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Do you ever shop for a new appliance or pair of shoes online and think, that can't be the price? Well, it might not be.

Many of today’s shoppers are getting a price based on their data — a tactic that companies use called “personalized pricing.” That means you and another person could be buying the exact same microwave or sweater, but you may end up paying more because of who you are, where you are and your purchase history.

“What we're seeing is Big Tech sort of reinventing the rip-off," says Lindsay Owens, author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price — And What That Means for Your Wallet. The book, published in September, uncovers pricing schemes that corporations try to hide, and shares advice on how to protect yourself from these tactics.

Owens shares tips on how to cover up your trail so it's harder for retailers to gather your personal data and then sell you products at a personalized price. Maybe you don't use all these techniques for smaller purchases, but for expensive flights or other big-ticket items, it might be worth it.

Gouged book cover and book author Lindsay Owens

Penguin Random House/Lindsay Owens/NPR

Don't get ripped off

Hide your spending habits from retailers (so you don't get ripped off)

📲 Avoid shopping through retailer apps. Some retailers offer perks and discounts to customers if they shop for items using their app or website. But the incentives are not worth it, says Owens.

When you're signed in, you're giving those companies a lot of information, including your location and purchase history. They even "know what you click on and don't buy." All of this data can "potentially be turned against you in pricing decisions, whether that's fewer discounts or higher prices," she says.

🍪 Clear your browsing data and cookies regularly. Companies collect data while you browse online. "If you can clear that data before you make a purchase, then that data isn't available to the company to use against you," Owens says.

🛑 Limit the permissions that you grant to apps. Do your apps really need to know your location? Can you turn off inter-app sharing, so one app isn't sharing data with another app?

📍 Consider using a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs hide your location, which may be used to charge you more. You can even run your own pricing experiments using your VPN to change your location, Owens says. "See if you can get a more competitive price coming from a different space," like the San Francisco Bay Area versus Nashville, Tenn., for example.

Malaka Gharib/NPR

🛒 Learn the new way to comparison shop. Comparison shopping means going to multiple retailers to check prices to find the best deal. Today, it also means ensuring that "you're not being exposed to personalized pricing," Owens says.

Check the price of a product or service across multiple devices, with and without incognito mode, and ask friends to check prices on their devices to make sure you’re getting a fair price. Save or take a screen grab of the checklist above to use as a reference.

Avoid the reinvention of the rip off

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More savvy shopping tips from Life Kit 🛍️

Photographs by Colin Bradley, Gosa Osayamen, Stephen Emery; Collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR

Thrifting 101: Your guide to finding quality pieces. Shopping secondhand is a good way to be more sustainable, explore your personal style or score a deal. We have tips from some diehard thrifters so you can find those hidden gems.

How to eat out without spending a fortune. Personal finance and nutrition experts share simple strategies that make it possible to eat out on a budget. One tip? You might have to let go of your fast food delivery habit.

4 marketing tricks to avoid while shopping. Retailers use marketing techniques to get you to spend more, like creating a false sense of urgency or creating artificial discounts. Outsmart the gimmicks with these tips.

Surprising ways the public library can save you money. Baking pans, legal help, language classes and more — libraries can provide so much more than books. See if your local branch offers these free or discounted resources and services.

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Support public media and dive deeper into Life Kit with NPR+. With plus, you can enjoy all sorts of perks for over 25 NPR Podcasts, including Life Kit's curated playlists of episodes by theme (Master your budget, Organize your life, Move your body, and more). Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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