In today’s world, some hacks and tips have been so widely shared and overused that they’ve lost their effectiveness. What once might have been a clever trick to save time, money, or effort has now become too common, making it harder to achieve the desired results.
1. Coupon Code Sites
These sites used to be great for finding discounts and promo codes, but now they’re filled with expired or non-working deals. Retailers have caught on and limit coupon use by restricting codes to certain customers, limiting how often they can be used, or requiring email sign-ups for access.
2. Downloading Free Textbooks Online
As more people used this hack, publishers and authors took steps to protect their rights. They started using digital rights management (DRM) to prevent illegal downloading and sharing of textbooks. Many publishers now offer affordable options like digital rentals, e-books, or open-access materials, making it easier for students to access textbooks legally.
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3. Tricking The Parking Garage to Pay Less for Parking
As more people tried to exploit this parking hack, garages upgraded their systems with advanced technology like cameras, license plate recognition, and payment kiosks that calculate fees based on stay duration. Ground sensors now ensure tickets are only issued to vehicles, and attendants are trained to spot fraud, such as ticket swapping. They also check tickets and entry times to make sure drivers pay the correct amount and don’t overstay.
4. Searching Misspellings Of Items on eBay to Get a Better Deal
This hack used to help people find items with spelling mistakes, leading to lower prices because fewer buyers saw the listings. However, it’s now widely known, and many sellers purposely misspell keywords to attract these bargain hunters, reducing the savings. eBay’s search algorithm also suggests corrections for misspelled words, making it harder to find these listings.
5. Applying to a Bunch of Scholarships That No One Else Applies For
As more people started using this scholarship hack, competition increased, making it harder to win. Scholarship providers noticed many low-quality applications from students who weren’t genuinely interested, so they introduced stricter requirements like essays, interviews, or proof of merit. Some also limited the number of scholarships a student could win, reducing the chances of success with this strategy.
6. Getting Luxury Items Cheap At Thrift Stores
As this hack gained popularity, the demand for luxury items at thrift stores grew, and some people started using unethical tactics, like buying all the luxury items to resell them for profit online. This created more competition and raised prices, making it harder for others to find bargains. Many thrift stores caught on and began pricing luxury items higher or sending them directly to consignment shops. Some even added policies to limit how many luxury items a single customer could buy, reducing the chances of finding multiple high-end items at once.
7. Clearing Student Loan Debt By Filing For Bankruptcy
In 2005, Congress passed a law making it harder to discharge student loans through bankruptcy. Borrowers must prove “undue hardship,” a tough standard to meet. Courts require proof of good faith efforts to repay, living on minimal means, and ongoing financial struggles. Lenders also work to block borrowers from discharging loans, often challenging claims of hardship and opposing changes to make bankruptcy laws more borrower-friendly.
8. Pressing Zero On An Automated Phone Tree to Talk to Customer Service
This hack used to help people skip automated menus and quickly reach a live representative. However, many companies have updated their systems to block it. Some systems recognize when you press zero repeatedly and either restart the menu or disconnect the call. Others use voice recognition, requiring specific keywords to reach a representative. While this trick may still work with some companies, it’s not always reliable, and you may need to try other ways to contact customer service.
9. Ordering Free Carpet Samples on Amazon for Crafting
Ordering free carpet samples on Amazon was a popular hack for crafting projects like coasters, patchwork blankets, or small rugs. However, many people abused the system by ordering large quantities or taking samples without using them for crafting. As a result, Amazon noticed the trend and stopped offering free carpet samples altogether.
10. Looking Up Unknown Numbers to See Who Is Calling
Looking up unknown phone numbers was a popular hack to identify callers before answering, especially for people who got many spam calls like telemarketing or robocalls. As this trick became widely used, companies and spammers began hiding their numbers or making them look like local or familiar numbers, making it harder to identify them with a simple search. Additionally, websites that once offered free number lookups realized they could charge for this service, so now most of them require payment to see the caller’s information.
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