Why the post title?
Well, I first got to know about Ebates many years ago through U.S beauty bloggers who frequently mentioned about saving money from making their purchases on Sephora.com through Ebates. Say what?? Saving something through something? That was the first time I heard anything like that.
Since I was spending hundreds of dollars on international online purchases a year, I was intrigued by this money-saving (or earning, depending on how you look at it) program. I was interested but unnerved when I realized that even though Ebates was available to users outside of the U.S, it predominantly served the U.S market. Coz........ in the event that something goes wrong, who do I look for help?
So I'm SOOOOPER EXCITED to tell you guys that Ebates has finally arrived on our shores! What took you so long, Ebates Singapore? *pinch* Nonetheless, I'm glad I can start now!
What Is Ebates?
Ebates is a rewards website where you can sign up for free and earn up to 26% cash back on online purchases at over 2,600 online stores.
If you plan to make a purchase on Sephora, you would go to Ebates first and click through Ebates to get to Sephora. This simple act will earn you a percentage cash back on your purchase.
How To Use Ebates in 3 Easy Steps:
1. You sign up on eBates.sg here. All you need are an email address and a password.
2. Search the site for your favorite store. With over 500 online stores to choose from, you can find practically ANYTHING - from apparel to cosmetics to toilet paper to vintage bicycles. Give Ebates Singapore more time and it will expand its store base to the thousands!
3. Click on the store’s name and start shopping! That’s it – as long as you entered the online store from Ebates, Ebates will track your purchase and you will earn cash back!
See that 'Sign-up Bonus $5'?
My readers get $10!
I'll elaborate in a while! 😀
You can find out more about how Ebates works at www.ebates.sg/static/how-it-works, but I have here real-life examples of me doing the shopping so read on! 😀
This is what you will see on the Ebates Singapore home page. The TOP BRANDS for the 4th July promotional period that will run from today until 6 July 2015 are shown here.
Step-By-Step Guide On Making Your First Purchase Via Ebates
Even though one of the biggest handbag trends for the past several seasons has been the drawstring handbag, I didn't own one. Probably because I hadn't found one that really appealed to me!
But when I saw the Elliott Lucca 'Gigi Bon Bon' Perforated Leather Drawstring Bag on Nordstrom, I HAD TO HAVE IT IN LINEN.
With that in mind, I hopped over to Ebates.sg to earn some cash back. MUAHAHA.
Back at Ebates.sg, I found Nordstrom on the Top Brands list.
See, Nordstrom was offering a 4% Cash Back. At the time of your reading this post, Nordstrom is on 12% Cash Back.
Cost of bag: USD 98.00
4% Cash Back = USD 3.92
12% Cash Back = USD 11.76
A difference of USD 7.84. MAN, IT HURTS SO BAD. Lol. But I had to buy it at that time in order to share my experience with you guys, so... it's okie!
When you see this page, it means your Cash Back from Ebates is guaranteed.
Important:
This is for a SINGLE checkout. To ensure that you earn cash back on each individual order, you need to click through Ebates right before EACH order. For example, if you completed one order, then realized you want to check out another item, go back to Ebates.sg and click through to the store again.
Found my Elliott Lucca 'Gigi Bon Bon' Perforated Leather Drawstring Bag and added to Shopping Bag! 😀
I proceed with Checkout.
Some things I'd like to highlight: (refer to the circles)
1. Nordstrom provides free international shipping on jewelry and watches. So if you buy those, you don't have to pay international shipping fees at all!
2. Nordstrom provides international shipping. If you buy from an online store that doesn't ship to Singapore directly eg. Drugstore.com, Ralph Lauren, Victoria's Secret, you can use a freight forwarder to forward your package to Singapore.
3. Some online stores DO ship directly to Singapore, but at exorbitant prices, so you might also want to use a freight forwarder.
1. Many U.S online stores will accept various payment methods like credit card and PayPal, however I have come across online stores that do not allow credit cards from countries outside of the U.S eg. SoleSociety.com. So even though you hold a Mastercard or Visa, as long as it is registered in Singapore, the shop might not accept that. Therefore do take note on the different regulations set by each store. It used to be much worse, but more and more U.S stores have opened up to international shipping, international credit cards and allowing shipping/billing addresses to be different. UrbanDecay.com is one good example of moving with the times.
