How PackTally works
PackTally compares outdoor gear prices across 6 European shops. This page explains where the numbers come from, how products are matched, and where the comparison is incomplete.
How often are prices checked?
Every shop is checked once a day for the price and stock of each product we already track. New products are looked for at each shop once a week. If a shop's offer has not been confirmed for seven days, we stop showing it, so a price you see was seen recently, not months ago.
How does PackTally decide two listings are the same product?
We match listings across shops using the manufacturer's barcode or the shop's own product code where there is one, and the brand and product name where there is not. Colours and sizes are matched too, so a price is compared for the same colour and size.
We only merge when we are confident. If two listings might be the same product but we cannot tell, we keep them apart rather than guess, and no automated model decides whether two products are the same. The cost of that caution is that some products show fewer shops than really sell them.
Why does a product show only one shop?
Either only one of the shops we compare sells it, or another shop lists it but we could not be sure it is the same product (see above). A single price is not a verdict that nobody else sells it.
How are prices converted between currencies?
Most shops quote in euros; Bergzeit's UK store quotes in pounds. You choose which currency to see, and we convert the rest with the European Central Bank's daily reference rates. A converted price is marked with ≈, and its tooltip shows the original price and the date of the rate used. The shop charges in its own currency, and your card issuer's rate and fees will differ.
What does “lowest price we have seen” mean?
Each product page records the cheapest offer for the colour and size you select, over the last 12 months or since we started tracking it, whichever is shorter. “Lowest price we have seen” and “10% above its lowest” compare today's price with the lowest point in that history. A price from before we started tracking a product is not in it.
Where do specifications and descriptions come from?
Specifications such as weight or water column are read from the shops' own product data and standardised so products can be compared. Descriptions are generated automatically from those facts. We do not copy the shops' marketing text. Because both are processed automatically, mistakes happen, and we would like to hear about them at [email protected].
Does PackTally sell anything?
No. You buy from the shop, at the shop's price and under its terms. Read more about PackTally and its terms of service.