I don't buy stuff on Amazon just because it's on sale, but I do have a few things in my Wish List that I want to buy but only when they're at a price I'm happy with; many of them have been there for years.
Whenever I see a price change, and I'm not ready to buy, I add a note in the wish list notes with the current price, essentially tracking every price I see it at "by hand".
During sales I check back, and for ~90% of items in my list, they're higher not just than the lowest price I've recorded, but also many of the previously higher prices.
At this point I'm not even bothered about really ever buying much of this stuff on there, but it's fun to track the data even at a small scale like this.
I also use that 3 humps website regularly but they actually don't closely track fast changing prices day-by-day for all items. Therefore, I also track price changes manually myself.
Those blind spots happen for many items and my reverse-engineering guess is that they simply don't have the compute infrastructure to track/scrape all the millions of ASINs. Therefore, many price changes are completely missed. I'm sure they're doing the best they can but it seems like the only 100% accurate way to track price change history is for Amazon.com itself to offer it. Amazon likes to say they're "customer-oriented" and providing an official price history dashboard would help shoppers.
I do, but I read some while ago that there was some "deal" with Amazon that prevented them from tracking real sale prices, and it also can't account for voucher codes that apply at checkout.
I'm not sure if the former still stands, but on the whole, I've found CCC doesn't always have the actual best price I've recorded.
That's the reason I don't have scruples to scam Amazon by saying that I haven't received the package when the deliverer just throw it in the first stock of the apartment building without giving notice.
A few years ago I moved to a country that didn't have Amazon. At first it was frustrating as I didn't know where to shop but now I see it as a benefit with some downsides. Before trips back home I'll look on Amazon for some stuff I can't get here and I'm flooded with Aliexpress junk and sponsored placements for Aliexpress junk. Amazon is hideous in so many ways.
Most people (including me) perceive Amazon based on their 20-year history with it; same day delivery for free, exceptional delivery and service, good prices, etc.
But that is the past; the current reality is boring or expensive prices, crappy shipping and service tending toward shitty, and better deals to be found elsewhere; either target or Walmart on the “high” end or Temu or Aliexpress on the cheap Chinese shit end.
The most important thing for me to break the bonds was to cancel prime. Every time they try to coerce me back in strengthens my resolve to check everywhere else first.
Hah, I quit Prime and they just gave it back to me. No charge. I can't cancel it. I can't figure it out, but perhaps they realized that their margin on me before I canceled was well over the cost of Prime? I'm not sure, but I still only use it a fraction of what I used to...
The whole concept of buying something because it is cheap is weird.
I have a small list of items I think I will need in the near future; if it's not on that list, I'm not buying it, from anywhere, at any price. Maybe I'm a bit more ascetic than the average person, but I find it hard to imagine people just browsing lists of "cheap" stuff for hours to just buy stuff they don't need. And then being happy that they won because they paid less than some imaginary "full price".
I know people who behave as if they had to spend money as quickly as possible every time they receive a paycheck. Their wish lists are just "ideas to spend money".
Sometimes you need to buy stuff, because you.. well.. need it.
Need a new blender, because the old ones sounds like a woodchipper? 5 days until prime day/cyber monda/black friday/christmas sale... well, let's wait and we might get a deal. Now you know that you didn't have to wait, because you're not getting a deal.
I feel like my move to Amazon over the last 25 years has been little to do with price and more a symptom of my lack of free time when shops are open. I simply can't get to most physical stores during the week. And my weekends are rammed with all the things I didn't get to do during the week...
Then there is the issue of what physical stores have done to become more competitive. In many cases they have reduced their range. So now I'm worried that they simply won't have what I need.
Yes a lot of urban retail seems to be in a death loop.
Between online competition, wages, rent and shoplifting you see fewer locations, with a less convenient shopping experience, less staff and shorter hours.
Yea, I want to "do the right thing" and shop locally more, but boy, they do their best to make it difficult. It's as if "Local Shopping" is a group that gets together for meetings to figure out the most effective ways to drive me to shop at Amazon instead.
The camelcamelcamel site is always my go to for "is this actually a deal" on Amazon. There's also an extension called keepa that will draw the graph on the Amazon website for you.
You can also make a list on Amazon, then share that list with camelcamelcamel and set your prices and get an email and in the email see if it is a good deal or not. Very handy.
Is it accurate these days? I recall there was some point where Amazon locked them out of deal prices etc, and I guess it also doesn't account for vouchers that apply at checkout?
I was looking at one of the GMKTek Ryzen AI Max boxes and it's overpriced by ~£1000 with a ~£1000 voucher to apply at checkout; or is this part of some other "scheme"?
Can you name anything? One of the biggest complaints I've read about Amazon from the seller side is that they can be punished if they offer a better price somewhere other than Amazon.
The only items that seem to skirt this is repackaged items/junk from AliExpress, but they are or are pretending to be different companies.
