You don’t have to look far online to find free CBD oil trial offers. The hype over cannabidiol (CBD) supplements has never been higher. Today, a growing number of companies are trying to lure customers in with free trial offers.
Of course, not all CBD oil trial offers are built alike. Some sleazy nutritional supplement manufacturers are trying to get on board the CBD hype train. The same companies that made diet pills and garcinia cambogia supplements for years are now making CBD oil supplements.
What’s the “catch” behind a free CBD oil trial? What kinds of terms and conditions should you watch out for? What’s the difference between a good and bad CBD oil company? Today, we’re explaining everything you need to know about CBD oil products and free trials, including the risks, fees, and terms you need to know about.
Remember: Nobody Gives Anything Away for Free
First and most importantly, let’s clear something up, nobody gives something away for free without expecting something in return. This lesson is especially true on the internet.
On the internet, somebody might give away an email newsletter in exchange for your email address. Your email address gets added to that company’s mailing list. You receive a free newsletter today, but you’ll receive future email advertisements for CBD products.
Or, someone might publish a blog post online. That blog post is available for anyone to read, although the website hosting the blog post is generating ad revenue from every view the article gets.
When someone sells a free trial of a supplement, they’re not giving away that trial out of the goodness of their heart. They’re giving away the trial because they’re making money from the trial in some way or another.
This is how the internet works. Nobody gives away something for free online without expecting something in return. If an offer sounds too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true.
With that lesson in mind, let’s look at some of the strategies CBD companies use today to give away products for free online.
How Can a CBD Company Give Away Products for Free? How CBD Free Trials Work
A growing number of CBD companies are offering free trials of their products online. Some of these companies include reputable, well-known producers like Charlotte’s Web, which offers free trials for its hemp extract oil. Other companies giving away free trials are sleazy supplement manufacturers. In both cases, however, the company giving away CBD for free is expecting something in return.
Here are some of the reasons a CBD company might give a product away for free:
7 Day Free Trials May Have Hidden Fees
Some CBD companies will advertise a “free trial” for their products. Users can get a free, full-sized CBD oil or CBD supplement as part of a “trial”.
At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be a catch. You might be asked to pay a small fee for shipping and handling – say, $5 or $10. You pay the fee with a credit card, enter your shipping address, and the product arrives in the mail a few days later.
You don’t notice any new charges on your credit card. For all intents and purposes, it appears as though you’ve got a full-sized CBD supplement free of charge.
Unfortunately, this is where the scam starts: the fine print of the “free trial offer” explained that the free trial only lasts a certain length of time – typically 7 to 14 days. Once this free trial period is over, you must send the supplement back to the manufacturer. If you do not send the supplement back to the manufacturer before the trial period expires, then your credit card will be charged the full amount for the CBD supplement – which can be anywhere from $80 to $200 per bottle.
This was a common scam with diet pill companies in recent years. Today, many of the same companies are moving into the CBD supplement space.
If a company tries to offer you a free trial of a CBD supplement, make sure you comprehensively read the terms and conditions. It’s easy for a CBD manufacturer to quietly sneak hidden fees into the fine print while absolving themselves of legal responsibility.
The Free Trial Has Excessive Shipping Charges
Other CBD supplement manufacturers take a sneaky approach with free trials: they might claim to sell a supplement totally free of charge as part of a free trial. The only “catch” is that you need to pay a small fee for shipping and handling.
The fee may be something like $10 to $15 for U.S. orders and $20 to $30 for international orders. You don’t think the fee is exorbitant. After all, you’re getting the CBD supplement for free.
In reality, it costs the manufacturer just $1 to produce the CBD supplement and $0.50 to send the supplement anywhere in the world. They’re still generating enormous profit even when giving away the supplement for “free”. You might think you got a great deal, only to realize the CBD supplement you received has a ludicrously low dose of CBD – or no CBD whatsoever.
It’s a Free Trials for a Low-Quality Supplement with a Low Dose of CBD
Good cannabidiol supplements aren’t cheap. The CBD space is exploding with growth, and the demand for high-quality hemp producers is surging. Good CBD supplements made by reputable manufacturers from high-quality sources can be hard to find.
That’s why many manufacturers are turning to low-quality sources of CBD – like synthetic sources. Other manufacturers use good sources of CBD, but they dilute that CBD to a level of purity where it’s unlikely to have any effect on your body.
These companies may be comfortable offering a free trial to customers because the supplement is so cheap to produce. These companies can comfortably sell the CBD supplement for $5 to $20 per bottle because there’s hardly any CBD inside the capsules.
You might think you’re getting a great deal on a CBD supplement, only to realize your CBD supplement hardly has anything inside of it.
Long Delivery Times May Make It Impossible to Test the Product Before the Trial Expires
Some cannabidiol supplement manufacturers claim to offer legitimate free trials. They’ll send you a package of products. You have 14 days to try the products. If you like the products, then you can keep them, and the company will charge you. If you don’t like the products, then you can return them and the company will not charge you.
That all sounds good, but there are hidden problems along the way.
First, the company might offer a 14 calendar day free trial. However, it takes 5 to 7 business days for your product to arrive. That means you might only have a day to test the product before you have to ship it back.
