Amazon likes to launch sales event all year round and Prime Day is the second biggest event in its sales calendar. Prime Day is the brand's big summer sale and usually takes place in July. However, Amazon does not reveal the exact dates of its Prime Day sale until closer to the event.
In 2022 Prime Day fell on July 12 and 13 this year. It was the seventh year of the Prime Day sale after it first appeared in summer 2015.
Prime Day has been known to move around due to world events. In 2020 it was pushed back to October due to the coronavirus pandemic, while in 2021 it took place in June to avoid clashing with the Olympics. There is no indication there will be a change from the usual July date in 2023.
Prime Day deals usually take place over two days and there are some ways to prepare for the sales event.
1. Join Prime
If you are an Amazon Prime member you will be able to see Lightning Deals earlier and get first access to them. That is a good thing because many of the best Lightning Deals are based on both a time limit and stock limits, meaning once enough people claim the deal it will be removed. You can join Prime here. You will also get free delivery on a large number of items during the Amazon Prime Day sale.
2. Create a wishlist
Amazon does not have an in-house price tracker. However, you can add any items you like the look of to an Amazon Wishlist. This allows you to quickly and easily scan the list and see if any of the items have dropped in price. You can create a list here.
3. Check your prices
While Amazon does not have a price tracker you can use a third party. CamelCamelCamel shows you when prices on Amazon are lowest for individual products and allows you to make a more informed decision on what constitutes a deal during the Prime Day sale.
4. Bookmark rival pages
Amazon will not be the only brand to launch a sale during Prime Day. Keep an eye out on Currys, which often reduces the prices of Amazon Echo Dot and other devices a couple of days before the Amazon Prime Day sale. John Lewis, Argos and Very will often price match tech and other products during the Amazon sale, giving you other options to shop.
The Amazon Prime Day secret sections
Amazon has a number of deals sections and while the majority of the Prime deals will take place in the Amazon deals section of the website, there are other options for those who want to grab a bargain all year round.
Amazon Warehouse is a popular area of the site that offers refurbished items at a major discount. It is particularly useful for technology and appliances such as vacuum cleaners and mobile phones. However, there is a second section that offers discounts on many of the identical things Amazon will discount during Prime Day.
While Warehouse items are returned and repackaged, Outlet offers discounts on items that are either overstocked or are soon to be removed from sale.
This means the sellers are keen to get rid of them and that sometimes results in bargain basement prices.
Amazon says the Outlet section is for items that are overstocked and a place where marked down and clearance items can be found. It includes £100 discounts on high end Bang & Olufsen headphones, 30% off smart Philips Hue lightbulbs and savings on Shark vacuum cleaners.
The best Amazon deals before Prime Day begins
There are some deals already live on the Amazon deals section. These will likely not be as cheap as Prime Day deals but do represent a bargain if you need an item immediately.
Amazon Echo Dot devices
In the current sale Amazon Echo Dot devices are reduced by a third. The fifth generation devices are on sale for £34.99, a price that matched the Black Friday deal price from 2022. The version with a clock display included is down to £44.99 in the same sale. You can see all Echo Dot deals here.
Amazon Fire Stick 4K
The Amazon Fire Stick 4K will be part of the Prime Day sale but the £65 streaming device is 40% off at the time of writing. That is a significant discount and brings the price down to £38.99.
Amazon gardening sale
Amazon has launched a spring garden sale with discounts on Black+Decker tools, trowels and other gardening equipment and weed killer. The sale can be seen here. A £17 pump action pressure washer spray is one of the biggest deals in the garden sale, while the more powerful Black+Decker pressure washer is under £60.
