Zelda Collection cost the price of a Nintendo Power subscription or a $79.99-$99.99 GameCube bundle. I remember Wal-Mart having the bundle on sale for $80 on Black Friday, which is how I got it instead of subscribing to a poor magazine for the chance to get the game while supplies lasted.
Wasn't something that was free for most of us that normally don't subscribe or already owned a GameCube.
The Zelda Collectors Edition was free if you registered 2 games and a Gamecube on Nintendo.com. No purchase was necessary. Most people got it this way.
"One of the ways I gauge a DS game is by recharges. "...Tycho (Penny Arcade)