Are the rebate processor jobs legitimate?

2/12/09 'BBB Warns Job Hunters to Steer Clear of Rebate Processing Job Scams'

On the BBB news, they warn that "the larger offenders -- which have racked up hundreds of complaints from consumers nationwide -- operate under such names as Angel Stevens and Cindy Dalton with Web addresses including www.processathome.com and www.rebateprocessorjobs.com." See the link below for more information.

The ad says you can make $200 - $1,000 a day just by following simple instructions, with a potential to make up to $10,000 a month and for the next 2 hours, I can join and save over 50% off -- the ad says "Normally registration is $79.99 but due to the current demand for workers I've lowered the registration to only $39. Offer valid until August 30, 2008."

Any time you are asked to pay a fee for a job, with unrealistic earning potential, and you say to yourself, "Sounds unbelievable, it's too good to be true," then it is. You decide.

Rebate processing programs are not jobs -- you need to look at them more like work-at-home programs or a home business. Or, more appropriately, rebate processing is actually affiliate work.

Companies are not hiring you to work for them and then paying you by the piece. Instead, they teach you how to find products that you can sell online and earn a commission from the sale. Often these are products that are found on affiliate sites like Clickbank or CommissionJunction.com.

They then teach you how to write ads to sell these products. Included in your ad is an offer for a "rebate" when someone buys the product. Usually the rebate is for about 15% of the price of the product (usually $8 on a $49 product). When that product sells, you usually receive a $23 commission minus the $8 rebate you offer making you $15.

So, in summary: The rebate processor jobs are not really what they say they are. They are not simply a job where you fill out rebate request forms and get paid per form you fill out. But, they are a creative twist on affiliate marketing, which is a popular way to make money online. Often these affiliate products have many affiliates selling them, so a creative ad such as "I'll give you $8 to buy this product" will cut through the clutter.

The training that companies provide is good if you have no experience selling or making money online. The members' website is solid and it posts many great free sites that allow you to post your ads for free -- so you can make money with this program by not spending anything more than the small one-time fee for access to the training and members' area. For those that have a mid level of experience online, there is no need for you to join these programs: there is not much new information.

It truly depends on what you re looking for. You do have to place ads for products of your choosing, then make a sale, then you make a commission and finally give the buyer a rebate. Yes, it is real and part of it is actually called affiliate marketing (advertising other people's products for a commission). It helps to know affiliate marketing first, but is not necessary.

A good company will teach you step by step how to do this and great ways/places to advertise. The whole reason that this is different from typical affiliate marketing is that you are offering a rebate and people love to save money.

What is a scam, anyway? To me, it just means that a person has not tried something or it wasn't right for them. To those people I say, "Lighten up and let other people decide!"

Warning
Don't do PPC (Pay per click... Google, Yahoo, etc. ads unless you are experienced!). It can be costly!!