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If anyone is planning on taking advantage of Amazon Canada''s Black Friday "sale", tread carefully. I put a couple of items in my shopping cart yesterday, but decided to not check out in case the items went on sale for Black Friday.  
 
Imagine my surprise when I logged in today, only hours before the "sale" is supposed to begin, to find that both items in my cart have increased in price! The biggest change was a $200 item that is now showing as $210.  
 
So now, I wonder if that item will go on "sale" for $200 tonight? Or are some items going up in price to make up for sale prices on others? I''ll post back when I find out tonight, but it sure looks suspicious to me.  
 
Edited by JR, 2017-11-23 12:15:05

On amazon it’s Black Friday week. Different items different days of the week. At the end of the day, the item comes off sale. Another thing to watch is their lightning deals. For those, they only have a certain amount they will sell. What you added to your cart may have been a “deal of the day”, meaning only on day and it will be back to reg price

I'd wait before you buy. Alot of places do best online deals on cyber Monday not black Friday.

adc said "On amazon it’s Black Friday week. Different items different days of the week. At the end of the day, the item comes off sale. Another thing to watch is their lightning deals. For those, they only have a certain amount they will sell. What you added to your cart may have been a “deal of the day”, meaning only on day and it will be back to reg price "

I understand how Amazon works. This was a regular priced item because I've been looking at it for the last couple of weeks trying to decide if I want to get it as a gift for someone. I finally decided yesterday, but then remembered the "sale" supposedly starts at 9pm today, so just left it in my cart without checking out. When I logged in today, there was a notification that two of the items in my cart had changed price.

I have been waiting to place the order in case it went on sale. It did NOT. placed the order anyway, cause Brandon lacks selection for home furnishings/decor.  
 
Edited by daisychain, 2017-11-23 12:41:51

I got a toy for a Christmas gift at a local toystore in town, and checked the Amazon price, and it was more expensive online! Shop local

I have never ordered from them but have my eyes on something I can't get locally. How are items paid for and how safe is it to use a credit card with them? If the item is also on E-Bay, is E-Bay safer? Any tips to ensure safety?

Dogluvr said "I have never ordered from them but have my eyes on something I can't get locally. How are items paid for and how safe is it to use a credit card with them? If the item is also on E-Bay, is E-Bay safer? Any tips to ensure safety? "

as for safety both have buyers protection if you get ripped off. If buyinf from Amazon look for items sold by Amazon or fufilled by Amazon. You will have better protection and can return the item if there is a problem.They both have some sketchy sellers and alot of Ebay stuff comes from China and can take forever to arrive but Amazon will arrive in a few days.

Dogluvr said "I have never ordered from them but have my eyes on something I can't get locally. How are items paid for and how safe is it to use a credit card with them? If the item is also on E-Bay, is E-Bay safer? Any tips to ensure safety? "

There's ratings for each seller on amazon. Always choose the ones with the best reviews. I've been shopping on there for 5 yrs with no issues. You can track and contact the seller through it as well.

Amazon black Friday starts tonight 9pm to Friday. You look for the good reviews and “packaged by amazon” I never had an issue with amazon. Shipping is free over $35 too. Amazon black Friday week changes daily for good deals. Wait until tonight or tomorrow to pay! PS: You can pay by credit card (not paypal)

You need to know the prices of the items you are interested in. I keep a ton of things in my shopping cart and on my wishlist (mainly because I’m cheap and don’t really need the items lol). For the last few weeks the prices have been increasing on items at different times. I’m sure tomorrow I’ll get an email that everything on my wishlist has been discounted back down to its normal price. I heard that Sears was doing this with its liquidation across Canada, they actually increased prices and now they are “discounted” back to their normal price. Sales make people shop! I don’t blame a store for trying to get the most money out of people, be a smart consumer and know your prices and you’ll be okay.

I thought it was common knowledge that stores do this lol I guess I've worked retail too much in my life lol

I thought raising the price before putting it on sale was illegal?? Isn’t sears being investigated because of that?

JD said "I thought raising the price before putting it on sale was illegal?? Isn’t sears being investigated because of that? "

It''s a fuzzy area, based on the concept of an "ordinary" price, determined by one of two factors:  
 
[quote]The ordinary selling price is determined by using one of two tests: either a substantial volume of the product was sold at that price or a higher price, within a reasonable period of time (volume test): or the product was offered for sale, in good faith, for a substantial period of time at that price or a higher price (time test).[/quote]  
 
So whether it''s legal or not depends on the price they are raising it to.  
 
If, for example, a product has been $50 for a while, then it dropped to $40, then it''s raised back to $50 before Black Friday, when it''s dropped down to $40 again, that''s probably legal, because $50 can be reasonably considered the "ordinary price".  
 
But if a product has been $50 for months, and is raised to $60 before being dropped back to $50 for Black Friday, that would be false advertising.  
 
The allegations against Sears are that they are advertising markdowns from prices that never existed as ordinary prices (same as what Target was accused of). It''s probably true, but it''s hard to prove, especially if they are following Target''s "bring in a bunch of crap we never actually sold before" model.  
 
As for Amazon, you''d have to use one of the various price tracker apps out there to find out if they are breaking the rules or not. Prices on Amazon fluctuate regularly if you watch closely, so my guess is they are just being shady, but not actually breaking any rules.  
 
In any case, to be a smart shopper, people need to learn what the actual value of a product is. Don't be fooled by big "30% off" signs - look at the actual price, and don't just jump because it's "on sale".  
 
Edited by pudds, 2017-11-24 08:19:51