Prime Day is upon us once again. Many of us get a small thrill thinking about the potential deals that we may stumble upon throughout our mundane workday. If I don’t buy anything, at least it’s a distraction during slow motion meetings throughout my day or during some breaks. Are there some good deals? Yup. Are there some not so good deals that look like deals? Yup. Are there scams? Not exactly, but that all depends on how you look at a scam.
The reality is, Prime Day offers some sweet deals on stuff you may need, but like any sale, it’s wise to check on price history before making a purchase. How does one go about that? Look no further.
As a former Amazon Operations Manager, I discovered a website years and years ago that I keep going back to in order to check prices. The website is called CamelCamelCamel. Why? I have no idea. I do know that it is a free price tracker that records the pricing history of most Amazon products so you can tell whether you’re actually getting a good deal.
Using the site is incredibly simple. I simply find the product I’m interested in on Amazon Prime Day. Next, I copy the product URL, and paste it into CamelCamelCamel’s search bar. Within seconds, I see a graph showing the product’s price history. The history dates back over weeks, months, or even years. This depends on how long it has been available on Amazon. That graph can tell a very different story than the giant Blue and white (or maybe red this year) “Prime Day Deal” banner Amazon puts in front of you.
I’ve seen products advertised as being 30-40% off during Prime Day, only to discover that they were selling for the exact same price two months earlier. In some cases, the price was actually lower at another point during the year. That’s not necessarily deceptive, but it does show why blindly trusting a sale tag isn’t always the smartest move.
One of my favorite features is the ability to set price alerts. If there’s something you’ve been eyeing for Prime Day but don’t absolutely need right now, CamelCamelCamel can notify you when the price drops below a level you choose. Instead of buying because a countdown timer tells you to act now, you can buy when the price actually makes sense.
That said, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Sometimes a Prime Day deal is genuinely excellent. If you’ve been waiting months to buy a new TV, set of Legos, laptop, vacuum, gaming accessory, or kitchen gadget and CamelCamelCamel confirms it’s near its historical low, go for it. Life is short, and saving money on something you already planned to purchase is always a win.
Prime Day can be fun. I enjoy browsing the deals just as much as anyone else. The key is remembering that Amazon’s goal is to get you to spend money. Your goal should be to spend it wisely. This year, take an extra 30 seconds to check CamelCamelCamel. It can help separate a genuinely great deal from a deal that simply has good marketing behind it.
Before you click that “Buy Now” button, let the camels do the heavy lifting.
We aren’t affiliated with the Camel Camel Camel website in any way. Just trying to pass along the good word. Happy shopping!
