How We Compared Amazon vs Best Buy
From January through March 2026, CloudDeals tracked the prices of 200 products across Amazon and Best Buy. We recorded prices every 6 hours and calculated the average, minimum, and maximum price for each product at each retailer over the 60-day period.
This isn't a single-day snapshot — it's 60 days of continuous data that shows which retailer is actually cheaper over time, not just on one particular day.
Results by Category
| Category | Winner | Avg Price Difference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Home (Echo, Ring) | ✓ Amazon | Amazon 18% cheaper | Amazon prices own hardware below cost to drive ecosystem |
| Laptops | ✓ Best Buy | Best Buy 8% cheaper | Open-box deals and Geek Squad bundles tip the scales |
| TVs (55"+ 4K) | ✓ Best Buy | Best Buy 12% cheaper | Best Buy's Magnolia section + price match guarantee |
| Headphones/Earbuds | Tied | Less than 2% difference | Both match each other's sales within 24 hours |
| Gaming Consoles | Tied | Less than 1% difference | MSRP is enforced by manufacturers on both |
| Cameras | ✓ Amazon | Amazon 6% cheaper | Third-party sellers create competitive pressure |
| Tablets (non-Apple) | ✓ Amazon | Amazon 22% cheaper | Fire tablets heavily subsidized |
| Apple Products (iPad, Mac) | Tied | Less than 1% difference | Apple controls pricing strictly across all authorized retailers |
When Best Buy Beats Amazon
Best Buy has one weapon Amazon can't easily match: open-box inventory. Items returned in like-new or excellent condition get marked down 10–30% and are available in-store and online. For laptops and TVs especially, this creates genuine deals that Amazon's marketplace can't replicate at scale.
Best Buy also has a price match guarantee. If you find a lower price at Amazon (or any major retailer) within 15 days of your Best Buy purchase, they'll refund the difference. This means you can sometimes buy confidently from Best Buy knowing you're protected if Amazon drops the price.
When Amazon Beats Best Buy
Amazon's real advantage is in its own hardware ecosystem. Echo devices, Fire tablets, and Kindle e-readers are priced below what Best Buy can match because Amazon subsidizes them to drive Prime and Alexa usage. The Echo Dot regularly sits 15–25% below Best Buy's price for the same unit.
Amazon also wins through Prime exclusives — flash deals available only to Prime members that last a few hours. Best Buy can't participate in these. CloudDeals monitors these and sends alerts when they hit.
Best Buy's Open-Box: The Hidden Edge
In our 60-day study, Best Buy's open-box section averaged 21% below new Amazon pricing for laptops and TVs. Open-box "excellent" condition items are essentially new — they were returned, inspected, and repackaged.
The catch: availability is unpredictable and inventory is location-specific. You can't always find the exact model you want in open-box. But when it's available, it's often the best deal in the market.
Bottom Line: Use Both
The smartest strategy isn't picking one retailer — it's tracking prices at both and buying from whoever is cheaper when you're ready. That's exactly what CloudDeals does automatically.
- For Amazon brand products (Echo, Fire, Kindle): Buy on Amazon
- For laptops and TVs: Check Best Buy open-box first, then compare
- For everything else: Let CloudDeals track both and alert you