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Written by Gordon Kelly. Taken from Forbes.com
Amazon ‘Prime Day’ is back for 2018. After a record-breaking year in 2017, Amazon has extended Prime Day an additional six hours from 30 to 36 for 2018. Now in its fourth season, Amazon has created a predictable pattern on what items will be discounted and by how much.
When is Amazon Prime Day 2018?
Prime Day starts on Monday, July 16th at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET and ends on Tuesday, July 17th. It will run for 36 hours, which is six hours longer than last year’s event.
Only Prime Members can take part in Prime Day. If you are not currently a member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial membership which gives you access to all of the deals and benefits of being a member (Amazon Prime trial link)
Prime Day Vs Black Friday
BestBlackFriday research shows Prime Day historically has better prices for popular tech items compared to major sales holidays such as Black Friday. For example:
- 2017 – 76% of Prime Day prices beat Black Friday, 5.8% tied
- 2016 – 77% of Prime Day prices beat Black Friday, 12.9% tied
- 2015 – 64% of Prime Day prices beat Black Friday, 9.1% tied
Consequently, Amazon’s growing emphasis on Prime Day means we should expect at least 70% of comparable tech Prime Day 2018 prices to top the best deals you find on Black Friday. This makes Prime Day one of the best, and fastest growing, sales holidays of the year.
Amazon Prime Day 2018 – Live Deals
In preparation for Prime Day, Amazon has already made several deals live. Note you will need to be an Amazon Prime member to claim these early Prime Day deals:
- Echo Show for $129.99 (save $100)
- Amazon Music Unlimited – New subscribers get four months for $0.99
- Kindle Unlimited – New subscribers get three months for $0.99
- Audible – Eligible members get three months for $4.95 per month
Amazon Prime Day 2017 Predicted Deals
Amazon is famed for repeated deals on its own products. This is not a bad thing as the deals are often excellent and the discounts are regularly best on Prime Day. Furthermore, due to this predictability, BestBlackFriday can predict the products that will be discounted and the size of their discount.
Note: these product links are where the sales will take place, though they are not live at this stage. Bookmark them (or more usefully this page) so you can find them quickly when sales do go live:
- Echo (Second Generation) for $69.99 (Save $30)
- Echo Dot for $24.99 (Save $25)
- Echo Plus for $109.99 (Save $40)
- Fire 7 Tablet for $29.99 (Save $20)
- Fire 8 Tablet for $39.99 (Save $40)
- Fire 10 Tablet for $89.99 (Save $60)
- Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet for $59.99 (Save $40)
- Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet for $79.99 (Save $50)
- All-New Fire HD 10 Kids Edition Tablet for $179.99 (Save $20)
- Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote for $19.99 (Save $20)
- Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD for $39.99 (Save $30)
- Kindle 6-inch E-Reader for $49.99 (Save $30)
- Kindle Paperwhite for $79.99 (save $40)
- Amazon Cloud Cam Security Camera for $79.99 (Save $40)
- Blink XT 1 Camera System for $75 (save $55)
It is also worth pointing out Amazon always has several eye-catching HDTV discounts every Prime Day. These are only announced at the last minute and often involve smaller brands, so be sure to do your research before hitting the buy button. That said, these are the deals Amazon has repeatedly delivered in previous Prime Days:
Amazon Prime Day 2018 – Tips
- Install the Amazon App – hot deals sell out quickly, so you need to be prepared. The Amazon app allows you to view and receive alerts for upcoming deals so you don’t miss out on most popular items.
- Make Sure Your Account is in Good Standing – In addition to having a current and valid Prime account, ensure your personal and payment information is accurate. Time is of the essence for some of the most popular deals, so you need to be able to complete your order quickly.
- Remember to sleep – Prime Day will again span two days this year. That means you should be ready at 3pm EST on Monday, July 16th, but you can probably relax during the overnight hours from Monday to Tuesday as historically the most popular and limited-quantity deals are unlikely to go live during that time.
- Shop at Whole Foods First – If you are a frequent shopper at Whole Foods Market, you can receive a $10 credit to use on Prime Day when you spend $10 from July 11-17th.
- Get an Amazon Device – Amazon devices usually see their lowest prices on Prime Day, so now is the perfect time to get a new Kindle, Echo, or Fire tablet. Don’t wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
- Consider ‘Black Friday in July’ Sales from rivals – eBay, Dell, Gamestop, Newegg and others are having Prime Day sales of their own on tech items, and some of the discounts may be better than what Amazon offers.
