What's Shakin'?

I've received a bunch of questions recently about Amazon pricing. As it turns out, Amazon will offer different shoppers different items depending on whether or not you're signed into an account.

You can tell when an item is sold by Amazon -- it will say "Ships from and sold by Amazon" right there on the web page. I have Amazon Prime and when I'm signed in, I'm always offered items sold by Amazon first (maybe this is the case for non-Prime members too). If you're shopping anonymously, you'll see the cheapest item. If the cheaper item is sold by one of Amazon's partner stores, your purchase isn't protected by Amazon's guarantee.

As you can imagine, this makes it tricky to track prices. When protecting an item from Amazon, we'll always look for the Amazon price first. We'll let you know if we can't find one, but as long as your page says "Ships from and sold by Amazon," you're eligible for their 30 price protection policy.

Labels: tips

Here's a quick tip from Rick, a Price Protectr user; Amazon's price protection guarantee actually starts from time they ship the item. So add the item once you get the shipping confirmation email and you've got a couple extra days of protection!

Labels: tips

I got a great tip the other day from a Price Protectr user about Best Buy's internal website. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Under pressure from state investigators, Best Buy is now confirming my reporting that its stores have a secret intranet site that has been used to block some consumers from getting cheaper prices advertised on BestBuy.com.

The problem doesn't seem to be very widespread -- I've received a bunch of emails from users who have had no problems getting refunds from Best Buy. But, when you head back with your receipt looking for that sweet $100 refund on your new digital camera, make sure the customer service rep is looking at prices from the external site!

Labels: links, tips

Forget to protect that cool new gadget the same day you bought it? Don't worry! Now when you submit an item for protection, just click the buy it a different day? link and change the date. It's so easy your dog could do it.

Labels: new features, tips