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Zorro

(15,740 posts)
Sun Jul 3, 2016, 09:08 PM Jul 2016

Amazon Is Quietly Eliminating List Prices

In a major shift for online commerce, Amazon is quietly changing how it entices people to buy.

The retailer built a reputation and hit $100 billion in annual revenue by offering deals. The first thing a potential customer saw was a bargain: how much an item was reduced from its list price.

Now, in many cases, Amazon has dropped any mention of a list price. There is just one price. Take it or leave it.

The new approach comes as discounts both online and offline have become the subject of dozens of consumer lawsuits for being much less than they seem. It is also occurring while Amazon is in the middle of an ambitious multiyear shift from a store selling one product at a time to a full-fledged ecosystem. Amazon wants to be so deeply embedded in a customer’s life that buying happens as naturally as breathing, and nearly as often.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/04/business/amazon-is-quietly-eliminating-list-prices.html

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Amazon Is Quietly Eliminating List Prices (Original Post) Zorro Jul 2016 OP
And so it was that I removed Amazon from my shopping lists. Shandris Jul 2016 #1
I love making more and more money from Amazon. No way I'm 86ing them from my life. nt ChisolmTrailDem Jul 2016 #7
The list price was meaningless. Igel Jul 2016 #2
I still check other sites, no matter where I'm ordering from REP Jul 2016 #3
Agreed Sherman A1 Jul 2016 #4
CamelCamelCamel FreeJoe Jul 2016 #5
i only shop online for deals, if i can not tell if it is a deal i do not buy it dembotoz Jul 2016 #6
 

Shandris

(3,447 posts)
1. And so it was that I removed Amazon from my shopping lists.
Sun Jul 3, 2016, 10:01 PM
Jul 2016

Well, that sure was easy. Thanks for the info!

The more any entity feels it needs to be 'embedded' in my life, the more confident I am that it means me ill.

EDIT: (To be fair, I had drastically cut out shopping from them in the first place. Full disclosure and all that. But there's still a big difference between 'most' and 'all'. )

Igel

(35,310 posts)
2. The list price was meaningless.
Sun Jul 3, 2016, 10:05 PM
Jul 2016

The price they showed was the price. Take it or leave it.

Don't see the difference. Never had independent confirmation of the list price anyway.

REP

(21,691 posts)
3. I still check other sites, no matter where I'm ordering from
Sun Jul 3, 2016, 11:33 PM
Jul 2016

I buy art supplies online because the art supply stores around here have limited selection. I know the MRSP of a particular set of pencils is $330.00 so anything lower is good, etc. Sometimes it's Amazon and sometimes it's not.

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
4. Agreed
Mon Jul 4, 2016, 03:52 AM
Jul 2016

They can be a great source of information on items. I make every effort to buy elsewhere and most often do so, once in awhile the item is only available through Amazon and I will buy there, but for anything time sensitive such as for a Birthday or Holidays, I buy local or through a specific site.

FreeJoe

(1,039 posts)
5. CamelCamelCamel
Mon Jul 4, 2016, 08:20 AM
Jul 2016

It lets you see price history and set price alerts. I have alerts set on about a dozen items. If the price gets down to my alert price, I get an e-mail.

dembotoz

(16,806 posts)
6. i only shop online for deals, if i can not tell if it is a deal i do not buy it
Mon Jul 4, 2016, 09:56 AM
Jul 2016

no problem for me then...the best deal is when the cash stays in my pocket

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