In America Shop (Online, i think) what does "After Rebate" mean?

I am looking at getting some computer hardware and i am browsing American websites and everywhere i go, i see "After Rebate" and the price drops slightly? Would i get this discount if i bought it to ship to the UK or is it an American thing And what is it?

Public Comments

1. It is a scam, an attempt to enforce "customer loyalty". Every time you buy something they give you some crappy vouchers so that NEXT time you visit that store you can get a rebate. I was in a shop called "Circuit City" that has this nonsense. I had to get one of the assistants to explain it to me. As it was my first visit to Circuit City", I did not have any stupid vouchers from any PREVIOUS visits, therefore did not qualify for any "rebate".
2. A rebate means that you pay full price at the time of purchase and receive a voucher for the sale price. When you send in the rebate voucher then they will send you the difference between the full price and the sale price. If you can wait a couple of months for them to send you a rebate check then you should be ok. I would recommend shopping around for a sale price you can take advantage of immediately.