View Full Version : Amazon. WTF?
GilpinGuy
11-28-2015, 03:12
This was interesting. I have a product that I need, so I checked out the manufacturers price - $174.99.
I then go to Amazon and check the price there. The same - $174.99.
Then I go back to the manufacturer and apply a $5.00 discount code. Cool. $5 off. I see that shipping is $14.00. Hmmmmm.
I go back to Amazon to check to see what the shipping is there....and the price jumped $10.00 exactly. This is within 5 minutes. And shipping was a few bucks more than the manufacturer anyway. So Amazon basically fucked themselves twice. (No, I'm not a Prime member btw.)
Kinda pissed me off how THEY are appparently watching every click I make, even though it screwed them in the end. Or am I all tin foil hat here?
And no, I was not mistaken with Amazon's price. I've been considering this purchase for weeks and have been checking prices. Always the same. I thought maybe I'd get a Black Friday deal with Amazon...not so much.
Not too much foil IMHO.
I'm convinced that every time my wife shops for airfare, the price goes up each time she looks...
I always tell her, "If you see a price that's reasonable, take it." I'm not talking over days, I'm talking in the same day, even in the same hour when there are no apparent seat purchases. Go check on a mobile device off our wifi network and under a different user and the price is lower.
If anyone thinks they're not tracking you, you're sadly mistaken.
Great-Kazoo
11-28-2015, 03:58
If I'm looking to buy something I've checked prices on other sites, I delete browser history first. When I don't, what I looked at seems to pop up in th weirdest places. Oh yeah EVERYONE knows what one looks at on line.
GilpinGuy
11-28-2015, 04:21
Am I insane, or does it seem logical to LOWER your price if someone is shopping around?
Bailey Guns
11-28-2015, 06:55
I've had the same thing happen on Amazon. On the other hand, I've also had the price drop pretty substantially on occasion. I still buy a lot from Amazon just for the convenience, even when they're priced slightly higher than other sites.
lostcolorado
11-28-2015, 07:20
Most browsers have a "private" mode. Chrome calls it Incognito. When you close the browser window cookies and history are deleted. I've heard this helps with repeated visits to travel sights, but unfortunately there are other ways to track your activity.
http://privatebrowsingmyths.com
funkymonkey1111
11-28-2015, 07:20
Was it an utem fulfilled by amazon? Or a third party? Or the same company you wanted to buy the item from?
Oh yeah EVERYONE knows what one looks at on line.
Pornography?
Speaking of tracking stuff, I have a theory that smart phones are constantly listening to everything you say.
I can be having a conversation with the guys at work about something totally random when one of us decides we need to Google that particular subject. When one of us pulls our phone out to search after the first one or two letters the subject we were just discussing pops up as a suggested search. And I'm not talking about common subjects like "What's the capital of Massachusetts." It can be something like how many people have died from choking on asparagus. You'll type in the word "how" and the top suggesion will be "how many people have died from choking on asparagus."
Speaking of tracking stuff, I have a theory that smart phones are constantly listening to everything you say.
I can be having a conversation with the guys at work about something totally random when one of us decides we need to Google that particular subject. When one of us pulls our phone out to search after the first one or two letters the subject we were just discussing pops up as a suggested search. And I'm not talking about common subjects like "What's the capital of Massachusetts." It can be something like how many people have died from choking on asparagus. You'll type in the word "how" and the top suggesion will be "how many people have died from choking on asparagus."
Now that is strange. I know that everything you browse for online gets put into some kind of program that tailors ads to things you've searched for (Bud's Guns ads on MSNBC? Nothing short of hilarious, if not odd).
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
BushMasterBoy
11-28-2015, 09:42
I instantly transfer all my thoughts to the cloud. That way a machine does all my thinking for me! Effortless living being absorbed by the borg. Be a rebel and buy from Ebay, Craigs, yard sales etc.
RblDiver
11-28-2015, 09:44
Did you see who the seller was on Amazon? I mean, it could be you're still actually dealing with the manufacturer in that case, it's just that they have an Amazon storefront as well.
