Amazon driver Shawndu Stackhouse is delivering packages in northeast Washington, DC on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Tom Williams | CQ Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
It’s usually one of the biggest sales of the year. And Amazon Prime Day could be even bigger in 2021.
The annual two-day shopping event begins June 21st at 3 p.m. ET and offers Prime members discounts on more than 2 million items – about twice as many as last year.
EMarketer predicts that total US digital revenue on Prime Day will grow 17.3% year over year to $ 12.18 billion. Sales, which will be exclusively on Amazon on Prime Day, will increase 18.3% from 2020 levels to $ 7.31 billion, it said.
“That’s an incredible number,” said Dave Kender, Editor-in-Chief of Reviewed, but “most of the products aren’t that interesting.”
“There are rough diamonds,” he added. “You just have to work to find them.”
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Of course, Amazon-branded products are being heavily discounted, including two-for-one sales on the Echo Dot and Fire TVs starting at $ 99.99.
Other standout sales include Apple AirPods with a charging case reduced by 25% to $ 119.99 and a Shark IQ Robot Vacuum for $ 319.99 – a saving of $ 280.
It’s a great time to stock up on summer travel supplies or back to school gear, especially from small businesses. Brooklyn, New York-born bag company State sells half of a kid’s backpack that typically retails for $ 95, and Rockland has a rolling travel bag for $ 50, about 55% less than it does at retail.
This year, according to Nathan Burrow, Senior Dealer Editor at Wirecutter, some of the best deals will be on small kitchen gadgets like kettles and coffee makers.
Burrow predicted that air fryers could be one of the most popular items overall, and even dwarf the Instant Pot, which has been one of the hottest sellers for years.
Of course, you have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of the Prime Day offers.
If you haven’t already joined, it’s free for 30 days. After that, you can cancel or sign up for a monthly membership for about $ 13, or pay $ 119 for the year. For bargain hunters, note that membership also includes free music, movies, and e-books, as well as discounts on groceries at Whole Foods.
Then download the Amazon app, scroll through the upcoming offers, and mark the items that interest you as “watching,” advised Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com. You will receive a notification when the price drops.
When a deal is live, add the item to your cart immediately. Some offers sell out quickly, said Ramhold. Once in your cart, you have 15 minutes to decide whether to complete the purchase.
If there’s a specific product you’re set for and you don’t see it in upcoming sales, you can create a wishlist and Amazon will notify you when it becomes part of a Prime Day deal.
However, some of the best bargains are not exclusive to Amazon.
As in previous years, Walmart, Target and Best Buy are holding competing deals events that coincide with Amazon Prime Day 2021.
Best Buy is already selling the Roku Express for just $ 29.99 and Jabra earbuds for $ 179.99, a $ 50 discount. During Office Depot’s discount days, which run June 21-23, an Acer Chromebook will drop 25% to $ 169.99.
But buyers watch out. As vaccination rates rise and the economy recovers from Covid, post-pandemic ambitions – or so-called revenge purchases – can quickly lead to overspending, according to a recent report by the American Institute of CPAs.
Already 2 in 5 Americans said that online shopping has made it more difficult to stick to a monthly budget.
About 39% of respondents said they often don’t know how much they spent on their credit or debit card until they see their monthly statement.
“Traders have strong strategies to encourage you to spend,” said Neal Stern, a member of the association’s financial education commission.
Determine what you want to buy and how much you will spend before you start shopping.
“Determine what you want to buy and how much you will spend before you start shopping,” he said. “If you have a plan, you will spend less money.”
Also, always look to see if there are better deals elsewhere before checking out, Kender advised. Open a new tab and find the product model number to see prices from other websites.
And finally, read user reviews and research price history so you can see how good the product – and the discount – really is.
“There is no good deal for a bad product,” said Kender.
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