Compare Prices After Discounts: The Right Order of Operations

Headlines lie; totals don’t. A fair comparison includes discounts, taxes, fees, and shipping, applied in the correct order.

Use /finance/discount-calculator to compare merchants side by side.

What to Include

• Base price
• Discounts (percent/dollar, in the stated order)
• Taxes/duties on the discounted subtotal
• Shipping/handling
• Platform or restocking fees, membership costs if relevant

Method (Step by Step)

1. Apply all discounts in the terms’ order
2. Compute tax/duties on the discounted subtotal
3. Add shipping/handling
4. Compare out‑the‑door totals

Example

• Store A: $120 − 15% = $102; + $8 shipping; + 7% tax → ≈ $117.14
• Store B: $110 − $10 = $100; free shipping; + 7% tax → ≈ $107 → B wins.

Edge Cases

• Threshold coupons (“$50 off $200”) may drop below the threshold if you remove an item—recompute.
• Some stores calculate tax before coupon; check policy and recalc accordingly.

FAQs

Why compare after shipping/tax? Because these costs often flip the winner.

Can coupon stacking change the winner? Yes. Re‑run the math whenever you add/remove items or change the stacking order.