And it’s easy to understand why: on a single website, you get access to millions of products across almost every conceivable category, complete with a comprehensive reviews system.
The convenience is amplified if you get a Prime subscription , which adds free next-day delivery on many items, plus access to Prime Video and a range of other benefits. After a free 30-day trial , it costs £8.99/$14.99 per month or £95/$139 per year.
But whether you have Prime or not, you’ll probably be on the hunt for a great discount. And by following these 9 tips and tricks, you can maximise your chances of getting brilliant deals.
1. Check for personalised promotions
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Discounts vary significantly between products, but you can get savings of up to 70%.
3. Make the most of returned and refurbished items
Of course, when an item has been bought and returned, it can no longer be sold as new. But that’s good news for you, as you often find discounted products that are in near-pristine condition.
Finding these products can be difficult, but a useful tool on Money Saving Expert (the inspiration for this article) helps you track them down in the UK. Search for a specific item or category, then sort by condition, brand or price. By default, the biggest savings will be shown at the top of the page.
Foundry
4. Look out for vouchers or coupons
These are usually small 5% or 10% savings, but occasionally they’re more significant. Look out for the orange ‘Voucher’ (UK) or ‘Coupon’ (US) text and tick the box next to it.
5. Make sure it’s a good deal
To make things easier, this tool is available as a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Just search for ‘The Camelizer’ to add it.
6. Wait for a big sales event
If that ‘deal’ doesn’t seem as good as it once was, consider whether you can wait for bigger discounts in the future.
In general, look out for a spring sale in March, Prime Day (where discounts are exclusive to Prime members) in July, an autumn/fall sale in October and Boxing Day (26 December) onwards. However, these dates can vary from year to year.
The October 2023 event was known as ‘Prime Deal Days’ in the UK
7. Experiment with different colours and configurations
On some products, the colour you choose can have a big impact on price.
If you don’t mind which colour of a product you have (or will cover it up with a case anyway), click through all the options to see which is cheapest.
And even if you’re set on a particular configuration (of a smartphone or tablet , for example), it’s always worth checking another model to see if it’s discounted.
9. Get money back if discounted after purchase
Ever bought a product at what seemed like a good price, only for it to be discounted soon after? It’s very frustrating, especially if you didn’t need it urgently.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.
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