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Prime Day | 10 Things You Must Know to Get the Best Deals of the Year

According to enthusiastic shoppers and sellers, Amazon Prime Day is the best day of the year to shop and sell, respectively.

Why?

For sellers, it’s the day they clear astronomical amounts of their products from their inventories. Some sellers have reported their Prime Day sales to have jumped by 1000% compared to the average daily sales on normal days.

For shoppers like you, it’s the golden day when they can buy all desired products at almost throwaway prices.

But while that’s true for most shoppers, some miss out on all the crazy deals Prime Day has to offer because they didn’t know how to take advantage of this one-day annual event.

If you’re wondering what the hype is all about or looking forward to only getting the best Prime Day deals, we’ve got your back with this comprehensive guide.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

  • What Is Prime Day?
  • When Is Prime Day?
  • Is Prime Day Better For Deals Than Black Friday?
  • Should You Wait For Black Friday?
  • How Does Amazon Prime Day Work?
  • How to Avoid Counterfeits When Looking for Deals
  • How Should I Prepare for Prime Day 2021?
  • What Deals Do We Expect From Prime Day 2021?
  • Do Other Retailers Offer Prime Day Deals?
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

#1: What Is Prime Day?

Prime Day is a one-day event by Amazon when all their products have ridiculously massive discounts.

more discounts, one store
Source: news.lee.net

It’s a creative and profitable way for Amazon to thank all its customers and businesses who’ve shown trust in its e-commerce platform. 

Amazon makes money, the sellers make money, and the customers save money.

Everybody wins on Prime Day.

The first Prime Day was held in 2015, and it’s happened annually in the consecutive years since then.

Do You Have to Be a Prime Member for Prime Day?

Unfortunately, yes.

To benefit from Prime Day, you need to be a Prime member.

What does this mean?

To become a Prime member, you’ll have to subscribe to Amazon Prime either monthly or annually.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve bought one item or hundreds on Amazon before. 

If you’ve not subscribed to Prime, you won’t be finding any mind-blowing deals on Prime Day.

Pro tip: If you want the Amazon Prime Day deals but don’t have Prime’s subscription, sign up for the Prime 30-days free trial before Prime Day. Then cancel the subscription before the trial period ends.

#2: Is Prime Day Better for Deals Than Black Friday?

Is shopping on Prime Day better than shopping on Black Friday?

Prime Day is when Amazon pushes sales mostly for Amazon-branded products, services, and private labels.

It’s also famously known for its superb discounts on electronics such as:

  • Instant pots
  • TVs
  • Robot vacuums
  • Smartphones
  • Tablets

If you’re planning to buy or upgrade any electronics, this is the day to make your purchase. Some electronics sell at almost a quarter or a half of their normal market prices.

On the other hand, on Black Friday, which always happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the amazing deals cut across all products and retailers. 

You’re likely to find better deals on cosmetics, clothes, mattresses, beddings, and other day-to-day living items than you would on Prime Day.

It’s surely the best day to shop gifts for the upcoming holiday season.

While there’s no membership subscription fee to participate in Black Friday, Prime Day makes the subscription fee worth your while by offering:

  • Free same-day delivery
  • Free two-day shipping
  • Free two-hour shipping
  • Free no-rush weekly shipping

#3: Should You Wait for Black Friday?

The difference between discounts offered on both shopping events is narrowing every year.

Instead of choosing one over the other, it’s an opportunity to spread out the cost of your shopping over the two events.

For electronics such as Fire TV and Amazon products, purchase them on Prime Day.

For non-electronics, non-Amazon devices, and the holiday shopping season, wait for Black Friday.

#4: When Is Prime Day?

Prime Day often happens in mid-July, but in 2021 Prime Day will be held June 21 and June 22.

In 2020, Amazon pushed Prime Day to October due to inventory shortage caused by the surge of orders resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

previous years, breaking news, deals expert
Source: amazon.com

In 2021, Amazon announced that Prime Day is June 21st and 22nd.

Prime Day happens across 19 countries as of 2020. But according to the report, India and Canada won’t participate this year due to coronavirus concerns.

When Does Prime Day Start and End?

Prime Day usually begins at 12.00 am Pacific Time and at 3.00 am Eastern Time in the United States. It ends at 11.59 pm Pacific Time and 2.59 am Eastern Time.

Here’s a table showing when Prime Day starts and ends by time zones in the US and Canada:

USA & CanadaPacific TimeMountain TimeCentral TimeEastern Time
Start12.00 am1.00 am2. 00 am3. 00 am
End11.59 pm12.59 pm1.59 pm2.59 pm

How Long Will Prime Day Last?

Initially, Prime Day began as a 24-hour annual sales event.

But Amazon increased the time to 48 hours in 2019 and 2020.

Therefore, Prime Day 2021 will start at 12.00 am Pacific Time on 21st June and end at 11.59 pm Pacific Time on 22nd June.

When Do Prime Day Deals Begin?

A few weeks before 21st June, you’ll notice early deals on specific products showing on your Amazon Prime account.

However, unless it’s an emergency, hold off making any purchases yet.

Prices fall even lower as Prime Day approaches.

#5: How Does Amazon Prime Day Work?

Prime Day is when Amazon’s sales fiercely skyrocket over the charts in a short period.

In Prime Day 2020, Amazon is estimated to have made $10.4 billion.