RblDiver
11-28-2015, 09:49
Now that is strange. I know that everything you browse for online gets put into some kind of program that tailors ads to things you've searched for (Bud's Guns ads on MSNBC? Nothing short of hilarious, if not odd).
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Yeah, AdSense is rather dumb and just shows ads for stuff which you've searched for. Or what others at your IP have searched for I think; until I got adblocker at work, for a long time it kept showing me ads about toe fungus or something. Yuck.
(Meanwhile, our company's working on smarter digital ads. If you actually buy the product, rather than just search for it, you're more likely to be served relevant ads. Most ad companies say "Oh, that person saw our ad within the last 30 days, therefore all their purchases are because of us," when we have statistics to show it was because of our ad that you bought the product (control group vs test group etc))
Speaking of tracking stuff, I have a theory that smart phones are constantly listening to everything you say.
I believe it.
Your Phone Is Listening—Literally Listening—to Your TV (http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/your-phone-is-literally-listening-to-your-tv/416712/)
A travel website was busted for having higher pricing if you were browsing on a Mac. They figured your disposable income was higher.
For some products (Apple, Bose, home appliances, etc.), pricing is set by the manufacturer.
mtnrider
11-28-2015, 09:59
Was it the same seller on Amazon that you had the first time when you went back? Items usually have several sellers and different pricing/shipping. They don't always show up the same every visit. I'm a prime member and a lot of times if I put something in my wish list and let it sit for a few day's Ill see a significant price drop. Prices fluctuate all the time on Amazon. Still one of the best places to find a good deal.
HoneyBadger
11-28-2015, 10:54
For reasons stated above, I actually use Tor when booking flights. Doing a side-by-side comparison with my wife's laptop, 4/4 times it showed a different price, and 3/4 times it was cheaper on Tor than Mrs. HB's laptop (One time out of the 4 tries, it was pricier).
Aloha_Shooter
11-28-2015, 12:00
Am I insane, or does it seem logical to LOWER your price if someone is shopping around?
It depends. If you know someone is looking at something repeatedly, you know they really want it and are trying to talk themselves into buying it (or not). If you start raising the price, you can make them go ahead and buy it before it rises any more.
Of course, the most likely explanation is that Amazon had a limited amount of product at the lower price then had to raise prices after the stock at the lower price sold out. That shouldn't happen with their price being MSRP to start though ...
www.ghostery.com (https://www.ghostery.com)
Might not fix everything, but I've found it helps quite a bit.
It depends. If you know someone is looking at something repeatedly, you know they really want it and are trying to talk themselves into buying it (or not). If you start raising the price, you can make them go ahead and buy it before it rises any more.
[snip]
That works the opposite for me.
I was looking at taking a long weekend trip to Florida this Oct. Checked flights for a few days while I was thinking about it and the prices (per person) shot up to be more than a nice hotel for three nights.
I decided against the trip.
I like it. That's what wishy-washy price shoppers get. They see a good deal then think maybe they can get an even better deal and then by the time they're done shopping around they end up paying more than if they just said "hey, that's a good deal" and bought it the first time.
Rooskibar03
11-28-2015, 12:30
Amazon routinely moves prices up and down and sometimes for short Periods of time. There is a site called camelcamelcamel.com that tracks pricing on Amazon. You can see history of the price and set alerts for price drops. Great way to catch a deal that might only be in play for 30 minutes.
Here is an example. The ear protection I just bought. Price is all over the place but for one day in June it dropped big time.
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah253/Rooskibar03/1c1165fc5de3d9bf13e5eee479eb262e_zpscetmalpe.jpg
I can't say much with out violation of my NDA but we are all being watched very closely.
USMC88-93
11-28-2015, 12:49
Tin foil time for me this season as well. I have not once ever had an add for one of those RC drones show up while browsing via a web page or within a program...
The other night I walked through Best Buy and while looking around I stopped in front of a drone display to read the literature and info on the display. Later that evening while using my computer not only did I have an add for a RC drone show up within a webpage but it was the exact drone model I had stopped to look at.