2. Nordstrom automatically detected my currency and changed it from USD to SGD, according to the day's currency exchange. If you're iffy about it, you can always change it back to USD and calculate whether it is more cost efficient to have it forwarded to your U.S address then shipped to Singapore or have it directly shipped to Singapore. After calculating, I reckoned it didn't cost too much of a difference and having it shipped direct to Singapore would incur less hassle. Again, remember to check the store for shipping/billing details.
And done! Now all I have to do is wait for my drawstring bag to come find me in Singapore. 😀
This real-life example exhibits a scenario where I already KNOW what I want and WHERE to get it from. But if you just want to shop around for the best deals, check out the Popular tab! http://www.ebates.sg/stores/popular
Ebates is working with local online merchants to suit the Singapore market. I hope to see more local merchants on board Ebates so I can get cash back for all my online purchases in the future.
Earning Your Cash Back
Remember the 'Sign-up Bonus $5' I mentioned at the start of the post?
1. I wanted to see if I had earned anything so I clicked on My Account > Transactions
2. Immediately after I had completed my Nordstrom purchase, the USD 5.00 was credited into my account! Woohoo!
3. Once you make your purchase, cash back will be credited to your Ebates account within 3-7 days, thus under Cash Back on Purchases, my cash back was not reflected yet.
4. I like that my shopping history is documented under Shopping Trips, right down to the date and time.
I went back to check My Account two days later, and my Cash Back now shows USD 3.92. Adding the USD 5.00 Bonus, I got back USD 8.92 just by entering Nordstrom via Ebates!
As long as you have earned more than USD 5.01, you will receive a cash back payment every quarter - February, May, August, and November. If you have earned less than $5.01, your earnings will be carried over to the next payment.
You can have a cheque mailed to you or directly deposited into your PayPal account. I prefer to receive my money in cheque. The feeling of depositing a cheque into your own account is always damn shiok. Hahaha.
Important Tips When Shopping
Tip #1: Even if you have purchased at that store through Ebates previously, you must access that store through Ebates every time to get credit. If Ebates does not receive credit for your purchase, you cannot earn cash back.
Tip #2: Returns and exchanges of purchased items will cancel out your cash back earnings. When you exchange an item, the store will consider that a brand new purchase not done through Ebates, so you won’t be able to earn cash back.
Tip #3: Virtually every item you purchase through Ebates qualifies for cash back, however if you want to be very sure, do read the FAQ and Exclusions & Limitations
How To Earn Even More Money From Ebates
Ebates, to me, is a 'might-as-well' action to my online spending.
"I'm gonna get this from this store. Ah! Might as well check out Ebates to get some cash back"
"I need to get a new watch. Oh dear, how can I remember all the online stores available? Ah! Might as well let Ebates do the searching for me and get it from the store that gives me the most cash back"
There is no minimum spending or membership fees involved, and the cash back is not in the form of vouchers or points - it is in CASH = KING.
If a store is currently running a 20% storewide discount, you found additional coupons online for free shipping or more discounts, your credit card gives you rebates for online purchases, just combine all of these with Ebates! You get to stack your rewards however you want and Ebates will simply reward you with cash back based on your purchase amount.
On top of cash backs, Ebates SG has this referral program where you get USD 75.00 just for sharing good stuff with your friends! Find out more via this link: https://www.ebates.sg/member/refer-a-friend
While Ebates is HUGE in the U.S, it is very new to the Singapore market. Hence Ebates is giving readers of Bun Bun Makeup Tips some fantastic bonuses!
- You receive a sign-up bonus of USD 10 (instead of USD 5 for general public) when you sign up with my SPECIAL CODE
- You only need to spend USD 50 (instead of USD 60 for general public) within 90 days after sign-up
All you need to do is sign up at:
www.ebates.sg
Then enter this code to get your special bonus:
bunbun-EbatesSG
Promo T&C:
- Promotion runs from today until 6 July 2015 on Top 16 US merchants
- Must enter code 'bunbun-EbatesSG' during sign-up to qualify for the promotion
- Applicable on Ebates.sg only
