That discount is fake.
And you're not supposed to notice.
Online shops show you crossed-out prices that were never real. PriceShield shows you in seconds whether you're actually saving or just being played.
How fake discounts work
Three tricks online shops use every single day
The MSRP Trick
The shop shows a crossed-out price of €199 and a sale price of €99. Looks like 50% off. But the crossed-out price is just the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The product was NEVER sold for €199.
The Price Yo-Yo
The shop raises the price from €49 to €89 two weeks before the sale. On sale day it drops to €49. You pay the same price as before, but the tag says -45%.
The Phantom Price
The crossed-out price simply doesn't exist. No customer has ever paid that much. The shop invents a high price just to make the current one LOOK cheap.
What this costs you
of online discounts are based on MSRP, not on an actual previous selling price
overpaid per order on average because shoppers fail to spot fake discounts
per year you could save by only buying when the discount is real
Sources: German Consumer Protection Agency, Price Indication Regulation, Market analyses 2025/2026
With PriceShield you see the truth
What PriceShield does for you
Four smart tools that protect you from inflated prices and fake offers while shopping online.
Instantly know if the discount is real
PriceShield checks in seconds whether the crossed-out price was ever the real selling price. Red means stay away, green means go for it.
See the real price history
Was the product cheaper last week? PriceShield shows you the price trend over the last 90 days. Right on the product page, no extra tab needed.
Find cheaper alternatives
Why pay more when the same product is cheaper elsewhere? PriceShield shows you where you pay less. (Coming soon)
Decide at a glance
Green: Good price, buy it. Yellow: Normal price, nothing special. Red: Warning, the discount is probably fake. It's that simple.
PriceShield in Action
A subtle overlay right on the product page. Not intrusive, but always there when you need it.
Compact notification on Amazon
Normaler Preis
Kein besonderes Angebot erkannt.
Detail view with rating and price history
Fake-Rabatt!
Der Streichpreis ist die UVP. Nie so verkauft.
Fake discount detected on MediaMarkt
Protected in 3 steps
Install
Install PriceShield from the Chrome Web Store. One click, no registration required.
Shop
Shop normally on Amazon, Otto, MediaMarkt or Saturn. PriceShield works automatically in the background.
Save
The overlay appears automatically with a rating, price history and cheaper alternatives.
Works on your favorite shops
More shops coming soon
FAQ
Are online discounts really faked?
Yes. A German court ruled against Amazon in 2025 because Prime Deal Days discounts were based on fictitious prices. Consumer protection agencies are also suing MediaMarkt, Saturn and Aldi. Since 2022, retailers must use the lowest price of the last 30 days as reference, but many don't comply. PriceShield makes this visible for you.
How much money can I save with PriceShield?
It depends on how often you shop online. If you spot just one purchase where an alleged 30% discount is actually only 3%, you've potentially saved yourself a €50 or €100 bad purchase. PriceShield helps you make better buying decisions by showing you the real prices.
What is PriceShield?
PriceShield is a free Chrome browser extension that detects fake discounts on German online shops. The extension analyzes price trends on Amazon.de, Amazon.at, Otto.de, MediaMarkt.de and Saturn.de and shows you whether a displayed discount is real or artificially inflated.
Is PriceShield really free?
Yes, PriceShield is completely free and will remain so. There are no hidden costs, no subscription and no premium version. The extension is funded exclusively through affiliate links: when you switch to a cheaper offer through PriceShield, we receive a small commission from the shop. The price you pay is not affected.
How does PriceShield detect fake discounts?
PriceShield saves the price of every product you visit and builds a price history over time. When a shop displays a crossed out price, PriceShield checks whether that price was ever the actual selling price in the last 30 to 90 days. If the price was never that high before, it is likely a fake discount.
What do the traffic light colors mean?
Green means the price is genuinely low and it's a real deal. Yellow means the price is normal with nothing special going on. Red means the displayed discount is probably fake or misleading. Additionally, PriceShield shows a confidence percentage.
What data does PriceShield collect?
PriceShield only stores product prices, product titles and product IDs locally in your browser. No personal data is collected whatsoever. All data stays on your device and is never sent to external servers.
Does PriceShield work on mobile?
Currently PriceShield only works as a Chrome desktop extension. A mobile version is planned but not yet available.
Does PriceShield slow down shop pages?
No. The extension loads only after the page is fully rendered. It uses no external frameworks and makes only minimal API calls. The impact on performance is practically zero.
Which shops does PriceShield support?
PriceShield currently works on Amazon.de, Amazon.at, Otto.de, MediaMarkt.de and Saturn.de. More shops will be added in future updates.
Is PriceShield safe?
Yes. The extension stores all data exclusively on your local computer and sends no information to external servers. PriceShield has no access to your login credentials, payment information or other sensitive data.
See what online shops don't want you to see
Install PriceShield in 3 seconds and never buy at the wrong price again.
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