I Got Tired of Fake Deals. So We Built This.

I’ve been a consumer reporter for more than 35 years. If there’s one trick I’ve watched stores pull over and over, it’s the fake markdown.

Raise the “regular” price. Then knock it back down to about what it cost all along, and slap a big red “sale” tag on it.

You feel like you won. You didn’t.

This buffoonery never goes away, and it peaks around big sales like Black Friday.

So we did something about it.

What we built

It’s called Today’s Amazon Deals, and it’s free. Every day, we use artificial intelligence to sort through Amazon’s discounts. Then AI automatically checks each discount against the item’s price history, using price trackers.

If the sale price isn’t really lower than what the item usually sells for, it’s out. What’s left is a short list of deals that are actually deals.

It’s open to everyone. No sign-up. No scrolling through hundreds of items. Just honest discounts on everyday stuff, like streaming sticks, video doorbells, kitchen gadgets, headphones and household basics.

What a real deal looks like

Here’s a recent example. A popular single-serve coffee maker showed a list price that made its sale price look like about 45% off. Sounds fantastic.

But the list price is the first number to ignore. Over the past three months, Amazon typically sold that coffee maker for more than 25% below its list price, according to price-tracking data from Keepa.

So compared with what people actually paid lately, the discount was closer to 24%, not 45%. Still good. And it matched the lowest price Amazon has ever charged for it.

That’s a real deal, just not the deal the tag claims.

That’s exactly the homework our page does for you, every day.

Quick thought — most financial “gurus” got rich selling advice, not following it. I’d rather show you what actually works, because I’ve lived it. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter for money advice from someone who takes his own. 10 seconds, no spam.

Want to check a deal yourself?

You can do the same thing we do. Here’s how:

• Ignore the list price. It’s often a number almost nobody pays.
• Look up the price history. Free trackers like CamelCamelCamel and Keepa show what an item sold for over the past few months.
• Compare with the recent average, not the tag. That’s your real discount.
• Check the low. If it sold for less a few weeks ago, it may again.

For more ways to spot a phony discount, see seven ways to tell a real deal from a fake.

And remember, Black Friday isn’t the cheapest day for everything. Some items bottom out at other times. If a price drops after you buy, some stores will refund the difference if you ask.

See Also:

11 Essential Money Moves to Make Before You Die

Bottom line

We built this because I’m tired of watching people pay sale prices that aren’t. Bookmark Today’s Amazon Deals and check it before you buy. New deals every day.

As an Amazon Associate, Money Talks News earns from qualifying purchases.