5 Amazon Prime Big Deal Days Mistakes That Could Cost You Money
There are deals to be had and mistakes to be avoided at Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale this year.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is officially underway, with the members-only sale running through October 7. Bargain hunters can find discounts on thousands of products, from electronics and home goods to apparel and holiday gifts. But are Amazon's blink-and-you-miss-them deals always 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, some shoppers might be better off taking a pass on Prime Day altogether. Others might need to reflect on their strategy
Here are five mistakes many shoppers make when shopping Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
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1. Not doing the math on whether Prime membership is worth keeping after the sale
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 October 6 and 7.
But if you're considering joining Amazon Prime before the big sale just to shop on Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, 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. Forgetting that popular items sells out fast
In years past, one of the top complaints from shoppers on Prime Big Deal Days 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, 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 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.
3. Being 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 Big Deal Days.
Since the best deals don't last long, you'll need to be ready to act fast if something catches your eye.
4. Not checking whether the item is sold by a third-party seller
Amazon has over nine 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 to 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 during the sales event. Look for any commonalities in product quality or return issues, as this could be a preview of what you'll experience.
5. Not checking for deals 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 runs every year, for example. 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 access to early sales events, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Other competitors such as Target, Costco and Best Buy all tend to offer deals during the week as well. Stay tuned and always compare your basket of items across a few different retailers before finalizing your order.
Come November, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the deal days 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.
Shop Prime Big Deal Days with a plan
Amazon hosts Prime Big Deal Days on October 6 - 7. While the retailer will offer deals on everything from clothing to electronics, know that these deals are limited in supply, and depending on what you need, you might find better deals at 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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