Was there a post yesterday with holiday shopping deals for travel? I forgot to bookmark and I wanted to go back and see if anything was added?
And yes, I'd prefer to shop at places other than Amazon, but since the last time I tried to source something locally was fruitless, I have to stick to online.
Here it is. There aren't too many. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/black-friday-travel-deals-2025
"And yes, I'd prefer to shop at places other than Amazon, but since the last time I tried to source something locally was fruitless, I have to stick to online."
THIS! It's so exasperating. Yes, I want to shop local. No, I don't want to run to 5 different stores looking for what I want and not find it.
I have been in the market for a lightweight spinner carryon and found the Antler expandable carryon on their Black Friday sale this week for 20% off. It arrived today. I peeked at it before my hubby put it away for Christmas - my present from him :) and it looks great. Only 4.19 lbs! I went back and forth between the green and blue but ultimately chose the green. It’s very pretty. Other models are up to 30% off with free shipping.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy shopping!
@Pam, if it’s not flannel or ski gear, it’s not available locally! LOL!
Not seeing a lot of sales - at least, not the items I am interested in. I am seeing items that claim to be on sale, but are the same price as last month. Marketing, marketing, marketing.
I've been following one particular product on Amazon. One day before the Black Friday sale, the product doubled in price. Starting Black Friday, the price dropped down and was marked as a 44% Black Friday savings.
Cheeky.
Another “sale” tactic is to charge lower for the item, but then tack-on shipping. So, it’s the same price as before with “free” shipping.
I’m hoping a certain Patagonia bag (in the color I want) goes on sale. Usually, the less popular colors go on sale. Nothing wrong with a clearance sale. Because I don’t need anything at this time - my purchase filters are set quite high.
I'm sure not seeing much
"And yes, I'd prefer to shop at places other than Amazon, but since the last time I tried to source something locally was fruitless, I >have to stick to online."
THIS! It's so exasperating. Yes, I want to shop local. No, I don't want to run to 5 different stores looking for what I want and not find it.
I don't use Amazon and want to shop locally also but I have found a good middle ground is to search amazon, find the product I want and then see if I can order it directly from the company making it. This has worked well for me with foods, clothes, electronics etc.
I hear you Katiecem. Amazon can serve as a base for information and product comparison. There’s a lot of Chinese knock-offs; value of which can be debated. But, I’m not going to debate.
Sun-Baked,
Yes, and you definitely have to research the company before you order from them.
I've been following one particular product on Amazon. One day before the Black Friday sale, the product doubled in price. Starting Black Friday, the price dropped down and was marked as a 44% Black Friday savings.
Frank, I think that's illegal or at least it used to be. I remember the May Company got in big trouble over that back in the late 80s or early 90s. Although now that I think about it, it may not have been exactly that issue. It seemed to me that they were pricing everything above the fair market value and then having sales that brought it down to the fair market value, which was deemed illegal. But it's still the same concept. And even if it's not illegal, it's still a crappy thing to do.
Mardee,
The concept of “usual and customary” fees disappeared a long time ago, if it ever existed.
Watch a particular item on Amazon - like a Vera Bradley bag. The prices on those bags will give you whiplash. Prices fluctuate so much thanks to computer programming. Like watching the stock market. So, you have to decide what you are willing to pay for a VB bag, then buy accordingly. French Opinel knives have much more stable pricing.
Capitalism + computers = maximum profits.
Hotels do this also.
I don’t know if this is an Amazon Prime only feature, but I always click the “price history” button to see what kind of deal I’m getting on Amazon. It defaults to show the 30 day history, so make sure you check the 90 day history. You might find that either you’re getting a great deal deal, or maybe that the item often goes on sale. If the price history link doesn’t show up, make sure you have all the options selected first.
@Kscrim, wasn't aware of that feature. Great tip!
Another work around; i check Amazon to see what's available that would solve my issue (maybe especially household/kitchen items) then I wander over to ebay to see if someone has Iisted a lightly used one. Though look closely, there are suppliers selling 30 or 40 or more of the same item. Im looking for an individual selling one.... and frequently it's set for "best offer" which means the price is negotiable. So, I'm helping an individual divest themselves of something that they know is not right for them. , and paying less than market price
@Doric8,
I bet you can squeeze a penny until Abraham Lincoln screams. Too bad pennies are going extinct. Everything will be rounded-up. Inflation! Like when dollar tree went from $1 to $1.25. 25% increase!
So this is super annoying. There was an Amazon post in Facebook. My Brooks athletic shoes were almost 50% off. Followed the link. $79.95 for blue. Awesome. Put in my size, jumps to $160!
Jules - don’t you hate click bait. Dangle a deal, then switcheroo!
I am finding Amazon to be less and less helpful. I've typed in the exact model number for the training shoes I wanted, noted the gender and the size. The results were for literally everything but the shoes I was looking for.
Sun-baked, yes, annoying. But, it appeared that some of the shoes were half price, but apparently not in my size, which isn't all that odd of a size.
Yep, Amazon, not loving it this year. Well, can't say I ever loved it. More like a love/hate relationship. But, I don't need much any more, for travel and otherwise. Plus, in terms of gift giving, I'm happy to say, I found my stuff mostly elsewhere.
