Amazon Prime Day- Finding the Best Deals and Avoiding Scams

Monday, October 12, 2020

After being rescheduled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, on October 13th and 14th Amazon Prime Day will finally arrive with the annual sales event open to all Amazon Prime members.

To help you get involved, but also ensure you don’t fall victim to any scams, we’ve created a post explaining how to find the best deals, spot fake reviews and identify fraudsters with faulty or dangerous products.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is an annual sales event open only to Prime members. A top tip for those that don't have an Amazon Prime account - new members get a 30-day free trial, which you might want to consider if you want to take advantage of the day. Just remind yourself to cancel the trial if you don’t want to continue to pay for Prime.

Once you have set up your Amazon Prime Account, you will also get access to Prime music and next-day delivery.

Don’t always trust good reviews and sellers

Good reviews for products are important for people trying to sell via online marketplaces. However, positive and/or five star reviews can be bought by fraudsters, offering people free products or gift cards for good reviews.

Here’s how you can get ahead of the curve and spot fraudsters’ techniques:

• Read the comments - is it a normal review? Does the language seem natural? Are specific details about the product mentioned? It could be someone using different accounts to make the product seem amazing.
• Check the dates - if a lot of the reviews were posted at the same time or follow the same pattern, this can be a red flag.
• Look at the reviewer - see what else they have bought and if they are making plausible purchases, or consider if it looks like they’re being paid to boost products.

Set up price alerts

Get yourself a bargain by setting up price alerts on that product you’ve had your eye on for a while. Websites such as Google Shopping can help you find the best deals on laptops, TVs and a lot more.

What other big sales days do we need to know about?

Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day and Cyber Monday are now big days in the shopping calendar for those who like to spot a bargain.

Black Friday will be on Friday 27th November and Cyber Monday will be on the 30th – but rumours are circulating that Amazon will start releasing deals a month earlier, and other retailers are likely to follow suit.

How Leeds Credit Union can help

With our fair and affordable loans, we could help you to afford the discounted products you want on Amazon Prime Day and upcoming sales events. This could be ideal for getting your Christmas shopping done early, without the last-minute stress or financial worries