How to tell if an Amazon deal is actually a deal

A big red percentage on Amazon does not always mean you are saving money. Here are the checks we run before we post anything, and you can run them yourself in about a minute.

1. Check what the "regular" price is based on

The crossed-out price on a listing is a reference price. Sometimes it is the price the item sold at for most of the last few months. Sometimes it is a list price nobody has paid in a year. Price history sites like Keepa and camelcamelcamel show you what the item actually sold for. If today's price matches the price it has sat at all year, it is not a deal. It is the price.

2. Look at who is selling it

Scroll to "Ships from" and "Sold by" near the buy button. Amazon itself, or the brand's own store, is the safest bet. A third-party seller is not automatically bad, but check their rating and how long they have been around. A brand new seller offering a name-brand item at half price is a red flag.

3. Make sure the deal is on the variant you want

Amazon groups sizes, colors and pack counts under one listing, and each can have its own price. The price that shows up in a search result is often the cheapest variant. Pick your exact size or color and see whether the price holds.

4. Do the unit math

For anything sold in packs, like batteries, detergent or trash bags, compare the price per unit. A 40-pack at a discount can still cost more per item than the regular 100-pack.

5. Read the recent reviews, not just the star average

Sort reviews by most recent. A product can keep a 4.5 star average for years after the manufacturer quietly changes it. Recent one-star reviews that all describe the same new problem are worth more than the average.

How we use these checks

Every deal on dealwire has been compared to its Amazon listing before it goes up, and we drop offers whose reference price we cannot support. You can browse deals at 50% off or more or everything under $25 to see what passed today.