Strikethrough Pricing & the Omnibus Directive: How Fake Discounts Kill Your GMC

Every product on your store shows a strikethrough "was" price and a "now" price. You've been running this "sale" for 6 months. The discounts range from 50% to 80%. Sound familiar?

This pricing pattern is one of the fastest-growing reasons for GMC suspensions in 2026 — especially for stores targeting EU customers.

The EU Omnibus Directive (2019/2161)

Since May 2022, EU law requires that any strikethrough "was" price must be the lowest price in the previous 30 days. Not the MSRP. Not the "retail value." The actual lowest price your store charged in the last 30 days.

If you've been showing $99.99 as the "was" price for 6 months, but the product has never actually sold at that price, you're violating the Omnibus Directive. Google flags this at CRITIQUE severity.

What Google Detects

Permanent Sales (CRITIQUE)

Google monitors your prices over time. If your "compare at" price never changes and the "sale" price has been the same for months, Google knows it's not a real sale.

Excessive Discounts (CRITIQUE)

90% off on everything? Google flags uniform, extreme discounts as deceptive pricing. Real sales have varying discount percentages across products.

Countdown Timers + Permanent Sales (CRITIQUE)

A "Sale ends in 2:34:15!" timer that resets every time the page loads, combined with prices that never change? Double violation — fake urgency plus fake discounts.

How to Fix

Remove all "compare at" prices that aren't based on a real, recent selling price
If running a real sale: Set it for a defined period (7-14 days), then return to regular pricing
For EU stores: Only show strikethrough prices that reflect the lowest price in the previous 30 days
Remove countdown timers: Unless they count down to a real, defined event

US Stores Aren't Immune

While the Omnibus Directive is EU law, Google applies similar quality standards globally. Permanent fake sales are flagged regardless of your market. The FTC also has guidelines against deceptive pricing in the US.