Beta Yourself Amazon
It’s the online superstore for everything – but if you want to cut through that dross for a proper bargain, you’re going to need some help. Luckily, Sam Kieldsen’s got your back…
Improve your fidget-spinner buying skills
THE BASICS Grab a Daily Deal.
First stop for bargain-hounds should be Amazon’s Daily Deals section. You’ll have to be quick, though, as these offers refresh every 24 hours and might not even stick around for the full day. While Daily Deals are something of a lucky dip of savings, it’s worth checking in on the off chance of finding something special.
Check the Warehouse.
Warehouse Deals are how Amazon shifts refurbished, factory-damaged, returned and second-hand (aka ‘open-box and pre-owned’) products at low prices. All products are in ‘good condition’ and backed up with Amazon’s satisfaction guarantee, so it’s prime territory for bargain-hunting.
Search by discounts.
Less of a browser and more of an “I know what I’m after” type? Check out the Amazon Discount Finder tool at moneysavingexpert.com, which will unearth deals you might struggle to find with Amazon’s regular search box. You can search by keyword and filter by department, category, discount, and minimum/maximum price.
Subscribe and save.
One way to save a few quid on household essentials is to use Amazon’s Subscribe & Save option. Available on thousands of products, it gives you additional savings if you receive five or more products on a single, monthly delivery date.
Optimise Prime.
Umming and ahing over forking out £79 for an annual Amazon Prime membership? We reckon it’s the bundled-in streaming services that make it worth having, not just the one-day delivery.
Make a wish.
Save products you want but can’t afford right now on a Wish List. If these are kept to the default ‘public’ setting, friends and family can browse them – if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll even buy you something.
PRICE CHECKING Buy at the right time.
Camelcamelcamel keeps track of product pricing for online retailers including Amazon. Its web browser extension, the Camelizer, lets you bring up all the historical info on the product you’re currently viewing.
Hunt for some good will.
It’s a bummer when you buy something only for the price to fall a day later. Amazon used to have a policy whereby it’d refund you the difference, and if it happens it’s still worth emailing customer services to ask if they’re willing to help you out.
PRIME FREEBIES Sort that beach reading.
Prime Reading is a brand new addition to the Prime benefits line-up, bringing a rotating roster of free reading material to members. The library includes big names like the Harry Potter titles and classics such as Slaughterhouse Five.
Fill up your old ipod.
If you’ve bought any CDS or LPS on Amazon in the past decade and have a Prime account, you’ll likely be able to download the mp3 versions for free. We found we had well over 100 tracks sitting around to download (some of them by Justin Timberlake, but still…).
SMARTER DELIVERY Have some free money.
One of Prime’s better benefits is the chance to get free money to spend on Kindle books, Amazon Music and Amazon Video. Select ‘No-rush Delivery’ instead of the same-day/one-day option at the checkout and Amazon will give you £1 credit towards your next Kindle, Music or Video purchase. Just remember orders need to be over £3.
Get more free shipping.
For non-prime members, Amazon offers free Super Saver Delivery on orders totalling £20 or more. That can be a mite irritating if you’re buying a product that costs £19.12, so Google the Super Saver Delivery Tool, which suggests items that’ll bump your basket to just the right amount. Steps: The Ultimate Collection, anyone?
DON’T GET FOOLED Unmask fake reviews.
Amazon’s user-written reviews are generally a boon. However, it’s possible for the maker of a product to flood its page with fake positive reviews. Enter product pages into the online tool Fakespot to identify these rotters.
Compare the Market.
While sellers on the Amazon Marketplace might get you a price that’s cheaper than Amazon’s own, these items are not always subject to Amazon’s shipping pricing scheme, or its customer service guarantee. Bear that in mind before buying.