It achieves this by incentivizing Amazon Prime customers to buy massively discounted items that aren’t available on non-Prime days.

What Were the Most Popular Prime Day Deals in 2020?

The following were the most popular offers in 2020:

  • Smart home devices such as Echo Dot
  • Vacuum cleaners
  • Fire tablets
  • Fire TVs
  • Amazon kindles
  • Coffee machines
  • Groceries from Whole Foods
Smart home devices such as Echo Dot
Source: amazon.com

#6: How to Avoid Counterfeits When Looking for Deals

Amazon’s day offers sellers a chance to make tons of money from their inventory.

So it isn’t surprising that it also attracts crooks hoping to make a quick buck.

Not to worry, though.

Here’s how you can protect yourself:

Check Customer Reviews

Customer reviews paint an idea of what products and services you can expect from a retailer.

A retailer with a long history of good reviews is a safer bet than a retailer with one or two reviews.

However, many stunning reviews aren’t completely reliable. Scammers have become smarter and write fake reviews either in-house or by hiring people.

To tell between real and fake reviews, use sites such as ReviewMeta and FakeSpot.

They analyze reviews, looking for questionable terminology and repetition, and then pass or fail the reviews.

Engage Only Reliable Sellers

Retailers often have two product listings:

  • Direct sales: Done mainly by the manufacturing retailer
  • Third-party sellers: Done by other sellers, majorly small businesses, on behalf of the manufacturing retailer

While not all small businesses are scams, it’s best to buy directly from the manufacturing retailer.

Amazon Pickup & Returns on South St. in Philadelphia
Source: Unsplash

But if the third parties have better discounts and you’re unsure if they’re legitimate or not, check for these signs common with scammers:

  • No return policy
  • Extremely low prices
  • High shipping costs
  • Extra delayed shipping

#7: How Should I Prepare for Prime Day 2021?

To prepare adequately for Amazon Prime Day 2021, do the following:

  1. Join Prime membership: Prime Day is only available to Amazon Prime members. Sign up for the 30-days free trial period before the main event. After, you can choose to continue or cancel the subscription.
  1. Set up notification alerts: Prime Day occurs only for a limited time. Before life gets in the way and you forget, ask Alexa or set reminders to keep you updated. 
  1. Create a shopping list: Amazon offers deep discounts on over 10,000 items. It’s easy to be distracted from the things you need. To avoid buying items you don’t need and also know how much you’ll be saving, make a shopping list.
  1. Hold off buying electronics and Amazon devices and services weeks leading to Prime Day.
  1. Loop in a loved one on Amazon Household: Amazon lets you add one or two people to share your subscription at no extra cost. A friend will help you shop faster.
  1. Look out for lightning deals: On Prime Day, the deals with the deepest discounts happen here. A lightning deal only lasts for a limited number of hours or until the products run out.
  1. Compare Amazon’s deals with competing retailers: Amazon’s competitors have their own deals during this period. Compare their offers before making a purchase.

How Do You Shop on Prime Day?

You can shop on Prime Day using:

  • Amazon app
  • Amazon website
  • Alexa’s voice ordering

#8: What Deals Do We Expect During Prime Day 2021?

As the annual sale event is nearing, Amazon retailers have already begun releasing early Prime deals. 

Here are some of the early-bird offers you can get right now:

Also, it’s good to note that while most products will be discounted, not all of them will be.

So there’s a likelihood of missing a special deal on one or two items on your wish list.

To plan accordingly to avoid disappointments, have a sneak peek at what products will be on sale during Amazon Prime Day 2021:

  • Kitchen appliances such as air fryers and coffee machines
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Source: amazon.com
  • Smart home devices such as Amazon’s Echo Spot x2
  • Gaming devices like Nintendo switch
  • Wearables such as Apple Watch Series 3
  • Laptops
  • TVs
  • Tablets
  • Kindles

#9: Do Other Retailers Offer Prime Day Deals?

Amazon’s competitors like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy usually take advantage of Prime Day’s hype and anticipation to offer incredible discounts to their customers.

They run similar sales at the same time as Prime Day. Unlike Prime Day’s two-day event, their offers run for more than two days to over a week.

Also, the competing retailers’ price history has shown to rival Prime Day prices in the past years, especially on non-electronic items.

#10: Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Hidden Tricks to Get the Best Out of Amazon Prime Day Offers?

When you see a nice discount on an item you like, you may be tempted not to buy it immediately, hoping the price will go lower.

Unfortunately, you’re not the only one seeing the offer.

If you wait too long, you’ll find the item is out of stock. And when it’s restocked, it usually comes at a higher price.

So one secret to getting the best of Amazon Prime Day, act fast. 

Is Prime Day Worth It?

The opinion of whether Prime Day is worth it varies from person to person.

The difference lies in how much you save on your shopping list.

The goal of Prime Day is to allow you to spend less money on items. If you don’t save big bucks on Prime Day, then it isn’t worth it.

You may be better off checking out Amazon’s competitors such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

Disappointed With Prime Day Deals

Didn’t find any special deals on the items you wanted on Prime Day?

Prime Day is often a great day to buy technological gadgets and Amazon devices and services.

So you might not find nice discounts on other products. In this case, it’s better to wait for Black Friday when discounts cut across all items.

Also, if you bought a Prime Day deal you thought was great, but it turns out it wasn’t, you can return the item before 30 days are over.

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Photo by Christian Wiediger / CC BY

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