@fivetalents said in Earn 10% eBay Bucks on $50 or More YMMV:
@SweetClover You’re probably subscribed to receive such promotional offers, but it wouldn’t hurt to check: https://phatwalletforums.com/topic/2406/8-ebay-bucks-ymmv-must-activate-no-min-purchase-exclns-apply-ends-11-16/9
Yes I am. And I get plenty of email from them too. But no promo codes. 
This is the original FW wiki on spotting fake freebies that MumzOf2 & I provided information for. This is the reference referred to when someone ask how to recognize fakes from legitimate ones. As things change, I’ll update this wiki to keep it current.
How to spot a possible fake scamming, spam harvesting, phishing website.
This information is copied and pasted from another thread where the OP asked how to determine the validity of some of the questionable ones out there
SweetClover said:
Some tipoffs are how recent the site is, the fact that it isn’t affiliated with the manufacturer, that it adds weird disclaimers that basically absolve them of sending you anything, among other things. To further confirm my suspicions, I do a network ‘whois’ search. You will see others do this too, they use an online tool that allows them to research the domain. Here are a few I use, the first I have had/used the longest.
Domain Dossier
This is an oldie but goody, been on the net as long as I (1998), and offers several type of domain lookups. I recommend checking the domain & network whois boxes (the two on the left).
ARIN Whois No longer active.
All Nettools Smart Whois Lots of great tools here, the SmartWhois will give you info about the domain & network.
With any of the above, enter the IP address of the offer in the dialogue box, and click submit. You get a complete history of the domain, who created it, when it was created, the server hosting it. Anything new with 1 year or less licenses is most likely a fraud, intended to harvest for spam, or phish for information. Other signs are who is hosting the domain, and who is the registrant. Common sources such as HostGator, GoDaddy & DomainsByProxy are commonly used. Images are frequently hosted on a Cloudfront server. Images are often stock images manipulated in photoshop to add custom logo’s.
There are a lot of bogus offers being put up on the intrawebs lately, obviously intended to sucker in the clueless with a freebie. Chances are, if it’s not the manufacturer, or a reputable company authorized by the manufacturer (Like WalMart, StartSampling, etc.), it’s a fake offer.
MumzOf2 said:
(username removed), after a while you’ll know a bad site just by looking at it and it will prompt you to look up the domain. I can’t explain it, but the site will just have a look to it. Google ADS…if it’s a site only a few days old usually by weeks end it will be full of Google Ad Sense, a full size product too good to be true type of thing, the graphics, etc… Plus at the bottom of the page it will say not endorsed by such and such company like one other member mentioned.
Some bad phishing sites are better at making their site look more professional, but usually a few links will always be “under construction.”
SweetClover said:
And to add, if you have any doubt, those Whois domain searches will give you lots of clues. I keep them bookmarked, so I have access to them at any given time. MumzOf2 is right, the site will just look ‘off’ for some reason, usually cheap layout, and such. A legitimate site will have a professional layout to it. These phishing/scamming/spamming sites, all are very amateurish looking. Some of these have been around for years, though, so sometimes you only find out by experience. KCWEB is an example of this. They’ve been scamming and spamming since I went online 10 years ago.
More info: If you don’t see the offer on the website elsewhere, that indicates a possible hack. So the next step is to see if the company uses social media, and was this an offer exclusive to their social media accounts. If found on social media, that legitimizes the post. The social media account from which the the offer was posted, belongs in the OP.
Post your link, then go to the link, then check the homepage for a freebie link. None there? Try the main product page (because sometimes it’s there instead). Still nothing? It’s either a) a hack, or b) it’s source is elsewhere. Next step, check social media accounts linked on website. Is it posted on the official FB, Twitter, other social media account? If yes, that’s your source. Go back, edit your OP, and show the social media account where the offer originated. If no, there’s a very good chance the freebie page is a fake inserted by a hacker. In that case, edit OP and indicate that offer may not be legitimate, and possible fake, because you couldn’t find a legitimate source for it on the website, or social media.
It’s important to have sources for freebie links, to verify their authenticity. Scammers count on lack of knowledge & info to take advantage of unsuspecting freebie hunters, and getting them to freely give their NAZ, email & sometimes phone #'s. They then sell this to list aggregators, who then sell the lists.
Because you’re part of our pack, enjoy 20% off a wide assortment of Hartz training pads, toys and treats for your furry friends and family – our most festive discount just in time for the holidays.
Search for promo code 20HARTZFF exclusively on Amazon.com to discover the big deals we dug up just for you. The code is also used at checkout to claim your savings. (Enter code in search box, click the link shown).
Grab your leash and hurry, this discount is active for a limited time only, while supplies last!
Expires December 1st.
Surprise, surprise! Actually finally got something from these people. A box came with two Muse samples today. There was a can of Muse food (same size as Fancy Feast can), and an itty bitty bag of kibble.
I’ve been on the fence about Skosay, I’ve applied for previous samples and received nothing. I can now happily say that sometimes you get a sample.
PS I was never notified, it just showed up in the mail today. Couldn’t recall signing up, and then saw ‘Skosay’ on the box. Lacie will love the freebies.
@kohlspowrshopper I never get these, and when it came to where to make a recent purchase of items, ebay or Amazon, Amazon got the purchase this time. Usually it’s eBay because I get eBay bucks and cashback fro BeFrugal or eBates.
Whatever algorithm eBay is using, frustrated users getting overlooked are going to go elsewhere - instead of using eBay. I really hate the games being played at times.
From that link you posted about theories, “Readers suggest that accounts which are active in that you make purchases, earn eBay Bucks and generally browse the eBay site, are more likely to get targeted.” Well… I can flat out confirm that is false, as I am active. make purchases, earn eBay Bucks, but no love from eBay. I’m a long time user of eBay too, I sometimes got the PayPal offers when PayPal was joined at the hip with eBay.
Maybe if I send a nastygram to eBay saying I’m about to take my $$$ elsewhere because I, as a long-time eBay user, am overlooked repeatedly for these targeted offers. After all, the idea is to get more people spending money there, correct? Should either relax the criteria, or just offer it to everybody.
I attached a screenshot, I just scrolled down & saw the form on the page, see screenshot below.
This is what you should see. It’s about a 3rd way down the page.
Not sure why you are getting the message you are getting. Did you perhaps request a sample in the past? If so, you might be getting an old message stored in your browser’s cache. Try clearing your history & cookies (or at least any cookies with goodearth in them), and see if that fixes the problem.
You could also try a different browser, sometimes stuff works better in another browser.