Amazon Prime Day: Are its deals a genuine bargain, and should you wait until Black Friday instead?

Amazon’s annual Prime Day event happening this week promises to offer huge deals on home goods, toys and electronics.

It says Prime members can score a bargain on hundreds of items, promising savings of up to 50 percent.

However, data from price comparison site Idealo suggests that Prime Day might not actually be the best time to buy, especially if you’re looking to get ahead of the holiday season.

We’ve taken a look at this year’s deals and whether it’s worth waiting until Black Friday instead, as well as some top tips on how to make the most of this week’s Prime deals.

Is Prime Day the best time to buy big-ticket items?

Amazon claims customers can “save big” on Prime Day, which takes place on October 10 and 11.

However, average daily prices for a selection of categories before and after last year’s Prime Day from comparison website Idealo show that’s not always the case.

Data shared with This Is Money shows that a number of items were actually cheaper before the sale.

For example, a console that sold for around £292 on Prime Day last year was actually selling for £8 cheaper the day before, while a month before it was selling for £30 less.

Similarly, a soundbar speaker that sold between £366 and £369 on Prime Day sold for £316.40 a month earlier.

Some households are waiting until Prime Day to buy higher-priced items like refrigerators, but Idealo’s data again suggests they may not have to wait until Amazon’s sale.

On 1 September 2022, the average price for a fridge on Amazon was £838.81. The price then rose to between £850 and £860 before jumping to almost £870 just before Prime Day when it was selling for between £866 and £872.

So while you may think you’re getting a good deal, it could be because there were price hikes in the days leading up to the sale.

The good news is that in the immediate days after, prices tend to stay at a similar level, with some big-ticket items dropping significantly.

The average price of a tablet was £576.99 on Prime Day last year, and the price actually fell to £557.94 on October 18 before rising to over £600 by the end of the month.

Similarly, data from Idealo shows that laptops selling between £1,219.91 and £1,248 during Amazon’s sale fell to £1,129.11 a week later.

The best deal was on DSLR cameras, which usually sell for around £2,000. Last year the cameras sold for £1,820 on Prime Day, £8 more than the previous day and almost £71 a month earlier.

Customers could have bagged an even bigger deal if they had waited a week, as the price dropped to £1,624.

An Idealo spokesperson said: “The advice we always give consumers is that while it’s useful to do your research on which deals might be worth it in advance, if there’s something you really want a good Prime Day deal on then use Idealo price alerts are the best way to make sure you don’t miss a good deal before or after the event.

“It also allows you to compare Amazon’s deal to what other retailers are currently selling it for to see if it really is a bargain.”

Other websites such as CamelCamelCamel and Keepa offer a similar service.

Which products ARE a good deal on Prime Day?

While some Prime Day deals may be too good to be true, there are still real savings to be had.

The Ninja Air Fryer, which normally retails for £169.99, is on sale for £99.99 today, a 41 per cent discount, and is the cheapest available from any retailer at the moment.

AO World and Very.co.uk offer the same air fryer for sale for £132.99 including delivery, according to Idealo’s website.

Amazon is selling a 43-inch Samsung TV for £299 today, down from £349 and £30 cheaper than the current Argos deal.

Similarly, you can get a heavily discounted Shark Cordless Vacuum for £279.99 from Amazon, while others are selling the same product for £329.

While Prime Day can offer great deals for customers today, it’s worth shopping around to see what other retailers have to offer.

For example, the second generation Ring Doorbell is available for £59.99 on Amazon, the same price as Very.co.uk and Curry’s, although you will have to pay a small delivery charge, unlike Prime.

The Canon RF 50mm lens was reduced from £219.99 to £168 for Prime Day, but is on sale for £155.99 at techinthebasket.co.uk.

Is it worth waiting until Black Friday?

Prime Day has become an annual event, as anticipated as the Black Friday sale during the last week of November.

While Amazon may offer some good deals in its October sale, Idealo’s data shows that there are some items worth waiting for.

These tend to be larger electronic items such as TVs, which sold for an average of £1,036 in October 2022. This fell by 8%, or £86, to £950 in the Black Friday sale.

Similarly, laptops that were selling for £850 in October 2022 were on sale for £829 on Black Friday last year, while you can save £23 on speakers if you hold out for another month.

However, there were some items worth picking up on Prime Day, notably tablets, which actually rose by nearly £13 between October and Black Friday.

You’ll probably get a better deal on Amazon items like Kindles and the Echo Dot speaker on their designated first day, as they’re unlikely to be further discounted before Christmas.

Nick Baker, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com said: Amazon’s ‘Big Deal Days’ provide a timely warm-up to massive retail sales around Black Friday. Last year’s figures show just how varied and huge Prime Day sales can be.

“According to Amazon’s official statistics, the online retailer has sold 300,000 pairs of headphones, 200,000 TVs, 100,000 laptops, 650,000 cleaning products and over a million toys.

“But with Black Friday just around the corner, some may be better off waiting for another round of pre-Christmas discounts on a range of premium products.

“With a monthly fee of £8.99 for a Prime subscription and the occasional opportunity for lower prices through alternative retailers, you need to explore your options and crunch the numbers to secure the best value deal.”