Site Review – Ebates

You know, I’ve played a lot with the various “buy through us, and we’ll get you money back.” Even my own businesses built around that concept. It’s just never really paid off for me to work that hard for something versus the return those things gave me. Until now.

EQUATION: According to the Ebates site:

How Ebates Works? Ebates has over 800 merchant partners that pay us for your business. Most sites keep the money, but not Ebates! We send you the savings in the form of a big fat check!

Basically, you buy through them, and they send you a rebate based on the total amount of your purchase. The various merchants have various percentage return rates.

PLUS: I definitely shop through them, so the fact that I use them myself is a plus. The biggest positive to me is the actual stores. You’re not getting rinky dinky mom and pop stores of eclectic goods… You’re getting the big kahunas like Old Navy, Target, and more. And to prove it, here’s my printscreen (click to embiggen): You get paid whatever rebates you’re due each month. I get mine through PayPal.

MINUS: They don’t have EVERY store known to man, so depending on where you’re used to shopping this could be a negative for you. It’s not for me, since they do the big ones I go to. Other than that, I don’t particular care for the colors they use, but that’s a personal aesthetic – site navigation is fine. So – yeah… Not many negatives in my book.

EQUALS: POSITIVE! I love using them, and getting money back. Love it. I use it every time I’m shopping for something. Or – if I find something I’m looking for via other ways, I first go see if I can click through to that store from Ebates. It’s a win/win all around I say.