Amazon Prime Day Guide: Dates, Start Time, Deals, and How to Spot Real Discounts
Amazon Prime Day events can be confusing. It is no longer limited to a single day, and while Amazon promises “millions in deals,” some advertised discounts can be misleading. Although these events are promoted as members-only sales, competing retailers—and sometimes Amazon itself—may offer similar discounts to shoppers who do not subscribe to Prime.
Limited-time Lightning Deals and a constant stream of new offers can also make it easy to spend too much on products you do not really want. Fortunately, more than 10 years of deal coverage and extensive shopping research can help you avoid common pitfalls and identify worthwhile discounts.
Amazon’s fall event is technically called Amazon Prime Big Deal Days. This year, it will take place on October 6 and October 7.
When Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon has a main Prime Day sale during the summer and a secondary fall event called Prime Big Deal Days. This year’s Prime Big Deal Days event will take place on Tuesday, October 6, and Wednesday, October 7.
When Does the Prime Day Sale Start and End?
The event begins at 3:01 a.m. Eastern Time, or midnight Pacific Time, and runs for 48 hours.
Amazon plans to release new deals three times each day during the event, at approximately:
- 3:00 a.m. ET
- 11:00 a.m. ET
- 4:00 p.m. ET
Lightning Deals will also appear sporadically throughout the sale. Great offers may be available from Amazon as well as competing retailers.
Are Prime Day Sales Exclusive to Prime Members?
Amazon’s official policy is that shoppers must be Amazon Prime members to purchase Prime Day deals. Eligible new accounts can sign up for a 30-day free trial, which allows them to participate in the sale.
Remember to cancel the trial if you do not want to continue your membership. Otherwise, it will renew at the regular price of $15 per month.
Even shoppers without Prime can often find similar discounts. Major retailers such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart typically run competing sales during Prime Day. Their prices are often close to Amazon’s, and some retailers may match Prime Day prices exactly.
These competing sales can be a useful way to save money, especially if you prefer not to shop on Amazon.
Is Prime Day Worth It?
It depends on what you are shopping for. Prime-exclusive prices are sometimes the lowest of the year, particularly on Amazon hardware such as:
- Kindle e-readers
- Fire tablets
- Fire TV Sticks
- Echo devices
However, prices for many products change throughout the year, and some items are frequently discounted. A deal may look impressive but still be mediocre if the product regularly goes on sale.
The sheer number of promotions Amazon runs during events like Prime Day is both an advantage and a disadvantage. There are plenty of potential bargains, but it can be difficult to determine which discounts are genuinely significant. Browsing the site can also feel overwhelming.
If you are shopping for a specific product, there is a good chance it will be discounted. Past Prime Day events have included strong offers on Kindles, video doorbells, gaming consoles, and office furniture. The challenge is finding the best deals among the many ordinary or misleading promotions.
Our deal coverage focuses on products that members of the review team personally use, have purchased, or have reviewed. We do not feature cheap products simply because they are heavily promoted. We also include pricing context and only highlight deals when the current price is genuinely lower than normal.
How Do You Know If a Prime Day Deal Is Good?
Always check the price. Researching a product’s price history is the most important step in evaluating a discount. Do not rely solely on promotional language or inflated manufacturer’s suggested retail prices.
Compare Prices Across Multiple Retailers
Search for the product online and compare its price at several stores. This helps you determine whether Amazon is offering a genuinely competitive deal or whether another retailer has a better price.
Check Amazon’s Price History
Amazon product pages include a Price History link that can show up to 365 days of pricing data. However, the information is not always accurate, so it should not be your only source.
Use CamelCamelCamel
CamelCamelCamel tracks Amazon prices over time. Paste an Amazon product link or ASIN—the identifier found in the product information section of an Amazon page—into the site’s search bar. You can then view the lowest and average recorded prices, along with how often the price has changed.
The service works for most products, although some offers, including certain Lightning Deals, may not appear in the price history. Even so, it can provide useful context about how much the product has sold for in the past.
Consider Other Price-Tracking Tools
Amazon’s Alexa shopping chatbot can provide price-history information, but it is not always reliable and may lack important context. Keeper also offers a browser extension for multiple browsers that displays a product’s recent price history directly on Amazon’s product page.
When in doubt, check multiple sources before buying. A discount is only worthwhile when the current price is genuinely lower than the product’s typical selling price.
Source: www.wired.com