Amazon has removed their price adjustment policy in recent years, stay tuned to see if this new Amazon policy sticks. Because Amazon changes prices so frequently, they have gotten a lot of backlash for changing their policy. Bottom-line, these days there only seems to exist a couple workarounds to get the lower price. Here’s how it works.

If you still want to try and get a price adjustment here is how you go about it.

From blog reader Roxanne, she tried the following steps and didn’t get a price match but Amazon did give her a $40 credit to her account.

So bottom-line, the following steps are still worth a try, especially on expensive items.

How to TRY to Get a Price Adjustment:

1. Originally, You Had 7 Days From Delivery to Request Adjustment

The 7 days started when the item got delivered to your doorstep.

2. Keep an Eye Out For a Price Drop

Nobody has the time to check daily if the Amazon price drops on something you bought.

So use the free site CamelCamelCamel.com and they’ll do all of the leg-work for you and email you when a price drops.

3. What to do When a Price Drops Within 7 Days

You can either call Amazon customer service at 1 (888) 280-4331 or start a live chat session to get the ball rolling on your price adjustment.

SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE…SOMETIMES

Sometimes if you’re willing to argue your case vehemently with an Amazon customer service representative, they will refund you the price difference. There are many cases of this happening, both with commenters on this post as well as on various Reddit threads. The one thing all success stories seem to have in common is politeness, you’ll surely catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

How to Start a Live Chat Session

Starting a live chat session on Amazon can be a bit confusing but I feel it’s by far the best way to get a price adjustment.

At the bottom of this customer service page, select “Help with something else” then select the product in question, then select “I need more help”, then select “Start chatting now”.

Then once the chat starts, type “talk with a person” and you’ll quickly be connected to an actual person and can ask them politely for a price adjustment.

Does the Item Have to be Sold Directly by Amazon?

Officially, yes. But if you’re a loyal customer, the answer is surprisingly “No”.

I recently ordered a product from a 3rd party seller and the price dropped by $23 the day after I received it.

On a whim, I started a chat session and low-and-behold they gave me the $23 price adjustment anyways.

They explained it this way, “However since you are a loyal customer for one time exception I am refunding the difference to your gift card balance.”

I had the $23 in my account gift card balance within 2 hours.

Interestingly, this wasn’t a “one time exception” as they did the same thing for me back in December when I requested a price adjustment on a different item sold by a 3rd party.

PRO TIP: THE RETURN AND REBUY SCENARIO

It’s amazing to me that Amazon is telling shoppers that they need to return the item, then rebuy it at the lower price. In most cases, this is the only way to get “price protection” on your Amazon purchases these days. They’re clearly counting on us not going through with the “return and rebuy” as it’s a hassle and a time suck, especially if it’s a product you need right now. The frustrating part is they call themselves a company concerned with the environment, but just think of the carbon footprint they are leaving behind with all of these packages needlessly being returned and shipped out again.

Moral of the Story?

Always politely ask about a price adjustment, no matter if Amazon shipped it to your directly, or you bought it through a 3rd party, ALWAYS ASK.

Whether you’re a new or longtime Amazon customer, the worst they can say is “No”. Unfortunately, this is the answer almost everybody is getting these days.

If you get a “No” then you can decide whether it’s worth the hassle of returning the item and rebuying at the lower price.

PRO TIP: WATCH THE PRICE RIGHT AFTER YOU BUY

I recently had a price drop within minutes of me placing an order for an Western Digital external hard drive. I had gone back into my account about 45 minutes after my purchase to make sure I got the correct size hard drive and noticed the price had dropped $45. I immediately cancelled my order, verified that it had been cancelled, then rebought at the lower price. This hack works especially well in the evenings, and on weekends, when it takes longer for Amazon to process your order giving you more time to check if the price has dropped.

See Also: 6 Brilliantly Slick Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

Back when they were doing price adjustments, here’s how my Amazon chat session went down (BTW, in case you were wondering, my wife is Aimee and our account is under her name, haha):

Ask The Reader: Have you ever requested a price-match from Amazon? Was the item sold by Amazon or a 3rd party? How did it go?

Happy savings.

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)