Our top 5 hacks for evaluating Amazon deals ahead of Prime Big Deal Days

Before you spend your hard-earned money, here's how to evaluate a deal like a professional shopper. By Christina Buff Christina Buff is a Nashville-based freelance writer for who covers shopping with a splash of entertainment. If you’re ever wondering what streaming service you need to watch something (and the cheapest way to sign up for it), she’s your girl. Read Full Bio on October 5, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Flipboard All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Credit: Pexels Table of Contents We're all hungry for savings amidst all of the price hikes this year, so Prime Big Deal Days, aka October Prime Day, has arrived just in time.Prime Big Deal Days event takes place Oct. 6 and 7, and Amazon's major sales offer lots of legitimately good discounts worth adding to your cart. But there are also a number of not-so-amazing deals floating around the internet. Not to mention, with the RAMageddon price increases, it's hard to gauge whether a deal is actually considered good anymore. How do you sort out what's worth your money and what to avoid? Mashable's shopping team knows a thing or two about finding the best deals. And we're going to let you in on some of our secrets. Your first line of defense should be your gut. If a deal seems too good to be true, there's a pretty good chance it is. But if you need to know for sure, here are a couple of ways to get the scoop. Verify the MSRP on the brand's websiteWe've seen product list prices fluctuate, which can make discounts look steeper than they really are or downplay how good a deal actually is. A good rule of thumb before you buy is to cross-check the listing with the actual manufacturer's website. If you can't seem to find the exact product on the brand's website, you can also cross-check the price with competing retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, or Target, which will give you some insight into the MSRP. These retailers will sometimes match (or even beat) Amazon's prices.Take the Anker Solix power station below, for example. Amazon lists the MSRP at $1,199, highlighting a 43 percent discount. However, a quick search on Anker's website shows the MSRP for the same power station is actually $999.99. While the sale price is the same on both websites, the discount isn't quite as steep as it seems. Left: Amazon's listing for the Anker Solix S2000 power station inflates the MSRP to $1,199. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon Right: A quick cross-check on Anker's website shows that the MSRP is actually $999.99. Credit: Screenshot: Anker Our secret weapon, particularly during sales like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, is the Amazon price-tracking tool CamelCamelCamel. This free tool can help you determine whether a product's sale price is actually a great deal or if it's an everyday occurrence. You plug a product's Amazon listing into the search bar at the top of the website or use the Camelizer browser extension and get insight into the product's price history over the last weeks, months, or even years. It can sometimes miss short-term discounts and Lightning deals, but it's pretty accurate for the most part.Walmart offers a similar tool called Camelmart, if you choose to shop its fall savings event or compare prices. Camelcamelcamel shows the Kindle's price history. Credit: Screenshot: CamelCamelCamel Amazon has put some work into its Alexa for Shopping feature this past year, so don't be afraid to utilize it. The tool is available on the app, website, and Echo Show devices and combines Amazon's AI assistant Rufus with Alexa+. The personalized AI assistant is designed for your shopping needs, so you can ask it direct questions about products. That includes viewing up to a full year of price history for specific items. If you're eyeing a certain product, you can also set price alerts to notify you when a good deal pops up. You can ask Alexa for Shopping directly about a specific product's price history for up to one year. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon You can also choose the pre-written prompt for the price history when you're on a specific product listing page. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon Mashable's shopping team has been covering Prime Big Deal Days since its inception, and it's our job to know what deals are actually worth adding to your cart. Our Prime Day hub can save you from wasting time skimming websites on your own. If there's a great deal you need to know about, we've got you. Head over to the hub for links to all of our coverage, including a regularly updated guide to the best October Prime Day deals, the latest fall sales at Walmart and Target, as well as category-specific shopping guides for TVs, Apple products, home improvement, and headphones. We'll be updating all of these lists regularly before, during, and after the sale, so keep checking back for all the latest and greatest deals that drop. Mashable Deals By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Check if the product is Shipped and Sold by AmazonAmazon is home to thousands of third-party sellers. Some of these third-party sellers are perfectly legit, and others are operated directly by brands themselves. However, some of these sellers have not-so-great reviews, which is why Mashable tries to recommend products shipped and sold directly by Amazon whenever possible.You can check this information on a product page, though the text is easy to miss.Look directly under the "Buy Now" button or search the page for the phrases "Ships from" or "Sold by" to see the actual seller.For instance, Samsung recently raised prices on its Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphones, but these phones are listed with discounts at Amazon. However, check the "Sold by" section, and you'll see the seller is actually an entity called ReNew Pros (We Record Serial Numbers). Many people shopping this deal might not realize they're not buying directly from Amazon. This seller only has a 78% positive customer rating at Amazon, which is useful information if you're considering a purchase. Christina Buff is a Nashville-based freelance writer for who covers shopping with a splash of entertainment. If you’re ever wondering what streaming service you need to watch something (and the cheapest way to sign up for it), she’s your girl.Christina received a B.S. in Business Communication (concentration in writing) from Stevenson University and began her professional journey writing and editing press releases. Since then, she’s written content for a marketing agency, blogged for celebrities, and covered local news, politics, women’s lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and just about everything in between for various publications.When she’s not writing, she’s probably enjoying live music, studying human design, or embroidering and upcycling clothes. You can follow her on Instagram at @touchinfinity.