Same reason chip manufacturers offer free samples. Some portion of the people who buy one 3-cent button are going to come back in a couple weeks and order fort

Same reason chip manufacturers offer free samples. Some portion of the people who buy one 3-cent button are going to come back in a couple weeks and order forty thousand 3-cent buttons. Free, fast shipping on the first button is to entice you to use that button for your design instead of someone else's.