You’re here on the internet, so you’ve probably heard of Prime Day. But exactly how do Prime Day deals work, and what are the things you can do now as you prepare to snag the best deals?
Well, Prime Day deals can come in any number of different forms, whether it’s a featured deal available to everyone with a Prime membership, a lightning deal, or even an invite-only deal. To prepare, you’ll want to check your Amazon account settings, arm yourself with tools that tell you if the particular deal you’re looking at is actually the lowest price of the year, and download the KCL app to receive the latest, greatest Prime Day deal notifications.
Oh, and those are just some of our preparation tips. We’ve got so many more for you. Read on to learn how you, too, can become a Prime Day savings pro.
Here's how Prime Day Deals work.
Prime Day typically happens twice per year – once in July and once in October. Prime Day is a two-day sale where you can score tons of deals across the entire website. You do have to be a Prime member to access the savings.
There tends to be a particular focus on electronics and Amazon-specific items like Kindles, Echo, and Fire products. We’ve seen some of these items get cheaper during Prime Day than they do during Amazon Black Friday. Last year, there was even an opportunity to get an Amazon Smart Thermostat for 100% free!
There are lots of ways to claim Prime Day deals. It may just be a static deal available to all Prime members. It may be a lightning deal with limited inventory, or you may be able to claim an invite-only deal if you’re among the chosen few. (We’ll show you how to join those ranks in a minute.)
Regardless of how you find the deal, you can expect to regularly see all kinds of items marked down by at least 60%, if not more. Like we already discussed, sometimes you’ll even be able to get an item for a grand total of zero dollars.
TIP: This summer, we’re predicting Prime Day dates as July 9–10, 2024, but they haven’t been officially announced quite yet.
8 Ways to Prepare for Prime Day Deals
You know the deals are coming. Now let’s break down the best ways to get ready for them so you can save the absolute most money.
Claim a free Prime membership trial to avoid paying to access deals.
Afraid to commit to Prime membership fees? That’s okay. You can still shop for Prime Day deals as soon as the day of the event. Amazon will let shoppers sign up for a 30-day Prime membership free trial, and shoppers will instantly be eligible to shop Prime Day deals.
We’ve got an ongoing list of Prime membership perks that explain why we think it’s very much worth it. But, if you’re still not convinced after your free trial, it’s super easy to cancel your membership at any time.
TIP: Prime Video-only subscribers will not have access to Prime Day deals.
2. Watch for deals in the weeks leading up to Prime Day.
You’ll typically start to see Prime Day Deals released at the end of June, a couple weeks ahead of Prime Day itself. These early Prime Day deals come and go with a lot of volatility, but you can expect to see the best prices on Prime Day.
While you can wait until the official 48-hour Prime Day sale to buy, 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.
3. Request an invitation to access exclusive Amazon Prime Day deals.
If you’re a Prime member, you can request access to invitation-only Prime Day deals. When they’re available, you’ll find them on the Deals page. As long as you’re a member, you’ll be able to click the button to request an invite to receive access to the extra savings. After that, keep an eye on your email inbox! If you’re chosen, that will be where your invitation pops up.
4. 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 Dots.
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.
5. Abandon your cart or use the ‘Save for Later’ feature to get instant sale notifications.
Maybe that item you’re thinking about putting in your cart isn’t on sale in early June, but as the weeks roll on, that could very easily change. If you want instant notifications about future sale pricing, put the item in your cart and just don’t check out. This is called an ‘abandoned cart.’ Another option is to put the item on your ‘Save for Later’ list.
Then, make sure to go into your Amazon notifications settings and look for ‘Your Watched & Waitlisted Deals.’ Make sure that the setting is toggled ‘On.’ When the price goes down, you’ll be notified and can purchase at just the right time.
TIP: Ordering via Alexa? There’s a similar function. Toggle the ‘Deal Recommendations’ alert on your Alexa mobile app on turn it on. Then, once a deal goes live, Alexa will instantly notify you via a yellow blinking light on your device. Once that happens, say, “Alexa, what are my notifications?” and Alexa will explain the details of the deal.
6. 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.
7. Comparison shop at other retailers like Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
Prime Day 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:
Walmart+ Week and Walmart+ Weekend (which is an early answer to early Prime Day sales starting on June 17, 2024)
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. 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, insight, and everything in between. You can trust the Krazy Coupon Lady as the deal expert for all retail events!
Check out our links below to stay ahead of the deals:
Our Favorite Prime Day Deals (this constantly gets updated as deals go live)
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