Price mistakes etiquette

Price mistakes, sometimes called pricing errors or glitches, happen when a store lists something at a price it clearly did not intend. They are exciting to find. They can also go wrong quickly, so the community follows a few norms.

What counts as a price mistake

• A missing or extra digit.
• A sale price attached to the wrong item.
• A discount applied twice, or a percentage that is clearly wrong.
• A price in the wrong currency.

A deep clearance price or an unusually good sale is not a price mistake. Post those as regular deals.

Expect cancellation

Stores often reserve the right to cancel orders placed at an incorrect price, and many do. Treat a price mistake order as a long shot. Do not make plans that depend on it arriving, and keep an eye on your account for a refund or a released payment hold if the order is canceled.

Order a reasonable quantity

Buy what you would normally buy for yourself or your household. Placing large orders, using several accounts or shipping to several addresses to get around limits is the fastest way to get every order canceled, including other members' orders. Buying price mistakes to resell is discouraged.

Be kind to store staff

• The employees answering the phone or chat did not make the mistake and usually cannot change the outcome.
• Do not demand, threaten or argue about honoring a price.
• Do not organize complaint campaigns against a store or its employees.

No deception

We remove posts that explain how to get a price mistake by lying, using false information, exploiting a technical weakness in a store's systems, or abusing price matching with a misleading screenshot. Taking advantage of a publicly listed price is one thing. Tricking a store is another.

How to post a price mistake

• Post it in the Price Mistakes board in the forums, or share it as a deal and say clearly that it may be a pricing error.
• Include the item, the price you saw, the time you saw it, and a screenshot if you have one. Crop out any personal information.
• Note any limits shown at checkout.

If your order is canceled

That is normal. Check that any charge or hold is released, and reply in the thread so others know what happened. If you were charged and not refunded within the store's stated time, contact the store and then your card issuer.