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What to buy and skip during Amazon Prime Day

Add Amazon-owned tech and school supplies to your cart, but maybe hold off on that new gaming console — here’s why.
During Amazon Prime Day, products across categories will be on sale, but you’ll find some of the best deals on Amazon-owned tech brands like Ring, Echo, Kindle and more.
During Amazon Prime Day, products across categories will be on sale, but you’ll find some of the best deals on Amazon-owned tech brands like Ring, Echo, Kindle and more.Vivian Le/ NBC

As we often remind shoppers, not every deal that’s part of a sale is a good one — and that’s even more true when it comes to events like Amazon Prime Day. Thousands of products are discounted during the 48-hour sale, which is live right now and runs through July 12 exclusively for Prime members. And while you may already have your eye on certain items, knowing which categories typically offer the best savings can help you prioritize, budget and narrow down your shopping list.

SKIP AHEAD What to buy during Prime Day | What not to buy during Prime Day | How to save during Prime Day 2023

Since you can start shopping Amazon Prime Day 2023 today, we talked to experts about what’s worth buying and what to skip. We also rounded up a the best Prime Day deals currently available, plus shopping tips, many of which you can apply to competitor sales happening around Prime Day, like Target Circle Week and Walmart Plus Week.

What to shop for on Prime Day

Since 2023 is Amazon’s ninth year hosting Prime Day, the best deals during the event are pretty predictable, experts told us. You can expect to find some of the biggest discounts — typically about 40% to 60% off — on Amazon-owned tech brands like Echo, Fire, Ring and Kindle. These brands are known for their free-with-purchase offers, too: For example, you might get a free Echo Dot or smart bulb when you buy a higher-priced item like a video doorbell, says Kristin McGrath, shopping expert at RetailMeNot, a deal-finding and cash back site. There are also usually great deals on personal tech products like fitness trackers, headphones and tablets from reader-favorite brands like FitBit, Apple, Samsung and more.

Beyond tech, products from Amazon’s in-house apparel, home goods and fitness lines will be significantly marked down, McGrath says. Prime Day also serves as a kick-off for back-to-school shopping, according to Vipin Porwal, CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty. In fact, 76% of Prime members say they plan to shop for school supplies during Prime Day this year, compared to 42% of non-Prime members, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot. Take advantage of sales on items like backpacks, electronics and clothing, as well as snacks with long shelf lives like granola bars.

While it’s easy to get swept up in deals on tech and luxury goods during Prime Day, don’t forget about the practical stuff, McGrath says. Pantry snacks, cleaning supplies, paper goods, pet food and more are commonly discounted during the event, making it a great time to stock up on items you use in your everyday life. McGrath also notes that Prime Day tends to offer strong gift card deals — restaurant and retailer gift cards, for example, have been marked down 25% during past Prime Days.

Lightning Deals

Lightning Deals offer some of the best savings opportunities during Prime Day. These limited-time offers give shoppers a short window to check out and purchase. While you won’t know the Lightning Deals Amazon will offer ahead of time, be aware that you’ll see them popping up during the event. You may want to browse through them in case there’s an item you’re interested in.

What are Prime Day invite-only deals?

Prime Day invite-only deals is a new program Amazon is running this year. Prime members can request an invitation to select deals that are expected to sell out, like specific beauty products, headphones, TVs and more. You can browse invite-only deals now on Amazon’s Prime Day homepage.

Amazon will notify members via email if they get an invitation to shop the deals during Prime Day, which will include instructions on how to purchase items at the exclusive discounted price. You'll also get an email if you requested access to shop an invite-only deal but were not chosen for it.

What not to buy during Prime Day

While there are always exceptions, Prime Day is generally not the best time to purchase products in the following categories — if you can wait to buy these items, experts recommend doing so.

  • Kitchen and dinnerware: You’re likely to find better discounts during early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this fall, and you’ll see a larger variety of brands and product types, including higher quality pieces, Porwal says.
  • Large appliances and furniture: Labor Day and Black Friday offer more notable sales in these categories, and Porwal says cash back and reward bonuses are more plentiful later on in the year.
  • TVs and gaming: Other than deals on Fire TVs (which experts recommend taking advantage of), Black Friday offers better savings opportunities on TVs across brands compared to Prime Day. The holiday shopping season is also the best time of year to buy gaming consoles and related accessories — that’s when you’ll find the most giftable bundles as well.
  • Toys: Similar to gaming consoles, it’s best to wait until we get closer to the holiday season to buy toys. However, if you need them sooner, McGrath says Prime Day will offer 20% to 40% off toys for kids across age groups.

Additionally, be wary of deals from unverified sellers or brands you're not familiar with on Amazon, especially if they don’t have a lot of reviews or mostly negative reviews. “A lot of Prime Day sale items are overstock inventory that merchants are trying to clear out while they have a massive audience,” Porwal says.

How to save during Prime Day 2023

The key to saving during Prime Day is planning, which can help keep you focused on what you’re looking for and ensure you’re taking advantage of the best deals possible. Below are a few ways to ensure you’re successful during the event.

