Amazon Prime Day 2017: Is it Worth it?
Amazon Prime Day 2017 kicks off this evening at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET and you'll want to know the pros and cons of looking for video game and peripheral gold.
Amazon Prime Day kicks off this evening at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, and we've already taken a look at some of the better video game and peripheral deals that will be coming and at what time. But what you really want to know is if the deals are worth it. The truth is, it depends on what you want, and based on the last two Prime Days, there may not be a lot.
Let's look at some of the pros and cons, not of the specific deals, but the sale itself in general.
The Pros
The good news is that you will know all of the sales in advance. Many times, even for the Lightning sales that come every five minutes, you'll be able to know 24 hours in ahead what products will have their prices slashed. If you get the free Amazon App, you can be alerted when an item you are interested in starts its quickie sale. The Prime Day sale will last 30 hours, however, so you will need to check the app at least twice to be up to date on everything coming.
There is also a way to get some cash back on sales, which in essence, drops sale prices even further. An Amazon Prime Card allows members to get 5% cash back on all purchases through Amazon.com. If you don't want a card, reloading an Amazon Gift Card through your checking account will get you 2% back.
Lastly, you can also donate to a charity of your choice through the sale by visiting smile.amazon.com, where a portion of eligible purchases will be donated.
The Cons
The bad news is that this is a non-stop 30-hour sale. There won't be any breaks for the food, sleep or running to use restroom after too many beers. And the sale happens during a work day for most people, so good luck getting the boss to let you cruise Amazon all day tomorrow. Of course, if you are the boss, all bets are off. Be nice and make it a companywide day of one-upsmanship on who gets the best deal.
Again, in addition to day-long sales that will last while items remain in stock, there are the Lightning deals that can happen every five minutes, and last only as long as Amazon has the item. If you miss it, you can add your name to a wait list, but it would likely take an act of God to have that popular piece restocked before the sale ends.
Conclusion
In the end, it's a crap shoot. Amazon bills these sales as "More Deals Than Black Friday," but if those deals are crap, who will give them a shot? If you can live without that pair of wireless off-brand headphones or that kickstand for the Nintendo Switch, go for it. However, based on what we have seen so far, this is more of an Off-White Tuesday sale than a Black Friday-style sale, depending on what you want.
In case you missed it, check out our Best Prime Day 2017 Video Game Deals guide.
