Amazon Charges Schools Thousands More for Supplies
Update: 2025-12-05
Description
Amazon Business is charging schools significantly more for essential supplies, with prices fluctuating wildly due to dynamic pricing algorithms. On average, schools pay seventeen percent more for items purchased through Amazon Business. Unlike traditional contracts with local suppliers, Amazon Business does not guarantee fixed prices, leading to unexpected price changes. For instance, a twelve-pack of Sharpie markers cost eight dollars and ninety-nine cents in Boulder, Colorado, but twenty-eight dollars and sixty-three cents in Denver Public Schools on the same day. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance published a report expressing concern about Amazons lack of transparency regarding algorithmic price changes, which resulted in prices being, on average, one hundred and thirty-six percent higher than the lowest prices for the one hundred most frequently ordered products. This situation also impacts competition, as independent suppliers could beat Amazons prices on sixty-eight percent of products, suggesting better deals and more stable pricing for schools.
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