When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?
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Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

"CRNG" wrote in message
...
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?

Prices for the same item can vary a great deal at Amazon. Depends upon who
is selling it.

On 11/15/2016 06:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?



I normally check Ebay too and just purchase from where I can get the
best deal.

Because I usually check things carefully in all the years, I've only had
one minor dispute. It was with NewEgg who is known for being reputable
and after an email or two it was resolved.

I do buy books from Amazon and am quite pleased.
They have a whole hell of a lot of them for just one cent plus $3.99
shipping. Obviously they made a small bit from the shipping but at $4 a
book...a great deal.

On eBay there is often an option to buy directly from China.

Though some may call me a traitor for doing so, I see no sense in buying
the SAME item over here and paying (sometimes) 300 times more.


The funniest one was some RAM I bought from China that was insanely
inexpensive. $2 a stick. My whole order including postage was under $10
which was still cheaper than a single stick.

3 out of 4 were 100% good, but one stick was defective so I tossed it
out and gave the vendor a neutral rating. Done.


NO not done, They emailed me begging me to revise my rating to good and
sent me full credit for the ram stick even though I told them not to bother.

I still can't believe it.

I did change the rating to "good",the guy who processed the order
probably would have been put to death otherwise.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 07:36:31 -0600
philo wrote:

On eBay there is often an option to buy directly from China.

Though some may call me a traitor for doing so,

Considering where you live that is expected.

On 11/15/2016 7:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?


I'll shop around on line and check back and forth over a time period
because prices constantly change. Other big outfits like Best Buy will
match or be better and I'd buy Best Buy because if defective I could run
to their store here.

I prefer not to buy from Amazon vendors as if you have a problem return
is not as easy.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 09:23:54 -0500
Frank "frank wrote:

I prefer not to buy from Amazon vendors as if you have a problem
return is not as easy.

Not true!

Returns as easy as printing label and giving to UPS

On 11/15/16 6:34 AM, dadiOH wrote:
"CRNG" wrote in message
...
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to
believe that their prices were very good. For the past year or so,
I've been feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for
granted as generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318



It's $115 at Amazon



Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?

Prices for the same item can vary a great deal at Amazon. Depends
upon who is selling it.

It also depends on who, when, where, and how. I've seen their prices
change after I look at an item a few times, and while my initial
suspicion was that the price just went up, searching for the item from
another device at another location returned the initial price.

I don't blame them for that, they are a business after all, and whatever
algorithms they have in place are there to get them the sale at the best
price. It does pay to shop around though, of course.

Jon

On 11/15/2016 05:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?

I don't know if it as much Amazon raising prices as Walmart and others
trying to grab a shared of the business. Shipping is the other thing to
take into consideration. Amazon's 'free' shipping isn't and they often
state you can buy it for less from other vendors. When you factor in the
shipping charges for the other sources it comes out a wash. However. I'm
a Prime member so part of the 'free' is getting the order in two or
three days rather than when Pony Express shows up. Amazon is building
their own air force so it will be hard for the Walmarts to compete with
the shipping efficiency.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 09:23:54 -0500, Frank "frank wrote:

On 11/15/2016 7:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?


I'll shop around on line and check back and forth over a time period
because prices constantly change. Other big outfits like Best Buy will
match or be better and I'd buy Best Buy because if defective I could run
to their store here.

I prefer not to buy from Amazon vendors as if you have a problem return
is not as easy.

I have never had that problem with Amazon or Ebay. Usually they just
credit it back to you and tell you to throw away the defective
product. If there is a return, I get an RMA and a postage paid label.

OTOH I am not really happy with Best Buy. I bought an oven from them
and I never did get it. They canceled the order with no notice after
postponing delivery. It was supposed to be 8-10 days, then 8 weeks
then canceled.

Per Frank:
I prefer not to buy from Amazon vendors as if you have a problem return
is not as easy.

I recently ordered a half-dozen SAS cables of the wrong type.

Filled out the Amazon "Return" page, they gave me a .PDF to print for
the return label, printed the label, stuck it on the box....

Shipping was free.

Biggest effort of the process was taking the box to a FedEx deposit box
a few blocks away.

Maybe it depends on the vendor - also, somewhere along the line, I
signed up for Amazon Prime and maybe that's a factor. When buying from
Amazon, I tend to favor the "Eligible for Prime" products bco the
shipping.
--
Pete Cresswell

In article , "frank says...


I'll shop around on line and check back and forth over a time period
because prices constantly change. Other big outfits like Best Buy will
match or be better and I'd buy Best Buy because if defective I could run
to their store here.


One never knows which place to check out first for the lowest price.
Some places will have low prices and make it up in shipping, some have
high prices but free shipping. Someimes the ebay will be less expensive
if ordered from China and about a 2 to 3 week waiting period, sometimes
the same item will be less expensive if odered in the US and shipped in
a week or less.
Guess that I have been lucky so far. I did order a book form Amazon and
it was not really from them, but a vender. After 2 weeks I tried
emailing them a couple of times a day a part and no response. Went to
the Amazon web page about a complaint and less than a week I was
credited the money back. Everything else I have ordered from all the
places have been fine.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 06:53:42 -0600, CRNG
wrote:

When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?

Story and Video -- _Secrets Of Online Shopping Discrimination_

"MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Most people think you can usually find a better
deal when you shop online.

