Prime day, scams and risks on offers: here’s what to know

MILAN. Prime Day 2023 kicks off today, the Amazon initiative with discounts and offers on many products and items available in the e-commerce portal catalogue. The maxi promotion, which is reserved for Prime subscribers, will last until Wednesday 12 July at 11.59pm. During the 48 hours of super-discounts, flash offers lasting a few hours, generally 6 or 12, will also be offered. A 30% discount will also be available on a selection of Second-hand Amazon products.

Those who want to shop will find offers on smartphones, PCs, TVs, clothing, up to products for children and personal care. The Amazon Prime Day proposals are many and it will be necessary to keep up to date in order not to miss the opportunities. In any case, even if these are discounts reserved only for subscribers, the road to savings is not blocked for non-subscribers: just activate the subscription for free for 30 days.

Make comparisons
There is no shortage of opportunities during Prime Day. However, caution is needed: the very discounted price does not necessarily mean that there cannot be a lower price. Before buying the product, it is advisable to carry out another search on Amazon for the desired product or perhaps on price comparators. The best way is to arrive at the Amazon appointment already with clear ideas: therefore prepare in time and know in advance all the prices of what you want to buy.

To increase the discounts
If you want to increase your savings during Amazon Prime Day 2023, keep an eye out for the extra discounts. These are often offered in the form of coupons. The extra discount will be calculated at checkout at the time of payment. To find out the list of coupons, just search the dedicated area on the Amazon portal. Typically this is an additional savings ranging from 5% up to more than 9%.

The traps
You need to keep your eyes open and not get caught up in the buying process. Often, the proposals are indicated as running out. It is a strategy to put pressure on the buyer. Then, beware of scams. “Occasions like prime day are an important opportunity to make purchases of household appliances or hi-tech products at discounted prices – says Codacons -. The risk of making impulse purchases which you later regret, or worse of being a victim of scams, unfortunately it is very high, as the experience of “Black Friday” teaches. For this reason we advise consumers to pay the utmost attention, wary of exorbitant discounts and unbelievable prices that are offered through private messages sent by email or via social networks. You only need to buy on official and trusted sites, following the basic rules of e-commerce”.

One of the most used tricks by those trying to scam buyers is to ask for payments in advance. It is one of the most frequented streets by scammers even during Black Friday. For this reason, the advice is to avoid advance payments and always ask for receipts and invoices.