We Tracked What to Buy (and Skip) During Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days offered discounts exclusively for Prime members.

But you don't have to be on the hunt for every deal, because frankly, who has time? Our Nerds did the research for you by talking to experts and tracking prices on 12 popular products at four major retailers.

Whether you're shopping for household staples or holiday gifts, consult this Nerdy list of what to buy (and skip) during big sales in October.

Best things to buy (or skip) on Prime Big Deal Days

Buy: Past-purchase staples

Don’t let Amazon’s homepage algorithm dictate what you buy. One strategy to cut through clutter: Let your order history lead the way.

Save money by finding deals on the things you already use and know are worth your money. Open your order history and review items you’ve repurchased over the past 30 days, three months or even a year. If you spot a discount on something you need, take advantage and stock up.

Here’s how to “buy again.”

• Amazon app: Go to your cart in the mobile app and select the “buy again” tab near the top of the screen. 

• Desktop: Click on “Returns & Orders” on the top right side of your screen. Then click “Buy Again” to add frequent purchases to your cart.  

We’ve seen the “Prime Big Deals” label on trash bags, dog food, dishwasher pods, mouthwash, Clorox cleaner, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, vitamins and baby bottles. You can also shop for items that regularly wear out, such as the water filter in your refrigerator or the electric toothbrush heads you’ve been using for too long.

Sticking with needs is one way to avoid going into debt this holiday season.

Skip: Lightning deals

Look away from pressure-driven lightning deals that are only available for a limited time or until a certain number of units are sold. These promotions are meant to make you feel panicked and push you toward impulsive purchases.

“Consumers are easily swayed by the deals and promotion messages, and their ‘fear of missing out (FOMO)’ mentality often tricks them into jumping on these flash deals,” Savannah Wei Shi, associate professor of marketing at Santa Clara University, said in an email interview.

Take a breath and know that if you miss the deal, you’re not missing out. The item will probably be discounted in the coming months, which could give you time to realize you don’t even want it anymore.

Buy: Toys

If you need gift ideas for the kids in your life, Andrea Woroch, a personal finance writer and consumer savings expert who has appeared on “Good Morning America” and other TV news shows, recommends looking for deals on crafting kits, dolls and action figures, Lego sets and even video game consoles and gaming bundles.

Woroch warns, however, that not all toy deals will be worth it this early in the holiday shopping season, and suggests going in knowing what you want. How do you know when to add that toy to your cart?

“If you're getting 30% off, buy it. That's a good deal,” she says.

Amazon highlighted Lego deals in its Prime Big Deal Days announcement and Target is advertising up to 30% off select sets during its Circle Week sale, which runs through Oct 12.

Skip: Small home appliances

You might be better off waiting until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to buy small home appliances. Based on our price tracking data, the Instant Vortex 6-quart 4-in-1 air fryer was on sale for $107.95 during the sale, but if you wait, you could score a bigger deal. The air fryer was $59.49 during Amazon’s Cyber Monday sale last November.

Coffee lovers also might want to hold out for another sale. The Keurig K-Classic single-serve coffee maker we tracked was $109.99 at Amazon during July’s Prime Day Sale and is $139 now. Last year, the price dropped to $76.49 on Cyber Monday, so you’re probably better off waiting. That, or buy it directly from Keurig.com, where was $99.99 Oct 8.

Buy: Personal electronics

Our advice is nuanced in this category. Discounts on headphones and smart speakers are a given during Amazon’s major sales. The price of the high-end set of Sony headphones we’re tracking is down to $298 at Amazon ($297 at Walmart) — about $100 off list price — which matches the Prime Day in July price.

Many Alexa-enabled devices and Amazon-branded e-readers were also on sale. Tablets, fitness trackers, streaming sticks, laptops, cameras and TVs are fair game, too. The 65-inch LG C3 TV we’ve been watching dropped to a low of $1,296.99 at Amazon and Walmart for this week’s sales. That’s $300 less than it was on Black Friday 2023.

But the product release cycle impacts gadget prices. For example, if you were hoping to pick up an Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular) with a 41mm sport band at a discount after the series 10 was released, you might be out of luck.

With the new version now out, Amazon was only selling a used version of the previous model for $462.56, and it was unavailable at Target in the weeks leading up to Prime Big Deal Days. If you’re not picky about the color or style you purchase, you might be able to score a deal.

Skip: Fast fashion on Amazon

Fashion can be hit or miss on Amazon, Woroch says. If you hold off on clothing purchases, you can save your money for when there are more sales from a wider selection of storefronts about a month from now.

“I would wait for Black Friday weekend,” she says.

More stores participate, and you’ll have the chance to get great deals from brands known for better clothes, she says.

Are Prime Big Deal Days the best time to buy?

Not always. Amazon has created two sale holidays — Prime Day in July and Prime Big Deal Days in October — that have forced other retailers to follow suit.

Our data shows some deals are worth a look. Discounts from Amazon and its competitors during Prime Big Deal Days make it the best time to buy five of the 12 products on our list. Prime Day in July delivered the lowest price for four items on our list.

So, for nine out of the 12 items we tracked, Prime Day in July or October brought the lowest prices. Last Black Friday had the lowest price for only one of the items on our list and tied with Cyber Monday for another.

Here’s a tidbit that sums up shopping online in 2024: Prices can be just as good, or better, during non-sale days. That was the case for the aforementioned Sony headphones.

If you were shopping on a random Tuesday (Sept. 24 to be exact), you could have nabbed them for $285 from a third-party seller on Walmart.com, $12 less than Oct. 8. But good prices during off-sale periods are tough to time. Waiting for the big sale is easier.

Check competitors and your budget

The Prime Big Deal Days sale isn’t the only one happening this week. Amazon is probably the play for Prime members (most deals require a Prime membership), but online shopping makes it easy to compare prices at competitors. Target Circle week (Oct. 6-12) and Walmart’s first Holiday Deals Event (Oct. 8-13) are both happening now, and our research shows prices are competitive.

Like with Amazon, Target’s sale is for Circle members only (free to join), while Walmart’s sale is open to everyone (although paid Walmart+ members get early access to special deals). Don’t overlook Best Buy, especially when it comes to electronics.

If you have a holiday shopping budget, now’s the time to revisit it. If money is tight and shopping would put you into debt or cause bills to go unpaid, skip the sale. There will be plenty of chances to buy things you want or need in the future. Some distance will give you a chance to research, reevaluate and save.

How we tracked prices

NerdWallet tracked online prices on 12 products at four nationwide retailers — Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy — focusing on Black Friday 2023, Cyber Monday 2023, Prime Day 2024 and Prime Big Deal Days 2024. We selected a range of items, including electronics and home goods, that are popular with shoppers year after year.

Some caveats:

• Some products have upgrades or a new model introduced in a given year. In these cases, we continued to track the original item and not the newest generation.

• Pricing can vary based on color. When possible, the most basic and/or universal color was selected. If this color or model wasn’t available, we tracked another color.  

• In-store and online prices sometimes vary. We used online prices to reflect the current retail landscape, which is defined by dynamic pricing, and to ensure we got the most up-to-date prices available.