Yahoo Finance How to shop on Amazon this Black Friday - all your questions answered
Whether you’re a seasoned sale shopper or simply trying to get your Christmas purchases out of the way, Amazon tends to top the Black Friday hit list of most online shoppers.
The Black Friday and Cyber Monday stats speak volumes; Amazon sales not only count for more than half of all online purchases during the period — they actually beat their own transaction records every year.
The international sales event has become such a leviathan occasion for the retailer that many consumers struggle to know where to start on the day — which is November 29, 2019.
Naturally, we’re here to help. From whether or not to get Amazon Prime to when to log on for the best bargains, here is our guide to making the most out of the sales period.
What can I do to get the best deals?
The short answer? Sign up for an Amazon Prime subscription.
Amazon usually incentivise their Black Friday audience by giving Prime members exclusive deals and early access to thousands of ‘lightning deals’ (the ones that are only available for a set number of hours, and routinely sell out fastest) 30 minutes before the rest of the internet.
The ever-growing Alexa army also receive access to early deals. In 2017, users of the voice assistant were told to ask Alexa to "tell me about your deals" on Black Friday Eve, giving them exclusive access almost a full day in advance.
Is Amazon Prime really worth it?
You can still benefit from free shipping if your purchases exceed Amazon’s basket threshold, but Prime’s additional Black Friday benefits cannot be tapped without the subscription.
Our advice? Take the company up on their free 30-day trial and decide from there. Whether you opt to maintain your membership or not, free two-day shipping (rather than cost-dependent deliveries in five to eight days) will be handy to have over the busy holiday period. Not forgetting the free TV shows, music, e-books and more.
What are the best Amazon Black Friday deals?
Even though Black Friday 2019 doesn't officially begin until November 29, Amazon launched the first of many deals at the end of last week, with more offers and discounts expected to follow over the next few days.
By keeping track of The Telegraph’s as-it-happens Black Friday deal coverage you will not only get a curated feed of the best products — at the best value — but also the best of Amazon’s titanic offering.
When do the best deals go live?
This year, Amazon launched their deals a week in advance — starting on Friday, November 22, 2019. Many ‘last gen’ versions of their own-brand tech products — that is, last year's model, not this year's - usually pop up during this time, followed by the latest versions of the products over Cyber Weekend.
The ‘best’ deal will, indeed, be the deal on the products that best suit your needs. You may prefer the Fire 7 Kids Edition at its lowest price and your child may prefer the new full HD display-touting version 10 at its first big discount.
We recommend strategising which products you are hoping to score a bargain on, and prioritising them as the deals go live.
Since the early 2019 offers have launched, the megastore’s official Black Friday micro-site should features an ‘Upcoming’ page filled with future offers and the exact time of their launch. If you press the ‘Watch this deal’ button on anything listed, the Amazon app will send you a push notification for each item’s deal launch.
In calculated cases, many shoppers swear by pre-filling their baskets with rumoured products so they can submit their full order as soon as deals go live.
Are Amazon Black Friday deals the cheapest on the internet?
They are, arguably, as good as it gets. Amazon has become near-synonymous with Black Friday over the last decade and their extensive Black Friday deductions are rarely beaten by competitors.
It does, however, only take a quick search to check other retailers haven’t further discounted your Black Friday deal of choice in competition — and it's worth doing.
We also recommend using the tool Flubit, where you can easily see if the Amazon deal can be beaten elsewhere on the internet. This can, however, take a couple of hours — time you won't have if you plan to take advantage of the 'Lightning Deals'.
When Amazon Black Friday deals sell out, are they really sold out?
Yes and no. Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and immediately began to sell its products through the chain. The same Amazon devices that were on sale for Black Friday that year were also discounted at Whole Foods over Cyber Weekend. If a deal sells out online, your local Whole Foods is your next best port of call.
