On July 15, online retail giant Amazon.com's annual Prime Day kicks off. This year, the special deals will be available starting at 1 a.m. in Israel. Sales will start in New York at 10 a.m. Israel time.
This year, Amazon has expanded its Prime Day deals and is extending the event to two days.
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Prime Day is a two-day parade of epic deals and exciting product launches, live entertainment and more. This year, the company is marking its 25th anniversary, and expectations are running high.
According to Amazon, Prime-Day's structure is very similar to Cyber Monday and Black Friday, the only difference is that deals last up to 36 hours. Users who don't subscribe to Amazon Prime can sign up for a free month-long introductory membership just to take advantage of the deals, which this year include 4K HDR TVs, headphones, wireless chargers, smart-home products, Amazon Echo and Fire products, smartphones, and more.
The company stressed that once the introductory month is up, users can pay for the membership or cancel it.
Here are some pro tips for this year's shopping spree:
- Sing into the Prime membership.
- Search for the desired item. You can gather all the information you need before making a purchase. using the ClipAdvise engine to do so. ClipAdvise video reviews is an innovative AI data-driven video tool established to help the average consumer with their online shopping research.
- Don't buy the first product you see while browsing! Compare between at least three similar items.
- After watching two or three videos about similar items, compare the prices Amazon has to offer.
- Click the product that fits you the most, you will then be transferred directly into the product page in Amazon.
Figures from Prime Day 2018 indicate that 75-77% of the deals offered were better than what are offered on Black Friday, further proof of how important the day is to Amazon.
Benny Buchnik, founder of the Israeli Facebook group "I Need it," recommended that consumers look for details on brand name athletic footwear: "The most in-demand items are [electronic] gadgets, home electronics, home goods, and DIY," he observed.
He added that Israelis would enjoy a little extra "prime time" this year, with two and a half days of special offers, "which is insane even in terms of major consumers."
According to Buchnik, Israeli Prime Day buyers should "come ready – everyone needs to know what they're looking for and what the prices are. Everyone should study the categories ahead of time and narrow their options to one or two models – if you track [prices on] several models, the deals will end and you won't manage to get them."
"If you see a good deal, place the order immediately," he suggested, pointing out that anyone who experienced buyer's remorse could cancel the order before it shipped.
Another important tip for Israeli Prime Day shoppers: Do NOT pay in shekels, but in the local currency of the country, Buchnik warns, explaining that Amazon charges a commission of 6.5%-7% for currency conversion, which is much higher than the 2.5%-3% currency conversion rate credit card companies charge.
Buchnik also warns Israelis to avoid purchasing electric appliances from the US, because US appliances run on a different electrical current as well as having plugs that do not fit into Israeli outlets.
So once Israeli Prime shopper have made their selection, what's the cheapest way to get the goods here from abroad? Direct shipping to Israel is expensive, but there are Israeli shipping firms that deal with orders from the US. DealTas, for example, offers $20 express flat-rate shipping based on weight for the following categories of items: clothing (up to 3 kg/6.6 lb); a pair of shoes; cosmetics (up to 3 kg/6.6 lb); a cellular device; headphones; and vitamins and food supplements (up to 3 kg/6.6 lb) The offer is valid on parcels containing a single item, with exceptions for clothing, cosmetic, or food supplements.
DealTas is offering additional discounts and special rates for other categories of products, depending on the type of item and its weight.