I am certain that some of the big box stores have some sort of WiFi method to monitor a cell phones IP within a store kind of like a GPS to see what the phone owner stops to show interest in. If you stop in front of a "data gathering point" it registers the IP or phone number and then they can look back within some larger database to match that number or IP to email address and then match that email address to your home IP and .....magically you see an add for something at home that you had shown passing interest in within the store either on that stores webpage or from one of their partners on the back end..
I can't say much with out violation of my NDA but we are all being watched very closely.
My kiddo lost some Lego pieces to a couple of sets and we jumped on the Lego site to order replacements (really cool service, btw). This was on my desktop.
That night I was checking Twitter on my iPhone (using my home WiFi) and got served in-stream adds for Lego sets. I never do any shopping on my iPhone.
Creepers!
If you're logged into Chrome on different devices, it's all connected. I can be looking at something on my desktop and bring up the same page from my Nook just going to the history and looking at the recent history of each device that is on the network.
If you're logged into Chrome on different devices, it's all connected. I can be looking at something on my desktop and bring up the same page from my Nook just going to the history and looking at the recent history of each device that is on the network.
Super creepy. I use IE on my desktop and Safari on the iPhone. Probably works the same.
If you're logged into Chrome on different devices, it's all connected. I can be looking at something on my desktop and bring up the same page from my Nook just going to the history and looking at the recent history of each device that is on the network.
That's a known Google thing. Logging into chrome from every device is going to share history, cookies, etc.
I just wish Google they would stop throwing the damn WINDOWS 10 DRIVERS ads at me everywhere when I have only looked at the free upgrade notice and declined.
Bottom line guys is that if you are online you're being tracked for many reasons including targeted marketing.
I'm just glad to know that homeland security can easily keep track of potential threats with this technology.
For reasons stated above, I actually use Tor when booking flights. Doing a side-by-side comparison with my wife's laptop, 4/4 times it showed a different price, and 3/4 times it was cheaper on Tor than Mrs. HB's laptop (One time out of the 4 tries, it was pricier).
Just by using Tor, you could be setting yourself up for surveil.
http://lifehacker.com/what-is-tor-and-should-i-use-it-1527891029
HoneyBadger
11-28-2015, 15:13
Just by using Tor, you could be setting yourself up for surveil.
http://lifehacker.com/what-is-tor-and-should-i-use-it-1527891029
Oh, I know. I'm already being watched from 1000 directions by every agency available. What's 1 more? [Dunno]
Bottom line guys is that if you are online you're being tracked for many reasons including targeted marketing.
There is a huge amount of money in advertising (obviously), so don't expect this "problem" to go away or get any better.
Jeffrey Lebowski
11-28-2015, 15:40
Speaking of tracking stuff, I have a theory that smart phones are constantly listening to everything you say.
I can be having a conversation with the guys at work about something totally random when one of us decides we need to Google that particular subject. When one of us pulls our phone out to search after the first one or two letters the subject we were just discussing pops up as a suggested search. And I'm not talking about common subjects like "What's the capital of Massachusetts." It can be something like how many people have died from choking on asparagus. You'll type in the word "how" and the top suggesion will be "how many people have died from choking on asparagus."
I believe it.
Your Phone Is Listening—Literally Listening—to Your TV (http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/your-phone-is-literally-listening-to-your-tv/416712/)
This one is a little too far for me. The phone listening to the TV, I can probably buy, but not that it is listening to me.
I can't get it to listen to me even when I want it to. Siri does not understand. Neither does my car. I don't know if it is my accent or what.
I was sitting in the car with the concierge, and the car understood her every word, and not a single one of mine.
So there is no way, across the room face down on the counter my phone is understanding me.
I like it. That's what wishy-washy price shoppers get. They see a good deal then think maybe they can get an even better deal and then by the time they're done shopping around they end up paying more than if they just said "hey, that's a good deal" and bought it the first time.
I've noticed because I'm wishy-washy, I can watch things go up and down as well - to Rooskibar's point.
Put something in your amazon basket without buying, you'll get notices all the time of up and down. Or maybe it just lowers after a few weeks to finally "hook me" on something I don't need.
cfortune
11-28-2015, 17:13
I can't say much with out violation of my NDA but we are all being watched very closely.
lol I was going to throw you under the bus in this thread. Glad you did it for me ;).
