Guide · The data
Same item, different price.
We took 28 wardrobe staples — the 501s, the Sambas, the Birkenstocks, the Coach Tabby — and read the price on every major store's own product page, all on the same day. The polite summary: where stores are allowed to compete, the gap between the cheapest and priciest store averaged 34%. The impolite one: somebody's paying $34 for a $9 bralette.
The numbers, up front
- 28 items, 73 live prices, read off the stores' own product pages on July 13, 2026.
- 34% average gap between the cheapest and priciest store for the same item (median 12%).
- 12 of 28 items cost the same everywhere — price-locked by the brand (more below).
- Where prices differed, a retailer beat the brand's own site 3 times out of 4.
- 21 of 73 prices wore a "sale" tag — five of those "sales" were beatable by 10%+ elsewhere.
The five worst gaps
The Calvin Klein Modern Cotton bralette was $9 on Calvin Klein's own site and $34 at Revolve — the same piece at nearly four times the price. The Michael Kors Jet Set tote: $69.99 direct, $178.20 at Zappos, both marked as sales. Vans Old Skool: $37.50 at Zappos against $80 at Vans itself. AGOLDE's 90s Pinch Waist: $132 at Revolve while Shopbop and AGOLDE asked $208. And Levi's Ribcage ran from $64.98 at Levi's to $101.38 at Zappos — proof the cheap store on one item is the expensive store on the next, even for the same brand.
The full table
Items where stores actually compete, sorted by gap. Prices as shown on each store's product page, July 13, 2026; sale prices counted as the price you'd pay.
| Item | Cheapest seen | Priciest seen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Klein Modern Cotton bralette | $9 calvinklein.us | $34 Revolve | 278% |
| Michael Kors Jet Set Travel large tote | $69.99 michaelkors.com | $178.20 Zappos | 155% |
| Vans Old Skool | $37.50 Zappos | $80 Vans | 113% |
| AGOLDE 90s Pinch Waist jean | $132 Revolve | $208 Shopbop / AGOLDE | 58% |
| Levi's Ribcage Straight Ankle jeans | $64.98 levi.com | $101.38 Zappos | 56% |
| Converse Chuck 70 High Top | $63 Urban Outfitters | $95 Converse | 51% |
| Levi's 501 Original (women's) | $66 Zappos | $98 Nordstrom | 48% |
| Levi's Original Trucker jacket | $79.99 Zappos | $110 Levi's | 38% |
| New Balance 550 (women's) | $79.99 Foot Locker | $109.99 Dick's | 38% |
| SPANX Faux Leather Leggings | $49 SPANX | $64.90 Zappos | 32% |
| Good American Good Legs jean | $108 Good American / Nordstrom | $135 Revolve | 25% |
| UGG Tasman slipper | $109.95 Zappos | $130 Urban Outfitters | 18% |
| Polo Ralph Lauren classic mesh polo | $94.40 Zappos | $110 Revolve | 17% |
| Lacoste L.12.12 piqué polo | $98 Zappos | $110 lacoste.com | 12% |
| Columbia Benton Springs fleece | $40.68 Zappos | $45.50 Columbia | 12% |
| Birkenstock Arizona (suede) | $149.95 REI | $154.95 Birkenstock / Zappos | 3% |
The 12 items where shopping around is pointless
Every store showed the same number (within pennies) for these — that's MAP, minimum advertised pricing, the brand contractually forbidding discounts. Buy these wherever returns are easiest:
Adidas Samba OG (women's) · Nike Air Force 1 '07 (women's) · Dr. Martens 1460 (women's) · Sam Edelman Hazel pump · Madewell Perfect Vintage jean · Birkenstock Boston clog (suede) · Coach Tabby Shoulder Bag 26 · Longchamp Le Pliage Original L · Fjällräven Kånken classic · Ray-Ban New Wayfarer · The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse · Patagonia Better Sweater
There's a useful rule hiding in that list: the icons hold their price (Nike AF1, Coach Tabby, Le Pliage, Birkenstock Boston, the Nuptse) while the brands with wide wholesale distribution and deep seasonal cycles (Levi's, Vans, Converse, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors) swing wildly. If it's on every third person on the street, the price is probably fixed; if it's on every third store's clearance rail, compare.
What the "sale" tag is actually worth
Nothing, on its own. Five prices in our table wore a sale tag while a plain, un-tagged price at another store was 10% to 155% cheaper. The tag describes the store's history with the item, not the market. Compare the number, never the theater around it.
How we did this (and what it can't tell you)
Six parallel research passes read each item's current price on the brand's own site and every major US multi-brand retailer stocking it (Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Zappos, Foot Locker, REI, Revolve, Shopbop, Urban Outfitters and peers), on July 13, 2026. Marketplace third-party sellers and resale platforms were excluded. Sale prices count as the price. Two of thirty items couldn't be verified at two or more stores and were dropped. Limitations: prices move daily, colorway and size can change a number, and a spot-check is a snapshot, not a promise — which is why every figure is dated.
Questions, answered
Why is the same item priced differently at different stores?
Wholesale stock, store-level promotions, and clearance timing. Department stores and multi-brand retailers buy inventory and price it themselves, so the same Levi's 501 can be full price at one store and 30% off at another in the same hour. Brands' own sites run their own promo calendars on top.
Why do some brands cost exactly the same everywhere?
MAP — minimum advertised price. Brands like Birkenstock, Nike, Coach, and Longchamp contractually forbid retailers from advertising below a set price, so every store shows the same number. For those brands, comparison shopping is largely pointless; buy wherever shipping and returns suit you.
Does a 'sale' tag mean it's the cheapest price?
No. In our data, 21 of 73 prices carried a sale tag, and five of those 'sale' prices could be beaten by more than 10% at another store — one 'sale' was 2.5 times the price of the same bag elsewhere. Compare the number, ignore the tag.
Is the brand's own website usually cheapest?
Usually not. Where prices differed, a third-party retailer beat the brand's own site three times out of four in our sample. The exceptions are worth knowing: brands clearing their own overstock (Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Levi's) can undercut everyone by half or more.
How can I check every store's price for something I saw?
That's exactly what our free FIND tool does: upload a photo of the piece and it identifies the item, then lists every store selling it with live prices, cheapest first. No account, and the photo is never stored.