Understanding Price History and Reference Prices

The common reference prices, and how much to trust them

• MSRP or list price: the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Useful at launch; for many products, especially electronics, the normal selling price drifts well below it within months.
• Was, regular or original price: what the seller says it previously charged. Most meaningful when it was charged recently and for a reasonable period.
• Compare at or "value": often the price of a comparable item, sometimes at a different store. The hardest to verify.
• Lowest price in the last 30 days: some stores and regions show it; it is one of the more honest references because it is based on recent real prices.
• Typical or average price: a calculated figure from observed prices; more useful the longer the period it covers.

In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a former-price comparison should be based on a price the seller actually offered in good faith for a reasonable period. That principle is a useful test even when a store does not explain its numbers: was this price really charged, recently, for long enough to matter?

How to read a price history

A price history is a record of observed prices over time: usually the listing prices seen on a store's pages, not the prices customers paid in completed transactions. When you look at one, focus on three things:

1. The usual price. Where does the price sit most of the time? That is the realistic reference, whatever the label says.
2. The recent low. How close is today's price to the lowest price in the last few months? Matching a recent low is usually a good sign; beating it is better.
3. The pattern. Does the price drop for a few days every month, or only around big sale events? Regular dips mean there is little pressure to buy today.

What price history cannot tell you

• It only covers the prices someone observed. A short history, or one from a single store, may miss lower prices elsewhere.
• It may not follow the exact variant. Different colors, sizes or configurations can have different prices and histories.
• It does not include conditions. A coupon, membership or bundle price may not appear in a list-price history.
• It cannot predict the future. A low price may drop further, or the product may sell out. History tells you what is normal, not what will happen.

Price history on OfferNab

OfferNab records the listing price it observes for a deal each time it checks the retailer. These are advertised prices, not records of what customers paid in completed transactions, which can differ after coupons, shipping, taxes or member pricing. Where we have that history, the deal page tells you when the current price is the lowest OfferNab has observed for that deal. That is our own observation, from the retailers we track, during the time we have tracked the deal, not a claim about every store everywhere.

When a retailer supplies a reference price, we show it as the retailer's reference so you can judge it against the history yourself. If a product is not urgent and you are signed in, you can watch a deal from its deal page, optionally with a target price. OfferNab then shows an alert in your account when the price drops meaningfully or reaches your target; it does not send email or text alerts.