Amazon shoppers are overpaying for back-to-school purchases

By

Rebecca Taras

Published
Jul 25, 2017

While the majority of news swirling around Amazon talks about how the e-tailer is primed for taking over e-commerce, a recent report conducted by Wikibuy details how those shopping for back-to-school supplies are paying more than other retail outlets offering identical merchandise.

Wikibuy analyzed the price point of 200-plus items sourced from school supply lists spanning kindergarten through 9th grade (nationwide) over 30 days in the month of May. Their findings concluded that consumers spent around 15 percent more on Amazon in comparison to other sites.
 
The report states that consumers just assume Amazon offers the best prices—especially loyal Prime members—which often leads to overspending. Furthermore, a recent analysis by Wikibuy—a Google Chrome extension that compares Amazon prices with other online retail outlets—discovered that depending on where you live and the time of the day when purchases are made can affect the price of a product sold on Amazon.

Wikibuy cited another study from Consumer Watchdog that alleges Amazon’s “price comparison” tool fools people into purchasing so-called deals by providing a false sense of savings. According to Retail Dive, a spokesperson for Amazon denied such an accusation, stating the company validates all prices from outside sources versus Amazon.