Grant H.
11-28-2015, 17:19
The amount of information that is gathered/used surrounding web traffic is staggering.
Heh - heh! Okay, you guys totally caught me! I know not only what you guys want to order, but WHY you want to order, and HOW MANY!
Oh, well, too late, all y'all's info has been sold many times over to thousands of "lists".
It was a good run, while it lasted.
Alpha2
Oh, and that porn thing? Yeah, you're totally busted.
RblDiver
11-28-2015, 17:53
I suppose it's appropriate to read this thread the day after watching "Ex Machina." What a weird movie.
Ready Room
11-28-2015, 18:05
www.ghostery.com
Tin foil hat?? Can i just wrap my cellphone in tin foil? Where does one get tin foil? I only have aluminum foil.
Ghostery is good. Seems like its doing what its supposed to. At least it shows u all the trackers. Although there isn't a tracker named "big brother" listed.
Definitely seems they watch everything you buy or look at. I know ads pop up specifically pointing out the things I was recently looking at or the stores I have been looking at. Craziness.
GilpinGuy
11-28-2015, 20:52
For those that asked, the seller on Amazon was the same as the manufacturer. Maybe they bump the price to steer you toward their own web site so they don't have to pay Amazon their cut? [Dunno]
I take paid surveys on my phone for Google Play credits (free movies forever, awesome!) and it tracks where my phone has been. Every time I go to a store, or even near a store, I get a survey the next day asking if I've been to one of the five or so locations listed, if yes, then rate my experience, then I get between $.10 and $.85 for the survey. I've made something like $40 since I signed up a few months ago. Basically, every time I go to Home Depot or Safeway, I know I'm getting a survey the next day. I often just sit in parking lots between appointments and get surveys from those places as well. I can rent any movie from Google Play and watch it on my Roku. An HD rental is $4-$5.99. We use it all the time. I've got $27 right now and my wife has over $40. Not every survey is for shopping, and some stuff a lot of people on here wouldn't answer, but it has changed my perspective on surveys. Want my opinion? Pay me for it. I don't take surveys that don't pay me any more, even at work.
hurley842002
11-28-2015, 21:09
I take paid surveys on my phone for Google Play credits (free movies forever, awesome!) and it tracks where my phone has been. Every time I go to a store, or even near a store, I get a survey the next day asking if I've been to one of the five or so locations listed, if yes, then rate my experience, then I get between $.10 and $.85 for the survey. I've made something like $40 since I signed up a few months ago. Basically, every time I go to Home Depot or Safeway, I know I'm getting a survey the next day. I often just sit in parking lots between appointments and get surveys from those places as well. I can rent any movie from Google Play and watch it on my Roku. An HD rental is $4-$5.99. We use it all the time. I've got $27 right now and my wife has over $40. Not every survey is for shopping, and some stuff a lot of people on here wouldn't answer, but it has changed my perspective on surveys. Want my opinion? Pay me for it. I don't take surveys that don't pay me any more, even at work.
Hmm, very interested since I'm in the antenna/Netflix/Google play entertainment camp.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's called Google Opinion Rewards.
If I'm looking to buy something I've checked prices on other sites, I delete browser history first. When I don't, what I looked at seems to pop up in th weirdest places. Oh yeah EVERYONE knows what one looks at on line.
Only way....,.
Rocker's still rule..,,mods suck. ;)
cfortune
11-28-2015, 21:29
Google Opinion Awards is great. Every movie I've purchased for the last couple years has been through GOA.
I used to work for a "big data" company until recently. Doesn't really bother me.
Link to said product? I'll post the listed price.
blacklabel
11-28-2015, 22:57
This is the first I've heard of the Opinion Rewards, that's pretty cool.
mtnrider
11-28-2015, 23:01
Lol. This just went from "The man is spying on me!" to "free rewards?" spy on me all you want!
My wife is great at finding stuff like that. She also found some secret shopper type thing for fast food where you get reimbursed for eating fast food. That's not an app though, it's a full blown program.
Lol. This just went from "The man is spying on me!" to "free rewards?" spy on me all you want!
