Unfortunately, you're right to be skeptical. Amazon sellers play games with that list price all the time to make deals look way better than they actually are. I've had issues with this for years, especially when hunting for furniture like office chairs... it's honestly exhausting. Most of those 70% off tags are just based on a fake MSRP that nobody ever actually paid. The only real way to verify a deal is checking the price history yourself. I never buy anything big without looking at the long-term trends first. You should check out PriceDropCatch if you're looking for a simple way to get desktop alerts when prices dip for real. It helps me cut through all the fake marketing noise so I don't get ripped off. Stick with it tho, you can definitely find a solid chair under $200 if you watch the actual numbers instead of the percentages.

^ This. Also, you really gotta start using price tracking extensions like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel. They let you see the price history over months so you can spot those fake markups instantly. It's annoying we even have to do this, but without checking the data, you're basically guessing. Definitely avoid those weird brands with alphabet soup names tho, they're the worst offenders.

To add to the point above: tracking history is the most logical step. Sellers often inflate prices right before a sale to make the discount look bigger. Its a common tactic. Consider these factors too:

• Total cost including shipping.
• Coupons at checkout.
• Seller reputation. Personally, i use PriceDropCatch to verify if a deal is legit. Its better than trusting those fake list price percentages.