How would you like to price match Amazon, one of the lowest price retailers around?
What if I told you that you could get better pricing than Amazon wants you to know about? Think about all the money you could save if you could always get the lowest price available.
Luckily for you, that’s exactly what I’m going to show you. Today I’m talking about everything Amazon doesn’t want you to know about matching and beating Amazons online price.
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What is Amazon’s price adjustment policy?
Amazon does not price match their own prices or the prices of other retailers. Unfortunately, this is because Amazon already attempts to maintain the most competitive prices.
Making matters worse is that Amazon recently suspended their price adjustment policy.
Amazon’s previous policy would allow for price adjustments within seven days of purchase. This would reimburse the difference if you found a better deal or the price dropped.
Does this mean you’re out of luck? Absolutely not!
Amazon is one of the best online retailers when it comes to finding the best price. However, there are plenty of other ways to save money when shopping.
I’ll be showing you a few tricks to make sure you get the best deal shopping online, with or without Amazon.
How do I get a price drop alert on Amazon?
So you want to get the best deal possible when shopping on Amazon. Did you know you can set up price alerts to let you know when a price drops?
The only downside is that you’ll need the patience to wait for a price drop. Unfortunately, that can take some time but can be well worth the wait if you’re not in a hurry.
The first step in setting up a price drop alert is to find the product on Amazon. You can search online or with the Amazon App on your smartphone.
In this example, I’ve found an espresso machine selling for $580. I’m patient and not in a hurry to make this purchase.
Next, scroll down until you find the ASIN number.
The ASIN is Amazon’s version of a UPC of Universal Product Code. It’s a unique number which helps Amazon identify a product.
Copy the ASIN and go to CamelCamelCamel.
CamelCamelCamel is an Amazon price tracking tool. You’ll see the products price history and can set price drop alerts.
Paste the ASIN into the search bar and click search.
You can see that the price varies significantly! As a matter of fact, $580 for this coffee machine is rather expensive.
The price frequently drops below $500. Therefor, we should set our price drop alert to notify us when the price falls below $500.
Simply enter your email, select Amazon Price, drops to $500, and click start tracking. You’ll also want to set a second alert for when a 3rd Party new price drops below $500 as well.
Now, you’ll be notified by email when the price drops.
Keepa price tracking
Keepa is another price tracking tool that allows you to receive price notifications. However, Keepa went from being one of my favorite tools to least.
Why?
Keepa recently changed to a pay per month business model to view price history. Why would I want to pay $15 per month for information I can get for free on CamelCamelCamel?
However, Keepa is still great for sending price drop notifications. In this case, Keepa notified me when the price of this espresso machine dropped $55!
The one good thing I like about Keepa is their Chrome extension. The Chrome extension places the price history graph so it’s viewable on the product page while browsing Amazon.
Now I can see if the product is at a good price while browsing Amazon. In the example above, The swaddle blankets range in price from $19 to about $24.
Does Amazon honor price mistakes?
Amazon has in the past honored price mistakes but that does not guarantee they will do so in the future.
Most notably, the time a $2,200 camera lens was mistakenly sold for $500 under normal retail price. However, it’s unclear if it was Amazon honoring the price mistake or a third part seller.
Adding to the discussion, an Amazon seller posted a customer service email on the seller forum where Amazon was unable to honor a price error.
So yes, Amazon will cancel your order if they mess up. However, RSSBOOKS summarizes Amazon’s price mistake policy well:
The verdict? Amazon does not honor price mistakes made on their behalf. However, third party sellers are encouraged to honor a pricing error.
Therefore, your chances of successfully buying an item with a price mistake is greater if it’s from a third party seller.
How do I price match on Amazon before buying?
There are numerous browser extensions and websites that can help you find the best price shopping online. These browsers extensions help compare prices across stores and help find available digital coupons.
1. Honey
Amazon allows third party sellers to sell through Amazon. Everyday people are selling in addition to the products sold by Amazon. Each of these sellers can choose a price to sell an individual product. Amazon rotates through these sellers, meaning you’re not always being shown the best price.
