Amazon Prime Day is here.
First introduced in 2015 to celebrate Amazon's 20th year in business, Amazon Prime Day has become a much-anticipated annual shopping event. Now spanning two days, it offers deep discounts on thousands of products in Amazon's marketplace.
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However, experts are warning consumers of scams, which often increase in frequency during significant sales events. Here's what you need to know:
When Is Amazon Prime Day 2023?
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Amazon Prime Day kicks off on Tuesday, July 11 at midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. ET) and runs through Wednesday July 12.
Do I Need a Prime Membership for Amazon Prime Day?
The short answer is yes. You must be an Amazon Prime member to participate in the sale. The cost of membership is $139 a year.
The membership comes with free one-day or two-day delivery, and customers in some locations can also access same-day delivery. In addition to the free Prime delivery, membership gives customers access to Amazon video, music, gaming, photo storage and more, including the a free one-year membership to Grubhub’s premium “Plus” delivery service and discounts on prescription drugs.
You can sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, after which you'll pay $14.99 per month or the full annual amount of $139 for the year (plus tax in some states). Prime accounts can be shared within a household, which includes up to two adults, four teens and four children.
Discounted memberships are available for students with a valid school email account at $69 a year and for those who received qualifying government assistance, like EBT or Medicaid, at $6.99 per month.
How to Shop Prime Day
Compare Prices
If you really have your eyes set on specific items, search for it online to cross-reference the prices. According to NBC's Emilie Ikeda, recent analysis shows that the two-day savings event might not actually offer the best sale. "The 10 most popular items on Prime Day last year were sold for lower prices outside of those deal days," she said.
Watch for Lightning Deals
One way to find the best sales on Amazon Prime Day is by taking advantage of "Lightning Deals," which are short-lived discounts that last for short window of time — expiring when the item sells out or the timer runs out.
You can monitor Lightning Deals on the Amazon Prime Day page and they'll be easy to spot since they display a countdown timer next to the item.
Ask Alexa
Amazon's Alexa device can be used to notify you of deals on items in your wish list or products you have "saved for later" in your cart.
Tips on Avoiding Amazon Prime Day Scams and Counterfeits
Amazon does sell many of its own goods and those by name brand companies, but the majority of their listings are from “third-party sellers.”
While many of those merchants are very reputable, some are peddling fake merchandise or advertising amazing deals on something you may want or need, but will result in you getting scammed.
So, if you are planning to take advantage of Prime Day deals, here’s some tips to avoid getting scammed:
- First, only “click” on the Amazon Prime box — that will limit your exposure online to phony or scam ads.
- Avoid clicking on products with “no reviews.” Just about every item for sale will have reviews good or bad, if there are none, consider that your warning.
- Don’t just research the product, research the seller. Google their name along with the word "scam" and see what the search could reveal about prior complaints about the product and the company selling it.
- If there is odd spelling, poor descriptions or bad grammar, that’s another warning sign you could be dealing with a fraudster from overseas.
- Lastly, if the price just seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some comparison shopping for the same item and if there is a vast difference, you could be dealing with a seller that’s not legit.
Consumers are also being warned about phishing scams targeting online shoppers — often by impersonating companies like Amazon and other major retailers — which increase amid significant sales events like Black Friday and Prime Day, according to the Better Business Bureau.
The Better Business Bureau reminded consumers to watch out for lookalike websites, too-good-to-be-true social media ads, unsolicited emails or calls and more near Prime Day and other sales events this month beyond Amazon's.
Scott Knapp, director of worldwide buyer risk prevention at Amazon, identifies two scams that the company has seen in recent years around Prime Day: Prime membership and order confirmation hoaxes.
Last year, for example, people reported getting unsolicited calls or emails saying that there was something wrong with their Prime membership. Then, they were asked for payment information, like a credit card, and sometimes login credentials as well, Knapp explained — adding that Amazon “or any reputable business" wouldn't ask for those details in that way.
Both the FTC and Better Business Bureau provide consumers with tips to avoid scams year-round. Guidance includes blocking unwanted messages, not giving financial information to unsolicited callers and checking links before clicking — secure websites, for example, will have “HTTPS” in the URL, Planos notes, never “HTTP.”
Competing Retailer Events and Price-Matching: Other Ways to Score Deals on Prime Day 2023
Some of the nation's largest retailers are holding competing deal events, including Macy's and Best Buy's "Black Friday in July" events and Target's Circle Week which kicked off on July 9 and lasts through July 15. Walmart is also offering week of Roll Back deals that kicked off early for Walmart+ members.
Wayfair is having a 72-hour clearout sale and Ulta's Big Summer Beauty Sale event is going on now until July 15.
Another way to score some savings on Prime Day is to take advantage of price-matching policies offered at major chain retailers.
Target provides in-store price matches for 27 online competitors, including Amazon, Kohls.com and Walmart.com. You can also match prices when shopping at Target.com, but you must call a toll-free number (800-591-3869) to do so.
Best Buy matches prices for online stores that sell electronics, but is limited to five retailers: Amazon, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com and TigerDirect. However, Best Buy has a more generous price-matching policy for local brick-and-mortar retail stores. That includes all retailers within a 25-mile radius, not just those specializing in electronics. It even promises to match prices offered at warehouse clubs like Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club.
