Sindicate

Someone posted this before, but beware!

I've been looking to buy MIB LE from Amazon for a while now and the price originally started off at 23.97. It then increased to 27.97, then dropped to 25.97, and after I ordered it at 25.97, it jumped to 27.97. I did all this price viewing with cookies OFF, and I was not logged into my account, which means that Amazon tracks you by some other way perhaps by IP address.

I find this extremely sneaky and unethical. If you walk into a store, you aren't charged more based on how many times you pick up the dvd to look at the cover are you?

The way I found this out was I went to another computer I have, with a different IP, etc. and checked prices. At the same time, MIB LE is currently 27.97 on my computer and 23.97 on another.

BEWARE! And tell others.

Sindicate

I was just comparing the top 100 dvds.

More than half of the dvds on my list are more expensive on this computer than the other computer. I have cookies off, and I am not logged into my account and I have restarted netscape.

That is really really dishonest Amazon.

Sindicate

Okay quick solution for Amazon's little dishonest pricing scam.

It seems that amazon arbitrarily fluctuates the price of dvds based on how many times you view/login etc.

I am using netscape, I don't have cookies on, and under cache I have 0 for memory and 0 for disk cache. You have to completely clear your cache folder AND clear all cookies in netscape because it seems that each time you log into Amazon, it checks the cache of previous Amazon logins and then manipulates the prices based on what it finds there.

Ie. in my situation the prices have fluctuated high, then lower then high again, probably in an attempt to encourage people to buy dvds before "prices" go up.

[This message has been edited by Sindicate (edited September 03, 2000).]

[email protected]

Same thing has just happened to me! I was looking into using Amazon for price-matching on the X-Files Second Season box set, because they used to have it for 40% off.

I went to Amazon today and it was only 30% off now. So I exited Netscape, deleted all cookies, went back in, and it's now at 35% off!

alan

Count Zero

Do it one more time and you may be lucky to get that for 40% off. Or use a cloaking site...

X-Files Second Season box set discounts are 30%, 35% or 40% off...

amazon is really beginning to suck big time!

darkside

I was wondering what was going on. I checked a DVD three times in the last week and got discounts from %25 down to %15 percent off. Amazon is pissing me off. How can this be legal?

djones6746

quote:<HR>Originally posted by darkside:
I was wondering what was going on. I checked a DVD three times in the last week and got discounts from %25 down to %15 percent off. Amazon is pissing me off. How can this be legal?<HR>

Hey darkside....I would like to know that myself!!! I think Amazon is going to be doing some serious damage control once this news becomes widespread!!!!

danner

This price inconsistency makes quite a difference when you order boxsets like POTA and X-Files Season 2 among others I am sure.

Foxy Slamdangle

I've checked American Beauty without deleting my cookie, it read 35% off. Deleted the cookie and it said 10% off!!! Tried again and finally got the desired 40% off.

I also cancelled my Mifune order and saved 2 bucks by reordering.

Can anyone confirm that the James Bond Set 3 is fixed at 30% off, I couldn't get this price to change. It would be a decent saving if it can actually go down to 40% off.

Foxy

mjlukich

Maybe this practice is common, but this is the first I've heard of it, and it just doesn't seem right to me. Not at all.

------------------
-Michael
My List

bsc

quote:<HR>Originally posted by darkside: How can this be legal?<HR>

It may well be sharp practice but how can it be illegal? If you like the price offered you buy; if you don't like it then you look elsewhere. No-one is forcing anyone to shop in a particular store so far as I can see.

Agreed, this will annoy some people and could lose them some business: that is the marketplace.

Thanks to those who posted the heads ups and the tips on how to get the best deals (in spite of the efforts of Amazon to come close to making a profit, by hook or by crook )

stanbud

Believe it or not, Price descrimination is illegal (charging customers different prices)It is justifiable only when the price difference is attributed to an actual cost.

ernestrp

I'am sure Amazon will just say its GLITCH in their system but it kind of makes you wonder. I got some email from them last week saying they were going to sell their customer information or something like that.

Kumar J

Amazon just sent me an email yesterday and asked me to look at their policy.Seems they did some changes there.

------------------
My slow growing collectionhttp://www.dvdtracker.com/~kumarav

snooby

Actually, AmaCon has been up to this for a while. There was a discussion on this board a couple months ago about themexperimenting with different prices on an MP3 player. I couldn't find the thread, but the CNET article is at http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-1889854.htm .

stanbud - Under what law is this illegal and how could they be getting around that?

sracer

Ummm, I'm no lawyer, but I doubt that it is illegal. Mailorder companies have been doing "target pricing" for years. Lilian Vernon catalogs mailed to the northeast have higher prices than the same catalogs mailed to the midwest.

...don't like target pricing? Just boycott Amazon, it's that simple. Although I'm not crazy about the practice, it's not a deal-breaker for me. I look at the price, if I like it, I buy the item, if not, I don't.

darkside

Consider them boycotted. I can get my DVDs elsewhere.

djones6746

quote:<HR>Originally posted by darkside:
Consider them boycotted. I can get my DVDs elsewhere. <HR>

Add Express.com to this list....isn't it kind of weird that both Amazon and Express raised prices at the same time??? Seems like they worked together on this increase....also seems like it is backfiring on them.