You can see a list of these sellers by clicking the “X new” button within the product description.
You can also see a list of sellers selling the same product that had an open box. Open boxes are usually products that were returned, but still in sell-able condition. Purchasing an open box can save you extra money if you don’t care about the condition of the packaging.
Here’s what you would see if you clicked on 14 new:
This particular item ranges in price from $22.35 to $39.99, depending on the seller.
Honey will automatically compare all options and provide you with the best. When I purchased my Bose noise canceling headphones, Honey compared all the options and found a seller that didn’t charge tax. I saved $24.99 just by having honey installed as a browser extension.
Honey is my favorite app to price match Amazon, on Amazon!
Invisible Hand
Invisible hand is another browser extension which compares prices across different retailer websites. Simply install the extension, shop online, and let invisible hand compare prices across the web.
Once you’re on a product page, invisible hand shows you the price of the same product, but with other retailers from lowest to highest price.
The downside? Invisible hand is currently undergoing testing and further development. Why? They are continually adding more products and retailers to maximize price matching opportunities.
Wikibuy
Wikibuy is a coupon app which automatically finds the best discount at checkout. It also searches other websites and retailers to find the lowest price possible. Simply search for the product and Wikibuy takes care of the rest.
Is Wikibuy free?
Yes, Wikibuy is completely free. Wikibuy earns money by earning a commission when you make a purchase through Wikibuy.
Simply put, Wikibuy finds you the lowest price and the company pays them for a business referral.
Is Wikibuy safe?
Yes, Wikibuy is owned by Capital One, a trusted financial institution.
What retailers will price match Amazon?
The following retailers are willing to price match Amazon. You should always call customer service or find the price match policy online before trying to price match. Price match guarantees are subject to change.
| Store | How to Price Match | Other Price Match Policy Info |
|---|---|---|
| Bed, Bath, and Beyond | In store: Talk to cashier and show proof of lower price. Will price match your recent purchase within 14 days.
Online: Call 1-800-GO-BEYOND (1-800-462-3966) or email customer.service@bedbath.com. Must show proof of lower price. |
See full policy |
| Best Buy | In store: Talk to customer service and show proof of lower price.
Online: Call Best Buy Customer Service 1-888-BEST-BUY (1-888-237-8289) |
See full policy |
| Dick’s Sporting Goods | In store: Talk to customer service and show proof of lower price.
Online: Call Dick’s Sporting Goods Customer Service 1-877-846-9997 and show proof of lower price. |
See full policy |
| Frey’s Electronics | In Store: Show proof of lower price. Will refund 110% of price if a lower price is found within 30 days. | See full policy |
| Home Depot | Will match price with proof of lower price. | See full policy |
| JC Penney | In Store: Will match price and give you an additional 5% within 14 days of purchase.
Online: Call customer service at 1-800-322-1189. |
See full policy |
| Jo-Ann Fabric | Will match price within 7 days of advertised lower price. | See full policy |
| Lowe’s | Will price match within 30 days of purchase. | See full policy |
| Nordstrom | Will match lower competitor prices. | See full policy |
| Staples | Will match items sold and shipped by Amazon (excluding marketplace sellers) and other online or retail locations. | See full policy |
| Target | Will match purchases within 14 days of purchase with proof of lower price. | See full policy |
| Walmart | Will price match purchases at select retailers but will not price match their own prices. | See full policy |
Summary: How to price match Amazon
Unfortunatly, Amazon doesn’t price match and even got rid of their price adjustment policy. As a general rule, Amazon does not honor price mistakes but encourages third party sellers to do so.
While Amazon does have low prices, lower priced items can be found.
If you’re patient, find the price history chart on CamelCamelCamel or Keepa. Identify a historic lower price and set a price alert notification to be notified of a price drop. You’ll receive an email when the desired price is reached.
Three of my favorite browser extensions are Honey, Invisible Hand, and Wikibuy. Honey finds the lowest price on Amazon, Invisible Hand compares prices across retailers, Wikibuy inserts coupon codes at checkout.
