Min Price, Max Price, Step & Backoff: The Complete Repricing Configuration Guide
You have signed up for a repricer, imported your products - and now you are staring at a form with fields like highest_price, lowest_price, step, and backoff. What do they mean? How do you set them to maximise profit instead of destroying margin?
This guide explains every parameter with real numbers and a hands-on example.
Why Configuration Matters
A misconfigured repricer does more damage than no repricing at all. Without a floor, you sell below cost. Ceiling too low, you miss margin windows. Wrong step size, you react too slowly or give away profit.
1. highest_price - The Price Ceiling
Maximum price your repricer will ever set. Even if all competitors vanish, price stays below this.
How to calculate: Check Keepa price history. Set at the upper end of the realistically sellable range.
Example: Cost EUR 15, Keepa range EUR 24-32 → Max: EUR 29.99
Rule of thumb: At least 15-25% above your typical selling price.
Common mistake: Setting max at your desired price (e.g., EUR 24.99) - you miss margin when competitors sell out.
2. lowest_price - The Price Floor
The most important parameter. The absolute minimum. Protects against selling at a loss.
Formula: Cost + FBA Fees + Referral Fee + Inbound Shipping + Minimum Margin
| Cost Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | EUR 15.00 |
| FBA fee | EUR 3.90 |
| Referral fee (15%) | ~EUR 3.53 |
| Inbound shipping | EUR 0.80 |
| Minimum margin | EUR 3.00 |
| = Min Price | ~EUR 23.50 |
Use the Amazon FBA Revenue Calculator for exact numbers.
Critical mistakes: Forgetting referral fee (15%!), outdated FBA fees, missing inbound shipping, no margin buffer.
3. step - The Price Increment
How much price changes per repricing cycle. Used in STEP, ROUND, STEP_JUMP strategies.
| Product Price | Recommended Step |
|---|---|
| Under EUR 15 | EUR 0.10 - 0.20 |
| EUR 15-30 | EUR 0.25 - 0.50 |
| EUR 30-60 | EUR 0.50 - 1.00 |
| Over EUR 60 | EUR 1.00 - 2.00 |
Rule of thumb: 1-3% of product price.
Too small (EUR 0.01): Penny war - endless slow-motion price war. Too large (EUR 5): Clearance sale, not repricing.
4. target - The Competitor Reference
| Target | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| LOWEST_OFFER | Cheapest (FBA+FBM) | Maximum aggressiveness |
| LOWEST_FBA_OFFER | Cheapest FBA | Standard for FBA sellers |
| LOWER_BUY_BOX | Below Buy Box | Best balance |
| HIGHER_BUY_BOX | Above Buy Box | Margin priority |
Details: Repricing Targets Explained
5. backoff - Floor Behaviour
When price hits the floor, the repricer stops lowering and waits. Your safety net.
Example: Min EUR 22.99, competitor at EUR 21.90 (below your floor). Repricer lowers to EUR 22.99, stops. You do not win Buy Box but do not sell at a loss. When competitor sells out, repricer jumps back to max.
6. status - ACTIVE / INACTIVE
On/off switch per product. Use INACTIVE for: out-of-season products, manual liquidation, testing phase, MAP-restricted brands.
Complete Setup Example: Bluetooth Speaker
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | EUR 18.00 |
| lowest_price | EUR 27.49 |
| highest_price | EUR 34.99 |
| strategy | STEP |
| target | LOWEST_FBA_OFFER |
| step | EUR 0.50 |
| backoff | enabled |
| status | ACTIVE |
What happens: Start at EUR 34.99 → step down EUR 0.50 per cycle → if min reached, backoff → if competitors vanish, jump to max.
The 5 Golden Rules
- Never guess your min price - calculate with real numbers
- Set max price generously - better 20% too high than 5% too low
- Match step to product price - 1-3% is the sweet spot
- Choose the right target - FBA seller → reprice against FBA
- Understand backoff - it is your safety net, not an error
Configure your repricing now: arbytrage.io - all parameters, live profit calculation. Starting at EUR 40/month.
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