Hundreds of price changes for a pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones over the last month shows the importance of shopping around for the best deal.
With Auckland in level 4 lockdown until at least September 13 (the rest of New Zealand in alert level 2), home office products such as computers, tablets, headphones and audio equipment, are able to be shipped by contactless delivery, to help people work and study from home.
But before ordering these products online, shoppers are wise to do their research, as prices can fluctuate any given day.
On Friday, data from price comparison website PriceSpy shows the price for the same pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones, code WH-1000XM4, ranges from $384.99, to $659.95 - a difference of $274.96.
Data for each retailer shows the price of the same pair of headphones went up or down as much as a couple of hundred dollars. As an example, one retailer charged $429.94 on August 25. On August 26, the retailer's price increased to $637.04 ($207.10 more).
PriceSpy confirmed it's price data suggests across all retailers, the price for the headphones changed "160 times over the month", from August 8 to September 8.
PriceSpy country manager Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett said it wasn't unusual to see multiple price changes on certain products.
"This can make it difficult for consumers to stay up-to-date and know when they are actually getting a great deal," Matinvesi-Bassett.
"It's therefore really important for shoppers to compare prices."
Commenting about retailer price changes, head of Retail NZ Greg Harford told Newshub retail pricing is "dynamic". Prices can fluctuate from week-to-week or month-to-month.
"There’s a range of reasons for this, including the cost of goods, promotional deals offered by suppliers, exchange rates, cost of freight, seasonal and weather factors (for some products), competitive dynamics [etc]," Harford said.
Although retailers can't increase the price simply for the purpose of discounting it, there could be many reasons behind a particular price-range.
"It’s always a good idea for customers to shop around for the best deal, both in terms of price and service," Harford added.
When deciding on pricing, retailers must take care not to mislead consumers, the Commerce Commission said. Consumers who feel they've been misled can make a complaint.
