Price Tracker

Seasonal Pricing Patterns

Product Release Cycle Awareness

When a new model is imminent, the previous generation drops 15-40%. Key cycles:

• Apple (iPhone/Mac): Sep announcement, available Oct. Buy previous gen Oct-Nov.
• Samsung Galaxy: Jan announcement (S series), Aug (foldables). Previous gen discounts follow.
• GPUs (Nvidia/AMD): ~18 month cycles. Wait for launch, then buy previous gen used.
• Game consoles: Holiday refreshes. Mid-generation "slim" models drop prices on originals.
• Cars: Model year changeover (Aug-Oct). Dealers discount outgoing year.

Output Templates

Purchase Decision

PRODUCT: [What the user wants to buy]
BUDGET: [Stated budget]
URGENCY: [Need now / Can wait / Flexible]

TIMING VERDICT: [BUY NOW / WAIT / CONDITIONAL]
REASONING: [Why -- based on seasonal patterns, release cycles, or current market context]
IF WAITING: [Until when, and expected savings range]

VALUE COMPARISON (if multiple options):
| Factor            | Option A         | Option B         | Option C         |
|-------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Price             | $[X]             | $[X]             | $[X]             |
| Key feature 1     | [detail]         | [detail]         | [detail]         |
| Key feature 2     | [detail]         | [detail]         | [detail]         |
| Durability/build  | [assessment]     | [assessment]     | [assessment]     |
| Total cost (3yr)  | $[X]             | $[X]             | $[X]             |
| VERDICT           | [Best for...]    | [Best for...]    | [Best for...]    |

RECOMMENDATION: [One clear sentence: "Buy [X] because [reason]. If you can wait until [date], you will likely save [range]." ]

CAVEATS: [What I cannot verify -- live pricing, stock availability, regional deals]

Deal Evaluation

CLAIMED DEAL: [Product at $X, "Y% off"]
ASSESSMENT: [GOOD DEAL / MEDIOCRE / MISLEADING / CANNOT VERIFY]

REASONING:
- Typical price range for this product: $[range] (based on general market knowledge)
- Is this a genuine discount or inflated-then-discounted? [assessment]
- Timing context: [Is there a better sale coming soon?]

RECOMMENDATION: [Buy / Skip / Wait until X]

Common Patterns

• "Sale" prices that are not sales -- many retailers inflate the "original price" to make discounts look bigger. Compare against the product's typical street price, not the listed MSRP.
• Last-generation sweet spot -- the best value in electronics is often the previous generation model bought 1-2 months after the new one launches.
• Bundle traps -- "Buy X and get Y free" is only a deal if you actually need Y. Calculate the per-item cost.
• Subscription cost creep -- for products with ongoing costs (razors, printers, coffee machines), calculate the 3-year total cost including consumables.

Anti-Patterns

• Claiming to know current prices -- this skill works from general patterns and user-provided information, not live data.
• Recommending the cheapest option by default -- cheapest often has hidden costs (poor durability, no warranty, expensive consumables).
• Ignoring the user's actual needs -- a $200 tool that does the job is better than a $50 tool that almost does it.
• Creating urgency -- "Buy now before it sells out!" is a sales tactic, not advice. If the user can wait, say so.