Lazy Man and Money

How Do You Feel About Cashback Sites?

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I’ve been on the fence on cashback sites for a long time. I read so many trusted friends and bloggers who rave about them. Yet, I don’t think they’d work out that well for me.

I buy almost everything though Amazon. I think most cashback sites support Amazon. However, as a blogger, I know that if I use a fellow blogger’s affiliate link, Amazon will give them a little money crediting them for the sale. It’s a way that I can thank them for providing me great content free of charge. (By the way, if I happen to be one of your favorite bloggers, you can shop using this link.)

About ten months ago, I got an email from Rich at DollarDig. He wanted to tell me all about his great cashback site. I gave it a quick look and the design looked more dated than Lazy Man and Money. I made the too-quick judgment that there really wasn’t much to see here. However, when I shared my thoughts with Rich, I realized something was different about this company…

… he actually listened and cared. Sometimes I find myself spending hours helping companies provide better service (Fidelity, I’m looking at you) and they refuse to listen. (I’ve since gone on to charge a consulting fee, but DollarDig got my advice for free.)

I gave him a list of things that I’d do if I worked at his company. Well, he went and implemented all of them. The site looks so good I might need to ask who his designer is.

That still begs the question though, “What makes DollarDig.com different than the competition?”

Rich explained that they offer more cashback at most stores when compared to Ebates.com (one of the biggest companies in the space). He also pointed out that CashBackHolic.com, the leading site that rates cashback sites has great reviews. I looked up those reviews and they scored a 9.2 of 10. He said that people will get a $5 bonus for signing up and they’ve had 250% growth in members in just the last year.

He said that support is prompt and courteous… replies usually within hours (sometimes minutes!), and a day at the most. If it’s anything like my experience in talking with him, they deliver.

I’m biased because this is one of the few companies I’ve ever looked into, but more money back to members, better reviews, and solid customer service. As a small business myself, I can empathize with the challenges DollarDig has.

Seems like they might be would be worth a try, right? Readers, what do you say?

Save Big Bucks on Ebay with Microsoft Live Search

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I’m approximately a bazillion months behind in offering this tip. However, it’s relatively new to me, so maybe it’s new to you. I haven’t had a chance to try it, but it seems like hundreds/thousands of others have and with companies like Microsoft and Ebay involved it’s not likely a scam.

What kind of big bucks can you save? How does 25-35% off of the price of the item sound (up to $200)?

Here’s how it works:
According to the eBay Terms for Live Search Cashback Rewards, you must:

  • Search for an eBay.com item on Live.com.
  • Click on an eBay.com sponsored advertisement on www.live.com that has the cashback icon a gold circle with a dollar sign, next to the advertisement. When you click on the advertisement, you will begin an online session. Sponsored advertisements typically appear at the top or along the right hand side of the page of a Live.com search results page in a shaded or colored area of the page.
  • Purchase an eligible eBay.com Buy-It-Now item using PayPal within 60 minutes of the time you began the online session. Cashback Rewards will apply only to the first eligible item you commit to buy during an online session. You may make only one qualifying purchase per online session.
  • To make additional qualifying purchases, you must repeat each of these steps including initiating a new search on Live.com.

There’s a crazy long Fat Wallet Forum Post on this. Looking at just the very first post, there’s an example of how someone bought a Roomba for $250 and got $100 back in cash.

Anyway to save cash is always welcome, but in these economic times it seems to mean a little more. Maybe that Nintendo Wii for your family is now affordable.