Amazon deals pricing has changed, now factoring in discounts like Prime Exclusive Deals and coupons, forcing sellers to offer deeper discounts to keep their deals active.
For many Amazon sellers, launching and running deals is a crucial marketing tactic. It drives sales, boosts visibility, and clears inventory. Pricing is a key factor in making these deals work.
But what happens when Amazon silently changes the rules? Sellers now find their carefully planned Lightning Deals and Best Deals suddenly unavailable at the expected prices.
This creates massive headaches and potential losses. How can sellers adapt to this unannounced change in Amazon deal pricing and protect their bottom line?
(Unannounced) Amazon Deals Pricing Changes
Sellers may need deeper discounts to keep their deals running
Amazon has quietly changed how it calculates deal pricing, forcing some sellers to adjust their discount strategies. Many Lightning Deals and Best Deals are no longer available at their usual prices, requiring larger markdowns to meet Amazon’s new requirements.
This change, highlighted by Ouriel Rybski on LinkedIn, is affecting multiple sellers and brands. It appears that Amazon is now including certain discounts in its WAS Price calculation, a key factor in setting deal prices.
Profit Whales"There are up to 2000 Lightning Deals per day, and they run for 4-6 hours on the Amazon Deals page. "
Key Changes to Amazon Deals Pricing
The Maximum Deal Price for Amazon promotions is based on the WAS Price, which is the 90-day median price paid by customers.
According to Amazon (you need to login to your Seller Central account to access this link), a WAS Price is automatically computed and changes over time. This calculation recently excluded Prime Exclusive Discounts, coupons, and other promotions.
Now, Amazon has begun factoring in these discounts, effectively lowering the WAS Price for many products. This means that sellers may need to offer even deeper discounts to qualify for Lightning Deals and Best Deals.
Oddly, this update is not affecting all products equally. Some ASINs within the same parent listing are impacted, while others remain unchanged.
Impact on Sellers
For sellers who rely on deals to drive sales and visibility, this change requires immediate attention. The main concerns include:
- Sellers may need to reduce prices further to maintain eligibility for deals.
- Not all categories or ASINs are affected, making it difficult to predict which products will need adjustments.
- Running discounts like Prime Exclusive Discounts and Coupons may now lower future deal pricing thresholds.
How Sellers Can Adapt
Given these changes, sellers should take a strategic approach to discounts and promotions.
- Before applying Prime Exclusive Discounts or Coupons broadly, test them on low-traffic child ASINs.
- Monitor the impact for 1-3 weeks before rolling out promotions to other variations.
- Plan ahead to avoid unintended consequences that could disrupt long-term deal strategies.
As Rybski suggested, sellers whose deal pricing has already been affected, need to wait 30-45 days for the WAS price to reset, without running any additional discounts.
Maximizing the Use of Deals on Amazon
Running deals is a crucial business strategy for Amazon sellers looking to promote and market their products effectively. Deals, discounts, and promotions help attract customers, increase sales velocity, and improve product rankings.
However, understanding how to leverage Amazon’s various deal types is key to maximizing profitability while keeping costs in check. The video below showcases the best practices our Amazon agency employs to optimize deals for our clients.
Understanding Amazon Deals
Amazon offers multiple ways to promote products through deals, including Lightning Deals and Best Deals. These promotions appear on Amazon’s dedicated deals page and within search results, creating urgency and driving conversions.
- Lightning Deals
These time-sensitive promotions run for a few hours and display a limited quantity available for purchase. They often appear with a “% claimed” indicator, encouraging shoppers to buy before the deal ends.
- Best Deals
Unlike Lightning Deals, Best Deals last longer, often up to a week, and allow sellers to offer discounts without the urgency of a countdown timer.
Costs and Considerations
While Amazon deals provide excellent visibility, they come at a price.
- Lightning Deals require a fee, typically around $150 for a regular week but can increase to $300–$500 during major sales events like Prime Day and Black Friday.
- Deals must be scheduled in advance and are not available for on-demand activation.
Because of the associated costs, sellers should be strategic about when and how often they run deals. Deals work best when paired with major shopping events or product launches to maximize exposure.
Key Considerations for Amazon Sellers When Creating Deals
Running deals on Amazon can boost sales and visibility, but strict eligibility rules apply. Sellers must meet specific criteria to qualify.
1. Seller Eligibility
To run deals, you must:
- Have a Professional Selling Plan (individual sellers are ineligible).
- Maintain an overall 4.0-star rating.
- Receive at least five feedback ratings per month with a 3.5-star minimum rating.
2. Product Requirements
Not all products qualify. Eligible items must:
- Have a sales history and at least a 4-star rating.
- Include as many variations as possible (65% minimum for clothing and shoes).
- Be Prime-eligible (FBA or Seller Fulfilled Prime).
- Be new condition with a low return rate.
- Avoid restricted categories like alcohol, adult products, and medical devices.
3. Pricing Compliance
- The deal price must be lower than historical pricing.
- A validated reference price is required.
Best Practices for Running Amazon Deals
Amazon deals can drive sales and increase visibility, but sellers should follow key best practices to maximize their impact.
Before Creating Your Deal
1. Optimize Your Product Listings
- Use high-quality images and detailed descriptions to make your product pages clear, compelling, and informative, increasing the chances of conversion.
- Leverage Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) if you’re Brand Registered to add rich visuals and descriptions that make your listing more engaging.
- Ensure correct categorization so your deal appears in the right category, helping it reach the most relevant shoppers.
2. Choose the Right Timing
- Schedule deals during peak shopping events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and the holiday season to maximize visibility and sales.
- Align deals with seasonality by running promotions when demand for your product is at its highest.
3. Price Strategically
- Stay competitive by comparing your deal price against both Amazon competitors and off-Amazon pricing to attract more buyers.
- Monitor the 90-day median price since Amazon uses it to determine deal eligibility—avoid significant price drops before submitting your deal.
- Combine deals with other promotions like coupons or Prime Exclusive Discounts to enhance visibility and drive more conversions.
After Creating Your Deal
1. Monitor Deal Performance
- Track key metrics like conversion rate, sales volume, and traffic to measure deal effectiveness.
- Use the Deals Dashboard to check the status of upcoming deals and ensure they meet eligibility criteria.
2. Avoid Changes That Can Suppress or Cancel Deals
- Avoid editing pricing because lowering the price of a participating ASIN may require you to reduce the deal price even further.
- Keep listings active since deleting or closing an ASIN will automatically cancel its scheduled deal.
- Don’t add new child ASINs after submission, as changes to variation families can trigger revalidation and deal suppression.
