Amazon Prime Day 2017: A primer to help you snag hottest deals

Official Prime Day will be July 11

Tuesday will mark Amazon’s third annual Prime Day. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t. We’re not here to judge; we just want to help you score some deals.

So if you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, or perhaps you’ve always been curious about what kind of promotions are out there on Prime Day, this guide is for you.

Amazon Prime Day 2017 will offer hundreds of thousands of new deals, some of which go live as often as every five minutes, according to Amazon. There are also special offers on everything that’s included with a Prime membership, from music to videos to reading and voice shopping.

For example, you can receive four months of unlimited music for 99 cents.

VIDEO: Amazon Prime Day reactions; Ebay matches prices 

The company calls Prime Day “one of the world’s best days to shop,” and some people even use the opportunity to get holiday shopping done early.

"I think you see competitors kind of jumping in and not letting Amazon hog the sale day. You've got Macy's doing a Black Friday sale in July, you've got Dell doing certain deals at certain hours. You've got Fry's Day. Everyone is getting in on the act," Consumer World's Ed Dworsky said.

So to rewind a minute, we’ll answer your first question: No, you can’t shop these incredible Amazon deals unless you’re a Prime member. But there’s still time to join, if your curiosity is piqued.

WATCH: Finding the best Amazon Prime Day deals

In fact, you can sign up right now for a free month-long trial membership and still score next week’s deals. (You can even cancel it later if you don’t think Prime is worth paying for all year. But don’t tell anyone that we told you that).

Memberships last one year and include free, fast shipping (or rewards for no-rush delivery), free music and video streaming and exclusive products and offers, just to name a few benefits. If you join Prime and you really want to maximize your perks, you can click here to subscribe to a weekly email newsletter just for members.

So let’s see. So far we’ve reviewed the following: Prime Day is going to have tons of deals available, perhaps the best you’ll find online all year; but you need to be a member to get in on those savings.

Now, consider what you’re looking to buy. Are there any big-ticket items you’re after right now? NBC News predicts steep savings on the following: air conditioners, summer clothes, outdoor grills, outdoor furniture and other Amazon-branded products (for example, Fire HD and TV sticks, the Kindle, the Echo, etc). Most of those listed are due to the fact that summer is now well underway, and retailers are already looking to make room for fall inventory.

You can expect to save up to 50 percent on Prime-exclusive phones.

Amazon is also promising "amazing" deals on a variety of TVs, including the Element 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV. Just keep in mind that these sold out insanely fast last year, according to published reports.

But here’s the cool thing about being a Prime member. You can download the Amazon app, which is free, and add items to your watch list. So for example, if you’re scouting for a television and an incredible deal goes live, you’ll receive a notification through your app. Then, if all goes well, hopefully you’ll be one of the first in line to check out with your desired purchase.

Although this year’s Prime Day is set for Tuesday, these crazy promotions will be available to Prime members starting at 9 p.m. EST Monday, running through 3 a.m. EST Wednesday.

If you have any more questions about how Prime works or what kind of deals you might find, visit this website. Amazon typically enjoys the element of surprise, so the company isn’t sharing a comprehensive list of what will be marked down next week. You’ll just have to check back and see.

It's #AmazonPrimeDay!! KPRC2 Amy Davis has what you need to know about finding the best deals this beautiful Houston morning. If you're a new Prime member with an Echo device, you can use Alexa to join Prime today for $79. Watch now:

Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Tell us in the comments: Would you consider shopping on Prime Day?