"It seems like a scam and looks like a scam, one of the hottest accesories being given away for nothing. where's the catch you ask, well there isn't one if you're a savvy customer...and it's not just ipods you can also get free flatscreen tvs and computers..."

"...the purpose is to get eyeballs looking at adverts, companies are willing to bribe customers just to try out their products...It's a sign of how desperate marketers have become to get new customers, that you don't actually need to buy anything on this site, all you need to do to get your free ipod is simply to sign up to a free trial and there are some pretty reputble companies here..."

"So can the economics of this possibly work the customer gets a free ipod worth $300. In return the website has 6 people signed up to free trials, that's $50 each. The website then charges each advertiser a bounty between $30 to $70 for delivering each customer, so the website covers it's costs."

"It's getting harder and harder, in other words, for a company to reach a customer, which is why they are prepared to pay them."

"We've developed partnerships with some of the biggest online advertisers...They pay us a referral fee, to send them new, potential customers..."

"If the user completes at least one offer and refers at least 5 friends, that covers the cost of the ipod, and the shipping, as well as our overhead costs..."

"Using your user base to acquire new customers is a common practice in everything from gym memberships to cell phones and online services...you refer a friend, you get a free month at the gym or free cell phone minutes..."

"The teenager’s success is down to a business move known as affiliate marketing, a web-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts."

"Jonathan added: “I partner with some advertisers, and they send me commission each time I get them a new customer. I offer visitors to my website a reward when they sign up."

"Advertisers were very quick to realise the potential of the network. Affiliate marketing is highly successful for advertisers because they only pay when they see results."