The expert revealed the reason for the mysterious jumps in the prices of goods on marketplaces

Decrease in value is not a reason for a return

For most Russians, ordering goods on the marketplace has become almost more familiar than visiting a regular store. It doesn’t matter if it’s a supply of coffee beans or a new winter coat. In addition to being convenient, there is also an element of excitement: enthusiastic shopaholics can “hang out” for hours on ordering sites, tracking how prices change. They can both rise and fall. The question often arises: is it legal that shoes that cost 5,000 rubles yesterday will fall in price to 3,500 rubles tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow the price will soar to 6,500? How this system works, figured out “MK”.

The first and main reason: most marketplaces are private projects. This means that they have an owner, and only he can set the price (whatever!). It is not prohibited. And, of course, no one will refuse the opportunity to get additional benefits – especially considering that prices on marketplaces are always lower anyway.

– Prices on marketplaces are lower than in ordinary stores, because marketplaces work directly with wholesalers and other buyers. Thanks to their work, the intermediary between the seller and the buyer in the form of a store actually disappears, there are no costs for rent, wages for sellers, and so on. It’s profitable. At the same time, the marketplace may have its own temporary promotions, due to which the price changes. Plus a lot depends on the supplier. At different times, the same product could be purchased at completely different prices, and therefore it is also sold at different prices, ”said Igor T., an employee of one of the large logistics companies, in an interview with an MK correspondent.

The manager also added that the price can change regardless of the shares, if the company adheres to the principle of dynamic pricing. This means that prices are set not by an employee, but by artificial intelligence, and they can change depending on demand.

– The same mechanism works in the case of airfare prices: people often complain that the system can show them different ticket prices even with a difference of 15-20 minutes, especially when viewed from different devices. This is dynamic pricing: the more users are interested in the product at the same time, the higher the price will be. It’s the same here. On some marketplaces, by the way, you can see the scale of price dynamics for a particular product. This is not a violation, the owners do not hide the fact that the price is changing, – the expert continues.

How does it work in practice? Here’s an example: for example, we managed to buy slippers produced by a Polish brand the other day for 1611 rubles. We look today – they are offered for 1462 rubles. We look at the scale with the graph of price changes: it turns out that over the past six months the price of slippers has changed from 1342 to 1802 rubles – then it went down, then it went up. Interestingly, the product has never reached the maximum – 2650 rubles, declared by the marketplace as a “starting” price (everything else is considered discounts).

Another example is American jeans of a world-famous brand, for which today the marketplace is asking for 8265 rubles. Over the past six months, the price has only decreased – from 13,340 rubles and further to today’s price. Accordingly, each subsequent buyer took the goods more profitable than the previous one.

– It depends on many nuances. For example, if there is only one size left in a single copy, it is more profitable for the marketplace to sell it cheaper than to keep it in stock. And, of course, if the system sees a surge in interest, it raises prices. So it was in the spring, when on a wave of panic due to the departure of brands from Russia, many rushed to buy for future use. Nobody says that this is ideally decent from a moral point of view, but the store has the right to do so, – says marketing specialist Snezhana Gurova in an interview with an MK correspondent.

According to the marketer, there is also a psychological moment here – the constantly changing price awakens a kind of excitement in buyers and makes them constantly return to the site, monitor the price and try to “grab” the product as profitably as possible. It’s almost like a game that can be played endlessly – to the benefit of the marketplace (because the number of purchases will increase). You can add a thing to the “favorites” section and monitor the price by periodically visiting the site.

A burning question: is it possible to refuse a purchase if you find that the price has dropped after placing an order? Theoretically – yes, if the product provides for a free refusal without explanation. You simply ignore the delivery and do not appear at the pickup point (if the order has not been paid), or you come and issue a refund. In the meantime, you place a new order at a more attractive price. The system, which itself likes to cheat with prices, does not prohibit such tricks (unless the conditions for receiving a particular product indicate otherwise). However, it will not work to demand from the marketplace to take back the already redeemed and unpacked goods on the grounds that the price has fallen in a few days. This is about the same as trying to return shoes to the store only on the basis that the New Year’s sale has begun, and a 50% discount was announced for your model.