Tips For Easy Shopping On Amazon This Holiday Season

You may think that online gift shopping is just for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but truly it isn’t. Amazon is is one of those places where you can constantly find good deals because they are exclusively online. This means that what used to be a month or two of holiday shopping is actually something you can do all season (or all year) long, right from the comfort of your own home! Now, because people are quick, it is important to know how to shop Amazon like a pro. Here’s how to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday shop on Amazon so that you don’t get stressed out at the last minute.

Make a List

Do you know who you are buying gifts for? Make a list! This can be hand-written, on your Google Calendar, on Excel or anywhere else that you can keep handy – but you’ll want it to be somewhere that you can access at any time so that you can document your Amazon purchases.

If you’ve forgotten people from the list, add them. If you see something that gives you an idea, list it by the person’s name. This is your best way for cross referencing gifts that you have purchased and who you still need to shop for.

Check Amazon Every Day

The best thing that you can do in order to maximize your time and minimize your stress is to check Amazon every single day. Look in Today’s Deals each and every day and see if the items on sale will work for anyone on your list.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, you will see more and more daily deals listed and more categories highlighted. It is never too early to begin buying if you see the right item at the right price!

Sign up for Prime

If you are not an Amazon Prime member, you need to get going on that. Did you know that Amazon Prime members have access to more than 30,000 sales and deals before anyone else does? This includes Lightning Deals, most of which are available to Prime members 30 minutes before everyone else.

When deals sell out, they sell out, so if you are not a Prime member and you’ve had your eye on something all day, your chances of buying it may be slim – particularly if it’s popular. Plus, with no minimum and 2-day shipping on most items, you can have your item at your door in just days.

Place three separate orders in the same day if you want, they’ll handle the shipping – which is the best kind of freedom while shopping on Amazon. You can read more about whether Amazon Prime is worth it, but in my opinion, having Amazon Prime during the holiday season is invaluable.

Shop Black Friday Sales Ahead of Time

Amazon posts their Black Friday deals before Black Friday. This means that you have time to scope out what is going to be on sale, and how much of a discount you can get. You can search by category and filter down by price. Keep an eye on what you want and set an alarm to purchase before it sells out.

Look for Coupons

The second place to start your browsing (after Today’s Deals) is through the Amazon coupons. Amazon coupons can be found for food products, electronics, home goods, clothes, pet products and much more. These coupons are typically available to be used on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or any time of the year, so see if there is anything on the coupon list that will also be on sale during the deep discount days.

Make sure to look at the dates that you can use each coupon (as well as any restrictions!), and clip ones that will work on Black Friday sales ahead of time.

Put it in Your Cart Early

Because you can view the Amazon Black Friday sales early, try to add those items to your cart beforehand. If I am able, I will start adding items an hour before the sale starts to help ensure that I get the items before they are sold out. Again, if I can add the item, I do it, although not everything will work that way. That said, once it is in your cart, you already have the item ready to check out when the sale starts.

You are less likely to be able to add big ticket items before the sale, but there will be plenty of items you can add that will make the process quicker and easier. (Note – you MUST be checking out when the sale is at its earliest to ensure that you’ll still get the product. If you wait too long, they will tell you that what is in your cart is no longer available.)

Open Multiple Pages

Some items can’t be added to your cart before it is sale time. The affected listings are usually high ticket items such as gaming systems or computers. If you know that you want to purchase these items, open multiple pages on your web browser so that you don’t have to waste time clicking around.

For example, if you want an Amazon Echo Dot and a Nintendo Switch, have each of those items open in a different tab on your computer. Once the sale starts, you can quickly go through your tabs, adding the items that you want to your cart. This will make the experience quicker, making it more likely that the item won’t sell out before you get to checkout.

When it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, the quicker you are, the better deals you get. Plan and think ahead of the game to get the best deals on Amazon all season long. Do not wait until the last minute to do your shopping – your wallet will thank you for it! And if you do think of something at the last minute? Be sure that you have signed up for Prime in order to take advantage of the 2-day shipping benefits. It can really save the day!