How to Make the Most Out of Amazon Prime Day

Amazon’s Prime Day starts June 21, and experts have tips on how to snag the best deals.

Prime Day is an annual sales event exclusively for Amazon Prime members. The company has announced the early release of several Prime Day deals across categories such as fashion, home, beauty products, toys, sporting goods, pet supplies, and electronics.

Some of the best deals on Prime Day are for Amazon's own suite of products, from Fire tablets and Fire streaming devices to Echo devices and Kindles, shopping expert Andrea Woroch said in an email interview. 

"This doesn't mean you won't find sales on other brands, as there have been deals in the past on Dyson and KitchenAid," she added. "Just make sure you bookmark the Amazon Deals Page and shop as soon as the sales even launch so you don't miss out, as inventory may be limited. There may even be deals that launch on different days or times, so add those to your calendar, so you don't miss out."

Savings Tools Can Help

When shopping on Amazon, especially on Prime Day, you may notice multiple buying options for the same or similar goods, Woroch said. Finding the best price can be tricky, and often, the cheapest option is buried under many listings. 

Price trackers are a useful way to make sure you’re getting the best deals. Woroch recommends you download a savings tool like Cently to your browser. Cently's Amazon Best Price tracker will help you find the least-expensive buying option across multiple Amazon sellers.  Other price trackers include CamelCamelCamel and Keepa. 

If you're planning to make a few big purchases on Prime Day, this may be an excellent time to get a new credit card, Woroch said. Many credit cards offer sign-up bonuses that let you earn a few hundred dollars for spending a certain amount of money within the first few months. For instance, the Chase Freedom credit card offers $200 back when you spend $500 in the first three months. 

Once you have your shopping list, start doing your research, Woroch advises. You should review the prices of products you're planning to buy on Prime Day ahead of the sales event. This way, you know what the presale price is, so you don't get fooled by any misleading sales, like those in which original prices are marked up to make a deal look like a better value. 

"Because Amazon has been known to fluctuate prices, it's important to do your homework, so you don't get duped into buying something just because they've marked it down," Woroch said. "It may have already been reduced before the sales event."

Keep an eye out for limited-time offers, suggests Omer Riaz, the CEO of Urtasker, which helps businesses sell on Amazon. 

"Downloading the Amazon app and tapping the Prime Day deals for the products will showcase the offers on Prime day in the month of June," he added.  

Before Prime Day, go to Lightning Deals, Clicking on Today’s Deals, and then click Upcoming to get a Notification when deals are live, Riaz said. 

Think Big

Don't forget that Amazon is not the only place to shop on Prime Day, Sara Skirboll, a shopping expert at RetailMeNot, said in an email interview. 

"You can shop at hundreds of other retailers and find great deals, in some cases even better discounts," Skirboll added. "Last year, RetailMeNot found that there were over 350 retailers that offered deals on and around Prime Day, so pay attention to places like Macy's, Kohl's, and Best Buy, who all might be running their own deals."

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a sales event, but keep in mind not every item will be a bargain on Prime Day, Skirboll said. 

"Four categories to avoid purchasing on Prime Day include gaming consoles, toys, Apple products, and cameras," she added. "Save yourself for Black Friday and closer to the holiday season when you'll typically find deeper discounts."