Amazon Prime Day is an exciting day for Prime subscribers. They look forward to steals and discounts on items that are typically more expensive. But as users are discovering, these supposed deals appear to manufactured by Amazon.
Many are calling out the brand for jacking up prices a few days before the bi-annual sale event and discounting it to the original price, marketing it as a “deal.”
TikTok user Katelyn Montalban (@kb.montalbano) took to her account to share why she won’t be ordering during Amazon Prime Day in a trending video.
Amazon Prime Day is a shopping event with deals exclusively for Prime members from July 16, 2024, at midnight PST to July 17, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
In her video, Montalban says she had about 25 items in her cart before Amazon Prime Day. She claims she took a screenshot of her items and their prices and when she checked this morning there was something off.
“When I got on this morning, I noticed that all they did was up the price and then keep it at its original price and tell me it’s on sale,” she says.
She then tells Amazon to “do better.”
Black Friday all over again
This isn’t the first time Amazon has faced scrutiny over its deals. This past Black Friday, the corporate giant was under fire for jacking up prices as well.
A TV was discounted by 36% on Amazon this past Black Friday.
“This 56-inch TV is supposedly 36% off,” TikTok user Sam Thibault (@samthibault04) explained. During the Black Friday sale, it was listed at $289.99, reduced from a price of $449. “While it technically used to be $449, it wasn’t always $449,” Thibault explains.
This resulted in a 2023 class action lawsuit filed against Amazon citing this specific issue.
Plaintiffs in Kinney, et al. v. Amazon.com Inc., et al. contend that “Amazon.com posts a false price that was not consistently used and then discounts from that price instead,” which the lawsuit alleges is a violation of FTC guidelines.
The proposed class action included any Amazon customer who purchased a discounted product with a price of $500 or more where the original price posted was not used for at least six months of the previous year.
Lead plaintiff Ben Kinney claimed he purchased an LG television on Amazon that was priced at $1,496.99, marked down from $2,499.99, and tagged as “40% off.” After the purchase, the price of the television then changed to $2,199 and stated “$700 off,” according to the lawsuit.
The television was normally sold on Amazon for $1,500 and the price rose to $2,000 for approximately a month, the plaintiff later found out, he claimed.
The case, however, was dismissed in February 2024.
How Amazon prices products
According to Amazon’s site, third-party sellers set their prices. Amazon also offers tools to help them offer competitive, low prices.
For other products, Amazon claims it compares prices from physical and online competitors.
Amazon’s pricing model “revolves around offering the most competitive prices to shoppers.” Amazon’s prices don’t stay constant and can change multiple times a day.
The lower prices can keep brand loyalty and retention. But, marking up prices and then offering big discounts is slowly drawing customers away.
Online backlash over Amazon Prime Day deals
@kb.montalbano Amazon Prime im disappointed. Dont market prine day if all youre going to do is up the original price and “discount it” to itd original price. So disappointing. Thats not a deal #amazonprime #primedealsgonebad #amazonscams ♬ original sound – Katelyn B. Montalban
The comments in Montalban’s video were in agreement that these misleading deals have happened before.
One user commented, “Amazon is messy! My cart went up $7!”
Another TikToker said, “I did this too! Some items were even more today than yesterday.”
One other user provided specific details. “Yes! I had a spiral notebook on there, and it was $8 regularly. Today they had it marked up to $14 then “discounted” to $8.”
Another TikTok creator, Martha Rosey (@martharoseyy), made a similar video about her Amazon cart. In her clip, she wrote, “Tell me why I made an entire Amazon cart for $400 only for it to cost $540 on Prime Day.”
The comments on her video were very similar to those on Montalban’s.
“The best thing about Prime Day is all the other stores having ACTUAL sales to compete,” one user wrote.
Another added, “I made a 300 cart and it went to 296 on prime day. I bought nothing.”
One TikTok user wrote a suggestion: “But keep it in your cart. Last year I waited a week after prime day and there were a few things that were discounted.”
@martharoseyy Just increased all the prices and said everyrhing was “on sale” #amazonprimeday ♬ original sound – Elijah Ybarra
Amazon Prime Day’s price spikes
Shoppers across the internet have been calling out Amazon over its Prime Day deals. X (formerly known as Twitter) user Kristian Marie (@GoofyKriss__) argued that Prime Day is a scam, after showing screenshots of prices of the projector she waited to purchase until Prime Day.
In the post, she says, “Yesterday the REGULAR price was $89.99 WITH a 40% coupon (Total wouldve been $54) ….Now magically the “list price” is $116 and its $69 “Sale.”
Prime day is a scam !
— Kristian Marie (@GoofyKriss__) July 16, 2024
I was getting this projector… but wanted to wait until prime day!
Yesterday the REGULAR price was $89.99 WITH a 40% coupon (Total wouldve been $54) ….
Now magically the “list price” is $116 and its $69 “Sale”
Super Disappointed 😞 #PrimeDay pic.twitter.com/mhY4ihVJAt
How to check Amazon items’ price history
Sites like Keepa and camelcamelcamel.com are two places customers can go to price-check Amazon products.
Originally listed at $159.99, the Ninja Air Fryer is now listed at $89.99 for the sales event, a 44% discount. Checking the price history on Keepa, it shows that the exact Ninja Air Fryer was originally listed at $89.99.
Amazon Prime users are threatening to cancel their Prime membership after these price discrepancies from both Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amazon for comment on Marie’s screenshots. Amazon has yet to respond. We’ve reached out to Montalban via email.
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