The Osprey Fairpoint 40 is 25% (Can) to 30% (US) off at Amazon. My son just bought one. It is an excellent travel backpack.
BTW, there is an app called "Keepa" which overlays on top of Amazon and will provide you all the historical prices for a product. It helps you determine if the current price is good.
Lifestraw $10 on Amazon
For those that still shop at Amazon I give you Camelcamelcamel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelcamelcamel
[snip]
Camelcamelcamel is a website that tracks prices of products sold on Amazon.[1][2] Founded by Daniel Green[3][4] in 2008 and developed by Cosmic Shovel Inc.[5]
In 2015 it was voted as the most popular price tracking tool among Lifehacker readers.[6]
I've been following one particular product on Amazon. One day before the Black Friday sale, the product doubled in price. Starting Black Friday, the price dropped down and was marked as a 44% Black Friday savings.
Ugh.
I had a printer in my Amazon cart yesterday. it had a cyber Monday price,
Today it was up by 30%
Fun pig, that's a great backpack (fairview/fairpoint)
Doric8,
Did you get the printer at the lower price?
I got a different Canon printer at the low price. The one I had in my cart was still in stock, but it randomly increased in price. Vexing
Funpig, lucky for you the Osprey bag you want is on sale. I’ve been watching the price on the Sojourn 45, wheeled backpack, and it is not on sale anywhere. It seems the Farpoint is often on sale as my friend also purchased it at a discount a couple years ago. I guess I wait and see if Boxing Day sales will work out for me.
I am regularly disappointed by the sale prices on Amazon this time of year. Often, the sale price doesn’t even add up to the taxes and shipping costs. It’s all a bit of a scam.
"I got a different Canon printer at the low price. The one I had in my cart was still in stock, but it randomly increased in price. Vexing"
Maybe not randomly. I keep seeing on the internet: "don't put anything in your Cart until ready to buy. It shows interest and they raise the price."
Didn't think they would be that obvious.
That could be true, Robert. I was out yesterday at Target checking prices on crockpots because I need a small one (I already have a large one). They had some there but they were pricier than I wanted so I checked Amazon while I was in Target and found one that was the right size for $9.99. I put it in my cart but wanted to wait till I got home to buy it. 3 hours later I was at home and pulled up the cart and voila! It had magically increased to $15.99.
Second anecdata.
If true, business => ugh.
New York now requires a notice when "personal information" is used by an algorithm to set price for an individual.
As the FTC recently noted:
"FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Indicates Wide Range of Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices"
The agency details interim insights from staff perspective examining how companies track consumer behaviors to inform surveillance pricing
@RobertH,
I believe what you are talking about. A person’s zip code can indicate a certain level of wealth. Also, job information. (Yellow pages, public info. - I’m dating myself here.). Property information is public at the local “registration” government office. It’s public record what a person paid for his/her house. (I said registration, because I’m tired after work and can’t think of the proper clerk department name.)
Though I can’t prove it, I think Disney tried something like this with me, years ago, over booking a hotel and prices offered. That story is too long to detail here.
Politicians also use computer collated data for campaigns.
I guess when you place an item into an online cart - the company (Amazon) is hoping that you won’t notice the price increase when you click on purchase. Or, that you have already committed to the item no matter what.
@Mardee, that stinks. A few years ago, I noticed that occasionally when I left something in a cart, I don't think this was Amazon, I'd get messages to not forget something in my cart, or very occasionally, some special offer like free shipping or a small discount. Do you happen to have multiple Amazon accounts? I pay for one of my daughters' Amazon account. I use it when I need the free shipping or some other reason. I have noticed that during prime sales, the prices thru her user id can be cheaper than thru my account (without prime)
"Or, that you have already committed to the item no matter what."
Well, not no matter what. I imagine, if this is going on then there must be an algorithm that calculates "how much raise vs how many will abandon the purchase". Maybe with A/B testing.
Business will keep trying unless restrained.
Of course, other types of variable pricing doesn't bother me. Such as "congestion pricing" to try and bring down a bad situation. Even there you have to look to see if it's used to a relieve the situation or is being used as a cash grab by the Politicians.
I think this happens w hotel room pricing also
Quite often, the other will happen to me. If I keep something in my Amazon cart, it will suddenly drop in price for a day or two. Sort of an incentive to buy.
I think it's more about how often you look at the product.
If the product offers a price alert, I'll set it.
I've also seen two prices...one for Prime members, one for non-prime members. Usually, the Prime price is lower. It's an incentive for you to join Prime.
By the way, if you have Prime with Amazon US, it doesn't transfer to other Amazon sites like in the UK or Germany. You have to join them separately.
RobertH and FrankII,
I agree with both of you 100%. There are various computer techniques to maximize profits. I think, also, to encourage impulse buying. Probably some of the same technology used in casinos.
Congestion Pricing: After watching a number of Mt. Everest videos on YouTube - I think Nepal needs to seriously use congestion pricing and mountaineering screening to reduce deaths! Way too many people getting killed or hospitalized because of fascination/obsession with Mt. Everest. As one narrator said - the more people that die, the more people want to try it.
