What the price proof means
The price proof tells you whether the before price a store shows next to a reduced price meets the rule in Finland.
The rule in Finland
The rule is in Kuluttajansuojalaki (38/1978) 2 luku, alennusilmoitukset. It has applied since 28 May 2022.
- The before price must be the lowest price the store itself charged in the 30 days before the reduction.
- The rule covers goods, not services or digital content.
- The rule does not apply to goods that spoil quickly, so we do not assess them.
- Member and loyalty prices do not count towards the lowest price.
- A store may not advertise a reduction on a product it has sold for less than 30 days.
- In a campaign where the price is lowered step by step, the first before price may be used for up to 60 days.
Our reading of this rule has not yet been confirmed by a lawyer.
What each result means
- The reference price matches our records
- The before price is not higher than the lowest price we recorded for this store in the period.
- The reference price is higher than our records show
- The before price is higher than the lowest price we recorded for this store in the period.
- Our records do not support the discount
- The store shows only a discount percentage. The before price it implies is higher than the lowest price we recorded for this store in the period.
- Not enough price history to compare
- Our records for this store do not cover the whole period before the reduction, so we cannot assess it.
- Nothing to compare
- The rule does not apply here, for example because no reduction is advertised.
- The difference may be due to a VAT change
- The VAT rate for the product changed in the period, and the difference is within what the VAT change explains.
In a stepwise campaign, a result after 60 days compares with the lowest price before the campaign started.
If a store we have followed for longer advertises a reduction on a product it started selling less than 30 days ago, the result says the rule was not met.
What it says, and what it does not
It says what our records show: the prices we recorded for this store, the lowest one in the period, and the rule that applies.
It is not a legal decision. Only Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto or a court can decide whether a store has followed the rule. It does not cover prices we did not see, for example in the store's physical shops or its app.
We say we cannot assess when our records do not cover the whole period, or when we have no price for the store in it.
Why a large discount can still fail the check
A store can show a large discount by comparing with a price it charged long ago, or only briefly. The rule asks for the lowest price the store charged in the period before the reduction. If the price was lower at some point in that period, the real reduction is smaller than the one advertised, or there is none. The store is comparing with a price nobody recently paid.
Every result links to an evidence page with the prices we recorded, their dates and the calculation.
If you think a before price is wrong, you can also tell Kilpailu- ja kuluttajavirasto.