Some companies take this scam to the next level by requiring you to ship the product to some remote country. Your product may have initially been shipped from a U.S. warehouse, for example, but you need to mail the product back to a refund processing center in Cyprus or Singapore to get a refund.
Some CBD free trials begin the day you purchased the free trial. Other free trials begin the day the trial product arrives at your address. Many trial periods, however, are setup deliberately for you to fail. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your CBD supplement’s delivery: it could be impossible to ever cash in on your refund request.
Other Terms and Conditions to Watch Out For
Other cannabidiol (CBD) manufacturers may not offer a free trial, but they hide other problematic information in their terms and conditions. They might sneak in shady refund policies, for example, or make absurd claims about the quality of their products.
Shady Moneyback Guarantee Policies
Some CBD manufacturers try to trick you with shady moneyback guarantee policies. These companies might make big promises about how “satisfaction is guaranteed”. They might promise that you’ll be satisfied by the supplement or “get your money back.”
In reality, these moneyback guarantee policies are virtually impossible to use. The company might list a customer service hotline or email address that doesn’t work, for example. They might take days to respond to your request – by which point the refund period has already expired.
Other companies might make absurd requirements for their guarantee policy. They might refuse to provide a guarantee on opened supplements, for example, and may require your supplement to be returned in perfect condition. How can you try a supplement without actually opening the bottle?
Fake Third Party Lab Testing
Many CBD manufacturers toss around words like “third party lab testing”. Every other CBD manufacturer claims their products are tested by a third party lab, so why can’t we?
In reality, there are few CBD producers that test every batch with a third party lab. The companies that do test their products in a third party lab often publish these results online for anyone to see. It’s a huge signal that a company is committed to selling quality product.
If a company tosses around words like “third party lab tested” without providing any additional proof, documents, or paperwork, then it’s possible there is no third party lab, and that the company is simply using buzzwords to convince you it’s a high-quality product.
Good third party lab testing isn’t cheap. The companies that have legitimate partnerships with third party labs will want to advertise evidence of that lab testing as much as possible.
“Certified Organic”
Right now, cannabis has an unclear legal status nationwide. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill has clarified the status of hemp and CBD across the country, although there are still few ways that a CBD supplement can be certified as organic. There is no USDA Certified Organic status for hemp plants. If a company tries to claim their product has been certified as the USDA for using organic ingredients, then they could be misleading you.
That being said, there are certain other organization that may be able to certify a hemp supplement as organic, and the USDA may begin certifying hemp plants as organic in the future.
USDA has also announced plans to launch USDA Certified Organic status for hemp in the future. In September 2018, the USDA announced plans to move forward with organic certification of industrial hemp production. As of January 2019, however, the USDA certified organic requirements are still being worked out.
Bad Marketing Tactics to Watch For
Cannabidiol may be the most powerful natural compound in the world at treating illnesses. Or, it could be completely useless. The jury is still out on CBD and its effects. Some studies have shown it to be effective at treating certain conditions. Other studies have shown that CBD is no better than a placebo for treating some conditions.
This is a crucial lesson that many CBD manufacturers fail to grasp. Some CBD manufacturers claim their supplements will cure cancer. Others claim that they have other enormous health benefits. Some even claim to be recommended by doctors.
Here are some of the bad marketing tactics to watch for when looking for free CBD supplements and trials online:
“Our CBD Supplement Cures Everything”
Generally, a supplement cannot be advertised as a way to treat any type of disease, illness or condition. You cannot sell a CBD supplement online as an “effective treatment for cancer”, for example. You cannot advertise hemp oil as a “proven cure for AIDS”.
If you see a CBD supplement online that frivolously mentions terms like “cure” and “effective treatment”, then it’s a sign you’re dealing with a shady CBD oil manufacturer.
The world’s most reputable CBD manufacturers are very careful not to make bold health claims about their supplements. Lower-quality manufacturers, meanwhile, love to make bold health claims.
“As Featured On Major Media Outlets”
Other CBD supplement manufacturers make bold claims about their media coverage. The website might be covered with logos for CNN, CNBC, Fox News, CBS News, and other major media outlets. Customers are led to assume that this company’s CBD products have been featured by mainstream media.
In reality, this is rarely the case. Typically, when a CBD manufacturer’s website features the logos of major media outlets, it means one of three things:
- Cannabidiol has been featured by the media outlet in the past (in a general news story unrelated to the manufacturer’s specific CBD supplements)
- The CBD manufacturer paid to host an advertisement on a major media website
- The CBD manufacturer issued a press release, and the press release was automatically reported by a mainstream media outlet
When you see a logo for CNN or The New York Times, you’re led to assume that these media outlets have featured the CBD supplement in some major way. It adds an air of legitimacy to a product. In reality, this is just another way for CBD companies to scam you.
Remember: The CBD Industry is Like the Wild West
Ultimately, the important thing to remember here is that the hemp and CBD oil industry is like the Wild West. There’s limited oversight from governmental officials. Regulatory requirements and certifications are still being established. These issues will be solved over time. Today, however, many CBD manufacturers are still able to take advantage of CBD users looking for free trial offers online.
