Does Amazon Do Price Adjustments in 2022? Here‘s What Sellers Need to Know
As an experienced Amazon seller, one of the most common questions I get is "Does Amazon offer price adjustments?"
Many sellers and shoppers want to know – if an Amazon price drops after you buy something, can you get refunded the difference?
The short answer is: No, Amazon does not provide direct price adjustments or price matching.
While Amazon won‘t refund you if a price drops, there are still ways to save on their platform. In this in-depth guide, I‘ll share:
- Why Amazon doesn‘t do price adjustments
- How their pricing works and stays competitive
- Alternatives and tips to find deals as a seller or shopper
- And answers to other common pricing questions
As an Amazon expert since 2013, I‘ve learned a lot about how Amazon approaches pricing. With over $600k in lifetime sales, I want to provide some insider advice to help sellers and shoppers master Amazon‘s pricing system.
Let‘s get started!
Why Doesn‘t Amazon Offer Price Adjustments?
As an ecommerce giant with 310 million active customer accounts worldwide, Amazon has decided price adjustments are not a worthwhile option for their business model.
There are a few core reasons why:
1. Volume of sales
With the sheer number of transactions happening every second, price adjustments would be an administrative nightmare. In 2021 alone, Amazon raked in $469 billion in global retail sales.
Processing individual price adjustment requests with that volume of sales would require an enormous customer service workforce.
2. Fast price fluctuations
Amazon uses algorithmic repricing to dynamically shift prices in response to competitors, supply and demand. Prices change minute to minute.
According to data from RepricerExpress, Amazon offers 1.8 million price changes every single day. That‘s over 21 price changes per second!
With prices adjusting at warp speed behind the scenes, price adjustments wouldn‘t make sense.
3. Online business model
Price adjustments traditionally made more sense for brick-and-mortar stores. Customers could bring in a newspaper ad showing a lower price to get an adjustment at the register.
But for a digital retailer like Amazon, it‘s just not as relevant anymore. Online shopping behavior has moved beyond price matching.
4. Strong brand reputation
Amazon has a reputation for competitive prices and broad selection. That brand recognition keeps customers loyal.
Surveys show 73% of Prime members prefer Amazon as their go-to online store. With that kind of customer loyalty, price adjustments are less important for retaining shoppers.
5. Other discounts offered
From coupon codes to Amazon Warehouse deals, there are always ways to save on Amazon. Their wide range of discounts make price adjustments redundant.
These savings opportunities and focus on low prices help mitigate the need for price adjustments.
In summary, while price adjustments are not offered, Amazon uses other strategies to drive value, selection, and competitive pricing for customers.
Next, let‘s look at how Amazon keeps their prices so low…
How Does Amazon Keep Prices So Competitive?
You‘ve probably noticed Amazon consistently offers the most competitive prices online. As a seller, it can even be frustrating how low their pricing is!
But it‘s not an accident. Amazon uses several key strategies:
Advanced pricing algorithms
Amazon has entire teams just working on pricing algorithms. Machine learning and AI track competitors‘ prices and make automatic adjustments.
According to Amazon expert Juozas Kaziukenas, they are monitoring prices across the web 24/7 and make up to 2.5 million price changes per day.
This sophisticated technology allows Amazon to beat competitors‘ pricing.
Third-party sellers
There are over 2 million third-party sellers competing on the Amazon marketplace. This increased competition drives prices down across the board.
According to Marketplace Pulse, over 56% of Amazon sales now come from third-party sellers, not Amazon‘s direct retail business. We help push prices lower.
Bulk purchasing power
As the biggest retailer online, Amazon can negotiate the best possible wholesale pricing from vendors to get inventory at the lowest cost.
They then pass those bulk savings directly on to customers. We simply can‘t compete at their scale.
Minimal overhead
With no brick-and-mortar stores, Amazon has much lower overhead expenses than other retailers. This allows them to offer direct-to-consumer prices we could never match.
In summary, Amazon has clear pricing advantages due to their technology, scale, and business model. But don‘t fret – keep reading for how you can still find great deals.
Price Adjustment Alternatives: How to Save on Amazon
While Amazon won‘t issue direct price adjustments, I utilize many other strategies to save money as a seller and shopper:
Amazon Coupons – I always check for available coupon codes and clip them to my account before I buy. Coupons can offer 20% off or more.
