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Why I’m not shopping the early Prime Day deals this year

Noah McGraw
By
Prime Day Deals 2021.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Getting antsy for Prime Day to start? We are too. But personally, I’m holding off buying a new TV, headphones, and Vitamix until the official sale starts. Here’s why you should, too.

Prime Day always brings the best deals

Prime Day is the second biggest shopping holiday of the year. It follows closely behind the week of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While Amazon has deals on great tech products every day, the deals on the actual days of the sale are what it’s all about. Historically, Amazon drops the prices on their big ticket items during the official days of the sale, which are July 12 and 13 this year. Prime Day deals will very likely be the lowest prices Amazon will offer until November.

We can use price tracking websites like CamelCamelCamel.com to see these price fluctuations throughout the year for any product on Amazon. On the website, paste the ASIN number (it’s the series of numbers at the end of the URL) into the search bar and hit Return. You’ll see a graph of Amazon’s price for that product since it was first listed. For instance, AirPods 2, a classic and popular Prime Day purchase, has seen its biggest price drops during Prime Day and Black Friday. The price usually comes back up by $10 or $20 after the sales, before plunging again when one of those two sales comes around. Personally, I’d wait for another big drop before purchasing new AirPods.

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Deals you see now will probably be cheaper on Prime Day

Sure, Amazon has some good deals currently running on their site. These are likely to get even cheaper when the sale rolls around. Amazon knows people are waiting until Prime Day to make their big purchases, so they aren’t dangling many fantastic discounts in front of us now. Take AirPods Pro this time. They are currently at $175, a pretty good 30% discount. But during Black Friday last year, they dropped to $159. We can expect some Prime Day AirPods deals like that to show up on the official sales dates.

Pretty much nothing sells out on Prime Day, and what’s the rush?

Amazon is prepared for a massive sale. They have back stock on all their best-selling items. I would be very surprised if staple Amazon products like Echo smart speakers or Kindle e-readers went out of stock. It’s best to just sit back and wait for a big price drop, then make your purchase. As long as you’re watching the items that you want to buy, you’ll jump on a deal before it sells out. And hey, worst-case scenario, you have to wait until Black Friday deals come around. They will likely be even better than Prime Day deals.

The only products I would keep a close eye on are MacBooks. Amazon said that the Apple laptops were among their most popular purchases during Prime Day. They won’t have an unlimited supply, and they don’t often get big discounts, so jump on one early if they’re on your list.

Other retailers will get in on the action with Prime Day competitor sales

Just like Amazon, retailers like Best Buy and Walmart are waiting until July to bring their biggest discounts. They know people are in the shopping mood on those days, and they’ll try to piggyback off the event. Just like Amazon, they’re holding back the real offers until the official launch. When the big day comes around, don’t forget to check the other big retailers like Best Buy, Newegg, and Walmart Prime Day deals.

Many of these other retailers specialize in something that Amazon doesn’t. For instance, Best Buy has a huge selection of high-end TVs. Walmart is a great place to buy smaller household appliances. With in-store retailers, you can even pick up many of these items on the same day you bought them. Hold your horses a bit, and watch as these three retail giants try to undercut each other for the best prices.

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Noah McGraw
Noah McGraw
Noah is a Portland-based writer and editor focusing on digital commerce. In his spare time he enjoys riding and fixing old…
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