# "See price after checkout." WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698 "2012-01-07T03:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/21 "2012-01-09T04:17:01Z")
Best Buy has been doing this as well. Not “after” checkout obviously but you do have to add it to your cart AND click Checkout. I’ve never had to input my credit card info, however. I wonder how many people have accidentally made purchases because of this shit, however. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/22 "2012-01-09T05:37:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > From a site’s POV, making their price easy to see is just making it easy for their competitors to underbid them by a dime. I guess, but while the internet has certainly made comparison shopping easier, price still isn’t the _only_ determinant people use. I shop for tech stuff at NewEgg because they have excellent selection, good prices, fast delivery, and a reasonable return and exchange policy. They also have good customer support. None of this is worth giving up just to save a buck or two, especially on a large, expensive item like a TV. Because i live in California, i even get charged sales tax on my New Egg purchases, but it doesn’t stop me using them because they are a good retailer. If they start doing the stuff described by the OP on a regular basis, though, they will probably lose sales from me, because i hate that shit. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/23 "2012-01-09T05:59:53Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Huh. What’s the point, though? It seems odd and, frankly, a bit shady. No, some manufacturers do not allow a retailer to show prices that are below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price until checkout. All you do is put the item in your cart, click checkout, and you’ll see the discounted price. You don’t have to complete the transaction if you don’t want. I’ve purchased a number of items this way and have gotten some good deals. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/24 "2012-01-09T11:00:38Z")
Yikes. I’ve seen a lot of “see price in cart” on NewEgg, but this is the first I’ve heard of “see after checkout.” Anyone have a link to a product? My peeve is stores that won’t tell you shipping costs until you’ve entered all information. Not just zip code, but address, CC, etc. Usually bail by that point or if I’m particularly interested will use a separate browsing instance and fake info (except for zip code). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/25 "2012-01-09T17:56:26Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Yikes. I’ve seen a lot of “see price in cart” on NewEgg, but this is the first I’ve heard of “see after checkout.” Anyone have a link to a product? [Here](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889253275). Click the CLICK FOR DETAILS link just under the price. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/26 "2012-01-09T18:12:58Z")
It occurs to me that the vendors may shoot themselves in the foot with this. Best Buy has tools that let you filter your search results based on features and price range. For “see in cart” or “see on checkout” pricing, the price filtering is based on _list_ price - which may lead you to exclude items because they seem too pricey. As an aside: there is clearly some unofficial collusion going on. I was watching TV prices before Christmas and if TV X listed for 1200 at Best Buy but was on sale 900, Amazon would have it for 890. The next week, it would be back up to 1200 at Best Buy and 1190 at Amazon. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/27 "2012-01-11T02:47:05Z")
The gas station closest to my mork doesn’t have any prices on the shelves; everything just has a barcode on it. I loathe shopping there (not just for that, it’s a uphill bitch to get out of their parking lot), and try to avoid it at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/28 "2012-01-11T17:54:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve had Amazon hide prices too. Same deal it has to go in the cart first. I can’t recall having to begin checkout before seeing the price. I seem to remember Amazon simply having a “Click here to see price” link but not needing to even put it in the cart. They also have a “Why?” link explaining that some suppliers will only let them reveal the price if the customer asks for it. Clicking on the link is accepted as asking. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/29 "2012-01-11T19:04:47Z")
This reminds me of the “mystery sales” that some department stores have. You check-out, and only after it’s totaled do you get to scratch a card that reveals your mystery savings, usually 5-30% or so. I always thought that that seemed illegal. I mean, how much I’ll have to pay for something is an ESSENTIAL component of my decision as to whether I’ll buy it. I guess they rely on people not doing this: “Wow, only 10% off? Yeah, not interested anymore.” and walking out. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/30 "2012-01-11T19:29:15Z")
Maybe it’s one of those things that if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698/31 "2012-01-11T19:38:52Z")
Same thing happened to me when shopping for a LCD TV before Christmas. I was shopping on Amazon and Best Buy - both wouldn’t show the price upfront. One of them (can’t remember which) showed me the price in the cart before I put in credit card info, the other required me to put in the CC info. The explanations on both sites were along the lines of Minimum Advertised Price that others explained above. Since I’ve shopped with both extensively before, I didn’t hesitate to enter the info, but I can understand some people’s hesitation. And since Best Buy had what I wanted, at the same price as Amazon and I could get same day store pickup, it worked for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-price-after-checkout-wtf/608698.md?page=1)