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Prime Day can be overwhelming. No, scratch that, it is overwhelming. Amazon's big discount holiday features so many products and categories, that it can be tough to track down exactly what you need. And with the next Prime Day event coming in hot this October (officially happening on Oct. 8 through Oct. 9), it's prime time for us to bestow a little advice on how to shop it successfully.
We don't recommend buying everything you've ever wanted and throwing caution (and your wallet) to the wind, but if there's a good deal on something you need, you don't want to miss that, either. That's why it helps to know what to buy and what to avoid ahead of time. Mashable already has a hub for Prime Day coverage that can give you in-depth analysis of every shopping category you can imagine, but here are a few quick tips on things to buy and things to not buy as you parse through Prime Big Deal Days next month.
Deals we've already seen ahead of Prime Big Deal Days
Apple AirPods Max — $449
$549.99(save $100.99)Amazon Music Unlimited — get 4 months free with Prime
Amazon Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation (Wired Charging Case) — $34.99
$119.99(save $85)Amazon Echo Pop — $17.99
$39.99(save $22) free TP-Link Tapo Smart Color BulbAmazon Echo Show 5 — $49.99
$89.99(save $40) free TP-Link Tapo Smart Color BulbAmazon Fire HD 8 (64GB) — $54.99
$129.99(save $75)Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (64GB) — $79.99
$179.99(save $100)Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $24.99
$49.99(save $25)Amazon 50-inch 4-Series 4K Fire TV — $279.99
$449.99(save $170 with Prime)iRobot Roomba Q011 — $139.99
$249.99(save $110 with Prime)Nespresso VertuoPlus — $109.85
$169(save $59.15 with Prime)
The best things to buy on Prime Day
While the Mashable Shopping team's bread and butter is recommending to you all the latest and greatest products on the market, sometimes you already know exactly what you want, and just need to know where it find it on sale. We can help you with that, too. Here's a breakdown of all our top categories that you should shop during October's Prime Day event if you want to score the biggest deals.
1. Apple products
Buying Apple's flagship tech during Prime Day is a major hack. If you're already planning on buying some of the most notoriously expensive tech on the market, why not buy it at a discount? In light of Apple's latest drops and announcements, and ahead of a rumored M4 event, we expect to see markdowns on older model Apple Watches, AirPods, iPhones, and more.
2. Amazon devices
It's no secret that the biggest discounts of Prime Day are usually on Amazon's own devices. Whether you're working on building out your smart home or you're finally ready to pull the trigger on a new e-reader, you can expect record-low pricing on Amazon Echo speakers, Echo Show devices, Kindles, and more. Just stay away from Ring cameras. (More on that below.)
3. Robot vacuums
There are good robot vacuum deals out in the wild all the time, but Prime Day almost always brings some of the biggest discounts on iRobot Roomba models, Shark vacs, and more big-ticket brands.
4. Everyday essentials
Even if you're not planning on making a big tech purchase on Prime Day, it's an ideal time to score the household items you would buy even if they weren't on sale. From laundry detergent to paper towels and diapers, there are almost always deals on home products you might toss in your cart on a Target or Walmart run. And with Prime shipping, your must-haves will be at your door ASAP so you can spend more time taking care of the house and less time shopping.
5. Pet supplies
If you're a pet owner, you know the struggle of having to buy pet supplies like food, toys, grooming products, and more on a consistent basis. Luckily, Prime Day is the best time to stock up on pet stuff, especially from the Amazon Basics brand.
6. Drones and cameras
DJI drone bundles, Holy Stone drones, and GoPro cameras are almost a given for deals we expect to see on Prime Day. We've also spotted solid deals on cameras from Panasonic, Canon, Sony, and Nikon in the past — just in case you're finally ready to get serious about filming for your YouTube channel.
7. Smartwatches
In addition to sweet Apple Watch deals, you can bet that Prime Day will bring steep discounts on Fitbits, Garmin smartwatches, and Samsung smartwatches.
8. TVs
You might not find the best deals on premium TVs during Prime Day, but it's a good time to get a deal on mid-budget Fire TVs. These won't be your showstopper living room TVs, but are great for your guest bedroom or kids' rooms.
9. Headphones
After covering almost every Prime Day that's ever happened, we know with certainty which headphone brands will be on sale during the big event: Bose, Sony, Beats, AirPods, and JBL models will definitely see some solid discounts. During last year's Prime Day, we saw steep price drops on the QuietComfort line of Bose headphones, so we'll be looking out for sales on the latest QuietComfort Ultra headphones and earbuds.
10. Gaming deals
Upgrading your gaming console and even buying new games feels like a drag — when you're doing it at full price, that is. Luckily, during Prime Day, you can catch markdowns on both. This time of year, you should keep an eye out for some holiday bundles, too.
Things to avoid on Prime Day
While Prime Day is chock full of good deals, there are some things you'll want to be wary of while you shop. Mashable covered all the things we recommend avoiding in detail, but here are a few quick tips.
1. Products sold by third-party sellers
Many third-party sellers on Amazon are legitimate, but the prevalence of counterfeit products makes us nervous to recommend anything listed by unfamiliar, unvetted merchants. They can also offer different customer service than Amazon itself.
Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee covers you if you have issues with a third-party seller. But if you don't want to deal with the potential hassle of its claims and eligibility process, a good rule of thumb is to stick with products that are shipped and sold by Amazon itself.
2. Ring doorbells and cameras
The steep Prime Day discounts on Ring cameras and bundles might be tempting, but we don't recommend buying or using Ring devices due to the company's history of major security and privacy issues. (It's taken some steps to amend things lately, but those problems were too big and recent that we still don't fully recommend them. A company in the literal business of security should be airtight.)
There are normally plenty of home security deals from other brands on Prime Day, and if you need a little guidance on the good ones, check out our guide to the best home security systems.
3. Anything you don't need
Like we mentioned before, it's best to use Prime Day as a way to get something you need at a good discount. What's not as advisable is buying things just because. Something you don't need or won't use is still something you don't need or won't use, no matter how good the deal is.
4. Any deal that seems too good to be true
...There's a good chance it probably is. For further reading, check out Mashable's guide to finding best Prime Day deals: We've got tips on how to identify doorbusters that are genuinely worth it.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information and sourcing regarding third-party sellers at Amazon and Ring devices.
