Re:Amazon’s algorithm is hiding the best deal from many cust...
by pgrote on Sunday September 25, 2016 @10:24AM
(#12575449)
I concur.
I was disappointed in the propublica article since they usually do very good work.
Amazon always shows the option to see other sellers and even prompts you when there is a lower price that might not have prime shipping.
Most of the time I pay the more expensive price for the following reasons:
1) It is sold by amazon. I know I don't have to worry about the possible issues dealing with third party sellers.
2) The product arrives faster. As a prime member, most items are shipped 2 day. If I look at the other options they are usually 1 week or more out.
3) I trust amazon. This one is the irrational reason due to the fact I could probably save money by looking at a meta shopping engine or ebay. I have a long history as a prime member and trust their pricing and their customer service.
I do think you hit upon something with batching of orders. We rarely buy one off items and typically put things in our cart for an order a couple of times a month. Even then, Amazon offers full transparency. When you revisit your cart, Amazon shows you the price changes and offers to show you lower prices without prime.
I was disappointed in the propublica article since they usually do very good work.
Amazon always shows the option to see other sellers and even prompts you when there is a lower price that might not have prime shipping.
Most of the time I pay the more expensive price for the following reasons:
1) It is sold by amazon. I know I don't have to worry about the possible issues dealing with third party sellers. 2) The product arrives faster. As a prime member, most items are shipped 2 day. If I look at the other options they are usually 1 week or more out. 3) I trust amazon. This one is the irrational reason due to the fact I could probably save money by looking at a meta shopping engine or ebay. I have a long history as a prime member and trust their pricing and their customer service.
I do think you hit upon something with batching of orders. We rarely buy one off items and typically put things in our cart for an order a couple of times a month. Even then, Amazon offers full transparency. When you revisit your cart, Amazon shows you the price changes and offers to show you lower prices without prime.