O nly 8% of the people who buy products that offer cash rebates ever take advantage of them. That leaves stores and manufacturers sitting on millions of dollars they were prepared to hand out. Here's how to make the most of rebate offers...

Keep an eye on the deadlines. Before you buy a product for its rebate, search the small print on the packaging, in the rebate certificate and in ads for the rebate's expiration date.

Helpful: Check one of the many Internet resources available that list manufacturer rebates and deadlines, including...

www.rebateplace.com for computer-related manufacturer rebates.

http://edmund.com/edweb/holdback.html for auto rebates.

www.freakyfreddies.com/rebate.htm and www.mycoupons.com, which offer details on coupon and rebate offers.

If you're considering a specific product rebate, also check for details on that company's Web page.

Another good source is Refunding Makes Cents, Box 969, Bountiful, Utah 84011. Monthly. $25/yr. (www.refund cents.com). It lists hundreds of major manufacturer rebates, contact addresses, qualifications and deadlines.

Shop on Sundays. Many stores offer rebates on products only while supplies last. Some stores even purposefully keep low supplies of products that have the best rebate offers. But nearly all stores first announce their rebate offers in local Sunday newspaper ads. Once you've circled the items you want, shop early that day.

Trap: Stores that offer rain checks on their rebates often won't offer extensions on products with manufacturer rebates.

Shop at stores that brag about their low prices. Many of these stores have underutilized policies that guarantee instant rebates if you find their products sold for less elsewhere.

Examples: Three large office-supply chains--Office Depot, Office Max and Staples--back their low-price guarantees. If you find a lower price advertised locally on their merchandise,they will match that price. Office Depot and Office Max may also offer a rebate of up to $55. (The exact amount varies with the difference between the prices.) Check with individual stores for their requirements.

Once you confirm a store offers such a guarantee--and you've decided on what you want--call a few other local retailers or drop in to compare prices. If their price is even $1 less than the store with the rebate guarantee, pick up a store ad or flyer that shows the lower price. Or ask the store to write down the price on its stationery or fax a written quote to you as proof of the lower price.

Hold the store accountable if a manufacturer fails to pay up. If a rebate check has not arrived within the time stated in the rebate--usually six to eight weeks--and you followed the rebate's rules, politely ask the store manager for the cash amount. Or call the store's customer service line.

A recent court case in Palm Springs, California, decided that a major retail chain that had advertised a manufacturer's rebate was responsible for the rebate amount--plus damages--when the consumer complained because he had not received it more than two months after the promised date.

Important: You may be asked to provide copies of the original materials you mailed in to claim the cash offer.

Avoid firms that sell rebate offers. Most of these offers are scams. They are for products that too few want... the offers have expired or involve hidden charges, such as excessive shipping costs... or they duplicate information in coupons mailed for free by the millions.