Rebate Blog

Welcome to RebateBlog.com

We've been running the Free After Rebate blog for years: it's a site that specializes in products that are free (or at least under $5) after mail-in rebates. We kept finding rebates that didn't qualify for Free After Rebate, but were great deals nonetheless. So we created Rebate Blog — a site dedicated to high-value rebate deals on tech stuff: computer hardware, software, accessories, and electronics.

Rebate Blog simply lists our hand-picked deals, along with pricing and rebate details for each.

How companies can offer these rebates

While price-cutting promotions and loss-leader pricing are commonplace, you might wonder why companies offer rebates with such high dollar amounts, or high percentages off the retail price. How can they sell a $400 printer (hypothetical example) for $49.99? Well, if everybody took advantage of the rebate programs, the vendors would probably stop running these promotions. Statistics show that the rebate redemption rate is usually under 30% and maybe as low as 10%. Here's the trick: the people who don't apply for the rebate subsidize the people that do.

The redemption rate is further reduced by mistakes that people make in applying for rebates. The most common of these is failing to follow the instructions (what information to supply, what documentation to include); missing the date by which the claim must be mailed is another common problem.

How to make sure you get yours

The general procedure is quite straightforward: you pay full price for an item up front and, after you receive it, follow the instructions to submit the rebate materials. This usually involves filling out a rebate form and mailing the required rebate materials to an address on the form. Some time later (usually about six to eight weeks) you'll receive a rebate check reimbursing you for all or much of the cost of the item.

Getting the rebate form and instructions

The rebate form may be included in the product box or available online at the merchant's or manufacturer's web site. (We provide links to online rebate forms when we can, but we don't save them on our site). If the form is online, it's a very good idea to save a copy on your hard drive (along with the website address) as well as to print it when you place your order. It happens that links disappear and online forms are taken down — but as long as you have a copy saved you can print it as needed — and it must be honoured as long as its conditions apply.

Read the rebate form

Read the form carefully before you place your order to make sure you understand completely what is required of you.

First: be sure that you've bought the item before the expiration date for the rebate on the item. Sometimes there's a range of dates — after this but before that — in which you must purchase the item.

One thing at a time: almost always you can only apply for a rebate on ONE item per form. And since you usually must include the ORIGINAL proof of purchase that means you can only get one rebate per purchase. Some deals require two or three rebates: in this case, one rebate typically requires the original UPC, and other others will specify "a copy" of the UPC. Make sure the original goes to the right place.

Follow the instructions exactly and send everything they specify. If they require the original receipt or proof of purchase — that's what you must send. If they want the UPC bar code, you'll find that somewhere on the box that contains the product.

When to send it: read over the form and any documentation that comes with the product to determine the date by which your request must be mailed. It's usually a week or two after the date upon which you ordered it. It's a good idea to check this at the time of purchase: otherwise you may have a mad panic to get everything into the mail in time. Note that it's the postmark that proves the mailing date: if you are super-careful you might want to register the letter and retain the receipt.

Protect yourself: photocopy everything you send, record the address you send it to, and make a note in your handy-dandy Blackberry to remind you of the approximate time that you should hear something.

Some gotchas

It may not be permissible to collect a rebate for an item which was purchased with the aid of promotions or other types of coupons.

A rebate may not be given if your mailing address is a box number or postal drawer and not obviously a street address.

If the name and address on the rebate form doesn't match that on the receipt or proof-of-purchase, you may be out of luck.

All you can do is to READ THE FORM most carefully to avoid these!

What if the rebate is overdue?

The law requires that the rebate company give a time frame for the sending of the rebate; if they don't it's 30 days. Typically 6 to 8 weeks is specified on the rebate form. That is an ample period of time. You needn't cut them much slack!

First, be sure you've sent everything in as specified. You DID make a copy of everything, didn't you??? And you did send it to the right place, of course! The first thing to do is to get in touch with customer service at the merchant from which you bought it, and the manufacturer (if the two are different). This is available in the company's literature, their web site, the documentation that comes with the product, and if necessary from the relevant Better Business Bureau. All reputable companies will honour their offers, and if you're reasonable about it they may let you off the hook if you've made some simple mistake. But unless you go after them, they likely won't be aware there's a problem.

If you believe you are rightfully owed a rebate, be persistent in following up. Some companies are counting on your letting it go. If the rebate never arrives or arrives late, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the state Attorney General, or the Better Business Bureau.

Bait and switch?

It doesn't happen too often but sometimes a rebate offer may change before its expiration date. Usually this is a mistake — a failure to communicate within the rebating company — but sometimes it's deliberate. It is in fact illegal but is rather difficult to prove, especially in such a dynamic medium as the Internet. As always, keep a copy of everything to prove your point. All reputable companies will honor their offers or will satisfy you in some other way.

Problems with the links at RebateBlog.com

Ad blockers and personal firewalls can sometimes prevent you from successfully reaching the links to the products we list. If you have trouble with any of the links, temporarily disable (or better yet, reconfigure) any ad blockers and personal firewalls, reload the RebateBlog.com web page, and try the link again. Another possible source of this problem is that the affiliate (the "gateway" link between RebateBlog.com and the merchants) may be down temporarily" if this is the case, please wait and try it again later.

Advice for Canadian purchasers

Some manufacturers do and some manufacturers do not allow rebates for purchasers in Canada. This can be determined by looking carefully at the rebate information; if it says "available only in the U.S." then you're out of luck. But even if it doesn't explicitly state that the rebate is available to Canadian purchasers, there may be hints: Canadian prices quoted, for instance. To make certain, ask questions, go to the web site of the merchant or the manufacturer, write a letter if necessary. It's worth doing.

Legal Disclaimer

RebateBlog.com is an independent information resource. We take no responsibility for anything a vendor or manufacturer may say or do; we cannot work on your behalf if something goes wrong. Our service is to list the products rebates which we have tried out and found to live up to their advertising; but we can't guarantee the accuracy or even the continued existence of the information we post — the vendors control it, not us, and they can change it or delete it at their whim.

Have Fun with RebateBlog.com

We love buying stuff with rebates — we at Rebate Blog have been doing it for years, and have rarely felt cheated out of rebates that we rightfully deserved. So why are there so many caveats on this rebate guide page? Because we want you to get the rebates that you rightfully deserve, too. If you follow the guidelines presented here, we're confident that you will.

Enjoy!