It's probably good to know that surveillance pricing exists. (I didn't.) Prices for items are not displayed and a system checks what it knows about someone and presents a personalised price for that person - which may take account of e.g. their pain point. It could be argued that dynamic pricing / surge pricing is on the way to this, but for the addition of the personal data aspect. It's easy to think how this could go south & become a 'mare for everyone if it crept in to transport ticketing.

Mark

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_pricing

 

Sadly, pricing based on what people appear to be able to pay does exist and has for many years. I suspect I have seen it on airline fares where an enquiry gives a price, then (having checked with family) a couple of minutes later the fare offer is higher.  Do we also see elements of it where prices are available only to new customers?

Even before "internet days", living in a bigger house we got very familiar with quotations for the same service being - we felt - adjusted upwards having seen where we lived.   


Edit note: Minor typo corrected, for clarity. CfN. 

 
Now illegal I believe as prices have to be displayed at first sight

 

That's natural pricing - or just pricing - isn't it? If you rock up to a little local market in much of the world, looking like a rich foreign tourist, you'll pay the rich-looking tourist price - much more that the locals pay. It's been like that since early antiquity! One of the first uses of writing was for laws and market regulations and records.

We've got used to open pricing - what it says on the label is what you (and everyone else) pay. That needs to be backed up by laws to enforce it. And there are exceptions, e.g. sales by private contract. The biggest example would be housing, where you can never be sure if you'd paid too much or if someone else did a special deal.

Incidentally, if we were logical the buyer would have professional advice on prices, as they need to make a judgement on every house. The seller, who usually has one, has a simple job (pick the best offer) unless they don't sell (in which case they need advice on the value to other buyers). But of course we're not logical in that sense.