# "Was £500, now £350": when an online shop can use a "was" price, and what the discount really is

> Can an online shop say "was £150, now £99"? Trading Standards guidance asks whether the comparison is fair. Worked: £500 to £350 is 30% off; £150 to £99 is 34%.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/was-now-price-online-shop-uk-reference-price-fair-comparison-discount-percentage-worked/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Online shops, Fees, payments and postage
- Published 21 October 2026
- Key fact: Percentage off is (was - now) / was. £500 to £350 is £150 / £500 = 30%. A coat at £150 sold at £99 is £51 / £150 = 34.0%, not the "half price" £75 it was once shown at (50%). A shop whose real previous price was £2 and shows "was £3, now £1.50" claims 50% but gives 25% (£0.50 / £2). Two stacked offers of 10% then 20% on £100 give £100 x 0.90 x 0.80 = £72, which is 28% off, not 30%.
- Sources: Business Companion (Chartered Trading Standards Institute), "Guidance for Traders on Pricing Practices" (https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/guidance-for-traders-on-pricing-practices), April 2026 edition, section 17 "Using reference prices" and its examples of "Was / now" prices, after-promotion prices and RRPs. Read 21 October 2026. I could not open a GOV.UK page for this today, so the figures below come from that Trading Standards page only.

A crossed-out price is the quickest way to make a sale look like a sale. It is also where a small shop is most likely to be told the comparison was not fair. This guide sets out what the Trading Standards guidance says and works out the real discount for a few common cases.

## What the guidance says

The Business Companion page, written for traders, says reference pricing means price promotions that aim to show good value, usually by pointing to a higher price. One of its four types is "Was / now": comparing today's price with a price the trader previously charged. It notes that consumers rarely keep a record of earlier prices, so the trader is relied on to be accurate.

Its examples, in plain terms:

- **Likely to comply:** "Was £500, now £350" where the item really was sold at £500 and no other offer ran on it.
- **Less likely to comply:** the same claim where the previous month's price had a "buy 2 get 10% off" offer running.
- **Less likely to comply:** a sofa sold at £500, cut to £350, and "Was £500" added to the label weeks later, after other prices.
- **Less likely to comply:** a coat shown as "Was £150, now half price £75" and later as "Was £150, now £99", a series where each claim does not offer a bigger discount.
- **Timing:** a price charged less than two months ago gave a genuine indication of value in one example; a price charged many months ago may not.
- **RRPs:** the page says a recommended retail price must represent a genuine selling price.
- **The test it gives:** ask whether the average consumer would think it is a fair comparison.

## The sums, worked

Percentage off is (was - now) / was.

| Claim | Working | Real discount |
|---|---|---|
| Was £500, now £350 | £150 / £500 | 30% |
| Coat was £150, now £75 | £75 / £150 | 50% |
| Coat was £150, now £99 | £51 / £150 | 34.0% |
| Shown "was £3, now £1.50" but this shop's real previous price was £2 | £0.50 / £2 | 25%, not 50% |
| Stacked offers: 10% off, then a further 20% off, on £100 | £100 x 0.90 = £90; £90 x 0.80 = £72 | 28%, not 30% |

This is our arithmetic. Check each sum against your own order history before you print a percentage: the percentage on the page must match what a customer pays at the checkout.

## A short check before you cross a price out

- **Find the last real price.** Look up what the item sold at, and for how long, in your own orders.
- **Check no other offer was running** when you set that price.
- **Make sure the "was" is recent.** The guidance warns about prices charged many months ago.
- **Work out the percentage** with the formula above and use the true figure.
- **Do not raise a price just to cut it.** The page treats comparisons that are not fair as likely to mislead.

Related guides: [drip pricing and postage in the headline price](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/postage-in-headline-price-drip-pricing-rules-online-shop-uk/), [the Black Friday and Christmas checklist](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/black-friday-christmas-checklist-online-shop-uk/) and [what to do about a wrong price](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/wrong-price-online-shop-can-i-cancel-order-uk/).

## What I did not read

I did not read the legislation itself, the sections of the page on perishable goods, "up to" claims or multi-buy offers in detail, or any Competition and Markets Authority page. The page I read is the April 2026 edition and the law on false "was" prices may change; I have not checked for newer guidance. The figures in the table are examples, not your prices.

Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your shop team and keep a price history for every product, check each "was" price against the last real selling price and the percentage you plan to print, and flag any that fail, with a person approving every sale label before it goes live.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check the Trading Standards page and your own position with a qualified adviser.

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General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.