Important terms mentioned in this article:
● Reference Price: Mainly composed of Suggested Retail Price (List Price) and Regular Price/ Historical Selling Price (Was Price/Typical Price). These two prices determine: (1) The strikethrough price displayed for the product seen by consumers on the front end; (2) The basis for whether the product can participate in promotions such as Z-deals, flash sales, and Prime exclusive discounts
● Price History: Presented on the product page in Amazon's marketplace, a price curve generated by Rufus AI, showing price fluctuations, historical lows, and past discount intensity over the past 30 days and 90 days.
Starting from May 18, 2026, price discounts (Price Discounts) not promoted to buyers as promotional activities on the Japan site and nine European sites (France/Germany/Italy/Spain/Netherlands/Sweden/Poland/Belgium/Ireland) will be considered non-promotional sales and included in the regular price.
*For detailed rules on whether promotional tools are considered promotional sales, see the FAQs below
Q1: How does the reference price affect promotional eligibility?
Promotions need to provide a minimum discount savings amount to ensure that buyers get a real discount. Promotions, price discounts, and coupons all need to offer a minimum discount better than the reference price.
Q2: Will I receive notification before my Suggested Retail Price (List Price) expires or the Regular Price (Was Price) changes?
The reference price is updated regularly. Amazon will not notify you in advance before the reference price expires or changes.
Q3: What types of sales are included or excluded in the calculation of the regular price?
The regular price is the intermediate price paid by buyers for the product in the last 90 days. In most cases, promotional prices are not included because promotions are usually temporary and may not represent the regular selling price of the product. Sales during peak season events are never included in the regular price.
Sellers on the US and UK sites please note:
Starting from May 18, 2026, if the recommended quoted price of a product is lower than the current non-promotional price for more than half of the 90 days, the calculation will include all sales (including promotional sales) so that the regular price can reflect the price most often paid by buyers. Sales during peak season events are always excluded from the regular price.
Q4: What types of promotions are included or excluded in the calculation of the regular price?
Promotions such as "buy X get X free", subscription savings, special offers, and customized coupons are not included in the regular price. Promotions during peak season events (including Prime Day) are also not included.
Starting from May 18, 2026, price discounts not promoted to buyers as promotions will be considered non-promotional sales and included in the regular price. Price discounts participating in marketing (such as promotional markings), such as Prime exclusive price discounts with Prime Day markings, will be considered promotions.
*Price discounts include Prime exclusive price discounts
Q5: How do I ensure my promotion remains valid if my reference price changes?
It is recommended that you check the status of your promotion on the seller platform, confirm that your quotation is lower than the highest price, and adjust your promotional pricing as needed.
Q6: What types of prices are included or excluded in the calculation of the regular price?
The system automatically calculates the regular price, excluding those prices that cannot represent the regular selling price of the product, such as promotions during special shopping events like Black Friday. However, if the product participates in promotions for a long enough time for the promotional price to reflect the regular selling price, Amazon will take all applicable promotional activities into account when calculating the regular price.
Q7: How is the "Maximum Promotion Price" determined?
The 【Maximum Promotion Price】displayed on the "Manage Promotions" page includes the reference price, recent promotional prices, recent sales history prices, and the lowest prices from any sales partners quoting the product (new condition). Amazon uses this information and the minimum discount requirement to determine the highest price you can set for a promotion while providing buyers with actual savings. Please note that the upper limit for promotions, coupons, and price discounts must include the minimum discount compared to the reference price.
As new regulations are about to be implemented, sellers are reminded that the update of the reference price policy is essentially to provide customers with a healthier and more trustworthy shopping experience. For the long-term development of brands and stores, providing real discounts and prices, maintaining stable strikethrough prices, and reasonably planning promotional rhythms are the keys to continuously obtaining traffic and conversion.
If you have any questions about Amazon, you can use the link (https://wsurl.cc/wg4chn) or scan the code to contact the official customer development manager:
