With Amazon, remember that there are usually multiple sellers for every item. So shop around the other offers. Amazon does not seem to police their seller partners, so you can see prices varying wildly. For example, if there is an item that usually sells at most retail stores for $500, various Amazon sellers might have it listed from anywhere between $400 (a good deal) to several thousand dollars (a rip off). Some of the prices are 10x and even 100x more than the MSRP. I think the super outrageous prices are from companies/individuals hoping for an accidental one-click to buy sale. So be cautious of course, but also browse the other sellers offers. A lot of times we see the Amazon price because the item is sold and shipped by Amazon directly. In my state I have to pay sales tax on Amazon sales in which the seller is also Amazon. But sometimes when I check the other sellers I find a deal that is close to the Amazon deal but wherein I don't have to pay sales tax, so I can come out spending less overall even if I have to pay shipping. Another tip is to find a seller who sells directly, but allows Amazon to store and ship the item. With these you still can get Prime shipping deals but might not have to pay sales tax.