Rodnitzky searched for "free Xbox" on Google and got 31 advertisers in the results, while his search for "free iPod" returned 15. In the iPod example, one of the landing pages is TopConsumerGifts.com, which offers up the coveted media player in exchange for completing a total of eight sponsor offers.
The sponsor offers come from various companies like NetFlix and Columbia House, and while many of them offer 30-day free trial periods, Rodnitzsky's scrutiny of TopConsumerGifts' fine print reveals that to receive the iPod, you actually need to purchase something in six out of the eight offers. Renege and the agreement is forfeited. And at an average cost of at least $30 per offer, the unsuspecting searcher has just spent $180 to get his or her "free" iPod.