During a time when a lot of us are trying to save money, Amazon Prime Day is one place where you can score big if you plan the right way.
Amazon Prime Day kicks off on July 11.
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KPRC 2 is sharing five things you should know to save the most money on the things you want.
Amazon has been doing Prime Day for eight years. It’s like a Black Friday sale in the middle of the summer where there are deals on everything from electronics to clothes, and, of course, Amazon products. This year there is a new twist and it is something you can prep for ahead of time.
1. Look for “invite-only” deals
“Before Prime Day kicks off on Tuesday and Wednesday, you have to request an invite to buy a select amount of items --- the items Amazon thinks are going to sell out fast, things like heavily discounted TVs and headphones,” explains Bridget Carey, Senior Editor of CNET.com.
When you click the request invite button, you have to wait for an invite to show up in your inbox sometime during Prime Day to even get the chance to buy it. Not everyone will get the deal, so sign up for several items if there is something you really want.
“This is interesting. This is a new thing Amazon is doing. It’s only for some items. You can see them on Amazon’s Prime Day main website.”
2. Don’t get caught up in the excitement of a deal
Shopping on Amazon can turn into a whole experience, going down rabbit holes of “lightning deals” and “last-minute specials,” but watch out. Sometimes a sale may not be the best price.
“Oftentimes if a product is sold it sells always at 30% off because they just don’t sell it at the normal MSRP original sale price,” said Carey.
There are a few tools you can do to make sure a sale is really a sale. You can google the item and see what other places are selling it for. You can also use a website called CamelCamelCamel. Copy and paste the URL from Amazon into the website and you can see the history of the item and for what it has been sold.
“That item always sells for 30% off, but sometimes it’s 50% off. That’s when you know a sale is really a sale,” explains Carey.
3. Watch out for subscription traps
Amazon Prime Day will also feature deals on subscription services. Or, when you buy certain items, they often come loaded with subscriptions like Amazon Kids or Kindle Unlimited.
Often these apps offer a “free trial” period that may later turn into an expensive charge if you forget to opt out of the trial period. Carey suggests setting a calendar reminder so you can turn off the trial subscription before you are charged again. (That is just in case you don’t want to use it anymore!)
4. Make a list of items you actually need
Sure, it can be fun to browse around all the fun items on Amazon, but if you really want to save money, think about the items you will already be buying.
Consider making a list of back-to-school items like shoes, backpacks and laptops. Other good ideas include household items you already need like toilet paper, laundry detergent or soap.
5. Use Amazon Prime Day deals at other stores
Now that Amazon Prime Day has been around for a while, other stores will also have sales during this time. Watch your inbox for sale ads from stores or browse around store websites.
Carey explains how you can also use the Prime deal prices at other stores.
“A lot of big box retailers, your Target, your Best Buy or Walmart, they offer price matching on Amazon. Just do your homework and know what their rules are. If you’re in a store and you want to say, ‘Hey, can you honor the price that is being sold out at Amazon?’, do your homework, have that item easy for the cashier to see on your phone. Make it easy for the cashier. If you follow the rules, you can make it easy for the cashier to honor that price on Amazon and you got yourself a sale.”
Often stores will match Amazon prices if they are actually sold by Amazon, not a third-party seller. So, watch for that when you are looking up items on Amazon.
A few more things you can do to save $ on Amazon Prime Day
- Don’t forget to check for deals on the “Subscribe and Save” items you are already signed up for. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about those items since they are shipped without you thinking about it.
- Go through Amazon and “like” or “follow” all of the stores you might want to get deals from. You should get notified about the deals that will happen during the sale event.
Do you have a secret trick you use to save money while shopping? Let us know in the comments below!
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