How to Tell If October’s Prime Day Sale Is Just a Scam
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Amazon’s October Prime Day is just around the corner . From October 7th to 8th, you’ll find deals on products from companies large and small, all vying for your clicks and your bank account balance. Many of these offers promise to be great deals , meaning you’ll miss out on significant savings if you don’t buy on Prime Day.
But not all Prime Day deals are truly that great—even if an item is discounted on Prime Day, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t cheaper before and won’t be cheaper later. Luckily, there are a few strategies that can help you quickly figure out whether that “amazing deal” really is.
How to Tell a Good Prime Day Price from a Bad One
One of the best ways to check if a Prime Day deal is truly a good deal is to use a price tracker . These sites and tools track prices on any item across various stores and retailers to offer you the best possible price and also show you whether the current “deal” is actually that much lower than the original price or other offers.
A common tactic to create the appearance of a deal is to inflate the price of an item . So, when a company lowers the price, for example on Prime Day, they can claim a significant discount, even if the overall price isn’t much lower than the original (if at all). If something originally cost $60, a company might raise the price to $75, then lower it back to $60, claiming a 20% discount. This is true, but dishonest, so be careful.
You can use a browser extension like Keepa to track product price history. Other trackers, like Capital One Shopping , help you find prices and price history across multiple stores. Their browser extensions are especially useful: if another store sells the same item you’re looking for at a lower price on Amazon, you’ll see a pop-up with a direct link to that store’s product page.
However, understanding whether a deal is a good deal involves more than just finding the best price. You might notice that an item isn’t cheaper elsewhere online, but you need to consider more than just the overall price.
Amazon products will be sold at the best prices
After all, today is Amazon Prime Day. The company is eager to sell as many products as possible, but the best place to buy Amazon products is on Amazon . Therefore, the best tech deals are likely to be related to Amazon’s own line of gadgets.
Of course, just because an item is on sale on Amazon doesn’t make it a “great deal.” If you’d rather buy from another brand than from Amazon, or simply want to make sure you’re getting the best deal, be sure to compare offers from different companies.
Make sure you don’t buy outdated equipment out of ignorance.
I’m a firm believer in old technology: I think we should keep our devices longer than most of us do. However, I don’t think companies should sell you old technology as new, especially when new technology is just around the corner.
Amazon is sometimes really helpful: if you’re looking for an outdated version of a product, Amazon will let you know and provide a link to the current version. However, this only applies if Amazon offers a new version of the device or if it has a direct successor. These days, the lines are blurred: last year’s device isn’t necessarily obsolete just because a new version has been released, so Amazon doesn’t always try to sell you a newer product.
And that might be okay! Latest-generation laptops, tablets, smartwatches, and phones are often excellent choices: technology advances so quickly that buying older tech that still works well can be economical and practical. However, Amazon’s push to buy something that won’t be updated to the latest software version by the end of the year is wrong. If you’re looking to buy tech on Prime Day, research is your best friend. It’s perfectly fine to buy something that came out last year or the year before; it’s much more important to ensure the product will work properly in 2025 and last as long as you expect.
If the reason a device sells so well is because it’s outdated, then it’s a bad deal.
Not everything that is “cheap” is good
Likewise, be wary of cheap technology that’s simply not very good. It may be affordable, but if it doesn’t perform well, it’s not worth the money.
This problem often arises when dealing with a multitude of brands you’ve never heard of, whose products sell for pennies compared to other companies. Sure, you can save money by choosing these brands, but what about the long-term investment? Once Amazon’s 30-day return period expires, you’re left without the customer support that many of these small companies lack.
On the other hand, you may have heard of this brand, but the product itself isn’t very good. It might seem like a great deal to buy a huge 65-inch 4K TV for under $300, but if the picture quality is truly poor, is it worth it? (No.)
Read reviews (not on Amazon if you can)
One way to make sure a TV is worth its steep discount and whether those cheap headphones will hold up to the listening test is to read reviews of the products you’re considering buying. I’m not just talking about Amazon reviews: Amazon ratings can be helpful, but they can also be biased. Sometimes reviews don’t even reflect the product’s claims, which undermines their objectivity. And in the age of artificial intelligence, you never know for sure who’s writing the review.
When it comes to technology, the best approach is to listen to experts with tech experience who put these products through their paces before passing judgment. A resource like our sister site PCMag can help you quickly figure out whether a TV is truly worth the hype. They even demonstrate their work so you can understand how they reached their conclusions.
Ultimately, the key is to take your time and do your research, which is the complete opposite of Amazon’s “BUY NOW” strategy. Resist the urge to buy impulsively and ensure your money is spent on the product that best meets your needs.