HOWTO get Microsoft to subsidize that netbook purchase you've been putting off

Things I learned today:

Microsoft is encouraging people to use Live Search by running a generous rebate program. At times (such as this morning when I bought an MSI Wind), the rebate can reach 30% or higher.
eBay sellers techtreasure and multiwavevideo are also known as Mwave.com, a reputable seller of computers, such as the MSI Wind I bought from them this morning.

To be clear: yes, Microsoft is paying you to search. Here’s how it worked for me this morning:

I started my search at Live.com and searched for “cheap” along with some product name; I tried a few variations such as “cheap wii” and “cheap laptop” and both worked. (Nick pointed out in the comments that you should sign into Live before you search; I’d forgotten that I was signed into Live when I started. Thanks, Nick!)
Looked for the link titled “Buy A Cheap Laptop. You may get XX% off with PayPal if eligible.” (This morning, it was 30%. As I type this, it’s 20%)
Searched for the MSI Wind (Buy it Now items only), and purchased it using Paypal.
Made sure that at every step of the way, I saw the icon for “Microsoft cashback” at the top of the screen.

eBay has a page with terms and conditions, and Microsoft has a FAQ about the program. See a list of other stores that participate in this cashback program.

So, how did I make out? I paid $479 for the laptop, and qualified for $144 cash back. On top of that, there’s a $50 manufacturer’s rebate on the MSI Wind, so all told, $285. Get while the getting’s good, and let us know how you fared!

FatWallet.com: eeePC 1000H for $330 shipped with live.com and ebay
FatWallet.com: *EDITED again* 20% off at eBay through MSFT cashback program

16 Responses to HOWTO get Microsoft to subsidize that netbook purchase you’ve been putting off

Nick on October 6th, 2008 at 10:20 pm said:

Never saw the logo for Microsoft cashback, I went as far as the review stage of buy it now, where if you proceed any further, you’ve committed to buying the item.

Too bad, I was hoping to get a MSI Wind too!

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Nick on October 6th, 2008 at 11:55 pm said:

This worked great, -after- I signed in at Live.com. Thanks, I have an MSI Wind on the way!

Costs for me ended up being $479.99 plus $19.99 shipping, minus $50 rebate and $96 Live Search cashback (20%).

Grand total of $354, assuming collecting on the rebate and cashback isn’t a problem. I didn’t actually create the cashback account until shortly after I made the purchase (I didn’t realize there was a separate account from the Live.com signin), so I’m hoping that won’t be a problem.

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Brian Jepson on October 7th, 2008 at 4:22 am said:

Thanks, Nick. I didn’t create the cashback account until after the fact, either. But I noticed that the message that I got in my eBay inbox said “Click the Get cashback button to access or create your Microsoft account”, so it should work OK.

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Brian Jepson on October 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am said:

I just got an email from Microsoft confirming my pending cash back. I have to check back 60 days after the purchase to actually claim it, though.

“To view the details for this purchase or your other Live Search cashback transactions, sign into your Live Search cashback account. The transaction will be listed as pending for 60 days. After 60 days, we’ll let you know that it’s available for payment and you can get your cashback!”

Of course, it ended up in my spam folder as I’m sure the followup notification will. After all, we’ve been telling spam filters for years to ignore email messages about free money from Microsoft

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Dan on October 7th, 2008 at 9:19 am said:

I was able to get a Logitech G15 for ~$50 when it was all said and done while here @ work. The next office over, however, was unable to see the deal on ebay. Perhaps it checks IPs and if you’re natted, tough luck.

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Dustin on October 7th, 2008 at 9:25 am said:

Do you think these cashbacks are generally only for the U.S. folks? I’m a Canadian hoping these type of deals are valid for me too!

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Nacco on October 7th, 2008 at 9:25 am said:

I suppose this is only valid for US customers. Tell me that I’m wrong, please.

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Ted E. Tedd on October 7th, 2008 at 10:24 am said:

Does the Live account need to be connected somehow to the ebay account; should I have the live.com e-mail address in my ebay account somehow?

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Brian Jepson on October 7th, 2008 at 10:52 am said:

Ted, I received a message in my eBay inbox after the purchase. It took me to the Live.com page that associated my Live.com ID with the purchase.

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Marcus on October 7th, 2008 at 3:06 pm said:

Works from Italy.

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Ted E. Tedd on October 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm said:

…because I didn’t see that “Microsoft cashback” logo on any of the pages. (I was signed in to both my Live account and my eBay account.) Did anyone have success despite not seeing the logo, or am I maybe not looking in the right place. Or when you (Brian) got your message in the eBay inbox, this was despite not seeing that logo. Thanks!

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Brian Jepson on October 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm said:

Ted, did you see the “You may get XX% off with PayPal if eligible” link at all? You might want to check the Fatwallet forums to see if anyone else had the same experience you did.

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IMAriot on October 7th, 2008 at 7:19 pm said:

You can search direct from here as well

http://search.live.com/cashback/

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Ted E. Tedd on October 7th, 2008 at 8:23 pm said:

Hey Brian: Maybe I’m confusing myself. I did see that link (save X%) on the Live.com site when I searched for “cheap laptop” but didn’t see “that at every step of the way, I saw the icon for “Microsoft cashback” at the top of the screen.” Am I reading your step incorrectly, that even on the eBay pages there should be a cashback logo at the top?

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Brian Jepson on October 8th, 2008 at 4:52 am said:

Ted, you’re right. You should see a logo even on the eBay pages–when you search, when you bid, and when you pay.

If you don’t, then you might want to try your search on a different day, different time of day, or even from a different network (say, a public hotspot).

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cashback on November 1st, 2008 at 11:57 am said:

I tried to sign up to livesearch cashback but they don’t offer the service to the UK . Maybe they might expand in the future.

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