Lot of 20-60% Price Drops @ Amazon

[BBret]

I did not realize when I posted the K-Body clamp that Amazon has dropped the prices of a lot of tools 20-60%. This web page just has the biggest of the drops: Big Price Drops By Percent

These types of drops are usually somewhat rare.

[poolhound]

The price watch site says 20.96 but the amazon page still shows 39.04

[jnesmith]

None of the listed prices seem to match actual prices.

[BBret]

None of the listed prices seem to match actual prices.

Hi John,

I checked all the prices on the list with Amazon and only the Bessey 40" clamps did not match. Other than the Bessey not matching, how can you say that none of the listed prices seem to match? It very clearly states the time the price was obtained.

The reason the Bessey did not match is that they raised the price very quickly. I am sure they sold a lot of clamps before they raised the price. When Amazon has deals like these, you have to move quickly before they are gone.

-Bret

[ryan.s]

Poolhound - The price for the bessey was reduced for a very short time. It went back up for what seemed like a few minutes.

John - The amounts listed in red are the amounts of the price drop and not the actual price. Above that you will find the price. It's a little tricky to read. When I first took a look I made the same error.

[jnesmith]

Hi John,

how can you say that none of the listed prices seem to match?

-Bret

Because I don't read well, apparently. I was comparing the amount of the price drop (in red) to the online price. Since the price drops were all around 50%, the amounts were similar, but rarely the same.

Sorry for the confusion.

[chrisNC]

So about how much are you making off of the Google Ads?

[skruffy]

So about how much are you making off of the Google Ads?

They are all referral links, so he's getting a cut on any purchase made from folks clicking his links as well.

[DaveW]

They are all referral links, so he's getting a cut on any purchase made from folks clicking his links as well.

Which, for the service he's providing, I think is fair. I'd love to have the resources and time to harvest that kind of data... but hey - since he's already done it, I can focus on spending money! hmm... wait - I don't have money to spend - I'll just focus on being mad at all the gloaters!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

John - The amounts listed in red are the amounts of the price drop and not the actual price. Above that you will find the price. It's a little tricky to read. When I first took a look I made the same error.

Hey BBret why don't you change this? It has to be explained every single time. I understand where you are coming from in the design but everyone gets it wrong. Put the Amazon price in red and the Drop in black.

[BBret]

Hey BBret why don't you change this? It has to be explained every single time. I understand where you are coming from in the design but everyone gets it wrong. Put the Amazon price in red and the Drop in black.

Good suggestion. I did it. I kept everything in the same position, changed the bolded black price to red, and changed the price drop to black.

I think it really does look better. I guess it is all about perspective, when I am buying something I tend to over-research and that is why I made the price drop red - since I was focusing on the price change and not the final price. The over-research "problem" was actually why I made the website for myself.

Thank you,

-Bret

[Stormbringer]

Which, for the service he's providing, I think is fair.

I agree and am grateful for the $$$ I've saved....then again, I would have saved more if I hadn't discovered his site when it first went up a while back.

That aside, BBret when do you update the prices? Is it the same time everyday or when you can get to it. For example, when will the Bessey 40" drop down on the list reflecting the current $27 price instead of the $21 posted?

Thanks,
Greg

[BBret]

Which, for the service he's providing, I think is fair. I'd love to have the resources and time to harvest that kind of data... but hey - since he's already done it, I can focus on spending money! hmm... wait - I don't have money to spend - I'll just focus on being mad at all the gloaters!

The primary perk is to find out the best deals before everybody else does. I think I already have enough clamps.

It takes a lot of resources, and they only allows one request per second. That restriction alone requires a lot of intelligent queries. The querying is happening around the clock, although most of the big price changes seem to happen in the late afternoon (PST). That is when Amazon seems to make the big price changes.

The query refresh rate is based on the sales rank number. I try to refresh the items that sell alot every 18 hours. They stay up on the page for 24 hours. I wish there was a way where Amazon could tell me what items have changed; because polling is not very efficient.

On the main page the red/green numbers are updated in real-time and reflect the number of increases/decreases in the last 24 hours. That ratio alone can tell you what is happening to prices. The biggest lesson I have learned is that if you want an item, and the price drops incredibly low, move quick, because it might be gone in 20 minutes!

When I buy something, the price history is the most important thing I look at. If your patient, you can buy items when the price is low. The sale rank information shows that people will buy many items at full price, not knowing that it will occasionally drop 30%. My website allows everyone to make an informed decision before the purchase. After the purchase, Amazon will refund the price difference if it drops within 30 days. I have used it and it really works. Amazon customer service has really treated me well whenever I have had any problems.

I am always open to suggestions. In most cases, I have the data and just need to present it in a different way.

-Bret