As I’ve talked about in the past, Amazon no longer offers price adjustments on anything besides HDTV’s. Totally silly that they changed their policy as it’s costing the company money as savvy shoppers simply return items and buy them at the new lower price. But with that said, I recently discovered a clever workaround to this new Amazon policy. When shopping on Amazon, consider buying from 3rd party sellers as most will happily offer you a price adjustment if their price drops within a reasonable period of time. Here are the details…

Here’s what you need to know to add this tip to your savings toolbox:

– When shopping on Amazon.com, start making it a habit to see if 3rd party sellers are selling the item for the same price as Amazon, or less.

– For this hack to work, the item has to be sold by a 3rd party and not fulfilled by Amazon.

– If you can afford to wait a little longer to get the item, and it’s competitively priced, buy from the 3rd party seller.

– Keep an eye on the price of the items you’ve purchased in the past 30 days. Tip: On significant purchases, I like to set a calendar alert on my smartphone to remind myself to check on any price adjustment opportunities.

– When you find a 3rd party seller (that you bought from) has dropped their price, go to the item’s product page and click on the sellers name to visit their Amazon page. See image below to see where to click.

Then on their Amazon page, click on “Ask a Question” or call their customer service number if available and politely ask them if a price adjustment is available.

Many, if not most, 3rd party Amazon sellers try hard to protect their reputation and will happily offer you a price adjustment within 14-30 days after your item is delivered.

Rate of success? I’ve tried this 11 times over the past 6 months and got a price adjustment (within 48 hours) 8 separate times. Not too shabby.

I’ve also received several emails from Amazon shoppers the past few months who’ve had success with this little trick.

It’s worth nothing that this hack won’t make sense on every item, especially for Prime members who want the item delivered in 2 days.

The good news is that many 3rd party Amazon sellers also offer free shipping, but it’ll usually take 5 business days for the package to get to your front door.

But if you’re not in a hurry to get the item, and the price tends to fluctuate, it’s worth your time to shop 3rd party sellers on Amazon knowing that a price adjustment is a viable option.

If you want to stick to “Prime eligible items” the only way you can get price protection is to return the item to Amazon and re-buy it at the lower price. It’s a time consuming drill but worth it for significant purchases.

Mileage will obviously vary with this hack as 3rd party sellers on Amazon aren’t beholden to a price protection policy.

But the good news for us shoppers is that many sellers will happily give you price protection as it gives them a “leg up” over Amazon. Not to mention it inevitably creates loyal customers who’ll buy from them again.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever dealt with 3rd party sellers on Amazon? If so, have you ever received a price adjustment when their price dropped?

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)