just pay $9.95 shipping”
Questions:
1. Is this model still working in 2025 or are customers too used to it / suspicious?
2. Does it mess with your payment processors (PayPal, Stripe) because of higher refund/chargeback risk?
3. Would you recommend it for a beginner, or should I stick to a normal paid product offer first?
4 Replies
•11/19/2025
Got it. I'll focus on making a normal paid offer work first and maybe experiment with free+shipping later when I understand my numbers better. Makes sense that it's more of an advanced funnel than a beginner shortcut.
•11/19/2025
If you really want to use it, make the **shipping page stupidly clear**.
Example copy:
- “Product is 100% free, you only pay for secure tracked shipping and handling: $9.95”
- Repeat that line in:
- Product description
- Cart
- Checkout line items
Ambiguity is what gets you angry emails and disputes.
Example copy:
- “Product is 100% free, you only pay for secure tracked shipping and handling: $9.95”
- Repeat that line in:
- Product description
- Cart
- Checkout line items
Ambiguity is what gets you angry emails and disputes.
•11/19/2025
One issue nobody mentions: **payment disputes**.
I ran a free+shipping funnel for phone grips:
- $0 product, $9.95 shipping
- Got sales, but also:
- “I thought shipping was free” disputes
- People forgetting what they bought
- Higher PayPal disputes (bad for account health)
Payment providers really don’t like:
- Lots of low-ticket transactions
- With a relatively high dispute/refund rate
If your main goal is to keep your accounts clean as a beginner, I wouldn’t start here.
I ran a free+shipping funnel for phone grips:
- $0 product, $9.95 shipping
- Got sales, but also:
- “I thought shipping was free” disputes
- People forgetting what they bought
- Higher PayPal disputes (bad for account health)
Payment providers really don’t like:
- Lots of low-ticket transactions
- With a relatively high dispute/refund rate
If your main goal is to keep your accounts clean as a beginner, I wouldn’t start here.
•11/19/2025
It still works **mechanically**, but the quality of customers you attract is usually worse.
Think about the psychology:
- People who jump on “FREE, just pay shipping” are:
- Extremely price sensitive
- Less likely to buy higher-ticket products later
- More likely to complain if anything is slightly off
If you use it, treat it as:
- A **lead generation play**, not pure profit.
- The goal is to get them on your list, then sell them a “real” product later.
For beginners, I usually recommend:
- Start by proving you can sell a normal, fairly priced offer profitably.
- Once you understand your numbers, THEN test weird funnels like free+shipping.
Think about the psychology:
- People who jump on “FREE, just pay shipping” are:
- Extremely price sensitive
- Less likely to buy higher-ticket products later
- More likely to complain if anything is slightly off
If you use it, treat it as:
- A **lead generation play**, not pure profit.
- The goal is to get them on your list, then sell them a “real” product later.
For beginners, I usually recommend:
- Start by proving you can sell a normal, fairly priced offer profitably.
- Once you understand your numbers, THEN test weird funnels like free+shipping.