The price comparison site Prisjakt has looked at nearly 3 million prices during October - and determined that 13 percent of prices in online stores have been increased by more than 10 percent in October.
The fact that some stores temporarily raise prices before sales periods and then lower prices is not a new phenomenon. To counteract this type of misleading marketing, companies must state the lowest price an item has had in the last 30 days when reducing prices. This has been the case since 2022 when the Price Information Act was updated.
Last year, four out of ten e-commerce companies violated the new regulations, according to an audit by the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Rounds the law
But several of the online stores have now found a new tactic that does not break the law – but still deceives the customer, says Isabella Ahmadi. This is done by the stores raising prices as early as October, and then the lowest price during a 30-day period is still higher than at the time of the sale.
The proportion of prices that have increased by more than 10 percent in October has increased since this law was introduced. I see this as a sign of a new pricing trend – where prices are raised well in advance of a big sale period, like Black Friday, says Isabella Ahmadi.
Maria Wiezell, a consumer expert at the independent organization Swedish Consumers, is not surprised by Pricejakt's analysis.
"We have seen in recent years that the Price Information Act has not worked as intended. In addition, many companies do not print what the lowest price has been," she says.
Products that stand out
Clothing and footwear stand out in particular, especially children's boots, hiking boots and jackets. Technology products such as televisions, washing machines and dishwashers also show clear price increases.
Isabella Ahmadi advises consumers to take control of their own shopping situation and compare prices at least six days ago – but preferably three months ago.
Do your research before you shop. Use price comparison sites and go back over 30 days to see what the regular price is.
Remember that price comparison sites also have advertisements on their websites and that not all companies are listed.
Consider whether the price of the item is reasonable, don't be blinded by the "sale percentage". An item may appear discounted but be at least as expensive as before.
During sales periods, you should be aware that stores will do everything they can to get you to buy items you didn't really intend to. For example, through red labels or "buy three, pay for two". Avoid buying extra items just because they are discounted, it will be expensive in the end.
Black Friday is still an opportunity where you as a consumer can get great deals, but do your research and be critical to ensure that you are actually making a good purchase.
Source: Consumer experts Isabella Ahmadi at Prisjakt and Maria Wiezell at Sveriges Konsumenter.
