December 20, 2006 | Quick Tips

So, you did all the right things: You watched the sales, you surfed the deals and used online coupons. You saved a ton of money and now you’re done. Right?

Wrong. Most online stores have price matching policies; that is, if the item you bought drops in price within 30 days after you purchase it, they’ll refund you the difference. I don’t know about you, but I do not have time to go back to every site and check my prior purchases to see if the price has changed. (Hey, if you have that kind of time on your hands, good for you. Pass me a bonbon?)

Amazon in particular is known for messing around with prices and leaving you with that nagging feeling that perhaps you didn’t get the very lowest price. So what can you do?

Enter an automated solution for tracking the prices of things you’ve already bought. (Right now it looks like they only work on Amazon, though I’m hoping they’ll expand to other retailers as it looks like they’re planning to do.) Just put in your purchases and let them do the rest. If the price changes in the next 30 days, they’ll send you an email. Then you request your refund and you can rest easy knowing that you did, indeed, win at shopping.

7 Responses to “Keep saving money after you’re done shopping”

1. 1 Stephanie Says:
   December 20th, 2006 at 12:02 pm

   I routinely go to my account page on amazon and check the price that I paid against the current price. It gives me a rush when I see that what I paid is way lower than what they are charging now. Like the HotWheels radar gun that we got for $18 (thanks, Mir!) is now up to over $30. Almost as exciting as coming home to a box on the porch.

2. 2 Melissa Sinclair Says:
   December 20th, 2006 at 2:13 pm

   Darn…. I had gotten my son the Vidster before it went on super sale at Amazon, then it went 1/2 price I paid for it… didn’t know that until I was reading here, but a day too late. now it’s some astronomical price from an outside retailer. I wish I would have caught it earlier. I HATE that I paid double!!!

3. 3 Susan Says:
   December 20th, 2006 at 8:08 pm

   Am I the only moron unable to locate the ASIN number on my purchases?

4. 4 Susan Says:
   December 20th, 2006 at 8:10 pm

   Nevermind. Murphy’s Law: As soon as I posted that, I located the number under Product Details.

5. 5 Tiffany Says:
   December 22nd, 2006 at 9:59 am

   Thank you, Mir! I reluctantly ordered my son the Tyco NSECT thing from Amazon last week (it was his Red Ryder BB Gun, if you will) for $72, on sale from $99. I got an e-mail notification this morning that it had been marked down, I followed their simple instructions to request a refund, and lo and behold Amazon replied in about 10 minutes to tell me they would be crediting THIRTY-TWO DOLLARS to my credit card! Thanks so much and Merry Christmas to ya.

6. 6 Want Not » Amazon pricing Says:
   February 2nd, 2007 at 9:38 am

   [...] There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to Amazon’s pricing scheme. I have seen items fluctuate in price several times in a day, and I’ve seen something on huge markdown last for a month. If something is on sale at a price that works for you, buy it and refer back to this post to find out how to make sure you know if the price changes in the next 30 days. [...]

7. 7 Want Not » Another way to never overpay Says:
   February 22nd, 2007 at 9:15 am

   [...] Remember this? You can enter your Amazon purchases and be alerted to price drops within the next 30 days, and then collect your refund. [...]