Amazon
The next time Amazon announces Prime Day discounts, remember this: prices during sales are not always better, and as incredible as it may seem, sometimes they are even higher. Meanwhile, Black Friday is just around the corner. Here’s what you should do to get a good deal on promotions.
It’s no longer news to (almost) anyone that mega-promotions and special periods like the famous Black Fridays offer more times than real good deals.
It is, in which thousands of people invariably continue to fall, that leads consumers to buy “discounted” products. at the same price they had — products that rose in price a few days ago and then received a “discount”.
What could we call a phenomenon Black Frauday reaches everyone — including famous people Amazon discount days.
During the recent “Prime Big Deal Days” of autumn, Geoffrey Fowlercolumnist for , compared the prices of products on sale with what they previously cost on Amazon.
Fowler concluded that, on average, would have saved almost nothing. In some large-value purchases, it would even be ended up paying more — and has the receipts to prove it.
Fowler’s family prepared for the promotion, which took place on October 7 and 8, and compiled a list of products with prices they had been tracking. On the first day of the promotion, the columnist received a message from his father: “I’m very disappointed. Prices are much higher!”
Fowler’s father was right. A TV stand whose price was in line with rose 38%, from 275 to 379 dollars between October 2nd and 7th — in the days before the start of the promotion.
The same situation happened with other expensive products on the list, such as a console that had increased from 219.99 to 299 dollars.
In other cases, Amazon advertised discounts that exactly matched the price that had already been charged in previous weeks. An example: an Oral-B electric toothbrush appeared with 39% discountbut in reality it maintained the same price as in August.
Many retailers use “promotions” as deceptive marketing. The technique is simple: for the most unwary, the mere “Prime Day” stamp gives us the idea that 299 dollars “must be a very good price” — even if it previously cost 219. And there are those who fall.
Fowler decided to carry out a systematic investigation into the prices announced on Prime Day. The columnist collected the receipts for all non-food purchases which I had done on Amazon in the last six months, almost 50 products.
Then, he calculated how much those same items would have cost during Prime Big Deal Days on October 8th. The total potential savings during Big Deal Days was just 0.6%. And that’s not counting the cost of the Amazon Prime subscription: $139, about 120 euros per year.
As tariffs and inflation may have contributed to the increase in prices during this period. But, as you say Michelle Singletary in another in The Washington Post, Prime Day is mainly good for Amazon — not for you.
Fowler and Singletary have nothing against Amazon, nor is the newspaper exactly campaigning against the platform. The owner of the online retail giant is Jeff Bezos. The owner of the Post too. But, objectively, what is Bezos’ Amazon doing? it’s a frauddenounce journalists from Bezos’ newspaper.
“Amazon offers customers real savings and transparent pricingwhether on a normal shopping day or during an important event like Prime Big Deal Day,” he said Jessica Martinan Amazon spokesperson, in a response to an email request for information from Fowler.
“Although we offer millions of promotions during eventsnot all items in our store will be on sale during the event, which is normal in retail,” he added, explaining that the examples that Fowler shared “do not reflect the general trends of this event”.
Fowler isn’t the only one who thinks Amazon’s Prime Days (and beyond) may seem a marketing scheme.
Consumer protection organizations have previously warned that it is common practice to present artificially inflated “previous” pricesso that the discounts seem bigger than they really are.
The practice is old. Before the Prime Day 2017the non-profit organization revealed that 61% of prices reference on Amazon were superior at any price that the company had charged for these items in the previous 90 days.
What to do?
If you want to save money shopping online, you should continue to make comparisons of prices. There is browser plugins that suggest lower prices when you’re shopping online.
Google and even AI tools like ChatGPT can also be useful. Don’t put aside the idea of buy in physical stores. Fowler discovered that his dentist sold the same electric brush for 10 dollars less than Amazon’s “promotional price”.
To really get a good deal on Amazon, visit her with a plan. Fowler uses , a service that tracks Amazon price history — just like .
Knowing the previous prices and comparing them with those announced in promotions is essential, says the columnist for The Washington Post. Many TVs, for example, reach lower prices on Black Friday, not Prime Day.
Even on Black Friday or Prime Day, be wary of big discounts: Reductions above 50% on name brand products are often unrealistic.
Furthermore, confirm the seller’s reputation. In the case of marketplaces such as Amazon Marketplace, AliExpress or eBay, or in WORTER OU FNACin Portugal, check reviews and comments from other buyers, how long the seller has been operating, and responses to reported problems. The Portuguese platform also helps us compare prices.
Prime Day and Black Friday are occasions prone to fraud, misleading promotions, and shady marketing practices. However, they also provide good deals and real discounts. We just need to know how to distinguish the wheat from the chaff.
