Ebates.com - Cashback from your purchases

Pros:

• Receive a percentage of your purchases in the form of a check.
• Many stores participate in the Ebates program.
• Just for signing up and making a $20 order, you get to choose a giftcard from a selection of stores.
• You get $5 for every friend that you refer (and has made a purchase).

Cons:

• Some of the most popular stores don't participate in the Ebates program - namely Amazon.com and Zappos.com.
• There's no phone number to call if you've got an issue.

Bottom Line: Ebates is an awesome, scam-free way to make money while shopping online. While you're anyway buying stuff, it doesn't hurt to earn some extra dough for a future shopping spree! Here's how it works: You sign up and choose a gift card. Then, any time you are ready to checkout on a store's site, check to see if the store participates on Ebates. Click the store's name (while on ebates.com) and it will transfer you to the store. Then, complete your purchase. Each store gives you a different amount of cashback. Cashback accumulates in your account until you have over $5, and they will mail you a check every 4 months. You can also earn more by referring friends directly on Ebates - each friend who makes a purchase gets you $5 in your account! 

iRiR's experience with Ebates: I bought an $1100 computer on MacMall which gives 3% back. I made $33, which let me buy accessories for free.

Some popular participants in this program are: eBay, half, Shoebuy, Old Navy, GAP, Apple, J&R, Lands' End, Target, Barnes & Noble.

Remember, check your store to see if it's on ebates.com! 

Sign up today and see if you can beat my current total of $250+ earned on Ebates.com!

General Statement about Buying #2

Second in this series, this post highlights a very important point that may cause some people to think "Duh!" and others to think "Huh?"

Gift cards are free money. If used correctly, they can do amazing things! If you got a $10 gift card, for example, you have two options of spending the money:

1. Go to store, find $10 worth (or more) of merchandise, present gift card and, if necessary, pay remainder.
2. Go to store when there's a current promotional event, find $30 worth of stuff, present $10 off $30 coupon, receive 50% off, pay with gift card.

In the second example, you're tripling the value of your gift card! So my point is, wait until there's a sale at the store you're planning on shopping at, and then use your card. It's a good idea to check the expiration date on your gift cards because some store cards don't last longer than a predefined time. Keep your card handy so it's accessible when you want that slick deal. By the way, the same applies to other forms of free money, such as reward certificates, cash cards, refund checks, etc.

How iRiR maximized $20: In October, I was mailed a DSW Rewards certificate valued $20. I wanted these really cute slippers that cost $34.95. Using a 30% off promotional code, I brought the total down to $24.47. Shipping was $7.95 (the free shipping code only applies to orders above a minimum), and the subtotal was now $33.09 including tax. Then I applied a $5 off coupon and my $20 Rewards certificate, and the grand total was $8.62!!! Postscript: I ended up receiving the order with a small problem and was ready to exchange them. They didn't have my size so I was offered a partial refund of $8.62. I argued with the sales rep that I should really be getting $20 because they should refund my costs, not my shipping charges! I got what I wanted :)

General Statement about Buying #1

Just a tip for the wise shopper, so listen up! Companies will always tell you, "If you're not 100% satisfied let us know and we'll issue a full refund" or something to that effect. In truth, companies have a set amount allotted for such occurrences. That's why it's your duty, as a buyer, to make sure you receive everything you deserve to. Sometimes you'll have to raise the sympathy-evoking tone a bit.

There are several possible outcomes for complaining: (a) full or partial monetary compensation (b) full item replacement (c) full item replacement but you have to ship the old one back (d) no response. If you see the customer service rep is banking on Choice C, make sure you stress that it's impossible for you to send it back (i.e. I threw it out already, It will cost too much to send back).

Examples of experience with such situations:

• Glaceau: My Vitamin Water drink had white-ish gunk on the bottom that kind of made me nervous. When I called, they explained that it's perfectly safe and mailed me a few coupons.
• American Greetings: I bought a birthday card for a friend and it had a spelling error ("truely" instead of "truly"). They apologized and sent me a coupon for $7 worth of AG product.
• Del Monte: Can of mixed fruit cocktail should have contained pears, pineapples, peaches and grapes (as per label) but only contained grapes and pears (oh, and one chunk of pineapple). Received many coupons.
• Colgate: Colgate 360 Toothbrush bristles fell out after 2nd use. Got an impressive stack of coupons for assorted Colgate products.
• Ralph Lauren: Nightshirt sleeve disconnected from body after approximately five washes. Got to keep nightshirt (which can be sewn on) and received a $20 gift card (valued more than the item).
• Crayola: Markers got dried out too fast and the black marker was really dark grey. They sent me a coupon to buy the same stuff again.
• Epson: I opened a brand new package of glossy photo paper and there was a hair embedded underneath the shiny coating! Received shipment of a brand new package instantly.
• JC Penny Photo Studies: The woman at the desk treated me like dirt. I got reimbursed (by the manager) with several free photo sheets for my next photo session!

