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Shermann

(7,313 posts)
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:23 AM Apr 2020

Price gouging on Amazon

I think Amazon cleaned up the most egregious violations, but this still seems to be rampant.

16 oz of mayonnaise for $23 (should be $4)

https://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Real-Mayonnaise-Smooth-Creamy/dp/B007SHLLH4

97 oz of evaporated milk for $16 (should be around $11)

https://www.amazon.com/Carnation-Evaporated-Milk-97-Ounce/dp/B004DIXYYE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

13 oz of Hamburger Helper for $9 (should be $2)

https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-Hamburger-Helper-Stroganoff/dp/B07CMCQ387/ref=sr_1_2

These are not anecdotal, they are every pantry staple I search for.

So if you are one of the lucky ones, you can pay 2-3X the going rate for your nonperishable wares and cut out a few more trips to the grocery store. The rest of us get to mask up and head out.

I wonder how many low-income seniors took on some debt for the same privilege thinking this was "going to be over soon"? That's the danger in this overly optimistic messaging from the WH. Putin isn't doing that. Merkel isn't doing that.

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empedocles

(15,751 posts)
1. Chinese made item, that may have cost .15 cents to make, or even .50cents,
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:27 AM
Apr 2020

was $14 on Amazon. $4-7 on ebay. Ebay was a lil slow, but worked out fine for me.

hlthe2b

(101,534 posts)
2. I detest walmart, but this kind of crap is why I've been shopping there more and more
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:28 AM
Apr 2020

Yes, they are raising prices, but not price gouging like Amazon is allowing. Target is my favorite, but I am so pissed they are not (or at least were not as of last week) requiring staff to wear masks that I am less willing to go in. Walmart was irresponsible until backlash (and employee deaths) caught up with them, but it seems they have now required masks. Even Kroger-owned King Soopers (who I think was on the mark early on in responding with precautionary measures and attempts to control price gouging) still has not required masks of all their employees, though most are wearing them now.

Honestly, it is beyond ironic, that I am forced to sing the praises of Walmart in any way right now

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
3. Highly recommended is the free Keepa browser addon for Amazon price tracking...
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:28 AM
Apr 2020
https://keepa.com/

Adds a graph of price vs time on the Amazon product page for most items.

woodsprite

(11,828 posts)
5. My MIL was complaining about the increase in sewing machine needles
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:39 AM
Apr 2020

The kind that people are breaking when they're making masks. Went up from $5 to $9 or more.

Captain Zero

(6,687 posts)
10. Amazon does bait, and then switches the PRICE too/ movie example.
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:49 AM
Apr 2020

I spent a lot of time viewing a preview of a particular movie on Amazon on a Saturday. It was not free, but rather a 2.99 rental. I thought, oh ok, maybe tomorrow ( a Sunday) I'll watch that. I put it on a watchlist.

I Come back on Sunday and it is not on the watch list, but when I found it again it was 19.99 to rent the movie !

So if they think you are interested in something, or loyal to a brand/size, and will be a repeat or return buyer, they will raise the price JUST FOR YOU, because I had a friend in another state check this movie rental price on that Sunday and it was available to them for 2.99 !!

True Story.

 

FunkyLeprechaun

(2,383 posts)
11. Same
Wed Apr 29, 2020, 09:57 AM
Apr 2020

Especially since there’s a demand for sought after game consoles like the Switch.

It’s normally £279 in the U.K. Nintendo store plus regular retail stores such as Argos, Curry’s, Smyths, John Lewis, etc. It’s shocking how much people are selling them for on Amazon and Ebay (the most I saw was £600).

I currently cannot even leave my house, as I was identified as a vulnerable person to Covid 19. I’m currently trying to find things to do to keep active and was interested in getting the Switch for fun and exercise. Annoys the crap out of me to see the resellers sell for outrageous prices.

I was mad when I found out there’s a bot called BirdBot, used in the US, that basically buys up Switches the second they go into stock and it makes me wonder if there’s something like this happening in the U.K.

I’m currently keeping an eye on the retail stores because there’s no way I’m paying that much to get a switch.

Zignat99

(1 post)
13. Amazon gouging on shipping too
Tue Jun 30, 2020, 08:55 PM
Jun 2020

Cant find my favorite Hain safflower mayo anywhere. Went to amazon and only found box of six for $48, $2 increase per jar. BUT shipping was $22.95, almost half the price of the product!!!

Shermann

(7,313 posts)
15. Amazon Pantry is mostly reasonable
Thu Jul 2, 2020, 10:00 AM
Jul 2020

But so many of these "pantry" items have moved out of Amazon Pantry and are available only as regular Amazon sale items (Amazon Prime or not). This seems to be the key to the price gouging. So I restrict my pantry item purchases to Amazon Pantry (which is currently very limited) unless I'm in dire need of an item.

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