Psychological tip (and maybe an idea for a browser extension?):
- Never look at the sale percentage, just look at the price.
Yes, it might be "75% off!!", but is it still worth 200€ to you?
It takes some mental trickery and fortitude to drag your mind away from the "OMG IT WAS 800€ and now it's only 200!!" and only look at the current price vs features.
I taught my children how to interpret some discounts.
"Dad! It says here the 2nd item is 50% off! That's a bargain!"
"So, what are you actually paying in total compared to the original price in total? And do you really need that 2nd item?"
In relation to this, I really hate the South Korean convenience stores’ aggressive 2-for-1 on many of the most basic things, because you know you’re essentially being forced into buying the second item you didn’t need.
I'm good at ignoring these "deals" but oh man my kryptonite remains "spend X more to get free shipping" -- Prime has ruined me for valuing shipping cost.
Literally in buyer remorse right now because I overbought about $80 worth of very lightweight aircraft parts from Wichita to score the free shipping. Shipping of a few ounces of aluminum.
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Whenever I see a price change, and I'm not ready to buy, I add a note in the wish list notes with the current price, essentially tracking every price I see it at "by hand".
During sales I check back, and for ~90% of items in my list, they're higher not just than the lowest price I've recorded, but also many of the previously higher prices.
At this point I'm not even bothered about really ever buying much of this stuff on there, but it's fun to track the data even at a small scale like this.
E.g. this ant insecticide was recently on sale for $15.99 during Oct 7 & 8 and yet that lower price was invisible to camelcamelcamel: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Miller-8150120-24-Ounce-Disconti...
Those blind spots happen for many items and my reverse-engineering guess is that they simply don't have the compute infrastructure to track/scrape all the millions of ASINs. Therefore, many price changes are completely missed. I'm sure they're doing the best they can but it seems like the only 100% accurate way to track price change history is for Amazon.com itself to offer it. Amazon likes to say they're "customer-oriented" and providing an official price history dashboard would help shoppers.
I'm not sure if the former still stands, but on the whole, I've found CCC doesn't always have the actual best price I've recorded.
Most people (including me) perceive Amazon based on their 20-year history with it; same day delivery for free, exceptional delivery and service, good prices, etc.
But that is the past; the current reality is boring or expensive prices, crappy shipping and service tending toward shitty, and better deals to be found elsewhere; either target or Walmart on the “high” end or Temu or Aliexpress on the cheap Chinese shit end.
The most important thing for me to break the bonds was to cancel prime. Every time they try to coerce me back in strengthens my resolve to check everywhere else first.
I have a small list of items I think I will need in the near future; if it's not on that list, I'm not buying it, from anywhere, at any price. Maybe I'm a bit more ascetic than the average person, but I find it hard to imagine people just browsing lists of "cheap" stuff for hours to just buy stuff they don't need. And then being happy that they won because they paid less than some imaginary "full price".
If you may or may not have food tomorrow, but there is a lot today, you stock up and eat.
This works great in the savanna, not so much when a trillion dollar company is using it to exploit you.
Need a new blender, because the old ones sounds like a woodchipper? 5 days until prime day/cyber monda/black friday/christmas sale... well, let's wait and we might get a deal. Now you know that you didn't have to wait, because you're not getting a deal.
Then there is the issue of what physical stores have done to become more competitive. In many cases they have reduced their range. So now I'm worried that they simply won't have what I need.
Between online competition, wages, rent and shoplifting you see fewer locations, with a less convenient shopping experience, less staff and shorter hours.
Which only leads to more Amazon usage.
1. List item for $100 with a $20 off coupon
2. On Prime Day, drop the price to $80 and remove the coupon
When you look at said item in CamelCamelCamel, I'm pretty sure it shows the price dropping from $100 -> $80.
I was looking at one of the GMKTek Ryzen AI Max boxes and it's overpriced by ~£1000 with a ~£1000 voucher to apply at checkout; or is this part of some other "scheme"?
The only items that seem to skirt this is repackaged items/junk from AliExpress, but they are or are pretending to be different companies.
- Never look at the sale percentage, just look at the price.
Yes, it might be "75% off!!", but is it still worth 200€ to you?
It takes some mental trickery and fortitude to drag your mind away from the "OMG IT WAS 800€ and now it's only 200!!" and only look at the current price vs features.
"Dad! It says here the 2nd item is 50% off! That's a bargain!" "So, what are you actually paying in total compared to the original price in total? And do you really need that 2nd item?"
Literally in buyer remorse right now because I overbought about $80 worth of very lightweight aircraft parts from Wichita to score the free shipping. Shipping of a few ounces of aluminum.
I'm a gullible idiot :D
The offers all fulfilled the requirements. But he was so keen to taking the highest offer because it has a MASSIVE discount applied.
Even when I told him, that he, as a business owner new exactly how discounts works. He sheepishly admitted that. He went for the highest offer.
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