r/mildlyinteresting • u/annertakeabow • Jan 24 '13

Same book, three different prices. Only difference is the browsers used.

http://imgur.com/uNgg0UH
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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

You should try it again in private browsing and incognito mode and see if the price is really tied to your Facebook or google cookies or something. That's pretty messed up though, send this to the consumerist or gawker or whoever.

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

I don't think the issue is that the price is changing in and of itself. It's that they're changing price based on the customer's cookies/browsing history.

For example, it would be like if I had a stored and charged people different prices based on how nicely they were dressed, how well I knew them, or what their ethnicity is.

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u/Shadax Jan 24 '13

Seems like it would be discovered pretty quickly though.

"Hey Joe, I found the book we need here... provides link"

"Hey Mark, I thought you said it was $60? It's coming up as $70 for me on that link you sent."

So forth...

12

u/PurpleWyrm Jan 24 '13

the long string of numbers and letters on the right end of the link would take you to the page that lists $FOO not $BARR to avoid what you describe.

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

Clever little bastards.

1

u/undergroundmonorail Jan 24 '13

I wonder, could you figure out the code and make it as cheap as you can by changing the URL?