Glitch at Amazon.com Cuts Prices on Toys

Amazon.com found itself having an unplanned toy sale last weekend, when a technical error allowed customers to buy some products at 50% or more off the regular price. The online retailer has since sent the affected customers an e-mail explaining the glitch. As per the Web seller’s written policy, each customer was asked to choose between paying the actual price of the goods or canceling the order, said Amazon spokeswoman Kristin Shaefer. Amazon also gave each of the buyers a $5 gift certificate that could defray the amount owed or be used for future purchases, Shaefer said. She declined to say how many customers or items were affected, but said, “It was a really small percentage of orders and a really small percentage of customers.” Some of the shoppers who discovered the significantly marked-down items Friday and Saturday posted their finds on shopping message boards, such as MyCoupons.com, leading others to take advantage of the deals, according to CNet News. One shopper should have paid $640 for her Amazon order but was billed only $67 because of the pricing problem, CNet found.