But the price you see can be different than what other people see. The
type of computer you use, your online search history, even your zip
code have all been used by online retailers to determine what price
you pay.

In a study conducted by researchers at Northeastern University in
Boston, nine out of 16 online retailers and travel websites tested
showed different prices or difference results for the same searches.

Based on their findings, Wilson said they found cases of “price
discrimination” and “price steering”"

[...]

"Computer security expert says to hide your identity when shopping
online use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). You can download some VPN
services for free. Better ones will cost around $20-30 a year."

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/11/14/secrets-of-online-shopping-discrimination/

Oren wrote in news:tmim2c9hskirvpe2uakjrjneunkfjsn4ns@
4ax.com:

But the price you see can be different than what other people see. The
type of computer you use, your online search history, even your zip
code have all been used by online retailers to determine what price
you pay.



Then too, if you don't have Amazon Prime or equal, there's the often quite
high shipping and handling.



--
You know it's time to clean the refrigerator
when something closes the door from the inside.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 10:55:00 -0500, wrote:


I have never had that problem with Amazon or Ebay. Usually they just
credit it back to you and tell you to throw away the defective
product. If there is a return, I get an RMA and a postage paid label.

OTOH I am not really happy with Best Buy. I bought an oven from them
and I never did get it. They canceled the order with no notice after
postponing delivery. It was supposed to be 8-10 days, then 8 weeks
then canceled.

I've gotten some deals on movies and books on Amazon, but for everything
else, I normally buy from Ebay and get the best price there. I have
gotten some defective stuff, but ebay is quick to refund and generally
dont require me returning the defect item. I do not buy from China
though. I just dont feel safe giving out my credit card, and waiting
weeks is not worth the savings. The last time I attempted to buy from
China, I paid for a small figurine (Buy it now), I get a notice from
ebay, saying my item was shipped. A few more days later, I got a email
from the seller who tells me there is a shortage of this item and I will
have to wait several more weeks, ir I can get a refund. I was willing to
wait, but a week more I was told the item did not exist, and I'd get a
refund. Then he tells me to please leave POS feedback.

Feedback for what? Why were they offering the item if there was none to
sell? I figured that since there was no item, there would not be any
feedback at all. I did not leave any.

I generally only buy auto parts and computer parts online, and maybe a
few books and movies. If it's common stuff that I can buy in a store, I
go to the store. If for no other reason, having a rural mailbox, means I
will end up having to drive to the post office to get everything that
wont fit in my mailbox.

On 11/15/2016 7:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1

Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?


I did notice they are not exactly the same. Amazon states it has a
friction mount bundle. Wal Mart makes no mention of the mount type.

On 11/15/2016 2:50 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/15/2016 7:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1


Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?


I did notice they are not exactly the same. Amazon states it has a
friction mount bundle. Wal Mart makes no mention of the mount type.

You're right, Ed, they're not the same. The Amazon model is a bundled
package, the Walmart model is only the GPS device.

Here's just the GPS on Amazon for $105

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Naviga...rmin+nuvi+57lm

Also:

Amazon Says It Puts Customers First. But Its Pricing Algorithm Doesn’t
Amazon bills itself as “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” Yet
its algorithm is hiding the best deal from many customers.

https://www.propublica.org/article/a...gorithm-doesnt

On 11/15/2016 08:55 AM, wrote:
OTOH I am not really happy with Best Buy. I bought an oven from them
and I never did get it. They canceled the order with no notice after
postponing delivery. It was supposed to be 8-10 days, then 8 weeks
then canceled.

Back when the dinosaurs were roaming the earth Amazon did that with some
of my CD and book orders, especially items from Europe. For that reason
I favored Barnes & Noble. Fast forward, Amazon learned, B&N didn't.

One of the B&N ironies was after they build a brick and mortar store
across the street from where I work, they didn't have a programming book
I wanted but said they could order it for full list price and shipping.
I ordered it from B&N Online, 10% off, and free shipping.

Now I go into the store about once a year right after Christmas to get a
deeply discounted calendar for the next year.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2016 16:15:13 -0600, Moe DeLoughan
wrote in

On 11/15/2016 2:50 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/15/2016 7:53 AM, CRNG wrote:
When I started shopping at Amazon in 1999, I quickly came to believe
that their prices were very good. For the past year or so, I've been
feeling that their prices can no longer be taken for granted as
generally being lower. Here's a recent example:

Here's a GPS I'm thinking of getting from WalMart for $100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-nu...d-GPS/49574318

It's $115 at Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01...uvi+57lm&psc=1


Anybody else noticing this Amazon price-creep?


I did notice they are not exactly the same. Amazon states it has a
friction mount bundle. Wal Mart makes no mention of the mount type.

You're right, Ed, they're not the same. The Amazon model is a bundled
package, the Walmart model is only the GPS device.

Here's just the GPS on Amazon for $105

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Naviga...rmin+nuvi+57lm


That's the one I ended up buying. Since I don't have Amazon Prime,
I've noticed that shipping times have really grown longer in the past
three years. My guess is it will take a week to ship. It's Amazon's
way of trying to motivate you to join Prime.

OTOH, a flag that I ordered from one of the very small independents
selling through Amazon shipped within 24 hours.


Also:

Amazon Says It Puts Customers First. But Its Pricing Algorithm Doesn’t
Amazon bills itself as “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” Yet
its algorithm is hiding the best deal from many customers.

https://www.propublica.org/article/a...gorithm-doesnt
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.