{"id":21769,"date":"2025-10-07T10:54:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/incredipros.com\/?p=21769"},"modified":"2025-10-07T10:54:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:54:05","slug":"what-amazon-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-prime-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/incredipros.com\/?p=21769","title":{"rendered":"What Amazon doesn’t want you to know about Prime Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Propaganda I\u2019m not falling for: Prime Day.<\/p>\n

Amazon\u2019s biannual bonanza is back on Oct. 7-8. Cue: influencer hauls, magazine listicles and even friends inundating us with bargain FOMO.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with getting a great price on a purchase you\u2019d make anyway. But at its core, Prime Day is marketing \u2014 designed to convince you to buy stuff.<\/p>\n

So before you add that cordless vacuum or 30-setting espresso machine to your cart, take a deep breath. You can approach Prime Day with eyes wide open, ready to make smart decisions with your money.<\/p>\n

Here are three things Amazon doesn\u2019t want you to know this Prime Day. Plus, learn how to make your budget more important than a corporation\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n

Prices are raised and lowered to look like discounts<\/h2>\n

If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.<\/p>\n

An investigation by Popular Information \u2014\u00a0a self-styled independent accountability journalism site \u2014\u00a0found certain \u201cdiscounted\u201d items on Prime Day had conveniently seen a price bump just a couple months before. Historically, the items sold for a comparable price to the now-discount. The items were also listed for the same discounted price at other retailers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pricing schemes are ridiculous,\u201d says one Redditor. \u201cOne consumable item that I usually buy costs around $15. And here we are just before [Prime] Day and I noticed they bumped it up to $18, and most likely will sell it at like $13 on [Prime] Day as though that\u2019s a big discount.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, this isn\u2019t a new sales tactic. Walk into certain retailers like Best Buy or Old Navy, and you\u2019ll see discount signs everywhere \u2014 the original list price is almost never what the items sell for. It\u2019s meant to make you feel like you\u2019re getting a good deal.<\/p>\n

Amazon says if you see a discount, it\u2019s compared to prices paid by recent customers and offered by competitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also work year-round to ensure the vast majority of our deals reflect the lowest price in the prior 30 days,\u201d an Amazon spokesperson told me in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n

Even if you do see a good price on Amazon, don\u2019t fall for the false sense of urgency. You can use a tool like camelcamelcamel to track prices over time and jump on a bargain when you\u2019re truly ready to make the purchase.<\/p>\n

Reviews aren\u2019t always real<\/h2>\n

Personally, I head straight to customer reviews when I\u2019m considering whether to buy a product. A brand isn\u2019t going to tell me if the shoe\u2019s tread wears out quickly or a charging cable\u2019s going to light on fire in my home \u2014 but other buyers will.<\/p>\n

But in 2020, up to 47 percent of reviews on Amazon were fake, Capital One Shopping reports. Since then, Amazon says they proactively blocked more than 200 million suspected fake reviews and took legal action against over 90 fake review brokers in 2022.<\/p>\n

As of 2024, the percentage of fake reviews had dropped to 20 percent, according to Capital One Shopping.<\/p>\n

Still, that\u2019s 1 in 5 reviews a person might\u2019ve been paid to write.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost all respect for [Amazon\u2019s] reviews when I noticed that some of the reviews I had posted with negative feedback were removed and suddenly flagged for \u2018harmful content,\u2019 says Chris Horner, an information security consultant at Rebyc Security. \u201dOne vendor even offered me my money back if I agreed to \u2018update\u2019 my review.\u201d<\/p>\n

PCMag.com says to look for red flags like improper grammar, several reviews in one day and generic or garbled reviewer names.<\/p>\n

Spaving is a trap<\/h2>\n

Spending to save, or \u201cspaving,\u201d can feel like you\u2019re getting a great deal. The promotion might include buy-two-get-one-free deals or free shipping when you spend a certain amount.<\/p>\n

But even with a discount, you can still spend more than you planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to get caught up in the hype and stock up on things you don\u2019t truly need,\u201d says Bankrate expert Karen Bennett. She recommends asking yourself these questions before you buy:<\/p>\n