Variable Pricing, or "Smoothing"

[Jaywalker]

Variable pricing, or "smoothing," means the Coke machine is set to automatically raise its prices when it's hotter outside. Amazon and other online businesses use it all the time based on some odd algorithms, but for some reason I don't expect to see it in online gun purchases.

I went to budsgunshop to check their prices, found what they were and went to Tombstone Tactical, which had a good price on the piece earlier, and found their price right up there with Buds, $20 more than an hour or so before. So, since I already had an account with Buds I went ahead and placed my order there.

Then, just for grins, I deleted all my cookies and went back to Tombstone and found it even lower than previously, and lower than Buds, as I expected. $20 isn't enough to convince me to do business with businesses that do that (except Amazon, because I need them more than they need me). Funny thing, it's possible Buds does the same thing, but I've never caught them at it when I was actually ordering.

Oh, and using a Mac instead of a PC is one characteristic that causes pricing to be higher. I guess they figure anyone with a Mac has lot of extra money to spend...

[GardoneVT]

Variable pricing, or "smoothing," means the Coke machine is set to automatically raise its prices when it's hotter outside. Amazon and other online businesses use it all the time based on some odd algorithms, but for some reason I don't expect to see it in online gun purchases.

I went to budsgunshop to check their prices, found what they were and went to Tombstone Tactical, which had a good price on the piece earlier, and found their price right up there with Buds, $20 more than an hour or so before. So, since I already had an account with Buds I went ahead and placed my order there.

Then, just for grins, I deleted all my cookies and went back to Tombstone and found it even lower than previously, and lower than Buds, as I expected. $20 isn't enough to convince me to do business with businesses that do that (except Amazon, because I need them more than they need me). Funny thing, it's possible Buds does the same thing, but I've never caught them at it when I was actually ordering.

Oh, and using a Mac instead of a PC is one characteristic that causes pricing to be higher. I guess they figure anyone with a Mac has lot of extra money to spend...

Variable pricing is used all the time. Insurance companies have made it a literal industry,among other businesses.

[Willard]

You can check gun.deals for pricing also and to see how companies compare and change. One company dropped the Colt Trooper down to well below 700, then went back up to high 800s, and now at just over 700. This is within the last week or so.

[jwperry]

You'll find the same thing when booking travel(looking at flights/hotels, leaving and coming back later to find the price higher). Incognito browsing helps.

[Jaywalker]

You'll find the same thing when booking travel(looking at flights/hotels, leaving and coming back later to find the price higher). Incognito browsing helps.

Yeah. I used to change User Agent so they'd think I was coming in as an outdated browser, or better, a web crawler looking for prices, but stopped that when I learned Google and others measure a browser's fingerprint by how unique it is, and having User Agent Switcher is pretty damn unique. Now I just clear cookies and web history. https://panopticlick.eff.org/

[StraitR]

I've been traveling weekly for the last six weeks, minus the two weeks from hurricane Irma, spending one night in North Florida and returning home the next day. I like to stay at Hampton Inn because they're typically clean and have comfortable beds. When I started there in mid August, the price for my desired room was $123. Every week, when booking the same room type, the rate has risen while using their app and my rewards account. At first, I attributed it to college football season and then we had hurricane Irma. This past Friday, when I went to book this weeks trip, it was $175. I booked it because I need the room, but then check tonight via my phone internet browser and the same room is $141. I just got off the phone with them, getting the rate adjusted.

You just have to watch.

[HeavyDuty]

Variable pricing is used all the time. Insurance companies have made it a literal industry,among other businesses.

Uh, that’s not how insurance pricing works.

[SecondsCount]

You should always shop around. Many times these days I find better prices on Ebay than Amazon, and am about ready to drop Prime.

I bought a pair of running shoes last month and saved $30 off Amazon prices, and shipping was free.

[OlongJohnson]

Bud's for sure does this. I've had them drop the price significantly after I'd put their already best price available item in my cart and left it there for a couple days. Went back to look at it again and they'd turned the price into a "what's it going to take to get you to check out with this item" deal. As soon as I checked out, the price was substantially higher.

Some places do similar things with inventory.

[willie]

I've never before heard of variable pricing. Now that I have, I emphasize that it's a chicken shit practice. I guess it may be the same thing as women charging old men more than young men. What's smooth about that? I plan to tell Bud's to buy a wooden bill and go peck shit with the chickens. I'm really mad. Mississippi mad.