I've had a couple of strategy board games last year that came with a code you could type in to get a few months of playing the online version free. This is both a good idea (practice playing against the AI to learn the rules and basic strategies, or other players to hone them) and good marketing - they get to show you their other products and any expansions. Which worked on me. Where this breaks is encouraging people to search for free online versions, play them, then decide the game sucks (I've done that too).

But the rebate scam... just say no. Closest I've come is offering to split the ($300) rebate with a cash-poor friend if they did the work... I'd pay them the after-rebate price plus half the rebate, they had to collect the rest. No interest from them even though they were trying to sell me on the rebate idea. I'd rather wait or buy off ebay (I trust eBay sellers more than rebate offers... hmmm).