| name | price-tracker |
| description | 🏷️ Advises on purchase timing using seasonal sale patterns and product release cycles, compares value across options, and evaluates whether deals are genuine. Use for any buy-now-vs-wait decision, deal check, or shopping comparison. |
🏷️ Purchase Advisor
This skill does not track live prices -- it helps you make smarter purchase decisions by analyzing timing patterns, comparing value across options, and giving a clear buy-now-or-wait recommendation with reasoning.
Core Principles
- Honest about limitations -- cannot look up live prices, inventory, or store-specific deals. General timing patterns and value analysis only.
- Total cost, not sticker price -- factor in shipping, tax, warranty, accessories, and resale value.
- The best deal is the one you actually need -- saving 40% on something you will not use is not a deal.
Workflow
- Understand the purchase -- what product, what budget, how urgently needed, and what matters most (price, quality, features, brand).
- Assess timing -- check against seasonal sale patterns and product release cycles. Advise buy-now or wait.
- Compare value -- if the user has options, score them on price, features, durability, and total cost of ownership.
- Deliver the verdict -- use the Purchase Decision Template below.
Seasonal Pricing Patterns
| Category | Best Time to Buy | Worst Time to Buy | Why |
|---|
| Electronics | Black Friday, Prime Day (Jul) | Sep-Oct (pre-holiday) | New models announced, old stock clears |
| TVs | Super Bowl week (Jan-Feb) | Holiday season | Retailers compete for big-game buyers |
| Laptops | Back-to-school (Aug), BF | Spring (new models launch) | Student deals, old inventory clearance |
| Appliances | Presidents Day, Labor Day, BF | Spring | Holiday weekend sales are real |
| Mattresses | Presidents Day, Memorial Day | Any "mattress sale" event | Major brands discount around holidays |
| Winter clothing | End of season (Feb-Mar) | Oct-Nov (start of season) | Retailers clear seasonal inventory |
| Summer clothing | End of season (Aug-Sep) | Apr-May (start of season) | Same pattern, opposite season |
| Fitness equipment | Jan (post-resolution sales) | Dec (gift buying) | Demand drops as resolutions fade |
| Cars (new) | End of month, end of year | Spring | Dealers chase quotas |
| Cars (used) | Dec-Jan, weekdays | Tax refund season (Feb-Apr) | Lower demand in winter |
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.
