I noticed a thread a few weeks ago on rebates and can't find it.

I'm not the biggest pro on it,but having submitted 113 since december with a total of 600.56 I would like to share my experience on this for anyone who thinks they might not have the time,or is a little skeptical of getting into it.
To date,I've gotten all but 154.09 back and those really aren't due back yet.
I've been rejected on 2.they were 2.00 back on aleve,they said these weren't the correct upc's.I sent one back and told them they never stated not good on the 12 count and just threw the other away.I'll probably be rejected on the pfizer and it's my complete fault for getting in too big of a hurry.I never recieved 1 3.00 tylenol cool caps.It was at our old address and it probably just got lost.I have recieved other reabtes from this address since then.I was rejected on 2 st. Ives body wash,only to send them back and then after it was re-submitted,I recieved my checks and here recently reach made a mistake and re-sent checks to everyone.

I've started getting away from the 1.00 and 1.50 ones if I have to trade for them,unless it's part of a bigger trade.If there is a dollar one in the store,then I'll probably still do it.The way that I look at it is,how many times have I bought something only to later discover I had a .25 coupon on it and be like "I could have used that coupon!" so sending in a 1.00 rebate and using a .37 stamp doesn't sound that ridiculous.

I put everything in a rebate tracker,so that way I can keep up with it.I feel this is very important and anyone will agree.

It does take time to do rebates and I think the most frustrating is having to do multiple orders.I know some just get duplicate reciepts and I really don't have a lot of experience with that.I think the most important is using coupons and then getting the full amount back for the rebate.I've never had a problem with this.I've only seen one rebate where on the rebate it actually took the coupon off for you(aleve TMF) and have seen a few others where they say they will deduct for the coupon,but never did.

On some try me frees,I've caught them on sale and some stores will have the original price then the deducted amount and/or the sale price under it.I mark thru the sale price circling the original price(not with a paint brush or anything,a simple pen line will do),use a coupon,and have gotten the non-sale price back.

I love to get winetag and beer rebates.Alot of them don't require any alcohol purchases and they really can be used to knock the price down,if I take the time to do them right.

but anyway,I just think it's nice to go into a store walk out with 50.00 worth of groceries for 11.00 and get a 4.00 catalina off of your next shopping trip and then use the reciept for a 6.00 rebate

Thanks, Rick. I'm not a rebater-YET! I knew it would only be a matter of time before I took that end seriously. Actually, my mother will tell you that I've always had the thrift bug even if no one else in my house had it. She reminded me the other day about the great Tender Vittles/free Leggs pantyhose deal that I did when I was 14. For every couple of upcs that you sent in, a pair of Leggs would come in the mail. That sounds bad if you read it the wrong way! Anyway, we had a lot of cats that were fed very well and we had dozens of free pairs of pantyhose. That was 26 (god, I'm old!) years ago, so I guess I need to get back in the groove. Oh, I should have saved some of the pantyhose for you!

yeah,they would go real good with the underwear lynda showed me :shhh

I rebate but not majorly. We just dont have the rebate forms around here. I trade and barter and beg for my rebate forms.

LMK what you're looking for. I don't have SS insert coupons but I find good MIRs, TMFs and tearpads every now and then. No one in our area don't seem to be interested in these "pieces of paper" so most of the time, they just get expired in the shelves. So now, I've added blinkie/tearpad/hangtag/MIR/TMF shopping at my favorite store as a hobby...LOL. DH thinks I am crazy!

If you could post some of the extras you get I am sure they can get traded on here.I would be intrested.I just started the past couple of years and I love the exta $$$ from the rebates.I save them and then put the $$$ aside for x-mas.(unless its for coupons, well then of course I use them)

Like I told Lynda, I sure will, as soon as I get them organized

I've added another 110.98 to my rebates in 6 days.Altho 60.00 of it is considered to be 12 movie tickets that I average at 5.00 each.Movies here are more then that.

I'm not bragging or anything,I'm just trying to get anyone that doesn't do rebates to understand the importance of this.Also,anyone that is interested there are a lot of people here that do reabtes,so don't hesitate to ask questions on how to get started.I know for me that at first it took a little longer then it does now,but since then it only takes a few minutes per rebate now.

Here is some FTC rebate info:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/...rebatealrt.htm
QUOTE:
Taking the "Bait" Out of Rebates

Rebate offers can be irresistible to consumers, slashing the price of consumer goods at the time of purchase or promising partial or full reimbursements after the purchase.

Some manufacturers and retailers entice shoppers with instant cash rebates that can be redeemed immediately at the checkout counter.

But most rebates are of the mail-in variety. They require consumers to pay the full cost of an item at the time purchase, then to send documentation to the manufacturer or retailer to receive a rebate by mail.

The documentation required generally includes the original sales receipt, UPC code, rebate slip, and the customer's name, address and telephone number. In most cases, this paperwork must be sent to the manufacturer or retailer within 30 days of the purchase. Consumers generally receive their rebates up to 12 weeks later.

But the Federal Trade Commission cautions consumers against being "baited" by rebates that never arrive or arrive far later than promised. By law, companies are required to send rebates within the time frame promised, or if no time is specified, within a "reasonable" time. "Reasonable" in this case often is interpreted as within 30 days.

When purchasing a product that offers a rebate, the FTC encourages consumers to:

Follow the instructions on the rebate form and enclose all required documentation in the envelope when filing for a rebate.
Make a copy of all paperwork to be mailed when applying for a rebate. It's the only record a consumer will have of the transaction if anything goes wrong.
Contact the company if the rebate doesn't arrive within the time promised.
If the rebate never arrives or arrives late, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the state Attorney General or the local Better Business Bureau.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

I LOVE doing rebates? So WHO here has ALL the good rebate forms I can trade/buy from?

Is there any other form services out their besides Ellen's?

Help! Tracy

If anyone wants it, I've got a spreadsheet that I hand write all the rebate info on & am perfectly happy to email to anyone who wants it - helps me keep track of what I've sent for and what I'm waiting on & what just never came & if it was enough $$ to call someone about!

PM me if you want it with your email addy - it will come as a MS Excel attachment - don't know what programs might open it other than Excel.

And I'm totally with Rick on this one - I've stopped doing as many little rebates just 'cause I don't have time to fill out all the paperwork, but I've been doing a lot of them lately for electronics stuff & bigger grocery ones. I always do Walgreen's & do Rite-Aid when school's in, etc. Totally worth the effort once you get used to it!

B send it to me. I keep one like that but I might like yours better LOL

Now HH, you're not following directions! LOL - when I get to the other computer, I'll send it!

bump

Thank you for the bump! I think I might try doing a few, and see how I like it, it might just be worth it!

quite funny,I'm typing in the other thread and you're here.

I actually did over 1200.00 that year.

Rick,

Could you give some examples of how you got that much back in rebates? I would love to hear it. I thought I was good, but nothing like you...