How To Ask and Get an Amazon Price Adjustment (Even On 3rd Party Items)

Updated January 12, 2024 by Kyle James
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,

It looks like this will only work on TV’s now, stay tuned to see if this new Amazon policy sticks. Because Amazon changes prices so frequently, I think they’ll get a lot of backlash for changing their policy. Bottom-line, be persistent as I have heard reports of some shoppers still getting Amazon price adjustments. YMMV.)

Amazon Price Adjustment

One of my favorite blog subjects is Amazon, more specifically, how to save money at Amazon in ways you’ve probably never considered.

One of the least advertised, yet most effective ways to save money at Amazon is to ask them for a price adjustment if the price of an item drops after you get it delivered to your home.

As a matter of fact, you can’t find anything “official” posted on the Amazon website detailing their price adjustment policy.

And furthermore, did you know that you can often get a price adjustment on items not sold directly by Amazon, but instead by a 3rd party seller?

Yup, it’s true. Here’s the skinny so you can make it happen…

How to Ask For an Amazon Price Adjustment:

1. You Have 7 Days From Delivery to Request Adjustment

There’s been some recent discussion over how long you have to request a price adjustment at Amazon.

To set the record straight, you have exactly 7 days from when the item gets delivered to your doorstep to request an Amazon price adjustment.

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.

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, under Step 2, select “More order issues” from the first drop-down menu and “Other order question or issue” from the second drop-down menu.

You’re then given 3 ways to contact Amazon: E-mail, Phone, or Chat. Simply select “Chat” and follow the instructions.

See Also: Amazon Hack: Use Their Satisfaction Survey to Get Price Protection

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.

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”.

More often than not, with just a few minutes of work, you’ll end up with some extra money in your Amazon account for future purchases.

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

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):

Amazon Chat Session

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

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Alex G.

I just tried to get a price adjustment today on an item I ordered yesterday from Amazon. This item is both sold & shipped by Amazon. Amazon just informed that as of 4/27/2016 they can no-longer make a price adjustment on any items…even sold by them! The rep said this order came from the top and their capabilities to make an adjustment are no longer there. What kind of business is Besos trying to turn Amazon into? Has Rather-Be-Shopping heard of this yet? It’s absurd. If I but an item in a retail store and it goes to a lower price a few days later, I can get a price adjustment and refund for the difference. This terrible policy change needs to be publicized heavily. Maybe then, the executives when get a reality check and go back to adjustments. Please feel free to email me back with questions or comments. Thank you..

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Kyle James

Yep, it’s true. You can now only get price adjustments on new TV’s. Bummer. Let’s see if this new policy sticks around….

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Luna

So I just tried it and yea.. they say they’re not allowed too. Bummer 🙁

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Anon

As a workaround, consumers are damaging items, returning them for a full refund, and purchasing again.

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Anono2

Oh geeze. No need to damage the item. Request a pre-paid return label and repurchase the item. It’s actually been suggested as a solution by an Amazon rep recently.

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Don

Unless you give the reason to be something like amazon’s fault (damaged, wrong item etc.) they will charge you shipping fees.

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Lil

Well I literally just asked for a price reduction as I have not even received the item yet I was told they were unable to do so. But they can call the courier and return the item. Which is a shame as I have other items in that box. I will just return the item when received and pay for it elsewhere. I’m tired of Amazon I have had countless loss of items this year delayed shipping and now this over £3.

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Reginald

I just tried 3 different times to get 4 dollars refunded. They just cut and paste their standard response and then terminate the chat. In fact they don’t even price adjust TV’s anymore. One member of the “pricing team” actually admitted that the “pricing team” has no purpose.

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Steve

IT doesnt work. I tried it. There is no such thing as a price adjustment, which is pathetic since every retailer does it. Even best buy gives you 15 days…..the price of the item dropped over 20% in 2 days since I bought it. And I shopped this item for more than a week on every website. I got the same copy and paste messages. They said they cant make the change, I said I would be happy if you gave me half of the price drop in an amazon gift card. They still said no….This isnt good. price adjustments are there to protect the consumer….this will keep me on high alert now when shopping for items that are highly priced. By the way Im about to go to best buy and receive a $20 price adjustment on a TV i just purchased last week. Thank you best buy 🙂

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Caligirl

I have been a very big Amazon customer and I rarely return anything. Mattress I bought a few days ago had a significant price decrease so I contacted Amazon. The only solution that they could come up with is that I return the mattress and rebuy at the lower price. Well, I am considering returning the mattress, but not before I buy another one somewhere else. So Amazon will lose a significant sale and probably some of my higher end business. Policy makes no sense. They wouldn’t even extend my Amazon Prime account, which in the past, they’ve done for minor delivery issues. As I said, I can’t really speak to Amazon customer service, as I rarely use it, but this just seems ridiculous to offer nothing. Very dissatisfied customer. Shopping for a new mattress as we speak.

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C W

Read this article 10 mins before contacting Amazon. Spent a total of 45 mins getting a $30 refund on an item I purchased on Aug 29th, and which had been reduced in price by today, Aug 31st.

Be polite and persistent and you should be successful. Expect to be punted to several different customer service reps, some of whom have interesting syntax, and who are not likley in the US. Do not let your replies go over the one minute mark or the chat will be cancelled. If you have to wait more than a minute or two for a reply send an, “Are you still there?”

Good Luck.

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Kyle James

Good to know, thanks CW!

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C W

PS. The item was not a television 😉

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Susan Riley

Using the live chat totally worked and was so quick!! Thanks for the helpful information!!

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Tony

I spent half an hour or more earlier today in customer service chat, escalated to a supervisor and all I got was for them to say they would escalate my complaint to management. I did the post chat survey and when I said they did not resolve my issue it asked “for another chance” so I selected email and explained the situation again. I got a reply just a little while ago that the information I was given was correct and they do not price match. Period. To top it off they apologized I was frustrated but said any further replies would not be answered. I was never rude, just persistent. Nobody seemed in the mood to provide good customer service today. It’s a shame since Amazon has always been very customer-friendly in the past. I guess now they are big enough to piss off loyal customers who spend thousands with them every year! 🙁

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Kevin

This worked for me on a Black Friday discount. It took four customer service reps to do it, but they just bounced me around – no one ever suggested they couldn’t do it.

Thanks for the info; it really helped.

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cody

I was denied on phone for price adjustment for a PC mouse that was delivered 3 days ago and Black Friday price is $50 less. It will only cost me $11.73 to ship it back. I still earn $38.27 by reordering the mouse. I don’t understand why Amazon would waste money to ship the item again. I would not suggest purchasing items from this site before sale days approach especially on electronics.

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T

I purchased a few days ago, and today my cordless drill was lowered by $20. I asked via chat for a refund of the difference, and was just told a few times “but returning is the only option here, as we can in no way refund the difference as the system doesn’t have the option to do so, I hope you understand”. So I asked for a pre-paid return label so I could return it. The rep confirmed that it will not cost me anything — to return it and I will receive a full refund of the purchase price. Seems silly to do all this. But we’ll see how it works out.

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Colleen

Thank you! They did give me a price adjustment! However, they said that they do not do price adjustments even if the item is fulfilled by Amazon. I am so glad this worked though. Thank you!

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MK

I failed on an Amazon item–even when I pointed out that I could return it at no charge and re-purchase it.

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