Don't be fooled by the strikethrough price. Learn how to read the 90-day Amazon price history chart and use Glitchoo's Trust Score to know if a deal is truly worth it.
Have you ever seen a strikethrough price and thought 'what a bargain!', only to discover the product was the same price a few weeks ago? It happens more often than you'd think. The strikethrough price is not a guarantee of a discount—it's a number someone wrote. To know if a deal is real, you need objective data: the 90-day Amazon price history. Learning to read it transforms you from an emotional buyer into a rational hunter, and lets you spot the truly great deals—like the verified offers you find on Glitchoo.
What is the 90-day Amazon price history?
The 90-day price history records the selling price of a product on Amazon over a three-month period. This isn't the list price, but the actual price buyers have paid. This chart shows lows, highs, median, and spikes, and lets you answer the crucial question: 'Is this price an anomaly or the norm?'
What the chart lines mean
A typical price history chart shows:
- The current price line: fluctuates day by day (or hour by hour).
- The minimum and maximum price: the two extremes of the period.
- The median line: the central value, more reliable than the average because it's not skewed by extreme spikes.
- Any tag (strikethrough price): the comparison price declared by the seller.
Glitchoo uses this data to calculate the Trust Score, a rating that indicates how real the deal is based on history, not the strikethrough price.
How to spot a real discount? The 90-day method
A discount is real when the current price is below the 90-day minimum or at least significantly under the median. If the strikethrough price is sky-high but the history shows the product has always been at that 'discounted' price, then the deal is a fake markdown.
Practical example: a fake markdown
Imagine an appliance with a strikethrough price of $299 and a current price of $199. That looks like -33%. But checking the 90-day history, you find the price has always been between $189 and $210. The strikethrough price is inflated, and there's no real deal. Glitchoo flags such situations with a low Trust Score and excludes them from featured deals.
Common price history patterns
Here are three typical patterns you need to know:
| Pattern | Description | What it means for you | |---------|-------------|----------------------| | Sawtooth (saw) | Price goes up and down frequently by a few dollars | It's a fluctuating price, often due to third-party sellers or coupons. Not a rare opportunity, but wait for the lowest point of the saw. | | Step-down | Price drops sharply and stays low for days | Could be a price error or a structural drop. If the step is clean and the price is well below the median, it's a good sign. | | Fake markdown | High strikethrough price, but flat history at a much lower value | Fictitious discount. The product was never sold at the strikethrough price. |
Glitchoo catches exactly these price errors (glitches) or real step-downs, and alerts you in real time. For instance, today deals with real discounts include a Bluetooth earbud with -82% that, verified on history, shows a price never seen before.
The Trust Score: your ally to avoid mistakes
Glitchoo's Trust Score is a rating from 0 to 100 that summarizes an offer's reliability. It's based on:
- 90-day history: how much the current price is below the historical low.
- Relation to median: if the price is below the median, the score increases.
- Coupon presence: real coupons boost the score, but are never aggregated with the discount to inflate it.
- Seller and shipping: 'Ships from Amazon' carries more weight.
A high Trust Score (e.g., 85+) means you're buying at a truly good price, not a normal price disguised as a deal. You can check how it works for details.
How to use price history in your daily shopping
You don't need to be an analyst: follow these steps.
- Open the product page on Amazon.
- Check the price history (on Glitchoo or other tools). Identify the median and the minimum.
- Compare the current price with the 90-day minimum. If it's equal or lower, that's a good sign.
- Verify the strikethrough price: if it's much higher than the historical maximum, it's fake.
- Use Glitchoo's Trust Score for a quick summary rating.
Watch out for seasonality
Some products have seasonal spikes: fans in summer, toys at Christmas. The 90-day history can be misleading if the period covers only the high season. In such cases, extend your comparison to 12 months (if available). But within 90 days, a clear drop from a seasonal peak is still a good time to buy.
Real examples today: deals that pass the history test
Today on Glitchoo, some offers show well how history makes the difference:
- Bluetooth 5.4 Headphones on Amazon US: -82%. The Trust Score is high because the 90-day history shows the price stable around $35, now at $15. It's a true step-down.
- OKYUK Air Conditioner on Amazon ES: -90%. The current price is below the 3-month historical low. Is it a price error? Possibly, but Amazon may cancel the order. We report it, you decide.
Both deals are in the cards below: check them out now and verify the history yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the historical low always the best price?
No. The historical low may have been a canceled price error or a flash sale. Better to compare with the median: if the current price is below the median, it's already a good deal.
Can the Trust Score be wrong?
The Trust Score is an indicator based on objective data (90-day history, strikethrough price, coupons). It doesn't guarantee the future, but if it's high, the probability of a real discount is very high. Always check the Amazon page before buying.
How can I see a product's price history?
On Glitchoo, every offer has an integrated history chart. You can also use browser extensions, but we already give you the analysis ready.
Do coupons skew the history?
No. Glitchoo never aggregates the coupon with the discount. The history shows the price without coupon, and the coupon is a bonus extra. This way you don't confuse a fake -50% (price + coupon) with a real -50% on the base price.
How often is the history updated?
Glitchoo updates the history every few hours. Amazon prices change constantly: always check the product page before buying.
Conclusion
Reading the 90-day Amazon price history is the superpower that turns impulse buying into a conscious choice. Don't fall for fake markdowns: use the Trust Score and the patterns I've shown you. Now you have the tools to act.
Don't wait: real deals last hours, not days. Discover verified deals and lock in your bargain before the price goes back up. And if you want to understand the method even better, visit the how it works page.
Glitchoo is an Amazon affiliate: if you buy through our links we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.