A big red "50% OFF" tag triggers something in all of us. But a discount is only meaningful relative to what the item actually sold for before. Here's how to tell a real deal from a manufactured one.
The oldest trick: the inflated "original" price
The most common tactic is anchoring against a "list" or "was" price the item rarely, if ever, sold at. It's common enough that regulators warn about it — the U.S. FTC treats deceptive reference pricing as a form of false advertising. The tag says 50% off; the truth is the item has hovered at this "sale" price for months.
The only reliable signal: the product's own price history
Ignore the tag and look at the line. A genuine deal shows the current price sitting near or at the bottom of its historical range. A fake one shows a flat line with a fake "peak" that only appeared right before the promotion. Two numbers worth checking:
- % below the all-time high — how far the price has actually come down.
- Distance from the all-time low — whether it's genuinely near the floor, or still well above it.
Let AI do the judging
Reading graphs for every product is tedious. Dipper's Smart Track does it for you: it reads the whole price history and scores the deal, flagging real lows and honest near-misses of your target — and staying quiet on routine noise and fake sales. You get a plain-English verdict, not homework.
A quick buyer's checklist
- Is the current price near the all-time low, or just below a suspicious recent peak?
- How long has this "sale" price actually been the price?
- Is it seasonal? Prices on many categories swing predictably through the year.
- If you're not in a hurry, set an alert and let the price come to you.
Try it: create a free Dipper account, paste any product link, and get alerted the moment the price drops — or add the 1-click browser extension.