Amazon's predatory pricing algorithms

[tele_lover]

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Edited by tele_lover on Saturday 29th August 19:11

[SP_]

Rarely do prices get updated manually by Amazon, it will have been tracking another website e.g. Currys, and that may have run out of stock and therefore switched to the next cheapest, and so on...

[captain_cynic]

Browse in porn mode (privacy/incognito).

I use a privacy manager (privacy badger) on my browser, wouldn't browse the internet without it these days.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Few of us at work are into making homemade curry and we were recommended a book, all of us went to amazon and all three of us had a different price!

[bigandclever]

Dynamic pricing isn't new and isn't limited to Amazon.

[boyse7en]

bigandclever said:

Dynamic pricing isn't new and isn't limited to Amazon.

It's not so much dynamic pricing, its more personal than that.

I wanted a pack of rivets, so searched on Google and got the results with the usual bar of promoted products along the top of the page. One of them was for Amazon - box of rivets £3.49
Logged in to amazon app on my phone and searched for rivets, and exactly the same box of rivets came up, but on the app it was £4.99. No amount of searching in the app would show me the £3.49 option. I had to access it by searching in google, clicking the link, which would then open in the app showing the cheaper price.

[steveatesh]

bigandclever said:

Dynamic pricing isn't new and isn't limited to Amazon.

Ah that will explain a Sony Lens I was watching, the 200-600, it went up by the same amount twice in a month at every outlet overnight (even the used gear outlets) …….. I assumed they were acting as a cartel but technology is probably a more likely explanation.

[tele_lover]

SP_ said:

Rarely do prices get updated manually by Amazon, it will have been tracking another website e.g. Currys, and that may have run out of stock and therefore switched to the next cheapest, and so on...

The item I was looking at was a very niche book. I can nearly guarantee it's price wasn't fluctuating online.

I think they are using the number of times I visit, to read my demand and therefore jack the price up.

[tele_lover]

captain_cynic said:

Browse in porn mode (privacy/incognito).

I use a privacy manager (privacy badger) on my browser, wouldn't browse the internet without it these days.

This is a really good idea. Thanks.

[dapprman]

One thing to be careful of is assuming it is Amazon actually selling the items. Often they are the 'agent' for another company and there is limited stock. You normally are told who they are fulfilling for and also can see other options.
This was more of an issue with Prime a good few years back where you were shown the actual Amazon price, not the cheapest unless you looked at the buying options. Fortunately fixed a long time back.