What is a mail-in rebate and how does it work?

Question

I have always wondered why mail-in rebates existed and how they benefited the business in anyway. At surface they are generally a discount to the consumer with extra steps. What’s the deal?

In:

Answer 1

Basically you mail in proof you bought said item and they send you a rebate of some sort. Looks good on paper but most people are too lazy or just forget about it. Much better for a company than initially discounting the item so that everyone automatically gets the deal