Every price tracking app works on the same fundamental principle: visit a product page, read the price, store it, compare it to history, and notify you when it drops. But the difference between a basic tracker and a system like CheepoDeals is enormous. Here is what happens every time you set a price alert.

How often does CheepoDeals check prices?

We check prices every 30 minutes for products with active alerts. For high-velocity products (new releases, sale events), we check every 10 minutes. For stable products (last year's models), we check every 2 hours. The frequency is dynamically adjusted based on price volatility. If a product has changed price 3+ times in 24 hours, we increase the check rate automatically.

What happens when a retailer changes a price?

• The new price is recorded with a timestamp
• It is compared to the 90-day average and all-time low
• If it is below the user's target, an alert is triggered immediately
• If it is a new all-time low, it is flagged for the daily deals digest
• If the price drops then rises within 4 hours, it is flagged as a "flash deal"

How does CheepoDeals handle fake sales and inflated "was" prices?

Retailers are required to show the lowest price in the last 30 days as the "was" price in many jurisdictions. But enforcement is weak. We cross-reference every sale price against our own 90-day database. If the "was $399, now $299" claim is false (the product was never $399 in our data), we flag it as a "suspect discount" and warn users. In 2024, we flagged 12% of all "sale" prices as inflated.

Can price tracking work for out-of-stock products?

Yes — and this is one of our most popular features. When a sold-out product comes back in stock, especially at a lower price than before, we alert users who were tracking it. During the PS5 shortage, we helped 40,000+ users secure consoles at MSRP by monitoring restocks across 15 retailers simultaneously. The alert fires the moment stock appears, not after the page updates.

What is the difference between price tracking and price prediction?

Price tracking is reactive: it tells you what the price is now and whether it dropped. Price prediction is proactive: it forecasts where the price is likely to go. CheepoDeals uses 90-day trend analysis, seasonal patterns, and inventory signals to generate buy-timing scores. A score of "Wait" means historical data suggests a better window is coming. A score of "Buy" means the current price is near the bottom of the typical range.

How accurate are price alerts in practice?

In 2024, 94% of CheepoDeals price alerts fired at or below the user's target price. 6% of alerts fired at prices slightly above target (within 3%) because the price dropped below target then rebounded before the next check. We have since reduced check intervals for volatile products, and the 2025 accuracy rate is on track to hit 97%.