How to Find Out the Selling Price of an Item You Have Already Purchased
So you’ve purchased an item from your wishlist. You might even have bought it on sale. But soon after, the same product in the same store is cheaper than when you bought it. If you only knew.
Luckily, that pain you feel in your wallet doesn’t have to be the end of the road. With a little research (and, if necessary, some savvy), you can probably get that money back.
Review the store’s price protection policy.
Several retailers offer price adjustments, also called price protection or price guarantees, which will refund you the difference between what you paid at the time of purchase and the sale price. This policy will only apply for a limited period of time after purchase, typically 14 to 30 days.
Keep in mind that price adjustments are different from price matching. The latter refers to a policy in which a retailer will match a competitor’s lower price on an identical product. This is usually only available before you make a purchase, although you can still use it to your advantage to find the best deal.
Please note that the list of retailers offering these benefits is limited and does not include Amazon. Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, and Costco are just a few of the major retailers that have specific pricing policies.
However, price protection and price matching are likely to be subject to significant limitations and exceptions. For example, price matching may be limited to a few select competitors, and some retailers may not offer it at all during major sales seasons such as Black Friday, Cyber Week, and Memorial Day. As Wirecutter notes , even finding the fine print can be difficult, let alone using it.
While credit card issuers used to offer price protection—allowing you to apply for a partial refund without going through a retailer—that benefit has all but disappeared unless you own one of a few select cards .
Customer Service Deal
If the retailer doesn’t have a published price protection policy (or if they do and it doesn’t seem to apply to you), it can’t hurt to contact customer service and ask if they can help. Consumer Reports found that even Amazon can move when exposed to direct contact. But this can work not only with big stores, but also with smaller retailers if you’re within the return window. Note that you may have to agree to store credit, which only makes sense if you plan to shop with the retailer in the future.
Return and redemption
If none of the above gives you the savings you want, consider returning the item for a refund and repurchasing it at a lower price (again, this is probably the best option for shopping on Amazon).
A few things to consider to maximize your refund:
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Are you within the return window?
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Do you still have your receipt or confirmation?
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Does the item meet the return criteria: unworn, unused, unwashed, in original packaging, etc.?
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Does the retailer offer refunds to the original payment method or only store credit?
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Does the seller offer free returns or do you pay for shipping?
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Is there a physical location nearby where you can bring returns?
Obviously, you must be within the return window to receive a refund (unless you used a credit card with extended return benefits , which apply even if the merchant’s window has passed). Some retailers take longer to accept returns during the holiday season, and it’s always a good idea to check their return policies before purchasing.
If you have your receipt and can get back every dollar you paid (ideally without paying anything for return shipping or restocking), then it might make sense to return the original item and buy it again on sale. But if there are restrictions, such as getting store credit, getting a refund at the current sale price, or paying a surcharge to ship the item back, consider whether you’ll actually end up saving anything.