Amazon Outlet – The outlet is full of overstock inventory and discounted items. I‘ve scored deals up to 70% off here!
Warehouse Deals – Shopping Amazon Warehouse is one of my go-to tactics. Lightly used or returned items are steeply discounted.
CamelCamelCamel – This free price tracker shows historical price data and alerts me to price drops. Invaluable for snagging deals.
Amazon price bots – Bots like PricePulse watch for price drops and alert me so I can re-purchase at a lower price if needed.
Return and re-buy – If I do catch a price drop within 30 days, Amazon‘s return policy allows me to return and re-purchase items at the new lower price.
Lightning deals – I check Amazon‘s Today‘s Deals page regularly as the Lightning Deals section has short-term discounts up to 80% off if you grab them fast.
Subscribe & Save – By signing up for routine monthly deliveries of household items, the 15% off discount Subscribe & Save provides really adds up.
As you can see, there are still plenty of ways to get significant savings and catch price drops on Amazon without direct price adjustments. You just need to know where to look!
Amazon Return Policy: How to Get Refunds
One downside to Amazon‘s lack of price adjustments is buyer‘s remorse when prices fall shortly after purchasing.
Fortunately, Amazon does offer free returns on most items within 30 days through their customer-friendly return policy.
Here is how Amazon returns work:
Return window – Most products sold directly by Amazon are eligible for return up to 30 days after delivery. Exceptions include digital items, like ebooks.
How to start a return – In Your Orders, select Return or Replace Items. Choose a reason, print a prepaid label, and drop off the package.
Refund timeline – Once the return is received at an Amazon warehouse, refunds are usually processed within 3-5 business days.
Returnless refund – In limited cases, you may be able to get a refund without returning the item. Reach out to Amazon customer service to request it.
So if you do have buyer‘s remorse shortly after a purchase, quickly request a return through your Amazon account. Then you can simply place a new order at the lower price point.
Just be aware that excessive returns may result in account suspension under Amazon‘s Fair Use Policy. But normal occasional returns shouldn‘t be an issue.
More Answers to Common Amazon Pricing Questions
Over my years selling on Amazon and interacting with other sellers, I‘ve noticed some other frequent questions around Amazon pricing:
Q: Does Amazon offer price matching or price guarantees?
A: No, Amazon does not price match with other retailers or offer any guaranteed pricing. Their dynamic pricing model changes too rapidly to make fixed pricing feasible.
Q: Can you negotiate prices on Amazon if you see a lower price elsewhere?
A: There is no way to negotiate direct price adjustments on Amazon if you find a lower price from another store. But you can request a return and re-purchase the item if needed.
Q: Does Amazon offer seasonal sales like Black Friday or holiday sales?
A: Yes, Amazon has big sales events for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, Back to School, and more. Just be aware that their "normal" low prices are tough to beat.
Q: If an item says "Ships from and sold by Amazon", can I get a price adjustment?
A: Even on items directly sold by Amazon, they do not offer post-purchase price adjustments. But the 30-day return policy still applies.
Q: Will Amazon refund the difference if one of their prices is higher than another seller?
A: No, Amazon will not price match between their own listings from different sellers due to frequently changing prices.
In summary, Amazon is very strict about not offering price adjustments under any circumstances. But as discussed above, there are still ways to save and take advantage of low pricing.
Final Thoughts on Amazon Pricing
As you can see, getting refunds for lower Amazon prices after purchase is unfortunately not an option they currently offer sellers or shoppers.
But once you understand their reasoning, massive scale, and business model priorities – it makes complete sense why price adjustments are off the table.
The good news is Amazon‘s everyday low prices, coupled with the discounts and tools mentioned in this guide, provide more than enough savings opportunities.
A bit of diligence as a shopper by monitoring prices, setting alerts, claiming coupons, checking the outlet, and more can lead to significant rewards.
And as sellers, we can take advantage of services like algorithmic repricing tools to stay competitive on Amazon‘s dynamic marketplace.
While price adjustments would be a nice perk, they are far from essential to find success on the Amazon platform both as a seller and savvy shopper.
I hope this detailed guide from an experienced seller gives you a helpful inside look at how Amazon pricing really works. Let me know if you have any other questions!
