Getting Rebates for items you need and want
One of the best ways to save money is the use of rebates. Rebates actually exist for a large number of products that you already need and many you might be interested in trying. The internet offers a huge collection of these rebates and information on how to obtain them. Many times, there are rebate opportunities directly on the packaging of a product.
FreeAfter (http://www.freeafter.com)
offers many rebate deals along with a calendar indicating when offers
expire.
As you know, of course, rebates do require a large amount of patience. Some research suggests that less than 50% of all eligible rebates are redeemed; with these low statistics, companies know they can still make a large amount of profit while positioning their product so as to receive the maximum amount of free advertising as possible. Retailers and companies will require very specific terms and conditions to be met for each rebate, and they will deny rebates that do not meet those exact specifications.
This rebate requires the user to complete 7 separate steps (buy the
product, complete the form, attach the sticker, retain receipt, circle
product on receipt, write UPC code, and mail in form). If one is
missing, rebate might be denied
The upside of rebates is that you ultimately get a product, sometimes a costly one, for free. You just need to make sure that the company honors the rebate and that you get your money.
Tips for Securing Rebates Successfully
In order to successfully and efficiently receive your rebate, make sure to follow the tips below. They are designed to make this process as easy for you as possible.
- Check often for new rebates - There are several
sites around the web that post new rebate opportunities
all of the time, sometimes daily. My favorite of
these is the Rebates section of Free Stuff Times (http://www.freestufftimes.com/far).
This site provides you will all of the necessary
information, and most posts are quality rebates.
- Keep track of your rebates and their status - When
you submit a rebate, make sure to to keep a copy of all
forms and receipts you submitted. Additionally,
make sure to log when the rebate was submitted and when
the date is that your money should arrive by. If
the rebate doesn't arrive, you will need to make calls
to each company and provide all of this information to
them. Fortunately, rebates usually arrive even
ahead of schedule these days.
- Make use of online rebates - Many rebates,
especially those offered by big chain stores, now have
an option where you can submit the rebate online.
This will save you time, allow your rebate to arrive
faster, and save you the postage of mailing in a rebate.
- Watch out for shipping costs and tax - Depending on
how the offer is set up, you may not receive a rebate
for shipping costs or tax you pay on a purchase.
This would result in your item now being free.
Although the price may still be great, if you are
attempting to make a profit off of the items you get for
free, this may be something you want to make note of.
- Sell you Free-After-Rebate items - Because rebates ultimately make the item free, you may be interested in selling the item after your rebate arrives. I was able to obtain a rebate for Nero 8 and sell it for $50.
A rebate makes the normally very expensive Nero CD / DVD authoring
software suite free.
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