AI found the cheapest offer. Is it the same item at the lowest total cost?

Match the exact model and condition, then add all required charges. An unknown fee should stay unknown rather than becoming zero.

Give AI the offer details you have checked, including the exact model, size or capacity, condition, price, required fees and date. Ask it to flag missing information and compare only equivalent items. The FTC’s shopping guide likewise recommends checking product details and total cost.

A lower headline price can cost more

In our fictional offers for the same new model, A costs 40,000 won plus 5,000 won delivery; B costs 43,000 won with delivery included. Assuming no other mandatory charges, A totals 45,000 won and B totals 43,000 won. We checked the arithmetic: B is 2,000 won cheaper.

Make an unknown visible

If A’s delivery fee is not stated, label its total “not established”. Do not let AI fill the blank with free delivery. If one offer is refurbished or has a different capacity, put it in a separate comparison rather than declaring it the same bargain.

Ask for a comparison you can audit

Try: “Use only these supplied offers. Keep model and condition visible. Show price plus each mandatory fee, mark missing values unknown, and do not choose a cheapest total until those values are known.” This is a suggested input, not an AI response we obtained.

Check the offer before checkout

Open the seller’s actual page and confirm the selected variant, final charges and return terms. Our editorial recommendation is to treat the AI comparison as a worksheet; its total does not establish seller legitimacy, current stock or the price at checkout.

Published October 14, 2026. Offers are invented and only their arithmetic was tested. No shopping chatbot, live price, seller, order or payment was tested; the FTC guide is background guidance, not a new announcement.

Sources: FTC · Online shopping.