AMAZON Prime Day is a great opportunity to grab a bargain, but it’s important to make sure a deal is really going to save you money.
Fortunately, there are tools available to check you really are getting the best price on the market before you hit ‘buy now’.
Amazon Prime Day is a 48-hour sale event that will take place on October 8 and 9.
It’s exclusively available for Prime members, offering discounts on everything from the latest technology to sought after beauty items and top toys.
Bargain hunters will be looking to score big savings on thousands of items, but it’s important to make sure that the publicised discount is as good as it seems.
We all know how alluring sales can be, particularly with Christmas just around the corner, but luckily there are tools available to stop you losing your head.
Harry Rose, Editor of Which? magazine, said: “Amazon Prime Day may seem like the best time to snap up a good deal if you are a Prime member but don’t feel panicked into buying things you don’t need or haven’t budgeted for.
“When looking to buy something new, always do your research first by checking price comparison sites like PriceRunner and CamelCamelCamel, which not only show current prices at multiple retailers but also reveal a product’s pricing history.
“This allows you to work out whether the sale price genuinely represents good value.”
CamelCamelCamel is a shopper’s best friend when it comes to Amazon Prime Day.
The website allows shoppers to enter an item’s URL to reveal its price history, and see if it has previously been sold at a lower price.
Handily, you can also set up price alerts to let you know when it drops in price again.
Prices can change during the two day event so if there’s an item your desperate to get at the best price, setting up a CamelCamelCamel alert could ensure you don’t miss out on the best price.
Don’t forget to also check other retailers before purchasing using Google Shopping or Price Spy.
And remember, you’ll only be making a saving if you intended to buy the item in the first place and don’t forget hidden costs, like delivery charges.
Some items are particularly likely to be heavily discounted in the Prime Day sale, such as stock the online retailer wants to clear ahead of Christmas.
Which? editor Mr Rose said: “Some products follow quite predictable pricing cycles, for example, the previous year’s TVs typically drop in price when new models launch in spring, so check if you can pick up last year’s models for a bargain price.
“Most technology, including smartphones, TVs and tablets, are released on a one-year cycle, so you only need to wait 12 months before there’s a shiny new device to get excited about.
“Big tech companies will do their best to tempt you into buying their latest release, but the forgotten device celebrating its first birthday could still be more than adequate and it’s also far more likely to be on sale.”
Whatever is catching your eye this October remember to do your research and make sure you get the best price.
When is Prime Day 2024?
The next Prime Day event will be the Big Deal Days sale event in October.
The sale will kick off at midnight on October 8 and run to midnight on October 9.
The last Prime Day event for 2024 took place on July 16-17 and Prime members enjoyed thousands of discount across all categories.
If you don’t want to miss out on October’s event you will need to become a Prime member.
Signing up for a Prime membership is easy and comes with lots of perks including next-day delivery and access to Prime Video and Amazon Music.
Amazon Prime costs £8.99 a month, or £95 for an annual membership.
But if you are brand-new to Prime you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, giving you free access to the sale when it launches next month.
However, you will need to cancel your membership before the 30-day trial ends to avoid the ongoing £8.99 monthly fee.
What were the best Prime Day deals in July?
Some of the best Prime Day bargains offered in July were for Amazon branded products such as Fire tablets and TVs as well as Ring doorbells.
One of the hottest deals was the ‘seriously impressive’ 55-inch Fire TV slashed from £549.99 to £329.99.
Other highlights in the July Prime Day event included discounts on the Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, which was reduced from £279.99 to £159.99, and the Philips L’OR Barista Sublime Capsule Coffee Machine, which was slashed from £109.99 to £49.99.
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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