Amazon Prime Day is two days of great deals, but it also brings opportunities for scammers if you’re not careful. And not every deal is the best.
Where to expect the best deals
Besides home goods, our sister site Simplemost says you can expect big markdowns on Amazon devices like Echos, Ring doorbells and Amazon Fire TVs. Based on prior years, Simplemost also expects discounts on robot vacuums, Instant Pots and 23andMe DNA testing.
This year, Amazon announced a handful of discounts in advance, but most won’t appear until Prime Day, and deals change every hour, so you have to check back frequently. You must be a Prime member to participate.
Other retailers like Walmart and Target know Prime Day is around the corner, so they’re battling for your business by offering their own great deals at the exact same time.
PC Mag’s Chandra Steele says if you have a particular product in mind, shop around: Don’t assume it will be cheapest on Amazon.
“You can look at Target, you can look at Walmart,” she said. If you do your shopping this way, it’s easy to compare prices and you may find an even better deal.
Watch out for scammers
Steele, however, warns you to be wary of fake Prime Day ads, especially on social media.
“Don’t click directly from something else because it could be a phishing link,” she cautioned. “It could be a deal that doesn’t really exist.”
Also, she says, be on alert for fake reviews. Steele says short, generalized comments could be a ploy to get you to buy.
“Maybe the review is something overly complimentary,” she said, which could mean it is a shill review.
Lastly, Steele says to keep your deliveries safe from porch pirates by choosing an “Amazon Day” when you order, so it all arrives at once, instead of spreading it out over several different days.
“They’ll try to ship everything to you on that day,” she said, “so you can guarantee that you or someone else will be home on that day.”
But if you are at work all week, or away on vacation in July, you may want to have your items sent to an Amazon locker or pickup counter near you, so that way, you don’t waste your money.
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