KairoHubGuide
How to Spot a Fake Discount vs a Real Deal on Amazon
"70% off" only means something if the original price was real. Inflated "was" prices are one of the oldest tricks in online retail, and they're easy to spot once you know what to check.
Check the price history, not just the listing
Third-party price-history tools can show you what a product actually sold for over the past few months. If the "original" price only appeared for a day right before the "sale" started, that's a signal the discount is manufactured.
Compare against the same product from a different seller
If three other listings for the identical item sell for close to the "discounted" price with no sale badge at all, the discount isn't really a discount.
Be suspicious of round, dramatic percentages
Genuine clearance discounts are usually specific and slightly awkward numbers, driven by margin math. A suspiciously clean "80% off" on a random accessory is worth a second look.
Check if the "was" price matches the norm for that category
If every similar product in that category sells for roughly the same price, but this one lists an unusually high "original" price just to make the discount look bigger, that's inflation, not a deal.
Why this matters for automated listings
KairoHub pulls the current Amazon price at match time and displays the "was" price only when Amazon's own listing data provides one — it isn't invented by the pipeline. Still, apply your own judgement using the checks above before buying anything, anywhere.
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