A few weeks ago an online arbitrage website I like offered over 10% on ebates.ca. It just so happened they were running a sale on some good stuff so I was clearing them out in small under $500 checkouts.  I had about 14 checkouts during the time of their promotion and then they dropped the cash back to 4%, which I still ordered.  I factor the cash back as a bonus and do not generally count on it towards buying decisions since it doesn’t always get credited.   I was waiting for the cash backs to come in, since I figured they were going to be over $500 in total.  Finally, they gave me one….the last one which was only back to their 4%.  I opened a case and was able to get the $55 I was owed.  Now I have a full tracking sheet and started opening cases for them all.  If this was only 1% or 2% I probably would not be tracking or wasting my time, however this should be over $500 so worth the time or better yet my virtual assistants time.  Keep an eye on your cash back if you have a fair amount and/or if you have time to do the tracking.  This is very important on high value transactions.  This is a danger in my eyes of justifying a cash back to make your profit level in a buying decision. I prefer to make the decision based on the cost and selling price. The potential cash back is the gravy and a bonus.

If you have not signed up for ebates.ca you should do it now!  They pay out every 3 months by cheque or paypal.

If you buy in the US, also sign up for ebates.com