With the sales event approaching fast (it's due to start in July), it's time to get some Amazon Prime Day tips and advice. Want to make your money go further? Looking for the cheapest way of buying the latest games, tech, or accessories? This is the best opportunity you'll have in months - but knowing what is and isn't a good deal is crucial.
That's where the GamesRadar+ team comes in. The site and I have been covering the sale for years now, so we've built up more than a few pointers and Amazon Prime Day tips for making the most of these discounts.
To help prep you for Prime Day gaming deals, here are some pointers on getting the most out of Amazon's sale. Prepare yourself for a hearty meal of knowledge!
1. Don't wait until day 2 of the Amazon Prime Day deals
Even though it might be tempting to hold off until the second day of sales (particularly if you've got your eye on something like an expensive notebook and want to see if it drops any further in the Prime Day laptop deals), you should pull the trigger on particularly good offers as and when you see them. While it's possible for more discounts to drop as we approach the day two-mark of Amazon Prime Day, there's no guarantee it's going to happen.
Plus, most of the best offers (especially for hot, high-ticket items like Prime Day PC deals or Prime Day Oculus Quest deals) will have sold out before we've even gotten through 24 hours of the event. As such, it's probably wiser to jump on anything you really want before it disappears or goes back up to full price.
Be sure to check whether there's a time limit under the price too; some offers don't last until day two of Amazon Prime Day anyway. That was certainly the case for many Prime Day board game deals in the UK last year.
2. Check price-comparison software
Unfortunately for us, Amazon has a habit of claiming something is a good deal when it just isn't. As an example, the retailer has been known to artificially raise the price before knocking it down again for a steeper discount, or - as has been the case with Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals in the past - bringing back a standard reduction that we see countless times throughout the year.
With that in mind, I'd highly recommend trying out price comparison software to give you a better idea of whether the offer you're looking at is decent or not. I use Camelcamelcamel, and it's never steered me wrong. There are other options, of course, but this has been my go-to for half a decade.
To find out a product's price history in CamelCamelCamel, simply grab the URL of the deal you want to investigate, paste it into the search box on the site, and hit enter. You'll then be able to see easy-to-understand graphs and tables showing previous historic low prices, not mention the average, highest, and lowest prices from the last few years. That'll help you make a much more informed decision.
3. It's not just about Amazon
Yes, that's something of a contradictory statement. But it's true - other retailers see Amazon Prime Day and realize it's a chance to get in on the action. As a result, they throw up offers of their own to compete.
While savings include the usual suspects with special branded deals (Walmart, Best Buy, Target, you get the idea), more niche stores such as Newegg and Dell are more than worth a look as well. They're good or better at Prime Day gaming laptop deals or components than Amazon itself, providing impressive cuts across the board.
4. Don't just look at tech
It's true that the best reductions are reserved for hardware (be it kitchen goods or something for your living room), but don't think you can't get excellent bargains on more unusual items too. Prime Day Lego deals are a great example. More kits than I can count are slashed in price for the event, so be sure to take a look if you want something from Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, and beyond for your shelf.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We've seen price cuts on some properly left-field items like t-shirts, toys, D&D books, and more in the past. Basically? Keep an open mind and be sure to scroll through the different sections on Amazon's Prime Day hub. You may be surprised by what you find.
For more advice and all the latest discounts, be sure to check in with these Prime Day PS5 deals and Prime Day iPad deals.
