Don’t fall for this Amazon trick that will cost you money

August 31, 2021

By Kim Komando

Did you know that nearly 80% of U.S. households have an Amazon Prime membership? It’s hard to pass up all the great benefits Prime has to offer. Tap or click here for 20 ways to get more out of your Amazon account.

But, even with all the great benefits, assuming Amazon consistently has the lowest price would be a mistake. Amazon does have a few tricks in place, like every retailer designed to get you to pay a higher price without even noticing it.

If you don’t want to overpay for everyday products, keep reading and avoid falling for this trick that could cost you money.

It was a great price, let me buy it again

Not so fast! Amazon has many great deals to snag on its website. But just because you found it there at the best price possible once doesn’t mean when you go to buy it again, it’s still the best price available.

RELATED: Save money with this handy online shopping-comparison tool

Unfortunately, the Buy it again button featured on your orders page serves one purpose and one purpose only, to get you to make another purchase, regardless of cost.

Prices fluctuate on Amazon often, so the cost of the product could have gone up without you noticing. If you plan on purchasing a product a second time on Amazon, you’ll want to check the cost first.

Double checking the original cost

Before hitting the Buy it again button, go into your account and double-check the price you paid on the first order. You can use this for reference later:

• Open your Amazon app.
• On the bottom right of your app, tap the three lines.
• Tap the icon that looks like a person in the menu along the bottom of your screen.
• Choose Your Orders.
• Tap on the item you plan to buy again.
• Scroll down and tap View order details.
• Note the price of the purchase.

Once you’ve found the price, go back to the product listing and double-check that it’s the same or lower than before, pressing that snazzy Buy Again button.

The price has gone up

If you check the price and find that it’s gone up, it’s time to shop around to ensure you are getting the best deal. Thankfully there are several options for price comparison to ensure you are getting the best price:

ShopSavvy

As always, there is an app for that. Using ShopSavvy’s convenient app, you can scan any barcode or QR code using your phone’s camera and get the lowest price at surrounding stores. It also has a handy search feature.

• Open the ShopSavvy app.
• Click on the Search button at the bottom of the page.
• Enter in the product you are looking for and hit search.
• ShopSavvy will automatically display the cheapest prices at all available locations.

This app also works well in-store when you purchase a product. All you have to do is scan the barcode or QR code inside the app, and you’ll see the current prices at all local retailers. Download ShopSavvy for iOS here. Or get it here for Android.

Always get the best price

There are ways to ensure you are getting the best price every time from extensions to your web browser. Here are two of our favorites:

Honey

Honey is an extension that you install to your browser to ensure you get the lowest price every time. Basically, every time you purchase a product, Honey will scour the web for the lowest prices and best coupon and discount codes to automatically apply at checkout.

It’s convenient as you only have to install the extension once, and it works automatically in the future:

• Head to here to join Honey.
• Click Add to Chrome.
• The installation will launch, install it to your browser.
• Once installed, whenever you go to checkout, a pop up will appear.
• Honey will automatically find promo codes to apply to your order and do price comparison to ensure you get the best price each time.

CamelCamelCamel

While the name might sound funny, if you shop on Amazon often, this is a website you absolutely need to know about. CamelCamelCamel is a free Amazon price tracker that gives you access to an item’s recent price history on Amazon.

You have two choices. You can use the search feature or install the browser extension here. Whichever version you choose, it works the same.

If you search for a product, you can see the lowest price it’s ever been on Amazon, so you know whether you are actually getting a good deal or not.