How to Make Money on the Internet Filing Rebates
A recent glut of advertising for "work from home rebate processors" has flooded the Internet with individuals looking for legitimate work from home opportunities. The promises of earning an income by simply processing rebates seems lucrative, but the details make the job somewhat less appealing. This article will explain how to legitimately process rebates online without paying for an expensive training program.
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Instructions
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Become familiar with the rebate premise. Companies offer rebates on their products to spur additional sales. In many cases, the companies expect that only a small portion of the potential rebates will be redeemed; in fact, this assumption--based on years of market research--is true: Industry figures cited by the CyberDad website show that only 14 percent of available rebates are actually cashed in. Customers often fail to submit their rebates because they do not feel it is worth the time, they forget or they are too lazy. You can capitalize on these qualities by filing the rebates for your customers.
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Advertise your services. Develop a creative marketing campaign advising your potential customers that you will handle the burden of rebate submission and tracking for them. Inform customers that you will submit the rebate per the official guidelines, track the rebate's progress and forward them the cash upon completion in exchange for a percentage of the rebate amount.
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Create a tracking program. To successfully process rebates for your customers, you must have excellent organizational skills and be able to keep meticulous records of your customers' pending rebates. Some entrepreneurs prefer to accomplish this task using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or the "Spreadsheet" application on Google Docs. Others prefer to maintain these records in database software, accounting suites or other interactive applications. Whichever application you choose, it is imperative that you maintain excellent records when working with the money of others.
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Collect information from your customers and submit rebate requests. Most companies require the original sales receipt and some proof of purchase (usually the universal product code, or UPC, bar code from the item packaging) to process a rebate. Other companies, though, require only a code from the sales receipt for online rebate requests. Whatever the requirements, collect this information from your customers and follow the precise instructions for claiming the rebate.
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Track the rebate. If the vendor offers a way to track the rebate status, make periodic inquiries to ensure that the rebate is being processed. If any delay should occur, or if the rebate is denied, contact the vendor right away to resolve the issue. Keep in mind that many rebates require considerable time--sometimes up to eight weeks--for processing.
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Collect the rebate and deliver it to your customer. When the rebate is processed, the vendor will send you the full rebate amount. Deduct your fee, and forward the remainder to your customer. Some vendors may require the rebate be sent directly to the customer; in this case, you may choose to bill the customer, require payment up front or otherwise arrive at a mutually agreeable payment arrangement.
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Tips & Warnings
A website, preferably with a user interface that allows customers to check on their rebate, is an excellent sales tool in this business. Always return customer inquiries promptly, as customer confidence is critical to ensure a successful enterprise.
Do not lose track of a customer's rebate, as doing so may subject you to legal liability for the customer's funds.
