Who doesn’t like free stuff? I know the popularity of free hoodia samples is very tempting to people. After all, hoodia is fast becoming one of the top weight loss supplements available. Who wouldn’t want a free sample of an all natural weight loss supplement that has virtually no side effects?

With so many brands of hoodia available, it is only natural that supplement companies offer to give consumers free hoodia samples. Of course, companies hope that once you try their hoodia you will come back and buy more. Many people see giving away free hoodia samples as a win-win situation for everyone involved. The consumer gets free hoodia samples and the company gets a potential customer.

There is a down side to getting those free hoodia samples that you should know about. It is believed that upwards of 80% of the hoodia in the marketplace is not authentic. Since only products made with authentic hoodia gordonii can suppress your appetite, trying out these fakes is really a waste of time. Trying these freebies may also give you a bad impression of hoodia if your samples didn’t work!

Before you agree to receive free hoodia samples from a company, make sure the hoodia they are offering you is authentic and not fake. The two easiest ways to identify real hoodia from fake hoodia is to view the company’s CITES certificates and their lab test results which were completed through an independent lab.

CITES is a certificate that is required by all companies who import and sell authentic hoodia gordonii. If a company doesn’t obtain one, they can’t legally import and sell hoodia. Since fake hoodia is so prevalent, companies that sell real hoodia gordonii want to make sure that the consumers know that what they are selling is authentic. To do that, they will have their products randomly tested on a regular basis by independent labs for authenticity.

Companies that are on the up-and-up will display their certificates and lab test results. It is there way of assuring consumers that they are using authentic hoodia in their products. If you find yourself on a website and you can’t locate a CITES certificates or lab test results, you can be guaranteed they are not dealing in authentic hoodia. Agreeing to receive free hoodia samples from them is a bad idea.

Often times when you agree to accept free hoodia samples you are the one paying for the shipping and handling. Some free hoodia samples come with a twist, too. If you don’t do certain things after you receive your free sample, some companies will sign you up to be automatically shipped their hoodia products – and you may be billed for your original “free” samples.

When a company signs you up in an autoship program this means they will send you a supply of their product on a regular basis and charge you for it. Granted, these kinds of programs are very nice for someone if they are dealing with a company that is dealing in authentic hoodia gordonii products. In fact, it can be very cost effective and convenient.

The catch is to make sure you know how to cancel out of the trial before you get signed up for something you don’t want to be shipped to you. Make sure you know how to get yourself out of an autoship program if you find you don’t want it, later. Many times getting out of these programs is very difficult.

There are many people who have had their credit ruined simply because they accepted some free hoodia samples. They were unable to cancel their trials because they couldn’t get in touch with representatives of the company, or their requests to cancel were ignored. But, charges were made like clockwork to their credit cards for the hoodia they were automatically being shipped.

Before you agree to receive any free hoodia samples, read all of the information involved. Call the number given to you as a point of contact to verify that you can indeed reach a live individual on the other end. Once you do reach them by telephone, get a feel for their company by asking questions about their offer.

You should do the same with any email addresses that are given to you. Send out an email to the address to see if you get a personal response from someone. Did they answer your questions? Did they get back to you in a timely fashion? If you can’t reach a live person, or if your emails are ignored, forego the free hoodia trial. It probably isn’t worth the hassle you may find yourself in down the road.

Yes, free hoodia samples and hoodia trials are a wonderful way to save money while you sample hoodia products. Just be very cautious about who you hand over your credit card information to and make sure they are a reputable company that isn’t full of loopholes. These guidelines should help you find legitimate free hoodia samples without wrecking your credit in the process!