Amazon Prime Day October: How to actually score real tech deals

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Amazon’s October Prime Day (Oct 7-8), also known as Prime Big Day Deals, is here, and while the deals appear enticing, half of them are essentially digital snake oil.

If you’re looking for the absolute best details the shopping even has to offer, here’s how to separate the genuine steals from Amazon’s marketing BS.

Stop Falling for Fake Discounts

That “50% off” sticker? It’s probably calculated against some inflated MSRP that nobody ever paid. œ

Smart shoppers use CamelCamelCamel’s Chrome plugin to check the actual price history. Look at three key numbers: lowest price ever, highest price (usually the fake MSRP), and average price over time.

The Real Deal Rating System

Here’s a good barometer test to determine the best offerings: 40%-50 % off real prices = 5/5 stars, 30-39% off = 4/5, and 20-29% off = 3/5. Anything below 3/5? Skip it.

Ready to geek out on price history? We created a chatbot that hunts down the best deals and tells you exactly when to pounce on that must-have item.

Just pop in a product name or Amazon URL, and it’ll compare real price history to let you know if now’s the time to buy or if you should hold out for a better bargain.

Give it a whirl below and turn “maybe later” into “heck yes” at the perfect price.

KnowTechie’s Amazon DealBot

Where the Money Actually Is

The iRobot Roomba j7+ shows how wild price swings can get—from $350 to $850, a $500 difference. TVs are goldmines too, with models like the Sony Bravia A95K 65-inchshowing massive variations.

But here’s the kicker: products like the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones barely budge in price (only $22 average difference), so any decent discount is actually noteworthy.

Budget Wins

For sub-$200 items, the Beats Studio Buds crushed it with 52% off ($78 savings), while the Blink Outdoor 4 Camera hit 68% off. This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks, so be sure to check out the Prime Big Day Deals landing page here.

Pro Tip: If you miss October’s event, Black Friday (Nov 28) and Cyber Monday (Dec 1) are coming. But with proper price tracking, you won’t need to wait for arbitrary sale dates to score genuine deals.

Bottom line: Don’t let the flashy banners and countdown timers hustle you out of your hard-earned cash.

If the numbers don’t add up, your wallet shouldn’t open. With a dose of skepticism and the right price-tracking tools, you’ll turn Amazon’s Prime Big Day Deals into Prime Smart Shopper Wins—no snake oil required.

Happy bargain hunting, and may your cart be full of actual savings (not just clever marketing).

Editors’ Recommendations:

• 

  Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days are already serving up insane TV deals

• 

  Apple’s AirPods are stupid-cheap right now (like, under $100 cheap)

• 

  Prime Video’s bundle deals are here to murder your streaming bill

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.