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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Wes Wagner

I was fortunate! I did exactly as the article said and was told they are not allowed to change prices. I said i just received my order last night and today the price has dropped by $30. She said she would check and put me on a brief hold. When she returned she said she you either refund it to my original method of payment or issue an amazon gift card. I was satisfied with the final result but left a detailed comment on how other retailers, whether they are online or brick & mortar, offer price adjustments for a period of time after a purchase.

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Dana T

2 Chat Reps and 3 Phone Calls later – It took me an hour to get the $20 x 2 echo devices price adjustment. But I DID win. I refused to give up! I didn’t yell or curse but I firmly told the last rep that I did not want to be transferred to another agent, I wanted them to fix it or issue Amazon dollars… (They ended up refunding my on my credit card $40) I couldn’t find anything on their site about the policy especially where there’s no info on the order screen or receipt. Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s, WalMart and B&H Photo all offer adjustments. This definitely impacts what I will and won’t buy from Amazon after 12 years of Prime Membership! I used to buy all of my camera gear there and now will use B&H. Amazon will get my body wash order but not my expensive orders. Buying future devices with retailers who will price adjust within a reasonable time frame!

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GerryC

I had a 40% price drop – $50 – on an item I ordered late Thursday night and received today. Based on what I had read, I figured to shortcut my agro and just do a return – rebuy. I accessed the return centre and initiated the process, only to find that I would be deducted for the return freight – estimated at $31!!!!

So I initiated a chat. No love at the 1st level, asked for a supervisor, no love there either. I was polite throughout.

After ending the chat, I received an email asking for feedback. I entered the following:

“Although I have never personally had to access Amazon’s price adjustment policy, I have heard many good stories from those who have over the years. This was my first time looking for a price adjustment, on something that dropped 40% in the course of the day since I ordered it, only to be informed that Amazon no longer does this. I would like to point out that nowhere in your online help do I find mention of this new customer-unfriendly policy, a policy that is at odds with the price protection that most major retailers offer. I am significantly disappointed in this policy and the lack of transparency that accompanies it.”

Because the ratings entered were negative, on submission I was presented with a “give us another chance” screen and asked if they could call.

In the call I explained my issue and why I was dissatisfied with the result. The CSR suggested a return, and I mentioned the deduction of shipping charges. He assured me this would not apply and initiated the process of sending me a shipping label. The automated email containing the link indicated the refund I would receive would be $31 lower than what I had spent. I informed him of this (we had stayed on the call) and he put me on hold to see what the story was. After several minutes he came back and said that they would be refunding, not returning. He took great pains to make clear that this would be a one-time exception.

Right result, bad process, bad policy, and I do not expect to be able to have an exception made again.

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Nikki

Thanks for the info–it was very helpful. I almost didn’t bother because it didn’t sound like Amazon would adjust the price, but they did! It took two chat sessions. I started the first chat before the item arrived, and she told me they don’t make price adjustments. When I asked for a prepaid return label, she said I’d have to wait until the item arrived and contact them then. I filled out the survey after the chat ended and stated that I was unhappy with their inflexible price adjustment policy. Now that the item is here I started another chat this evening and explained that I know they don’t do price adjustments and would like a prepaid return label. But he offered me a 30% discount on the original purchase price, which was the amount it had dropped since. Said it would be returned to my original payment method in the next few days.

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Tim

This worked for me just now. Took no more than 10 min to do the chat, fill out the survey and then get a call from a customer service rep who provided a full refund +$5.

Thanks for sharing this!

Confirmation email from Amazon:
“Thanks for letting us know the price difference you’re seeing on the Echo Show – White, to help compensate this I’ve issued you a discount. I’ve requested a refund of $35.99 to your Credit Card .”

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Rachel

Didn’t work today – I figure everything on a $40/hr basis and spent waaay too much time on a $35 price drop. Annoying- returning item and reordering – is amazon not doing math?

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Kevin

Just tried this earlier today to get a $3 price drop on phone case and was declined. Like many others, I was offered to return the case to Amazon and buy a new one at the lower price. I won’t bother going through the hassle over $3, but this is definitely not a customer-friendly policy. Since Best Buy is price-matching Amazon now, I may start going there again for my more expensive purchases.

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John

I preordered a Misfit Vapor smartwatch 2 months before it became “available”. Now that it’s available it costs $11 less. My order had not even shipped yet. Reorder and cancel the first, I get the lower price, and an earlier arrival date. They get an angry customer.

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Heather Sabine

Got shut down today for less than $6 – and got sent to a supervisor who was copy/pasting answers. Not really what I am used to from Amazon.

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Rebecca

I found this site when I Googled for Amazon’s price adjustment policy, because I didn’t even know if they did price adjustments… After reading everything, I decided to give it a try for a book which I bought on Sunday night and by Monday morning it was $3.60 less, more than a third of the price I paid. When I went to Amazon’s orders customer service page, I wasn’t given the chat option, so I sent an email. I got the same canned response as everyone else, and I completed the supposed response survey saying I was unhappy. They asked for a chance to make it right, and then I was given the chat option. I explained the whole thing to one CSR, who then sent me over to the “price team,” but both of them just copied and pasted the same answer saying their policy is no price adjustments and there’s nothing they can do. Like others have said, I am a very loyal customer – 15 years and thousands and thousands of dollars spent with them – but their customer service has definitely been declining over the last few years. I will be returning not only the item that they refused to price-adjust, but two other items which I found on sale at my local Barnes & Noble after Amazon refused over four freaking dollars. And instead of going straight to Amazon.com and purchasing with confidence that I’m getting a great deal like I have been for so many years, I will now be price checking them against other retailers and shopping at businesses which price match and price adjust.

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Chris Stewart

I just went through this. Ordered an item yesterday and today it is on sale for $50 less. I got the same answer through chat – “our policy is that we do not price match.” They suggested I refuse shipment and order again at the lower price. I tried to explain to them that if I did that, I would end up with the sale price, but it would probably cost amazon more than $50 to handle the new order and all of the reverse logistics cost on the original order. Finally after the third escalation (talking to 4 different customer service agents,) they agreed to refund me the difference as a “one time” exception to their policy. They made is sound like they were doing me a huge favor, when in reality I was saving them money. So frustrating.

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Glen

doesn’t work; chat won’t refund you any money. thanks anyway

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Jean

I tried to get a price reduction on a software. It doesn’t work even if I’ve been a prime member for years.

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Gil Michelini

Saif: I can understand your concern regarding price change.
As per the new update I would like to inform you that , as per our policy we do not offer any price match or price adjustment we consistently offer competitive prices on everything we carry; however, the prices on our website are subject to change

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Patrick

I was able to get a small price adjustement as a promo credit to my account. I was offered to send back for free the initial purchase and buy the same product at the lower price but the nice lady was able to credit me the 8$.

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