11/15/10 Update: I bought slippers from DSW.com and ended up paying only $8 for the item (the shipping cost). The stitching was undone by the time I received them so I called DSW. Since they didn't have the pair in stock anymore, I asked for a refund - they gave me $20! Hence, bringing the shoe cost down to $-12. 

Tell me about your own experiences!

Swagbucks - Search & Win website

Pros:

• You can earn prizes such as giftcards.
• You get rewarded for doing something you normally do - websearching.
• Prizes are awarded in a timely manner.
• Swagbucks makes fun in your life with cool things to do and see.

Cons:

• Bucks (points) are given in very small increments.
• In order to really make anything, you need referrals. 
• Many people doubt the powers of SB so they won't follow your referral.
• Legally, you can only have 1 account so earning happens slowly.
• Search features are much less sophisticated than those used on Google.
• Customer service is the pits.

Bottom Line: Swagbucks.com is an awesome site that works like a search engine does. I have made about $320 worth of Amazon Gift Cards using Swagbucks. You simply search in the appropriate place and if you're lucky you may be awarded Swagbucks. After you accumulate enough bucks, you can cash them in for cool prizes such as Amazon Gift Cards. It does get depressing, however, when nobody follows your referral link. Your referred friends are valuable because each time they search and win, you win the same amount of Swagbucks! Aside from winning that way, you can also gain bucks by doing special offers, entering time-limited Swagcodes, and several other ways. For more information, you can look at their site directly. Be very careful if you operate more than 1 account. If you need real search features, use Google instead.

Sign up today and get yourself some fabulous prizes like I did!

Afrin - Nasal Decongestant Spray

Pros:

• Works within a minute - really!
• One dosage lasts for 10-12 hours
• Relieves nasal congestion and stuffiness better than oral decongestant pills.
• Minimal (but often none) side-effects.

Cons:

• If used for more than a few consecutive doses, there's a rebound effect (you feel even stuffier). 
• Smallest size bottle (which is tiny) costs approximately $10.
• Leaves slight aftertaste in mouth once it drips down (which is easily alleviated by taking a drink).
• Painfully tingles for a few minutes after spraying.

Bottom Line: Afrin (Oxymetazoline) nasal spray is used to relieve nasal discomfort caused by colds, allergies, and hay fever. It can also be used to relieve sinus congestion and pressure. Basically, you are getting your money's worth when you buy this item and have a need for it. It's perfect for colds, especially during the night when you have trouble falling asleep because you can't breath. Remember, though, that Afrin is a steroid (but over-the-counter) so don't use it more than you have to or you'll feel even worse after! Afrin can also be used before a plane trip if you anticipate ear pain because it clears the nasal/ear/sinus passages.

Google Chrome web browser

Pros:

• Faster than Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.
• Address bar doubles as a Google search box so you can input websites or search terms.
• No extra buttons to distract or confuse you.
• You can decorate your borders and tabs with themes.
• Features "incognito tabs" that let you browse "off the record".
• Is available in a Mac version.

Cons:

• Not compatible with certain secure website features. 
• Updates automatically so you never know when to expect something new.
• Many add-on toolbars that work for FF and IE don't install in Chrome.

Bottom Line: For fast everyday browsing, Chrome is the best way to go. Of course you'll encounter some incompatibility while using certain websites, but IE also has its own share of weird compatibility problems. If you stumble upon a site where something loads improperly, you can always switch to another browser. Chrome is great because of its dual-purpose address bar. You can use it to type in a web address (like "swagbucks.com") or you can fill in search terms (such as "ways to earn money"). Try searching like that in IE or FF and you'll get strange errors.

Dafont.com for Free Downloadable Fonts

Pros:

• Tons of free fonts to choose from.
• No-hassle downloads.
• Allows you to preview your custom text with each font and font-size displayed.
• Neatly categorized by font style and advanced filtering options.
• Clear and user-friendly.

Cons:

• Can't search by font name if you don't know the category it belongs to.
• Not all fonts work well with Microsoft Office on Mac OS X (they work fine in Windows).

Bottom Line: Sometimes you're not content with Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia and Impact. And let's say you want a funky, handwritten font? Most websites that offer free downloadable fonts have a catch. They either let you choose from only a few preselected fonts, or they might ask you to first create an account and enter your credit card info. There are other sites that also offer totally free fronts; however, most don't have good searching and browsing options like Dafont.com does. It may be hard to remember the name of the site so bookmark it.