Amazon Prime Day Discounts Often Not Genuine, Recent Analysis Shows

An investigation revealed that prices on many items during Amazon’s recent “Prime Big Deal Days” sale were not discounted, and in some cases, had actually increased compared to prices in the weeks leading up to the event.

The analysis, which involved tracking prices of items over a six-month period, found that purchasing the same products during the October 7th and 8th sale would have resulted in savings of only 0.6%, excluding the $139 annual Amazon Prime membership fee. Several items experienced price increases; one TV stand jumped 38 percent from $275 on October 2nd to $379 during the sale, while a console increased from $219.99 to $299. In other instances, advertised discounts matched prices from recent weeks, such as an Oral-B electric toothbrush listed as 39 percent off but priced the same as in August.

This practice of inflating “before” prices to exaggerate discounts is not new, with consumer advocates like Consumer Watchdog reporting similar issues as early as 2017, finding that 61 percent of reference prices were higher than those charged in the prior 90 days. Amazon stated that the “Prime Big Deal Days” prices offer “meaningful savings compared to the typical price customers have paid on Amazon over the last 90 days,” but the investigation found a pack of coronavirus tests sold for the same price on October 8th as it did on September 12th, despite being advertised as “39 percent off.”

Consumers looking for genuine deals on Amazon are advised to utilize price tracking tools like CamelCamelCamel to monitor historical pricing and set price alerts. This revelation comes as more shoppers rely on large sales events like Prime Day to offset rising costs, making accurate pricing transparency crucial.

Amazon officials have not yet responded to requests for further comment on the findings.