That Amazon 'Deal' Might Actually Be a Hidden Price Hike

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Prime Day 2025 is here from Tuesday, July 8 to Friday, July 11, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. 

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

Many major retailers attempt to compete with Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day which starts July 8 and runs until July 11 (Target, Walmart, and Best Buy are the biggest competitors) and of course, each one wants you to think their deals are the best of the best—but it's often a smoke screen. Amazon, in particular, has been embroiled in a lawsuit since 2023 by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states, alleging it inflated prices on its products using an algorithm.

In other words, if you have a hunch that the price for a “deal” on Amazon was actually cheaper in the past, you may be right: One study from 2022 revealed questionable tactics deployed by Amazon to trick consumers into thinking they are getting a deal when, in reality, the savings are negligible, at best—and even higher than before, at worst.

The trick is called “price-increase and list-price synchronization.” Basically, a seller disguises a price increase as a discount by increasing an item’s “list price” (the original price) and then slashing that list price to show you a “sale price” that might even be higher than the original price.

Here’s how this might play out in practice: Amazon lists a television for $500. Then, one day, the “List Price” becomes $600 with a slash through it. Amazon then bumps the TV to $550. A blissfully unaware buyer might be tricked into thinking they’re saving $50 when, in reality, they’re overpaying for the TV.

When I reached out to Amazon about the study, I received this response from a spokesperson: “Amazon provides clear and accurate pricing information on our product pages. This study was conducted more than five years ago, and doesn’t accurately represent the shopping experience today. We continually work to help customers make more informed purchase decisions and have since evolved how we describe pricing information.”

Take this M1 Apple MacBook Air laptop, though. Back in October 2022, it was listed as $998 with a “Prime Exclusive Deal” where you are “saving 17%” or $200 off from the $1,198 “list price.” But when we look at the MacBook’s price history on Camelcamelcamel, a price tracking page, here’s what we find:

Although it is discounted from its then-lowest price, the chart above shows the MacBook’s list price was never the claimed $1,198. Later, the price of the laptop conveniently rose just before Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale on October 11, 2022, only to then be discounted again for the event. It was still the cheapest price of the year at $998, but it’s not as sweet of a deal as that new, higher “list price” would make it seem.

There is no official market value for any item, so the practices by Amazon and others are not illegal. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be fooled. To avoid falling into this trap, make sure to use price-tracking tools like Camelcamelcamel for Amazon or others for major online retailers on deals you feel seem suspicious. Look at their price history to make sure that “deal” is actually a deal.

If you feel like that's too much work, that's what I do as a deals writer, making sure all of my readers are getting an actual good deal. Just follow our deals page or our Prime Day live blog for more deals.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale begins at midnight on July 8 and will include deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. 

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Home Depot extended its 4th of July sale through at least July 9, competing with some amazing deals of its own. It’s an especially good option if you’re looking for power tools, appliances, or outdoor equipment.