How to Find Real Amazon Deals (and Spot Fake Sales)
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"57% off!" in big red letters. Your thumb is already on Add to Cart.
Wait one minute. Some of those sales aren't sales. Here's how to tell the difference in about 60 seconds.
Why a "deal" might not be a deal
That percent off is measured against a reference price, often the List Price.
Amazon describes List Price as the suggested retail price given by the maker or seller. Amazon's own fine print says it may not match what the item usually sells for.
So an item can show a big percent off a price it rarely or never actually sold at. A tech site found exactly that this year: a "57% off" drive whose price history never came close to its List Price.
The fix is simple. Ignore the percent. Look at the history.
Check the price history (free)
Keepa: paste the Amazon link into the search box at keepa.com, or add the free browser extension. A chart shows up right on the Amazon page.
CamelCamelCamel: same idea. Paste the link at camelcamelcamel.com and see the price over time.
Read the chart like this:
Today's price is at or near the lowest point? Real deal.
The price jumped up right before the "sale"? Fake deal. It's just back to normal.
The price moves around all the time? No rush. It'll drop again.
7 checks before you buy
Check every color and size. The same item can be priced differently by color. The cheapest one is often not the one that loads first.
Look for the coupon box. Some listings have a "Save with coupon" checkbox under the price. You have to tick it.
Look at Subscribe & Save. For things you rebuy (diapers, coffee, pet food), it can beat the sale. Cancel anytime.
Compare the unit price. The bigger pack isn't always cheaper per ounce or per count.
Check "Sold by." Make sure it's Amazon or the brand, not a seller you've never heard of with few ratings.
Read the 1-star reviews. If they all say the same thing, believe them.
Check Walmart and Target. Ten seconds. Sometimes the "deal" is just the normal price somewhere else.
Signs it's a fake sale
The percent off is huge, but the price history is flat.
A countdown timer is pushing you to hurry on something you didn't plan to buy.
Brand-new listing, almost no reviews, and a big "was" price.
The deal is only on a color or size nobody wants.
When real deals happen
Prime Day in July and the fall Prime deal event in October.
Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
End-of-season clearance (more on that in the best time to buy guide).
Want an item but not in a hurry? Set a price alert in Keepa or CamelCamelCamel. They email you when it drops.
One more tip: buy it, then keep watching
Bought something and the price dropped right after? Amazon doesn't promise price matching. But if you're still inside the return window, you can return it and rebuy at the lower price. Check the Amazon return policy guide first.
Real life bottom line: ignore the percent off. Check the price history, tick the coupon box, and compare one other store. If it's near the lowest price and you'd buy it anyway, that's a real deal.
More like this
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