Amazon’s October Prime Day is here. Officially called Prime Big Deal Day, the shopping event started yesterday, Tuesday, October 8, and ends tonight at 2:59 a.m. ET on October 10.
The Strategist team has been covering the sale with all our trademark obsessiveness, rounding up the best deals in every category from fashion to beauty to household essentials and so much more. (And if you want all the deals all in one place, we have a mega-list of the 200+ best Prime Day deals, curated by yours truly.)
But if you want more info on what the sale even is, how you can take advantage of the deals, and when the deals end, I’m here to explain. I’ve answered the most important questions about the sale below. And to make sure you don’t miss a single good deal, sign up for our email newsletter.
First and foremost, when does the sale end?
The sale started yesterday, October 8, and ends at 2:59 a.m. ET on October 10.
So what is Prime Big Deal Days?
It’s essentially the same concept as Prime Day, but it’s in October instead of July. (A lot of people just call it October Prime Day.) Thousands of items will be discounted for 48 hours, and the deals will be available only to Prime members.
The biggest difference between Prime Big Deal Days and regular old Prime Day is the framing: Amazon touts Prime Big Deal Days as the kickoff to holiday shopping — even though it’s more than six weeks before Black Friday.
This is sounding familiar. Didn’t Amazon do this last October?
Yes, but the sale is fairly new. It started in 2022, when it was called the Prime Early Access Sale (as in early access to holiday deals). Last year, Amazon updated the name to Prime Big Deal Days, and it seems that’s the official name from here on out. (Why it was renamed is a mystery to us all, though I prefer the acronym PBDD to PEAS, for whatever that’s worth.)
What’s on sale?
A whole lot! As this sale is meant to be a holiday-shopping kickoff, there are lots of gifts and holiday décor in the mix, particularly bigger-ticket beauty tools, artificial Christmas trees, and tons of kids’ toys and games. As with Prime Days past, there are also some decent finds in the fashion and beauty categories, especially on makeup and skin-care products. Also as usual, there are some great discounts on unsexy (but necessary) household essentials, like toilet paper and teeth-whitening strips. Basically, if it was on sale during Prime Day in July, it’s likely on sale again.
Why shouldn’t I just wait until Black Friday to kick off the holiday-shopping season like a normal person?
The main benefit of getting your holiday shopping done this early — besides peace of mind — is avoiding shipping delays and making sure you get the things you actually want before they sell out. And as I’ve covered October Prime Day twice already, I can tell you the discounts I saw during the October sale didn’t get much better on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, so I wouldn’t worry too much about getting duped by a seemingly good deal now only to see it even cheaper later.
Where can I find deals that are actually worth it?
Right here on the Strategist. You can see all of our Prime Day coverage here, which includes your mega-hub of October Prime Day deals and all sorts of more specific roundups, from deals under $50 to deals that would make great Christmas gifts. And to make sure you don’t miss a single good deal, sign up for our email newsletter.
Do I really need to be a Prime member to get these deals?
Unfortunately, yes. If you aren’t signed up for Prime already, it costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year — and if you’re not ready to fully commit, you can sign up for a week of Prime access for $1.99. Or if you’re really trying to save some cash, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial right now (or any time before 2:59 a.m. ET on October 10).
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
