Retailer price-match rules vary widely ahead of Amazon Prime Day
Amazon’s June shopping event puts price guarantees under pressure, with major stores split on whether they match rivals or only their own discounts.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
4 min read
Major retailers take sharply different approaches to price matching, a policy that can decide whether shoppers get money back after a fast-moving sale. With Amazon’s Prime Day scheduled for June 23 through June 26, The Verge’s Sheena Vasani reviewed how stores including Best Buy, Target, Walmart and GameStop handle lower prices.
The policies vary by retailer, product type, seller and timing, according to The Verge. Many stores exclude third-party marketplace sellers, special promotions, membership-only discounts or major holiday sale periods.
Amazon, Target and Walmart set narrow limits
Amazon does not offer price matching, according to The Verge’s summary of the company’s policy. The retailer’s return policy may still let customers send back an item and buy it again at a lower price, The Verge reported.
Target no longer matches prices from outside retailers such as Amazon, according to The Verge. Its current policy allows price adjustments only when shoppers find a lower price for an eligible identical item at Target.com, a local Target store or through an eligible Target Circle offer. The Verge reported that requests can be made at purchase or within 14 days.
Walmart does not match competitors’ prices, according to the retailer’s policy cited by The Verge. Walmart stores may match Walmart.com prices when the item is in stock online, but the policy excludes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, special-event prices such as Black Friday, Walmart Marketplace sellers and post-purchase price drops on Walmart.com orders, The Verge reported.
Best Buy matches some rivals but excludes Prime Day deals
Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee covers new, identical products that are immediately available from approved competitors and not listed in its exclusions, according to The Verge. The retailer requires the same model number and color, and the item must be sold directly by the competing store rather than a third-party seller.
The Verge reported that Best Buy’s approved competitor list includes Amazon, B&H Photo, Apple, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart. Best Buy does not match membership-exclusive, loyalty-program or paid-member discounts, which means Amazon Prime Day deals are excluded under that policy, according to The Verge.
Best Buy also may match its own lower in-store or online price during the return and exchange period if a customer asks, The Verge reported. Customers can request matches through Best Buy chat, by phone or in stores.
Other retailers use case-by-case or limited guarantees
- Apple has no official broad price-match policy on its website, according to The Verge. Apple does allow customers to request a refund or credit if Apple cuts the price of an Apple-branded product within 14 days of receipt, excluding special promotional pricing such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.
- B&H Photo says it may honor a lower current price or a competitor’s price case by case, according to The Verge. Approved matches are limited to one identical item per customer.
- Costco does not match competitors, according to The Verge. Costco may issue a credit when an online Costco purchase drops to a promotional price and the customer requests the credit within the stated window; warehouse purchases must be handled at the store where the item was bought.
- Dell matches identical products from retailers including Dell, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, HP, Apple and Lenovo, according to The Verge. Dell excludes Costco and Sam’s Club, membership-only pricing and Amazon Prime Day discounts.
- eBay offers a Best Price Guarantee on select marked items outside Thanksgiving week through Cyber Monday, according to The Verge. If a qualifying buyer finds a lower price from an approved competitor within 48 hours, eBay provides a coupon worth 110 percent of the difference.
- GameStop does not list an official price-matching policy on its website, according to The Verge. The company said in a 2022 tweet that it would match items sold and shipped by Amazon when available online or in store.
- Google matches online prices from select retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, B&H Photo, Signifi and Target during the standard return period, according to The Verge. Google allows Amazon Prime deals but excludes other members-only discounts and third-party sellers.
The Verge reported that shoppers should read each retailer’s policy before assuming a match will apply. The same product often must be in stock, identical in configuration and sold directly by an approved retailer.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.