Amazon turns 20 this month. To celebrate, it's launching Prime Day - a day of big deals on tech, games and more for Amazon customers worldwide.
Amazon promises more deals than Black Friday, but there are a few things you really need to think about. Here's what you need to know:
When is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime day is on Wednesday, July 15. Amazon will start offering deals on its websites from midnight (that is, 00:00 on the 15th) in each participating territory. There will be seven main deals available throughout the day, with lightning deals going live every 10 minutes.
Prime Day Quick Links:
Which countries will Prime Day be happening in?
The US, of course, but also the UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Austria and Greece. We're lying about Greece.
Can anybody take part in Prime Day?
No, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. If you aren't already signed up, Prime is $99 / £79 per year - although until 8 July there's £20 off in the UK, so it's £59.
For that you get access to Prime Day plus access to the Amazon Prime Instant Video streaming service, free ebook borrowing, unlimited photo storage and free delivery on Prime-eligible items (within 1 hour if you live in one of a handful of London postcodes or some US cities). If you're a parent, your Prime membership also enables you to join Amazon Family to get 20% off the price of nappies.
Can't I just sign up for a 30-day trial, order loads of stuff and then cancel the membership?
Yes, you could. Amazon thinks you should: "try Prime today and get immediate access on 15th July", the Prime homepage says. Amazon clearly hopes that you'll sign up for Prime and either be blown away by the service or so disorganised that you'll forget to cancel. Either way, it's clearly going to get some new Prime members out of it.
What sort of deals will there be on Prime Day?
That's an excellent question, and Amazon hasn't really answered it. It says there will be "thousands of Lightning Deals and seven popular Deals of the Day".
If you haven't seen Amazon's lightning deals before, they're limited-time or limited-amount offers that can offer huge discounts on a fairly random selection of things: in recent weeks the list has included whiskies, watches and fitness monitors; at the time of writing there's 60% off a garden hose and 81% off a fancy watch on Amazon UK.
Amazon offered loads of lightning deals during Black Friday 2014 and there were definite bargains to be had, but as you'd expect the best ones sold out very quickly.
Here's what Amazon has to say about its Prime Day deals. "Members will enjoy deals on items perfect for summer adventures, their to-do list, family road trips, back to school supplies, and everyday essentials." That's not really narrowing it down, is it?
What should I do in the run-up to Prime day?
Assuming that Prime Day is going to be as exciting as Amazon says it is - and if it's going to have more deals than Amazon's Black Friday selection, then it might just be - then it's a good idea to do two things:
1. Set a budget for whatever bargains you want to blag, and
2. Have an idea of what you actually want to buy before you go in.
Hoping for a good deal on an HDTV? Look at what's out there, read our reviews and be prepared to be flexible: while we're sure Amazon will discount all kinds of electronic and electrical items, the likelihood of it slashing the price of a specific model you've had your eye on for ages is close to zero.
Think in terms of specifications, not specific models: that way you'll be able to tell instantly whether a bargain is the right bargain for you, or just money off something you don't really want.
What else should I watch out for?
In retail, bargains aren't always what they seem. We've seen Black Friday deals that looked like massive discounts but which were based on sky-high prices that nobody was expected to pay - the electronic equivalent of supermarket wine promotions and the sofa firms who always seem to be having massive sales - and high-profile sales are a great way of getting shot of end-of-line stock or of selling products bought in specifically to sell at low prices.
Back in 2013, the Wall Street Journal described retailers' sales practices, including Amazon's listing of a $1,799 Samsung HDTV with 45% off the sticker price: a month previously, the same set was $997.99.
Retailers are also known to raise prices in the run-up to big sales events, so for example in the weeks before Black Friday prices of all kinds of goods just happen to go up. Funny, that.
Will Amazon do any of those things? We don't know, but even if it does, we're here to help...
What will TechRadar be doing on Prime Day?
Come back to this page on Prime Day and you'll find us busily curating lists of all the best deals that Amazon has published. So there's no reason to be intimidated by the thousands of deals Amazon is putting up, and don't worry about which ones might be 'real deals' - just come to this page on TechRadar and we'll surface all the best deals so you can go straight to them!
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