3 Tricks to Saving Money on Amazon During the Holidays

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Have your fair share of holiday shopping to do? Read on for ways to spend less on Amazon. 

The holidays can be a truly overwhelmingly expensive time of the year. From the period of late November through late December, your credit card bills might easily be double what they are in a typical month. This especially holds true if you’re traveling during the holidays and buying gifts.

If you’re someone who tends to shop on Amazon, you may be aware that it’s more than possible to find your share of good bargains on the site all year round. But you’ll want to be especially savvy with your Amazon shopping during the holidays given the number of purchases you may be looking at. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can eke out savings when buying gifts on Amazon.

1. Keep your cart full and track it continuously

Amazon makes it surprisingly easy to track prices by allowing you to add items to your cart and rather than check out, save them for later. If you’re hoping to get the best deals on your purchases this season, load up an Amazon cart and look at it daily to see where prices are.

Perhaps a toy you added that initially cost $39.99 is suddenly available for $24.99. That’s the sort of deal you’d want to pounce on.

2. Look for deals outside of major shopping days

Many consumers are wired to believe that the biggest discounts of the holiday season are going to be available on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But actually, you might find plenty of markdowns on Amazon before and after those events.

In fact, it specifically pays to do some of your Amazon holiday shopping after Thanksgiving weekend. The reason? Overstocked items that don’t sell as well as expected between Black Friday and Cyber Monday may get discounted. That allows you to buy your gifts for less.

3. Don’t wait till the last minute to do your shopping

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you know you’re entitled to free two-day shipping on a host of items. The problem, though, is that not every item on the site is eligible for two-day shipping. Non-Prime-eligible items may take six or seven days to arrive — or longer — unless you pay a premium for expedited shipping.

As such, it’s a good idea not to wait until the last minute to finish your holiday shopping. If you’re buying Christmas gifts, for example, then you may want to aim to have everything purchased no later than Dec. 15 or 16. That gives you time to cope with slower shipping times without having to pay extra for faster delivery.

Also, keep in mind that even if a given item on Amazon is available for two-day shipping, couriers tend to experience delays as Christmas gets closer. So it pays to not wait until the last minute not just from a savings perspective, but a logistical one, too.

Shopping on Amazon could result in a nice amount of savings this holiday season. And if you play your cards right, you may find that you’re able to get away with keeping more in your bank account than planned.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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