The Young Money Club

July 15th marks the start of Amazon’s version of Christmas in July. Their annual Prime Day sale, offers discounts on thousands of items across their entire store. While items such as the Kindle and other Amazon branded items may be greatly marked down, not all the deals will be so great. The following is a breakdown of what not to buy on Prime Day 2019 and how to get the best deal.

Laptops

While you may be able to find some marked down laptops and tablets during Prime Day, you may benefit from waiting a little bit longer. Many of the best deals on this kind of tech will come a few weeks later when back-to-school sales are at their peak.

Some states even offer a sales tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers that include laptops (you can check if your state is included here). During this window of opportunity, many stores will offer great discounts on laptops to sweeten the deal for students and parents looking to buy.

Video Game Consoles

While YOU may be wanting a new gaming console in July, most people won’t be interested in buying one until the holiday season rolls around. Most of the big name brands such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo work directly with retailers to offer their biggest discounts closer to that time.

In previous years, Prime Day offered very little discounts on gaming consoles making the deals almost pointless. So if you’re interested in a new Switch or Xbox, do yourself a favor and wait until November when Black Friday brings the REAL deals.

Apparel

If you’re looking for deals on name-brand apparel, the best time to look is at the end of the season, not in the middle of summer. Similar to laptops the Amazon branded items such as basic white socks will be marked down, but if you’re looking for those new Adidas sneakers it’s best to wait.

Another additional perk to waiting is the previously mentioned tax holidays that come during back-to-school season. Some states include clothing up to a certain dollar amount in their exempt items.

Toys

Now listen, I know you’ve been eyeing that new easy bake oven for the kitchen, but it may be best to hold off for a while. Many people see Prime Day as a way to get their holiday shopping done early, but when it comes to toys, you’re best waiting till just before the holidays.

The best prices on most toys typically come after Black Friday and before the holidays. Most retailers will stock up tons of toys for the holidays and only sell a few hot items. This leads them to mark down the majority of the remaining items in order to get them sold. If you’re looking to get the best deal, procrastinate like the rest of us and buy your toys in mid-December.

Third-Party Seller Items

If a third-part seller is offering what seems like a great discount, be wary. Third-party sellers are retailers that simply operate through Amazon, they either have their orders fulfilled by Amazon or use it more as a listing service. Regardless, third-party sellers have the ability to adjust their prices and make deals seem better than they really are.

For example, they could raise their prices right before Prime Day, only to discount it back to it’s original price. This can trick people into believing they’re getting a great deal when in reality they are paying full price.

Bonus Tip: Decide for Yourself

While Prime Day may not get you the best deals in the categories I’ve mentioned, it’s still possible that they’re being sold at a discount. I know some purchases need to be made urgently so a slight discount may make it worth it for you. In the end, the price you are willing to pay for an item is entirely up to you.

On any item, across all the categories Amazon has to offer, you can always check the price history to see how good of a deal you’re getting. Camelcamelcamel (I know it sounds made up) is a website that tracks the price history of practically every item on Amazon. If you wan’t to know if an item has been marked up and discounted or sold at a cheaper price, simply type it in to camelcamelcamel and see for yourself.

Interested in reading more? Check out our last post How to Invest Your First $1000