If you shop on the Amazon website, I’m sure you’ve noticed many discounts and “good deals”. But those deals are often not that good. There are lies and manipulation afoot, to convince you you’re getting a bargain. You can dispel some of the illusion if you use an Amazon Price Tracking tool.
Amazon Price Tracking tools are available, typically for free, on websites or by using browser extensions. Here’s how they work: companies crawl and log Amazon pricing info, constantly and repeatedly, and store historical price data for many/all of the items sold on Amazon.com. And they allow you to look up a specific Amazon listing, to show you its price history.
For Example
I’m shopping for some bluetooth speakers. And I find a nice set that does what I need: Bluetooth Speaker with HD Sound. The Amazon listing very clearly states that this item has a List Price of $59.99, but it is discounted a whopping 55%. My purchase price would be $26.99!
But before I get too excited, I copy the URL for that item, and head over to CamelCamelCamel. I paste the URL into the search field at the top of that site, and can then review the pricing history for those speakers. The truth is: Those speakers have never been priced at $59.99. Over two years, they have been priced at $26.99, but occasionally at $30 and $20.
I may still decide to buy these speakers. $26.99 is a fair price. But the $59.99 pricepoint is a fiction. It’s a ruse, only there to steer me and entice me.
This trickery exists for many other items on Amazon, and you should be especially alert to this during Black Friday sales and Amazon Prime Day events. I have seen $200 TVs and $500 computers for sale that claim to have been priced at over $1000.
Price Tracking Tools
CamelCamelCamel is the long-standing champion for this type of tool. You may use it anytime, or install their browser extension, if you like that kind of thing.
Keepa also seems to do an equivalent job.
And you may find others out there that do similar. If I test any others that are worthwhile and safe, I may add them to this post later.
Thank you! I’ve always thought that I was getting a good deal on anything I was buying. I never knew that the cost I’m paying is really what the value is. For example you’re telling us about the speakers you wanted to buy. I understood this completely and thanks for putting it into words that all of us could! As always, thank you for your expertise and caring about your clients you treat as friends.