Microsoft/Ebay cashback live??

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Posted By: Matt

Mike - it has helped me both as a buyer and seller - I've closed deals on cards with sellers using the $200 to bridge the gap and I listed my cards on eBay, adding the eBay/Paypal fees to my prices and have had some decent success there so far.

This is costing Microsoft millions of dollars, and I don't understand the business reason behind it, but I don't mind one bit.

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Posted By: Doug

Now it's back down to 20%. Maybe they are expecting a rush on people trying to get the rest of their 12 uses in before the end of the month.

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Posted By: JB

Yes still 20% however, instant cashback for me this time, no waiting.

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Posted By: Bob

It's like the frigging Dow Jones. Now it's down to 15%

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Posted By: Frank B

>>This is costing Microsoft millions of dollars, and I don't
>>understand the business reason behind it, but I don't mind one bit.

They are trying to get people to use the Live search engine. It's
pretty simple and I wouldn't be surprised if they had 50 million
dedicated to the project. If they get you to convert from Google or Yahoo
to Live that is pretty significant. I know I use Live as much as I use Google
since the promotion started and never used it before that.

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Posted By: Doug

Did they stop doing this all of a sudden?? The discount was 15% this morning and I just tried it and there wasn't any discount at all!

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Posted By: Bob

A real shame. I had some BINs spotted and with the 30% cashback was good to go until the 30% became 15% and now 0%. I guess we just check daily to see if it goes back up again....

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Posted By: quan

tbob it's at 15%, if u don't get it just refresh the page eventually it'll come up.

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Posted By: Bob

Quan, I just checked again and it still is 0 on my computer

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Posted By: Doug

After a few refreshes of the live search screen the 15% did finally appear next to the ebay link, but when I clicked on it there was no mention of it on the ebay site.

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Posted By: Bob

This is truly wacky! The 15% appeared this morning after many page refreshes but then at 1pm CST, it disappeared again altogether! I am going to keep checking and refreshing all weekend in the hopes that it will bounce back to 30% again...

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Posted By: Bob

8% now. If Microsoft 's goal was to see how many hits they could get, they are probably smiling. Awful lot of folks clicking and refreshing to see what the frigging number is now. It's like a wheel of fortune...

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Posted By: Andrew S.

I wonder how many sellers are marking their "Buy it Now" inventory up by the same percentage as the cashback live?
They have a place here that advertises suits at 75% off, but the public fails to realize that the suits go from $750 to $2000 immediately before the sale takes place.

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Posted By: Doug

I just now checked it and it's back up to 15% although it took about 10 refreshes before it came up.

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Posted By: Rick McQuillan

Hi Andrew,
I used cashback live last week on a Green Cobb and saved $200. I was considering bidding on an auction for another card that had an opening bid of $999. I watching the auction all week, and it closed without any bids. I kept an eye on the card, hoping that it would resurface as a BIN for $999, then I would pull the trigger. Guess what, the card was relisted with a BIN of $1199.

I'll be watching to see what happens with this card. Maybe I should just email the seller and ask him to relist the card with a $999 BIN and I will take it.

Rick

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Posted By: Matt

Rick - If you want the card, I'd definitely contact the seller with that offer.

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Posted By: Bob

Matt- I think what Rick was going to do was to hit the BIN for $999, get $200 back so he would buy the card for $799. With it currently at 8%, if he asks the seller to list it as a BIN for $999, he gets $80 back and it costs him $909, $110 more than what he wants to pay for it.

Or maybe he is willing to get it for $909...

Bob

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Posted By: Rick McQuillan

Bob, you are correct. I was hoping for a BIN of $999, with a 20% discount, and pick up the card for $800.

Rick

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Posted By: Frank B

>>..hoping that it would resurface as a BIN for $999, then I would
pull the trigger. Guess what, the card was relisted with a BIN of $1199.

A lot of sellers on EBay are factoring in the rebate to their sell prices
especially on things like gift cards. For some reason they feel they are
entitled to part of the rebate you might get. There are $500 gift cards for
overpriced places like Saks with BINs of $600 being offered. I think you
need your head examined if you give a seller any part of your rebate.

Sounds like that's what may have happened with your Green Cobb.
MAYBE make an allowance for the sellers fees but that would be it
and that is being generous. A seller does not deserve a cut of your
rebate. Let's see - I do all the work, have to wait on the rebate and
I get to give a seller a healthy cut of it up front? Sounds great.
Maybe the seller will include a jar of vaseline with the purchase.

http://cgi.ebay.com/500-SAKS-FIFTH-AVENUE-GIFT-CARD-CERTIFICATE_W0QQitemZ350134796510QQcmdZViewItemQQp tZUS_Gift_Certificates?hash=item350134796510&_trks id=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65% 3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

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Posted By: Mark T

now 8%....must be the economy.

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Posted By: JB

I am hoping for 25-30% on Monday.

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Posted By: Matt

Bob/Rick - I understood that; I was suggesting he contact the seller with the offer of a $999 BIN so that it would be $800 post rebate.

Based on past fluctuation, I would expect the rebate to get back up to 20 or 25% sometime this week.

While this may be boosting Microsoft's page hit numbers, I certainly don't use it for my internet searches now - I just use it for the rebate.

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Posted By: Bob

Still at 8%. It seems like a lot of us are anxiously waiting for it to hit 30% again, probably a lot of sellers using BINs too...

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Posted By: Jim VB

"now 8%....must be the economy."

Well, we'll just have to find someone to blame for that. Won't we?

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Posted By: JB

Wednesday....still at 8% (yuck)........anyone else buy something using their discount from somewhere other than ebay? I did and it seems to be a little trickier to get your doe. I had to fill out a cash back claim form. And am waiting for a response from MSN.

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Posted By: Matt

A search on "overstock electronics" is currently bringing up 20% for me. Other search terms still at 8%.

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Posted By: Bob

Hello and Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays everyone!
I have been out of the country for 10 days and just got back and noticed the cashbacks seems to have dried up and blown away.
Has anyone been able to find any offers on ebay with this or any other type of savings? Thanks.
tbob

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Posted By: Doug

It seems like it disappeared shortly after it dropped to 8%. I haven't gotten it to come up in the past two weeks.

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Posted By: Scott Sarian

There was an article I read in the WSJ yesterday about ebay, that said the promo with Microsoft ended December 17th. Hopefully it might come back after the holidays are over!