Bargain hunters across the U.S. are counting down the minutes to the start of Amazon Prime Day, which runs four days, starting July 8 through July 11.
This members-only mega-sale promises deep discounts on thousands of products. But are Amazon's blink-and-you-miss-them deals worth the hype?
Based on past complaints about checkout glitches and inventory shortages, plus the availability of bigger sales at other times of the year or from other retailers, savvy shoppers might be better offer taking a pass on Prime Day altogether.
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Here are five reasons why you might not want to consider shopping during Amazon Prime Day.
1. You must be an Amazon Prime member to access deals
Don't have an Amazon Prime membership? Unless you have yet to take advantage of Amazon's 30-day free trial (six months for students), you'll have to fork over $139 to cover the annual membership fee or $14.99 per month for a monthly membership before gaining access to the exclusive deals on July 8.
But if you're considering joining Amazon Prime before the big sale just to shop on Prime Day, think twice before committing. If you don't plan to frequent Amazon often enough to reap the savings of Prime's free two-day shipping or to utilize the other member benefits (streaming music and videos are among the most popular), it could be a waste of your money.
2. Popular items sells out fast
In years past, one of the top complaints from shoppers on Amazon Prime Day has been that highly coveted items such as TVs and laptops were only available in limited quantities and sold out too quickly. As a result, you might be tempted to grab an item simply because it’s cheap.
Amazon is upfront about the limited quantities on Prime Day, but it's still a letdown if you wait hours for your item to go on sale only to find it's unavailable when you try to add it to your shopping cart.
Once a product is sold out at the sale price, Amazon won't always restock right away and when it does restock, the sale price likely won't be offered.
Looking for deals? Check out these Best Amazon Prime Day Early Deals.
3. You're an indecisive shopper
Keep in mind that if you're an indecisive shopper — say, you're someone who lets a desired item sit in their online shopping cart for a day or two before deciding if you really want to buy it — you should probably skip Prime Day.
Since the best deals don't last long, and new deals come online as often as every five minutes, you'll need to be ready to act fast if something catches your eye.
4. Amazon Prime Day includes items sold from third-party sellers
Amazon has over 9.7 million third-party sellers worldwide. Because these items come from other companies selling on Amazon's website, the quality could range from better than Amazon-branded products to items that might work once.
Moreover, returns work differently with third-party sellers. Some might follow similar guidelines as Amazon, while others might require you to pay to ship the item back.
Because of this, make sure to do your research on the seller if you plan to purchase on Amazon Prime Day. Look for any commonalities in product quality or return issues, as this could be a preview of what you'll experience.
5. There are better sales from other retailers and at other times of the year
Amazon had a great idea and, fortunately for shoppers, the idea has caught on and there are sales everywhere. Other retailers have wised up and used the frenzy that surrounds Amazon's sales days to their own advantage. So don't limit yourself to just Amazon. There are deals everywhere.
The Walmart Deals event is running July 8-13. The sale isn't exclusive to Walmart Plus members, so all shoppers can access the deals. Check out discounts on giftable items like electronics and apparel.
However, if you join Walmart Plus, you'll get to try it free for 30 days, or receive a 50% on an annual membership, and have early access to deals starting on July 7.
Other competitors such as Target, Costco and Best Buy are likely to offer deals during the week as well. Stay tuned.
There will be all kinds of Labor Day, back to school and Halloween sales later upcoming.
Come November, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the deal day of all deal days. Retailers that don't normally have sales, such as beauty brands and sometimes even Apple, have offers that won't be available at any other time of year.
The bottom line on Amazon Prime Day
Amazon expanded Prime Day to four days, starting on July 8. While the retailer will offer deals on everything from clothing to electronics, know these deals are limited in supply, and depending on what you need, you might find better deals other times of the year.
Also, you'll need an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of the event. It's great if you plan to use it regularly moving forward. However, there are other shopping plans like Walmart Plus, that offer many of the same perks, with a lower membership fee.
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