Making offers stand out is a key part of succeeding as a seller. But without the right pricing strategy, it can be a challenge for customers to recognize the value that your offers represent.
One solution Amazon provides for this challenge is reference pricing, which helps customers see available savings.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What a reference price is
- Types of reference prices customers see in the Amazon store
- What a strikethrough price is
- Why reference prices are important
- Which reference prices you can provide suggestions for
- How to suggest a new or updated List Price
- Best practices for List Prices
What is a reference price?
A reference price is a benchmark price that helps customers understand the value of an offer and available savings. There are two main types of Validated Reference Prices that appear on Amazon.com: List Price and Typical Price. Both types are displayed to customers as strikethrough prices.
What is a List Price?
A List Price is one type of Validated Reference Price that commonly appears on Amazon.com. It’s the suggested retail price of a product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Sometimes it’s called the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). Amazon validates List Prices against sales in our store and external competitor prices so that we reflect accurate information to customers.
What is a Typical Price?
A Typical Price is another type of Validated Reference Price that commonly appears on Amazon.com. It’s automatically computed using the median price customers have paid for a product in the Amazon store over the past 90 days, not including prices paid during any limited-time promotions.
What is a strikethrough price?
A strikethrough price shows an original price that’s crossed out next to a lower price. It’s a simple way to highlight savings to customers. Both List Prices and Typical Prices are displayed as strikethrough prices.
In addition to being crossed out, Amazon strikethrough prices are displayed in smaller text to signify that they are a comparison point rather than the offer price. Strikethrough prices can appear on various pages across the Amazon store, including the homepage, search results pages, and product detail pages.
Learn more about strikethrough pricing
What’s the difference between a reference price and strikethrough price?
Reference prices and strikethrough prices are often mixed up. A reference price like a List Price or Typical Price is the original or baseline price that savings are based on. A strikethrough price is the visual display of that original price.
Why are reference prices important?
Reference prices are important because they set a baseline price that highlights savings to customers. Clearly indicated savings can help boost engagement and improve the competitiveness of an offer.
When reference prices are displayed as strikethrough prices, they can influence purchasing behavior. Seeing savings can help customers understand whether they’re getting a good deal and increase the chance that they’ll buy. This is called the “anchoring effect” and is a common marketing strategy.
Which reference prices can sellers provide suggestions for?
You can provide a suggested List Price for certain products. Amazon validates your suggested List Price against sales in our store and external competitor prices so that we reflect accurate information to customers. Any List Price you suggest should represent the price at which you, or other retailers or sellers, have recently made or intend to make substantial sales of the product.
Because a product can have different suggested List Prices provided by multiple Amazon selling partners, List Prices go through a reconciliation process as part of validation. The process considers suggested List Prices provided by both sellers and vendors.
It’s important to note that Amazon will only display a suggested List Price if it follows Amazon pricing policies and meets the necessary savings threshold. Amazon may also remove or edit a List Price if it’s inaccurate or misleading.
Review the Amazon Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy
Review the Amazon policy on reference prices
How to suggest a new or updated List Price
Here are step-by-step instructions for suggesting a new or updated List Price for one or more products in Seller Central.
Suggest a List Price for a single product
- From the Seller Central main menu, go to Inventory, then select Manage All Inventory.
- Search for the product you want to suggest an update for.
- Select the three dots for the corresponding product and choose Edit listing in the Offer tab (make sure All attributes is enabled).
- Locate the List Price field—its location may vary by category. Then enter your suggested value.
- Select Save and finish to finalize your suggested update.
Suggest a List Price for multiple products
For bulk updates, use inventory files:
- From the Seller Central main menu, go to Catalog, then select Add Products.
- Choose the Spreadsheet option and select Download blank template.
- Under the Choose a template to get started tab, select Get product template from the “Update Product Details” section.
- In the pop-up box, select the product template link. Choose the language, types of products, and stores, and select Generate spreadsheet.
- Open the file, find the List Price field in the Offer section (shaded red), and enter a new or updated List Price.
- Save the file and return to the Spreadsheet tab on the List Your Products page. Upload your completed spreadsheet by selecting Upload file.
Tip: Keep a backup of the file for future updates.
Learn more about providing a List Price
Best practices for Amazon List Prices
To help you get the most from List Prices:
Understand the purpose of a List Price
Like all reference prices, a List Price serves as a benchmark for customers so they can understand potential savings. Any List Price you suggest should represent the price at which you, or other retailers or sellers, have recently made or intend to make substantial sales of the product.
Provide a suggested List Price when possible
If you have a suggested List Price available, it’s important to provide it to Amazon. If displayed, the List Price can help customers view savings and understand the value of your offer, which can help drive engagement.
Keep List Prices real and consistent
Your List Price should reflect the actual suggested retail price of the product to build and maintain customer trust.
Use recent data
You’re responsible for ensuring that the List Prices you provide to Amazon remain current. If you’re suggesting a new or updated List Price, base it on recent sales data—ideally within the last 12 months. This strategy can help ensure the List Price stays relevant.
Don’t inflate List Prices
Avoid the temptation to suggest an artificially high List Price to try to make your offer look like a better deal. Amazon validates List Prices against sales in our store and external competitor prices, and we reconcile them with any other suggested List Prices provided by other Amazon selling partners. If Amazon identifies an inflated List Price, not only will the display be disabled, but your account may be flagged for a violation of Amazon policy. This can affect your selling privileges and account health.
Suggest updated List Prices when necessary
While List Prices don’t change as often as offer prices, they should reflect the manufacturer’s current suggested retail price (MSRP). Suggesting updates to a List Price that reflect changes in the MSRP can help you maintain accuracy and customer trust.
Suggest a new or updated List Price for a product
Providing suggested List Prices can be an effective way to help showcase the value of your offers and stand out in the Amazon store. It can help customers see potential savings and build trust for your business. By keeping your List Prices up-to-date and consistent, you help create a strong foundation for your products.
Take the next step today—log in to Seller Central and ensure your listings are optimized by suggesting a new or updated List Price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between an offer price and a List Price?
How can I find the Typical Price for my product?
Why is Amazon asking for a List Price?
What is the difference between a List Price and buy price?
*A Professional selling plan is $39.99 a month + selling fees. Learn more
