It could face higher advertising costs in the future as Google ( GOOG) discontinued its free product listing service effective in the fall of 2012, replacing it with a new fee-based listing service.

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If you're putting on free events, then listing them is free.

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Type in your demographic information and you'll see a screen listing your free-sample options -- everything from cleaning products to Harlequin romance novels to toiletries.

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Unlike eBay EachNet, which charged its sellers for listing and transaction fees, Taobao was free to use.

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Google spent millions of dollars on Get Your Business Online, a nationwide campaign that included multiday workshops in states such as Iowa and Texas in which Google helped local businesses set up websites and an online business listing tied to its search engine, free of charge.

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