TIL Amazon's 'list price' on 70% of home goods is actually just made up numbers now

I was checking a $45 lamp at Target and it was $28, but Amazon had it listed at $115 marked down to $32, so I looked up the brand's own site and found out the MSRP was never above $50 - anyone else notice fake list prices creeping up lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_walker4527d ago

I get why you'd call that out, but I think the "list price" thing is more complicated than just made up numbers. A lot of times Amazon uses the manufacturer's suggested price from the brand itself, and that $115 could be what the brand hoped to sell it at before discounts hit. I've seen brand sites mark stuff higher than retail stores too, because they want to control their image. Target might have a deal with the brand to keep prices low, while Amazon is just putting the MSRP up as a reference. It's not always a lie, it's just a messy system where nobody wants to be the one charging full price.

jordanl8227d ago

You're right that MSRP is a real thing, @sean_walker45, but here's the part folks miss. Brands often set those high MSRPs just so they can offer "40% off" sales on their own sites, making you feel like you're getting a deal. Amazon just grabs that number and sticks it up without context, so it looks like a huge discount when they sell it for $60. Target might be playing the same game with a different starting number, but both are using fake reference points to trick your brain. It's basically the retail version of pricing a house at $500k knowing it'll sell for $400k.