Overview

Amazon allows sellers in many product categories to provide a reference price — commonly known as a list price or MSRP — alongside their selling price. This reference price appears on product detail pages and in search results to highlight savings for customers. Getting reference prices right is essential, as inaccurate or unverifiable prices can lead to Amazon suppressing them entirely, which removes the visual savings cue that often drives conversions.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Reference prices show savings to shoppers — When you supply a valid reference price, Amazon may display it as a strikethrough price on your product detail page and in search results, making the current selling price appear more attractive to buyers.
• Prices must reflect real market value — Any reference price you provide must represent a price at which you or other retailers have recently made, or genuinely intend to make, substantial sales of that product. Inflated or fabricated reference prices violate Amazon's policy.
• Sellers must keep reference prices current — It is your responsibility to ensure that any reference price you submit remains accurate and up to date. Outdated prices that no longer reflect the market can be suppressed or removed by Amazon.
• Amazon verifies reference prices — Amazon independently checks the reference prices sellers provide. If Amazon cannot verify your submitted price against market data, the reference price may not be displayed at all.
• Multi-seller listings have special considerations — On product detail pages with multiple sellers, the displayed information may reflect contributions from different sellers. If you have multiple listings for the same product, your list price details must be consistent across all of them.

How Reference Prices Work

When you create or update a product listing, many categories include a field for a reference price, often labeled as "List Price" in your listing setup. Once submitted, Amazon evaluates whether the price is credible based on market data, historical pricing, and other signals. If verified, the reference price appears alongside the current selling price, typically shown as a strikethrough figure with language like "Was" or "List Price," followed by the percentage or dollar amount a customer would save. This visual savings indicator can significantly impact click-through rates and conversion, making it a valuable merchandising tool when used correctly.