I’m not sure if you have ever heard of Ebates, but I used to use them way back when, and for some reason at some point I started forgetting to go there first.
Basically the way it works is you log in there first, click on the link to the store of your choice, then you get a percentage back of whatever your purchase was. Once a quarter you get a check or a paypal payment of whatever cashback you accumulated.
This week I have done a bit of online shopping (to Karl’s dismay), and remembered to go there. OMG, a lot of the stores I currently shop now are linked to Ebates, including athletic stores. The money I could have saved 😦
So figured I should share this with you guys, because places like Adidas (6% cashback), Athleta (2% cashback), Champion USA (5% cashback), Road Runner Sports (5% cashback) and even Apple at 1% cashback (not much, but it helps if you’re buying that new ipod!) are all members. And hey, 5% might not sound like much, but every little bit helps, no? Specially if it is from purchases you were going to make anyway.
Of course there are hundreds of stores listed there (I got lazy, and stopped at the letter “C” as you can tell — Road Runner Sports just happen to be the place I made my most recent purchase… What? I needed new long sleeve tops for this upcoming winter season!).
I figured might as well spread the word (and in full disclosure, it looks like I do get something back if anyone actually uses my link above, so thanks), but if you’re going to shop at online stores anyway, might as well get something extra for it!
Ah, and by the way, if you do buy things from RRS, signing up for their VIP thing is worth it. For some reason that’s another thing that took me forever to sign up for, but it’s 2 bucks and you get 10% off everything AND free shipping (and if you’re using Ebates while at it, you save a total of 15% instead!), so it pays for itself on the first go.
Another great place to look for coupons is Retail Me Not, but nowadays too many stores have their coupons blocked, so it’s not nearly as interesting… Still worth a try, because even if you’re using Ebates, you can still use coupon codes (there’s currently one there for 10% off RRS too — see how it all adds up?).
What are YOUR tips for saving money while buying stuff online?
Thanks for the tip! I just signed up – hope you see the bonus soon.
Also, your blog is psychic. The little monster icon guy looks *exactly* like me.
Hahaha, that’s hilarious! And yeah, no, it doesn’t look like you!
Ebates is great. I can’t believe I forgot about it and didn’t use it in those last few years. All those running clothes add up 😦