12 Mistakes to Avoid on Amazon Prime Day

Some call it the biggest shopping day of the summer, with good reason. Amazon offers tons of deals on Prime Day — deals that compete with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, there will actually be two full days, July 15-16, during which you may be able to scoop up that something you've been coveting at a discount. To help you prepare for the big shopping extravaganza and increase the likelihood that you'll be successful, we talked with retail experts and bloggers to compile a list of mistakes to avoid during Prime Day 2019.

Related: 15 Things You Should Never Buy on Amazon

Trae Bodge, of the smart-shopping blog True Trae, says the biggest mistake you can make on Amazon Prime Day is not being a member. "You can only take advantage of the sales on Amazon Prime Day if you are a Prime member." So, she says, be sure to sign up for a 30-day free trial. If the full membership isn't for you, cancel the trial membership after 30 days or you will automatically be charged. As a Prime member, you'll also receive Prime Day-related emails and notifications leading up to the event — read those so you can prepare for what's to come or jump on a deal right away.

If you do already have an Amazon Prime account, be sure that your account information is up to date. Double check your mailing address and credit card information that is on file. For those super amazing deals that fly off the shelves, you won't want to be delayed at checkout with an expired card on file — it could cause you to lose out on the deal.

While it may be tempting to assume that everything on Amazon is the best deal that day, that's not necessarily the case. In the past, retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have tuned into Amazon Prime Day and upped their deals for that time frame, too. Becky Beach, money saving expert and blogger at Mom Beach, found that out the hard way when she bought her 3-year-old a scooter on Amazon only to find out that Walmart had the same one for $20 less, she says. "Don't get ripped off by thinking that Amazon has the lowest prices on Prime Day." Instead, she recommends shoppers do a Google search for the product they're eyeing, then filter the results using the "shopping" category to see the lowest prices available.

Amazon Prime Day is not a day to "wing it." Similar to Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it's a smart idea to have a list of what you want and need to buy that day instead of just logging on to see what's on sale. That could result in you buying things you don't actually need or really want.

While Amazon Prime Day and the deals are kept under lock and key, there are many reliable sources out there that accurately speculate the types of deals you can expect to find based on previous deals and hot items for the year. You can check out Cheapism's predictions here. Knowing what to expect will help you cross check ahead of time what an actual good deal for that item will be.

If there is a hot item or a big-ticket purchase that you want, and you expect it to be deeply discounted on Amazon Prime Day, chances are you won't be the only one going for that item. That also means you should expect it to sell out fast. The best way to work around this is to work with a "carting" partner. A friend or a significant other than is willing to hop on and try to get the item you're going for, too, to help ensure at least one of you gets it.

If you know exactly what you're shopping for, sign up for an Amazon alert for that item. You can sign up for these alerts from your phone or your computer to ensure you don't miss the deal.

If you do miss a deal you really want, don't forget about the waitlist feature. Not all products on Amazon have this but for those that do, it's worth using in the event that a shopper has an item in the cart that he or she has a change of heart about at checkout.

If you are hoping for a Google home device deal, think again. Amazon products always see the biggest price drops on Amazon Prime Day, so think along the lines of the Amazon Echo. Likewise with tablets like the Fire vs. an iPad. Don't set yourself up for disappointment with unlikely expectations.

Before you cash in on a deal you've got to read the fine print — especially with Amazon's third-party sellers. Amazon Prime Day is a huge opportunity for third-party sellers, and they'll be trying everything to get your business. And that unfortunately can mean hiding imperative information, like if something is refurbished, in unlikely places.

Remember to also be on the lookout for Amazon services deals leading up to Prime Day. You can score deals on things like Amazon Music Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited, Audible, and more.

If you plan to shop a lot on Amazon Prime Day, you might as well get rewards for your purchases. "If you are a frequent Amazon shopper, consider signing up for their Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card," says Bodge. The card has no annual fee and members earn 5% back on Amazon purchases, plus a host of other rewards — a good deal even if you only use it for Amazon purchases. But, warns Bodge, "like with any store rewards card, the APR isn't great (16% or higher), so my advice is to only sign up for this card if you intend to pay it off in full every month." She also suggests that you look around for promotions when signing up. "When I signed up for mine, Amazon gave me a $75 credit," she points out. That would come in very handy on Amazon Prime Day.