By paying the extra premium, Amazon Prime subscribers undoubtedly want more bang for their buck. However, one TikToker has discovered that being a Prime member might actually mean you are charged more per item.
In a video that’s amassed 67,400 views, Dria (@driaean) began by saying: “If you’re buying expensive things on Amazon, you need to shop on Incognito Mode or something.”
“Because, look.”
She then shared a purported screenshot of her Amazon page, which shows cameras priced at $234.98, $187.53, and $199.35. Dria added that these were the prices that came up for her when she searched for a Kodak camera, but was left taken aback when it appeared that her friend’s Amazon showed completely different prices.
She then shared a second screenshot, which appeared to show the same three cameras priced at $180, $192, and $181.53. “I copied and pasted the link that I was looking at, and I sent it to her, and these are completely different prices,” she added. Dria then proceeded to point out a near-$60 difference in the first camera.
“Is this dynamic pricing?” she asked. “Is this legal?” Signing off, Dria urged viewers to “use Incognito Mode” when you’re shopping on Amazon. Dria didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.
Is this a common problem?
In the comments, users confirmed that Amazon’s pricing can be fluid. “Add it to your cart and then click ‘save for later’ and watch the price fluctuate daily,” one wrote. Another commenter searched up the camera themselves, confirming that it came up as $100 for them.
Numerous other commenters claimed that being an Amazon Prime member is what causes the inflated prices, with a further user adding: “I had Prime, and now it’s cheaper.”
Other Amazon shoppers have also had the same complaint in numerous other viral videos reported by the Daily Dot. However, things might be a lot less shady than they seem.
As pointed out by Daily Dot reporter Braden Bjella, products on the site are sometimes sold by individual sellers, who offer the item at a lower price than Amazon. The problem is, these items will not be subject to Prime perks like priority delivery. This is why, for Prime users, the Amazon-priced item might be favored over the lower-priced one.
Moreover, in a previous statement to the Daily Dot, Amazon has said: “Amazon does not increase prices on Prime purchases to cover shipping costs. We know saving money is important to people, and we work hard to deliver the most value possible to our customers, helping them save more and spend less when they use Prime and shop with Amazon.”
@driaean i have amazon prime and my prices are HIGH
♬ original sound – Dria
Amazon didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