Pretty much. If your phone is going to track everything you do anyway, might as well get paid for it.
mtnrider
11-28-2015, 23:09
Pretty much. If your phone is going to track everything you do anyway, might as well get paid for it.
I agree. You are being tracked, marketed, profiled 24/7 anyway. Google knows more about you then the NSA.
If I'm comparing prices on Amazon and other places, I leave that tab open. I'll also add it to my cart (you don't have to purchase it or 'save it for later') while I am browsing. Often, if I leave it for a week, the price goes down a little bit.
HoneyBadger
11-28-2015, 23:19
Google knows more about you then the NSA.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
False.
mtnrider
11-28-2015, 23:32
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
False.
;-)
wctriumph
11-28-2015, 23:37
I was shopping online for bras for my wife at the Fredericks of Hollywood site and the next time I went on armslist there were popups for Fredericks in the sidebar. When I go on youtube to watch music videos I get popups for MidwayUSA.
It may be too late for us.
Aloha_Shooter
11-29-2015, 00:09
I tried Google Rewards for about a week then deleted it. App was wonky as far as I was concerned and I'd rather make Google work to piece together information about me.
Not gonna voluntarily bend over.... lol
Google knows more about you then the NSA.
And the NSA can subpoena Google for information they want. (Google collects information the .gov isn't allowed to; .gov gets it from Google.)
Google has historically fought sweeping subpoenas. Often successfully.
Often, but not always.
Rooskibar03
11-29-2015, 12:07
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
False.
NSA gets its information from Google then?
Google has historically fought sweeping subpoenas. Often successfully. Some other search engines on the other hand we're always "Here you go" no questions asked.
Speaking of search engines. Take a peek at the search engines in Chrome settings. You might be surprised by what you find in there. Seems many sites will install themselves there as a custom search engine. So, if you've visited a site, purposely or not, incognito or not, and thought all you had to do was clear your browser history you might want to take a peek in their...
You can do this yourself too using the site's search field as the target of a custom Google search engine. http://www.tekrevue.com/tip/chrome-custom-search-engine/
Basically, navigate to the search field input and right-click to Add as Search Engine. Doesn't work on all sites but you can add them manually. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-custom-search-engines-google-chrome/
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?attachmentid=62404&stc=1&d=1448819984
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?attachmentid=62405&stc=1&d=1448819989
HoneyBadger
11-29-2015, 14:43
NSA gets its information from Google then?
Some of it I'm sure. The NSA is all about listening to every sort of electronic transmission - email, text message, internet traffic, wireless transmissions, etc. Did you pay attention to the original Snowden leaks? My understanding is that Google, Yahoo, Verizon, AT&T, et al., were all basically in full cooperation with the NSA.
NSA gets its information from Google then?
That's been my assertion for years. Google is organized enough that they can find the information. The .gov has been warehousing the data..but lotsa' luck finding anything.
Pretty much. If your phone is going to track everything you do anyway, might as well get paid for it.
If you guys do that, check out the app called "ibotta."
"Conclusion: While a few of the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights still exist, the overall scorecard of the government’s respect for our freedom: a failing grade."
I believe it.
Your Phone Is Listening—Literally Listening—to Your TV (http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/your-phone-is-literally-listening-to-your-tv/416712/)
A travel website was busted for having higher pricing if you were browsing on a Mac. They figured your disposable income was higher.
For some products (Apple, Bose, home appliances, etc.), pricing is set by the manufacturer.
So today, an app that I've never ever used, Peel Smart Remote (formerly WatchOn) that is preloaded on many phones, just starts itself up on my phone as soon as a movie I recorded from the free HBO weekend on Dish started.
Coincidence?
I also noticed my Tab Pro has mysteriously turned Google voice response on all by itself, I assume after an update.
So today, an app that I've never ever used, Peel Smart Remote (formerly WatchOn) that is preloaded on many phones, just starts itself up on my phone as soon as a movie I recorded from the free HBO weekend on Dish started.
Coincidence?
I also noticed my Tab Pro has mysteriously turned Google voice response on all by itself, I assume after an update.
Only one logical conclusion: Decepticons!
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