The Freebie Trading Industry: How To Get Started
by Mike [The Prudent Geek]

What should I do before trading?

Create a new Email Account
You will use that email account to manage all of your freebie trading information.

Create a PayPal Account
Visit paypal.com and create an account. When you create your account, use the email account you just created. After you create your account, you will need to add your bank account so that your account can be considered verified. PayPal will make two small deposits into your account. You need to check your bank statement and verify that you own that account (by completing a form on PayPal that tells them how much they deposited into your account).

You might want to consider applying for a PayPal debit card. There aren’t many fees associated with the card, but they do take charge a fee for all funds you receive. Visit PayPal to see what fees they do charge.

Download Firefox
Once you download Firefox, do the following…

Menu Bar > Tools > Privacy…

• Remember my browsing history
• Accept cookies from sites
• Accept third-party cookies
• Keep Until: they expire
• Optional: Clear History when Firefox closes

I think history should be cleared whenever Firefox closes. You will also clear your Recent History (Menu Bar >Tools > Clear Recent History) before completing offers. This will be discussed more in depth at a later time.

Disable Popup Blockers
You will need to disable popup blockers and browser add-ons. There are some people that advise others to turn off anti-virus software and firewalls too. I don’t want to encourage anyone to do so; that is a decision you will need to make on your own. However, if you aren’t able to go green (see glossary), you may want to investigate and see if that is the culprit.

Register at The Freebie Exchange
The Freebie Exchange (TFX) is a forum that brings freebie traders together. On the forums, you will be able to find trades and useful resources. If you haven’t registered already, feel free to list me as your referrer.

Here is my referral link:
http://www.thefreebieexchange.com/forums/register.php?referrerid=11107

If you don’t register through me or list me as your referrer, you will be assigned a mentor when you register. If you list me as your referrer, I will be picked to be your mentor. Do whatever you think will be best for you.

 

Getting Started on The Freebie Exchange

Forum & Trade Rules
http://www.thefreebieexchange.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=91

Cash for Ref Trading Introduction (similar to my guide)
http://www.thefreebieexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35

Complete Step by Step Video Guide
http://www.thefreebieexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3369

Glossary of Terms in the Freebie Trading Industry
http://www.thefreebieexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4210

Other Sites
Everything in this guide pertains to completing trades through The Freebie Exchange, but there are a couple other sites like TFX. Feel free to check out other sites too if you want.

How to Start Trading
I can give you a couple of referrals to start, or you can find some on your own through the forum. I would suggest completing a referral for cash trade first. That way, you will get paid for creating an account with an Incentivized Freebie Website (IFW) – an account that you will need to earn money anyway. PM me and let me know if you would like me to make some suggestions for you.

The Steps of Trading (as a seller/trader)

1) Agree on a Trade via PM or a forum post. I would suggest using the forum to organize all trades unless you are trading your mentor or trusted friend on the forum.

2) Create a trade using the Trade Manager on Freebie Society. Only one party can create the trade. The other person will have to confirm that terms of the trade. I would suggest that you let the buyer or more experience trader (in the event of a referral for referral trade) create a trade. Once the terms are confirmed, you, the seller (or both traders) can begin to complete offers on the referrer’s website by starting with the next step.

3) Clear your Recent History (Menu Bar >Tools > Clear Recent History)

4) Visit the IFW using the referral link you were provided with in the Trade Manager.

5) Register at the IFW using all of your real information. A lot of this information is verified (i.e. telephone via a phone call with PIN verification). You must use a landline or cell phone. VOIP lines aren’t allowed.

6) Browse the offers and find an affiliate’s offer you are interested in. Keep the credits you need to accumulate in order go green in mind.

7) Once you find an affiliate’s offer, close the browser and clear your Recent History.

8) With nothing open, revisit the website and login to your account.

9) Complete the offer you found earlier.

10) Stay on the confirmation page for five minutes. Do not surf the internet or leave that page. This will deter problems with crediting from occurring.

11) Complete steps 6-10 over again until you reached the number of credits required to go green.

12) Once you have finished the offers and have received credit*, you need to wait until you are paid for completing the offer**. Some traders may need to be contacted while others won’t. After they have noticed that you have completed the offer, they will request payment from the IFW. Once they receive payment, they will be able to pay you. After paying you, they will confirm that the trade is completed on their end. Once you receive payment, you can confirm that the trade is completed too.

*If you don’t receive credit, you may need to submit a Manual Credit Request (MCR)
**If you are trading referral for referral, cash will not be exchanged. Therefore, the trade is completed when both traders go green.

13) Once the trade is completed, both parties are eligible to leave feedback in the Trade Manager.

Making Money: Your Long Term Goal

Eventually, you will want to get away from completing so many offers. Once you have a couple of accounts with various IFWs, you can paying to refer others. If you don’t want to pay people, you can trade referrals for referrals. You can set your compensation amount so you are paying the referee (seller) a little less than what you are paid for referring them (as the buyer). You still might want to complete offers every now and then, but you will be able to choose which offer best suits you.

Oh, you can also request to be a Mentor on Freebie Society after you have 10 posts. You will need to apply (have an iTrader of 10 before you can apply) and pay $10 per month, but as long as your mentees help you bring in more than $10 worth a month, you are making a profit. Some mentors make as much as $800-1200 a month – that is all supplemental income for them. You probably won’t make anywhere near that unless you can really build your reputation up right away, but making $50-100 or so a month isn’t a bad start.

The Steps of Trading (as a buyer)

1) Agree on a Trade via PM or a forum post. I would suggest using the forum to organize all trades unless you are trading your mentor or trusted friend on the forum.

2) Create a trade using the Trade Manager on Freebie Society. Only one party can create the trade. The other person will have to confirm that terms of the trade. As the buyer, I would suggest that you create the trader. Once the terms are confirmed, the seller (or both traders) can begin to complete offers on the referrer’s website by starting with the next step.

3) Wait for the seller to complete any offers required to go green.

4) Request money from the IFW once the seller goes green.

5) Pay the seller going green once you receive the money.

6) Confirm the trade has been completed after you have paid the seller.

7) Wait for the buyer to confirm that he or she has received payment and that the trade is completed.

8) Once the trade is completed, both parties are eligible to leave feedback in the Trade Manager.

Glossary

affiliate’s offer: An offer that a user may complete to earn credits in an attempt to go green.

buyer: The person offering the referral that is paying for a cash referral.

credits: What you receive for completing an offer. After you complete an offer, there is usually a short wait before the offer shows up as being credited to your account (varies depending on the offer).

go green: When all of the required offers are completed.

Incentivized Freebie Website (IFW): The website that lists affiliate offers and pays users for referring users that go green.

Manual Credit Request (MCR): A form completed whenever you complete an offer and don’t receive credit. Some IFWs don’t permit MCRs on any or all of their offers.

seller: The person being referred and that is paid for a cash referral.

trader: The two individuals that are exchanging a referral for a referral.