Why Doesn't Amazon Do Price Matching? Here's Its Explanation

When you're shopping at certain retailers — particularly big-box stores like Best Buy or Target — you may be able to request price matching at checkout. For those unfamiliar with the term, price matching is when you find an item for sale for a lower price at a different retailer from the one where you're shopping, and ask the store to match that price. Most businesses want to make any sale that they can, so stores will often offer price matching to keep you there in hopes that you'll buy more.

Since this practice is emblematic of larger retailers, it'd be fair to wonder if Amazon — the second-biggest retailer in the world behind Wal-Mart — would offer it as well. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't offer price matching services. No matter how cheap you find a specific product elsewhere, there's no avenue in place for Amazon to adjust its prices to match (though some retailers may match with Amazon). It's disappointing, but there is a reason for this, as well as the potential for at least one workaround.

The main impetus of price matching is market competition. A store wants you to spend your money with them instead of a competitor with a lower price, so they make an exception. The cynical explanation for Amazon's lack of price matching is that it has no true competitors, but in actuality, it's precisely because of market competition that Amazon doesn't offer this service. According to Amazon's customer service center and news blog, the main reason it doesn't offer price matching is because there are already a lot of price adjustments happening in the background. Amazon is constantly tweaking its prices on products based on current market trends and customer interest, so odds are good it's already offering a competitive price on whatever you're looking for. 

Of course, even Amazon can't possibly keep up with every single other retailer in the world. Even if you find a better price than what it offers, there's no mechanism for price matching on the platform. It's also worth remembering that not everything sold on Amazon is sold by Amazon. Amazon is home to many third-party retailers who set their own prices. If you wanted to buy something from one of these third-party sellers at a lower price, you'd have to contact that Amazon seller directly, as it's out of Amazon's hands. While Lowe's doesn't price match with third-party Amazon sellers, they will do so if Amazon is selling the product directly.

All that said, as with any retailer, Amazon does very occasionally alter its prices on an individual basis. It won't perform price matching, but according to users cited by Consumer Reports, Amazon may be sometimes willing to offer a price adjustment. A price adjustment is when you purchase something and later find out you could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere, so the retailer refunds you the difference.

Some users who have directly contacted Amazon support agents have claimed to be able to get price adjustments on some products. This, however, is a very rare circumstance and you shouldn't assume you can make this happen. Normally, the only way to get any kind of adjustment from Amazon would be if you return the product completely unused, receive a full refund, then re-purchase it for the reduced price. Amazon does offer free returns for many items, but the rules and window can vary depending on what you've purchased. Returning some items to Amazon got a little harder when the try before you buy feature was discontinued, so consider very carefully whether or not the price difference is actually worth it before you go that route.