The Sample Shelf

Taken down, and why. Kept for two months so you know it was real.
Shelf A–C D–H I–M N–R S–Z Off the shelf How this works Shipping House rules

March

Brand Was Why it came down Removed
Corbridge Skin 5 ml serum vial Added a $3.95 “handling” charge, which is a sale. Mar 11
Ashcombe Candle Tealight pair Form closed without notice. Two consecutive checks failed. Mar 6
Denby Row Cocoa sachet Now requires a newsletter confirmation click before it ships. Mar 3

February

Brand Was Why it came down Removed
Wexley Mills Flour sample Ran out. The brand said so on its own site, which is rare and welcome. Feb 25
Portloe Salt Salt tin Ran out. Feb 18
Kirkstead Tea Two bags Started requiring an account with a password. Not a sample any more. Feb 12
Aldgate Bath Bath salt sachet Ran out, restock promised for April. Feb 4

Six of the last nine removals were simple stock-outs, which is how it should look. When the reason is a new charge or a new account requirement we say that plainly, because that is the pattern worth watching — an offer that turns into a funnel is not the same offer.

What gets a brand a permanent mark

  • Asking for card details for a free item.
  • Auto-enrolling a request into a paid subscription.
  • Filling requests with a coupon instead of the sample and not saying so.

Three brands carry a permanent mark. They are not named here because we do not want the page to be a directory of them; they simply never come back on the shelf.
How a listing gets on here · back to the shelf