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How to Check If an Online Discount Is Real

That "70% off" banner on Myntra looks tempting. But is the original price real, or was the MRP quietly inflated a week before the sale? Here is how to find out before you waste your money.

The "Fake MRP" Problem in Indian E-Commerce

If you have shopped online during any major sale in India — Big Billion Days, Myntra EOSS, Amazon Great Indian Festival — you have probably noticed something suspicious. A pair of Levi's jeans that was selling for Rs 1,799 last month is suddenly listed at Rs 3,999 with a 55% discount, bringing it to... Rs 1,799.

This is called MRP inflation, and it is one of the most common pricing tricks in Indian e-commerce. Sellers raise the listed MRP (Maximum Retail Price) days or weeks before a sale event, then slap on a large percentage discount that brings the price back to what it always was — or sometimes even higher.

The result? You see "55% OFF" in big red letters and feel like you are getting a steal, when in reality, you are paying exactly what the product has been selling for all along.

The practice is not just annoying — it is deceptive. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 technically prohibits misleading advertisements, but enforcement is patchy at best. So instead of waiting for regulation to catch up, smart shoppers verify discounts themselves.

Here are three methods that work.

Method 1: Use a Price History Tracker

This is the most reliable way to verify whether a discount is genuine. A price history tracker records the selling price of a product over time, so you can see exactly what it was selling for before the sale started.

If a Nike Air Max shoe is listed at Rs 8,999 with "50% off MRP Rs 17,999" during a sale, but the price tracker shows it has been selling at Rs 8,999 for the last three months — the discount is fake. The MRP was inflated specifically for the sale.

How DripCheck Helps

DripCheck's Track Price feature lets you monitor prices on any product across Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, Ajio, Meesho, and Tata Cliq. Once you start tracking a product, DripCheck checks its price every 6 hours and builds a price history chart you can review.

When sale season arrives, you can pull up the price history and see immediately whether the "original price" is real or inflated. If the product has been sitting at Rs 1,299 for weeks and is now "discounted" to Rs 1,299 from a supposed Rs 2,999 — you know exactly what is happening.

Method 2: Compare Across Multiple Sites

Here is a simple truth that exposes most fake discounts: if a product is genuinely discounted on one site, it should be cheaper there than everywhere else.

Let us say Amazon is offering a Maybelline Fit Me foundation at Rs 399, claiming the MRP is Rs 799 — a 50% discount. You check Nykaa, and the same foundation is listed at Rs 375 with no discount claim at all. The actual market price is around Rs 375-400. Amazon's "50% off" is based on an inflated MRP.

Now consider the opposite scenario: Myntra lists a pair of U.S. Polo Assn. chinos at Rs 899, down from Rs 2,199 — a 59% discount. You check Amazon, Flipkart, and Ajio: they all show the same chinos at Rs 1,400-1,600. Myntra's price is genuinely lower. That is a real discount.

How to Cross-Check Manually

1. Copy the exact product name from the listing
2. Search for it on 2-3 other sites (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa)
3. Compare the actual selling price (not the "MRP" or "was" price)
4. If the "discounted" price is similar to what others charge normally, the discount is fake

The obvious problem with this method is that it takes time. Searching each site individually, finding the exact same product (not just a similar one), and comparing prices can easily take 10-15 minutes per product. This is exactly the problem DripCheck solves — it runs this comparison in seconds with one click.

Method 3: Check Google Shopping

Google Shopping aggregates prices from multiple retailers in India, making it a quick way to see the price range for any product.

How to Search Manually

1. Go to google.com and search for the product name
2. Click the Shopping tab at the top
3. Look at the price range across all sellers
4. If the "discounted" price on one site is near the top of the range (not the bottom), the discount is exaggerated

For example, searching "Levi's 511 slim fit jeans blue" on Google Shopping might show prices from Rs 1,599 to Rs 3,499 across different sellers. If Flipkart is claiming "65% off" to bring the price to Rs 1,599 from an MRP of Rs 4,599, but Google Shopping shows multiple sellers offering the same jeans at Rs 1,599-1,799 — the 65% figure is misleading.

Google Shopping is useful for a quick sanity check, but it does not track prices over time, and it does not always surface every seller or variant. For a more complete picture, combine it with methods 1 and 2.

Red Flags to Watch For

Some discounts are so obviously fake that you do not even need a tool to spot them. Watch out for these warning signs:

Real Discounts vs Fake Discounts

Here are side-by-side examples to help you recognize the difference:

Scenario	What You See	Reality	Verdict
Nike Air Force 1 on Myntra	"Rs 4,495 (40% off MRP Rs 7,495)"	Same shoe is Rs 4,500 on Nike.com, Rs 4,595 on Amazon	Fake Discount
Levi's 501 on Amazon during sale	"Rs 1,299 (55% off MRP Rs 2,899)"	Price was Rs 2,099 last month on Amazon, Rs 1,899 on Myntra now	Real Discount
Maybelline SuperStay on Nykaa Pink Friday	"Rs 449 (30% off Rs 649)"	Same product is Rs 599 on Amazon, Rs 625 on Flipkart	Real Discount
Unknown brand jacket on Meesho	"Rs 499 (90% off Rs 4,999)"	Brand has no online presence, no other listings	Fake Discount
Boat Airdopes on Flipkart BBD	"Rs 999 (69% off Rs 3,290)"	Normally sells for Rs 999-1,099 year-round everywhere	Fake Discount
H&M clearance on Myntra EOSS	"Rs 399 (60% off Rs 999)"	Was Rs 999 for 4 months, no other seller has it below Rs 799	Real Discount

Notice the pattern: real discounts are verifiable — the product had a higher price before the sale, and the discounted price is genuinely lower than what competitors charge. Fake discounts rely on inflated MRPs or reference prices that no one actually pays.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Fake discounts do not just waste your money on one purchase. They warp your sense of value. When you see "70% off" everywhere, you start believing that paying full MRP is foolish — which is exactly what sellers want. It creates a cycle where every purchase feels like a deal, even when you are paying the normal market price.

Indian e-commerce platforms move over Rs 1.5 lakh crore in annual GMV. Even a small percentage of inflated discounts represents thousands of crores in misleading pricing. As a consumer, the only reliable defense is data — knowing what a product actually costs before the sale starts.

A Quick Checklist Before You Buy

Before clicking "Buy Now" on any discounted product, run through this list:

1. Check price history — Has the product been at this price before? If yes, the "discount" is just normal pricing.
2. Compare across sites — Is the discounted price actually lower than what other retailers charge for the same product?
3. Verify the brand — Is this a recognized brand, or a random name with an inflated MRP?
4. Check the discount percentage — Anything above 70% on fashion or 50% on electronics should trigger skepticism.
5. Look at reviews — Do the reviews match the product? A product with 10,000 reviews at Rs 499 that claims an MRP of Rs 5,000 is probably always Rs 499.