# REBATES

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 6, 2000, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978 "2000-10-06T16:42:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![djf750](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@djf750](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djf750)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978/1 "2000-10-06T16:42:50Z")

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i recently purchased a great little canon printer from circuit city for $100 and got back $80 in rebates-(50 from canon and 30 from circuit city) how does this work? do they count on people getting frustrated and just not filling out those microscopic rebate forms? i didn’t even have to buy the two cartridges as they came with the printer-  
whats up with these rebates? why dont they just lower the price?

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**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978/2 "2000-10-06T16:54:13Z")

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I don’t mean to be anal or anything, but someone’s gotta step up to the plate.

[Rebates?? Exactly, …why?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=39669)

[rebates?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=13891)

[Rebates](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=9223)

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978/3 "2000-10-06T16:54:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by djf750 \*  
> \*\*i recently purchased a great little canon printer from circuit city for $100 and got back $80 in rebates-(50 from canon and 30 from circuit city) how does this work? do they count on people getting frustrated and just not filling out those microscopic rebate forms? i didn’t even have to buy the two cartridges as they came with the printer-  
> whats up with these rebates? why dont they just lower the price? \*\*

You hit it right on the head **djf750**. They count on the fact that the vast majority of people do not fill out and send in the rebates.

Even so, even if 100% of the people sent in the rebates, it would still pay for them to use this. The reason, simply, is that in the interim, they have your money and are earning interest on it until you cash your refund check.

Zev Steinhardt

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**Author:** ![barker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@barker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barker)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978/4 "2000-10-06T16:59:20Z")

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And as far as Cannon is concerned, you will spend more than 10 times the original purchase price in replacement cartridges.

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebates/35978/5 "2000-10-06T23:58:07Z")

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Only on some printers, barker. Plus Canons are excellent candidates for refill kits.