Amazon has conditioned shoppers to expect big deals during its biggest sales: Amazon Prime Day in July and Prime Big Deal Days in October. But due to the sheer volume of deals (including those short-lived Lightning Deals) during those events, you need to go in with a strategy.
The first step is making sure you're a Prime member before Amazon's Prime events, because these sales are open to members only. You can get a free trial here and cancel your membership at any time.
The next step is checking out the Prime Day secrets we've learned over the years when it comes to scoring the best deals and staying organized as the deals drop.
For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, download the KCL app or text HACKS to 57299.
1. Watch for early deals in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.
You’ll typically start to see Prime Day Deals released a couple weeks ahead of Prime Day itself. These early Prime Day deals aren't just for products. This is also a great time to look for promo credit offers, which allow you to earn Amazon credit to spend during Prime Day. Heading into Prime Big Deal Days 2024, we saw a Grubhub offer: New Grubhub+ members got $10 off their order in the days before the sale.
As for early deals on products, consider waiting until the official 48-hour Prime Day sale to buy. We generally see lower prices during the event itself. Just bear in mind that, sometimes, the quantities can get limited. That means you’ll need to judge if saving more is worth potentially missing out by waiting. Sometimes, it totally is. But if it’s an item you really need and are going to have to purchase with or without a deal anyways, your calculus might change.
2. Use your Amazon Wish Lists to stay organized
If you haven't explored Amazon's Wish List tool yet, you might want to start creating some lists. Not only do Wish Lists help you stay organized (you can create unique lists for everything you're shopping during Prime Big Deal Days, whether it's clothing, beauty products, or tech). But if you're using the Amazon app, you can also opt in to receive push notifications when items on your Wish Lists go on sale.
To add a new Wish List:
1. On Amazon's site, go to "Your Lists" and then hit "Create a List."
2. In the Amazon app, hit the three horizontal bars in the bottom right, hit "Lists," and use the option to create a new list.
Then, as you browse items on Amazon, you can add them to the right list.
3. Bookmark CamelCamelCamel so you can check your Prime Day deal before you buy.
If you’re shopping deals sold and shipped by Amazon, you’re almost guaranteed to get the best price on any given item on Prime Day. This is especially true for Amazon devices, like Fire TVs, Ring doorbells, and Echo smart speakers.
But for some items, there are other times in the year (like Black Friday or a special retailer sale) that’d offer a better deal on a certain item. It’s always a great idea to double-check the pricing history on CamelCamelCamel. Enter the link or SKU number on the site, and use the toggle filters to customize your search. If the Prime Day price you're looking at is far from the lowest price ever, you might want to consider waiting on your purchase.
4. Abandon your cart or use the ‘Save for Later’ feature to get instant sale notifications.
It can be hard to keep track of all the price drops on items you want during Prime Day. To prep, put the items you want in your cart and just don’t check out. During Prime Day, check your cart and see what's discounted. Another option for organizing all your desired items in one spot is to put them in the ‘Save for Later’ section of your Amazon cart. Either way, the Amazon app will let you know if an item you added to your cart or saved for later has dropped in price, via a push notification.
TIP: Amazon sellers have been known to offer "cart abandonment discounts," so you might get surprised with an extra discount on something you added to your cart but didn't buy.
5. Check third-party sellers to find lower pricing without the typical shipping fees – with caution.
One of the perks of a Prime membership is free shipping. However, you can only claim free shipping on items that are shipped from Amazon’s warehouses. You’re able to tell because the item will be labeled as "Sold & Shipped by Amazon."
During Prime Day sales, though, a lot of third-party sellers will lower their prices to be competitive or even lower than the price you might find for items that ship direct from Amazon. Many of them will even do away with their typical shipping fees during the big sale. To find these deals, click on ‘Other sellers on Amazon’ below the item’s list price. There, you’ll see third-party sellers who may be offering an even better deal than the one Amazon is featuring on the Deals page.
Bear in mind that shopping third-party sellers can be dicey. Some of these sellers won’t store items in American warehouses, as that can sometimes absolve them from having to comply with American health and safety laws. If the item is brand-name, the business is based in the U.S. and isn’t a shell for a foreign business, and the seller has great reviews, it might be a safe buy. But if you go this route to save some cash, make sure to put in a little extra due diligence.
6. Comparison shop at other retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.
Prime Day has turned out to be a pretty successful sales holiday, so you can bet Amazon’s competitors have figured out ways to cash in, too. Here are the sales you’ll want to watch during Prime Day that aren’t on Amazon:
The prices aren’t going to be dramatically lower than what you’ll find on Amazon – expect them to be identical a lot of the time, and they’ll never dip below 10% to 15% cheaper.
But every now and then they will be 10% to 15% cheaper. Even if the pricing is the same, you might decide it’s worth the convenience to pick up your order curbside the same day or use an extra savings hack like claiming an extra 5% off with your Target Circle Card.
8. Don't forget about Amazon Resale deals. We've seen an extra 20% off during Prime Day.
Amazon's Resale section (formerly called Amazon Warehouse) is a treasure trove of savings on returned, used, and open box items. You shouldn't sleep on it the rest of the year, and you most certainly shouldn't sleep on it during Amazon's Prime Day events. We've seen an extra 20% off Resale deals in years past.
So pay the Resale page a visit during Prime Day. That gadget you were eyeing might be even cheaper from the Amazon Warehouse (and it'll still come with Prime free shipping and be eligible for Amazon returns).
9. Follow Krazy Coupon Lady for all the Prime Day deals.
We’ve been covering Prime Day since 2015, and our editors are working 24/7 to provide the best deals, insights, and everything in between. Out and about during Prime Day? We'll be at our posts, sending you the best deals via the KCL app.
More Prime Day Deals & Savings Advice:
Our Favorite Prime Day Deals (this constantly gets updated as deals go live)
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