Lets Get The Selling Of Coupons STOPPED!!!

[babyluck]

We are no better on SC when it comes to trading coupons for GC. I'm going to be happy with what I can find, if not, wait for a sale. Life isn't fair, just like there are ppl living large, and others left homeless, I am happy to be in the middle.

[marmaduke]

Actually I think it is quite clever. Coupon sales on ebay means the coupons are being seen and discussed and distributed by/to potential users. Why would a company be concerned if the coupons are doing exactly what they wanted done.

[torontogal12]

ust because something has been effective for 150 years doesn't mean it will continue. Companies that don't keep up with the times just die (blockbuster video, yahoo, rim). Companies that choose to issue more coupons will move onto websaver and fb for distribution and they'll control the number of coupons distributed and will likely start putting names on them. A lot easier than suing ebay or the ppl who sell coupons. Others won't bother and will move o other ways of promotion

As for coupon amounts, sure you get coupons for $1 or more. But that is to keep up with inflation. I'd link to an inflation calculator if I could. The values may look larger but they're actually lower when things cost more. But what do I know. I only work in marketing and studied economics

It isn't a couple dozen people selling 50 coupons. It is hundreds of people selling thousands of coupons. Have you checked ebay lately for how many coupon auctions are going on per week. These people on ebay are making a business out of selling coupons, and it needs to be stopped. It is not just a few people making chump change. Don't kid yourself thinking that these companies have better things to do. People selling their coupons is a big thing that is interfering with their martketing plans. Coupons are major marketiing for these companies, and if people continue to keep selling them, and that is a business, they will do something about it and stop these people. Sure there are other ways to market their products, but it is extremely unlikely that they will stop issuing coupons when they have 150 years of a proven track record that this way of marketing works. You don't abandon something that works, you remove the obstacle that prevents it from working smoothly.

As for the amount of coupons being a lower value, not everyone agrees so don't speak for others. Coupons now are at the highest that they have ever been. Only 10 to 15 years ago, you were lucky to get a coupon that had $1.00 on it. Most were 25 and 50 cents. Having one over $2.00 was almost unheard of. Today, most coupons are at least $1.00 with a few at 25 to 75 cents. Coupons at 2 to 4 dollars are also found quite frequently.

[renegado]

Actually I think it is quite clever. Coupon sales on ebay means the coupons are being seen and discussed and distributed by/to potential users. Why would a company be concerned if the coupons are doing exactly what they wanted done.

The company issues coupons for $1 off. According to their research and marketing strategy, $1 (not $.75, not $1.10) is the amount that will provide the desired incentive to the optimum number of consumers.

In effect, they are giving a dollar (towards the purchase of the item) to every person who uses the coupon. But if the coupons are gone, and potential buyers have to look for them on ebay, and then have to pay someone on ebay 50 cents for one, then the company, when it redeems the coupon, is in effect paying the ebayer 50 cents and the consumer 50 cents. (I can't imagine companies are happy about paying people to devalue their coupons by stealing and batch-selling them.)

The $1 coupon is now a $.50 coupon, which means it is not as strong an incentive. Fewer people will try the product with this devalued coupon. Also, when coupons are sold in bundles of 10 or more, fewer people have access to them. And a lot of people don't want 10 coupons. They want one or two. Ebay auctions are of interest mainly to stockpilers and hoarders. For the manufacturer, the coupons are meant to be an incentive to general shoppers, not only to deal obsessives.

[KrazE]

I'm going to chime in on this one.

ebay & SC are no different in the least when it comes to coupons especially if trading for a GC - a GC is m-o-n-e-y; asking for a GC for coupons on here is exactly the same as selling them for a fee on ebay, period.

There are far too many SC members putting to high of a value on their coupons, or having no qualms about emptying a tear pad for personal gain. Expecting people to have to trade with someone just to get coupons they need to help support their family is just plain wrong. This has been stated by some directly on the forum, so it's not a comment of assumptions.

I can tell you from personal experience that others being greedy has directly reflected me and my children. I've been laid off since December 2011 and it took 16 WEEKS before EI finally started showing up. I can barely find tear pads anywhere for just the things my family uses, so being expected to have to trade to get those coupons is unacceptable; I haven't traded on here in a long time because I can't even afford it - I can't even squeeze envelope money out of my meagre budget anymore, and I certainly can't afford the high priced GCs or large books of stamps for a stack of coupons that are more likely to be filled with ones I would never use, and can't even afford to trade off for ones I will use; it's a depressing cycle.

The medium with which people get their coupons is no longer important; not being greedy is what matters. Please leave coupons for others to be able to personally get themselves, in the stores, to support their own families. Some of us here on SC are almost not getting by at all and don't qualify for any kind of help just yet; I don't want to have to go that route, so please, only take what you personally need.

[melodyagwu]

What makes people think manufacturers will stop issuing coupons if they are made aware of fraud and other dodgy dealings?

Manufacturers issue coupons to advance their own interests, not to be generous to desperate or deal-hungry shoppers. (When we get a Brandsaver insert in our mailbox, P&G isn't RAOKing us.) They are in the business of selling products. As long as coupons help them sell products, they will keep on issuing them.

If you write to a manufacturer and tell them they lost a sale because the coupons they provided (not as a gift but as an incentive to purchase) were stolen and are being sold on ebay, and you refuse to buy stolen coupons on ebay (or any coupons anywhere), they are not going to stop issuing coupons. They are going to send you a thank-you note and A) do nothing, or B) work on finding better ways to get their coupons into the hands of people who will use them as intended.

but heres the thing ..they arent going to care because whomever buys the coupons will make them money as well...

[renegado]

but heres the thing ..they arent going to care because whomever buys the coupons will make them money as well...

Yes, manufacturers make money (most of the time, presumably) on items sold with coupons, but they make more money when they don't have to give back $1 per item (or whatever) from their share of the retail price.

If the purpose of a coupon is to encourage a wide range of consumers to A) try a new product or B) try a different brand from their usual and, ideally, switch longterm and pay full price for the product in future, these purposes are defeated if the coupons are stolen and sold to stockpilers and hoarders, who are immune to brand loyalty. They are never going to buy the product at full price (as the manufacturer hopes), because when their stash runs low, they will buy another brand with another whack of coupons.