Use exclusive promotions during the sale

Some of the Prime Day promotions Amazon is currently offering include:

  • A $200 Amazon gift card upon approval for the Prime Visa credit card
  • A $10 credit for select shoppers who sign up for a Prime membership before Prime Day
  • Three months of Kindle Unlimited for free
  • A $5 credit for those who add Venmo (which is now a payment option on Amazon) as their default payment method and use it to shop
  • $20 off Amazon Fresh orders over $100 on Prime Day with code FRESHSAVE20. If you redeem this offer, you'll get an additional $20 off an Amazon Fresh order over $100 between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31.
  • 10% off GrubHub orders over $12 (for a total of up to $10 off) with code PRIME10 through July 10

Sign up to receive notifications about sales and deals

If you don’t have time to scroll through Amazon’s website or app during Prime Day to browse the full list of live deals, you can sign up to get notified if products you’re interested in go on sale. Bookmark a product you’ve had your eye on by either adding it to a wishlist or tapping the “heart” icon on the product page in the Amazon app. This is especially helpful if the deal is only offered for a limited time. You can also create deal alerts based on your Amazon searches and recently viewed items.

Additionally, Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, can notify you up to 24 hours in advance of a deal for an item on your wishlist, in your shopping cart or "saved for later." You can ask Alexa to remind you when the deal goes live and give her permission to order the item on your behalf using your account’s default payment method and delivery address. Sometimes, shopping through Alexa via an Amazon Echo device gets you exclusive deals and early access to select discounts, McGrath says.

Finally, if you add items you’re interested in buying to your wishlist, you can turn on notifications for your “watched and waitlisted deals” in the Alexa app. This alerts you when Lightning Deals happen for products on your wishlist during Prime Day and otherwise.

Make a shopping list

Prime Day and comparable savings events are geared toward impulse-shopping, McGrath says — retailers are betting on shoppers feeling tempted by deals and adding more items to their carts than they originally planned. That’s why it’s important to make a shopping list: Beyond keeping you organized, it helps you focus on products you need to buy or have budgeted for and reduces the temptation to spend on non-essential purchases.

To create your shopping list, McGrath recommends first thinking about products you’ve been meaning to buy, restock or replace and prioritize them.Then, consider your wants, like a new pair of jeans or headphones you’ve had your eye on. If you find a great deal or end up spending less than you budgeted for, your “wants” list can help guide the rest of your shopping.

Some people prefer a classic pen-and-paper list, but it may be easier to bookmark links or add items to different wishlists through your Amazon account. For example, you can make “wants” and “needs” wishlists, or create lists for specific product categories like tech or home. While you’re shopping, you can go through your wishlists, see what’s on sale and decide if you want to add it to your cart.

Consider shopping with a credit card

If you’re interested in using a credit card to shop during Prime Day, you may be able to earn points or take advantage of exclusive rewards. Certain cards allow you to earn cash back on Amazon purchases during Prime Day and Prime Day-like sales, and some also offer welcome bonuses or points.

One of the best credit cards for Prime Day shopping is the Prime Visa, which offers cardholders 6% cash back on Prime Day and 5% cash back year-round at Amazon, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market with an eligible Prime membership. As an additional Prime Day perk this year, Prime Visa cardholders can earn an additional 1% back on eligible Amazon purchases when they select no-rush shipping at checkout. This brings cardholders to a total of 7% cash back with an eligible Prime membership.

Additionally, certain American Express cardholders can currently can take advantage of a variety of targeted discounts when they use their American Express Membership Rewards points at checkout. These discounts are available through 5 p.m. on July 13.

Compare prices (and rewards) across retailers’ sites

“Prime Day is an Amazon-exclusive event, but competitors are eager to tap into the wallets of shoppers who are already online that day looking to spend,” McGrath says. Target Circle Week and Walmart Plus Week overlap with Prime Day, and we expect more retailers to offer their own savings events, like Overstock, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Home Depot, Best Buy and more.

As retailers compete for your shopping cart around Prime Day, they tend to “price chase” each other — this means an item sold at multiple retailers will likely have the exact (or almost exact) price tag across the board. In these cases, deciding which retailer to buy from comes down to shipping price and where you can use or gain the maximum amount of rewards points. Also weigh different retailers’ cash back offers.

“If you're a Prime member, it's hard to beat fast free shipping, but major competitors like Target and Walmart will still get you stuff fast, and for free if you meet the minimum purchase threshold,” McGrath says. “If you're a rewards member with another retailer, calculate the value of any rewards you'd get from a big-ticket purchase. And be sure to check if another retailer has a promo code that makes a deal slightly better.”

To help you compare prices, we recommend using tools like Keepa, CamelCamelCamel and Honey. They help you monitor prices before and during the sale, and you can sign up for price-drop alerts on specific products.

The latest Prime Day deals:

Meet our experts

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

  • Kristin McGrath is a shopping expert at RetailMeNot, a deal-finding and cash back site.
  • Vipin Porwal is the CEO and a consumer savings expert at Smarty.

Why trust Select?

Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor at Select who has reported about Amazon since 2020. She wrote Select's history of Amazon Prime Day, as well as a variety of Amazon Prime Day sales articles. For this piece, Malin researched Amazon Prime Day and referenced Select's other Amazon coverage.

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