Back in July 2015, Amazon celebrated their twentieth birthday by launching Prime Day. They boasted that Prime Day would surpass Black Friday and after an underwhelming first few years with lacklustre offers, it’s fair to say this totally random day has become a significant sales event. Here’s everything you need to know about bagging a bargain in Amazon’s 2021 Prime Day Sales Event.
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Do Irish Shoppers Care About Prime Day?
Before launching into the tips and tricks of finding a great deal during the Prime Day sale, why are we even talking about it?
Amazon has never officially launched a website to service Ireland. Instead, shoppers based in Ireland do all their buying through one of Amazon’s other websites. The vast majority of Irish shopping is done on Amazon.co.uk so naturally, Brexit posed somewhat of a roadblock for all of this, or at least that’s what everyone thought it would be.
At the start of the year, we asked people if they had made a purchase on Amazon since Brexit along with all the complications that came with that. A surprising 40% of people said they had made a purchase at the time.
44% Of Shoppers Weighing Up Prime Day Purchases
Ahead of Prime Day we survey more people in Ireland, asking them if they planned to buy anything during the upcoming sale. 9% of people said they would definitely be buying something. 19% said they were on the fence but would certainly be taking a look at what’s on offer while a further undecided 17% thought a purchase would be unlikely. The remaining 56% said they had no plans at all to but anything.
With all of the perceived barriers to buying from Amazon.co.uk, 44% of people we surveyed were still weighing up the idea of making a purchase during the Prime Day sale. These are pretty remarkable numbers despite the facts that shops back here are reopening along with the persistent idea of “shop local” which often sits uncomfortably with those who do choose to shop with the UK online retail giant.
Prime Day Shopping Tips
Right, so all of that said, how do you make sure you’re getting the most from your Amazon Prime Day shopping?
Get Your Prime Membership
As the name suggests, the Prime Day Sale will require a Prime Membership.
Is Amazon Prime Worth It In Ireland?
It depends on how much you plan to use it, but I personally would say yes.
I’ve had Amazon Prime for some time now and still make fairly regular purchases on their website. Delivery is astonishingly quick with some items even been routed through their relatively new Irish distribution centre. But the shipping is only so fast because I’m a Prime customer so that’s one of the benefits. Along with the Prime Day Sale discounts.
On top of the fairly lively delivery times, you get Prime Video, Prime Reading, Prime Music and Prime Gaming which including Twitch benefits along with a few other bits and pieces.
How Much Does Amazon Prime Cost In Ireland?
Prime typically costs either £7.99 per month or £79 per year. That’s just over €9 per month or €90 per year.
Now, if you’re not nor have ever been an Amazon customer, I have good news. You can also nab yourself a free Prime trial which includes 4-months of Prime Music for free. All in all that trial will give you loads of time to clean up for the Prime Day Sale. Even if you’ve used up your trial, it might be worth paying for a month just to get the discounts.
As always, double check your prices before you buy though. Make sure you’re getting a bargain by visiting some retailers in Ireland online too. For example, if you’re buying a tablet, check out Harvey Norman before you hit buy.
Get A Revolut Account
From ASOS to Amazon, and some other stores that don’t begin with A, I do shop on UK websites from time to time. One absolutely shocking thing I’ve learned is that, where possible, pay in Pound Sterling. Many websites, both Amazon and ASOS being prime (sorry) offenders, will set their own exchange rate when you shop in Euro. The rates are ridiculous. Not that long ago, I saved €67 just by switching to paying in Pounds on ASOS.
But how?
Well, all you need is a Revolut account (note: this is an affiliate link). Once you set up your account, you can get a virtual card immediately while waiting for a physical card (like my nifty Irish Cancer Society card). Once you have a virtual card with some money in your Revolut account and these card details added to your Amazon account, all you need to do is select “Pay in GBP”.
Your Revolut account will then pay in Sterling.
This isn’t a dramatic saving by any stretch of the imagination, but here you would have just saved about 40c. The bigger the purchase, typically, the bigger the saving with this trick.
What To Buy This Prime Day
Straight to it. I’m currently reviewing loads of stuff and I won’t be able to get it all done before Prime Day. However, I’ve tested these things to a point where I would absolutely recommend them. I can’t say for sure if any of these items will be discounted during the Prime Day sale, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for them.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Available in both 4G and 5G models, the Samsung Galaxy A52 is a remarkable mid-range smartphone that will keep Netflix hogs and budding photographers happy. Sorry, I should same people watching Prime Video just to keep these whole article on-brand.
Check today’s price for the Samsung Galaxy A52
Huawei Freebuds 3
So these I have thoroughly tested out over the course of two years and love them. The new Huawei Freebuds 4 are here now and just as good, but if you can pick up the old ones – happy days.
Here’s me unboxing the Freebuds 4.
Check today’s price for the Huawei Freebuds 3
JBL Pulse 4
This is a belter of a speaker and something every summer evening barbeque could use. The sound quality is brilliant but so to is the light show! This is a good example of the savings to be had even today too. This would cost you €230 with Harvey Norman but is just €190 on Amazon UK.
Check today’s price for the JBL Pulse 4
JBL Bar 5.0
If there’s one thing that gets popular around the time of big football competitions, it’s soundbars. The JBL Bar 5.0 just landed in for review and I’m loving it. The sound quality is fantastic along with some handy integrations with the TV so I only need one remote now. The little things in life.
Check today’s price for the JBL Bar 5.0
JBL Quantum One Gaming Headset
There’s quite a bit of gaming stuff in this section! Generally speaking, JBL is knocking it out of the park lately with their audio products, including the JBL Club One. I’m also playing with the JBL Quantum One gaming headset. To be honest, it’s mainly being used in this house for conference calls because the sound quality and mic is so impressive!
Check today’s price for the JBL Quantum One
Turtle Beach Recon 500
Aimed more at PC gamers, the Turtle Beach Recon 500 offer great sound quality with a more muted style than a lot of what’s on the market right now.
Check today’s price for the Turtle Beach Recon 500
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2
I’m one of the lucky few who managed to buy a PlayStation 5 this year. While I stand by the fact it wasn’t really worth the hype, there are some mighty games starting to roll out. That got me thinking about the official Sony Playstation headset and just then the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 landed in. It’s even in the right colours for PS5!
I love this headset. It’s really comfy and, most importantly, wireless.
Check today’s price for the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2
Cricut Joy
This has been the hidden gem in my life in lockdown and the one thing I have that I really want to review soon. The Cricut Joy is a tiny, but mighty, craft printer. It can draw using a marker or even cut out card. The idea is that you can make your own customised things. I’ve already made greetings cards and customised beer glasses with this.
A surprisingly lovely thing to have. You can buy the machine itself or all the bits and bobs that go with it on Amazon.
Check today’s price for the Cricut Joy
Amazon Echo
I say this every year. If you want to buy any of Amazon’s own products, Prime Day is the time to do it. From their Alexa-powered Echo to Fire TV and video calling with the Echo Show, it’ll all likely be discounted heavily for Prime Day.
Having Jeff Bezos listening into everything isn’t for everyone, but if you do want an Echo device, Prime Day is the time to get it.
Check today’s price for the Amazon Echo devices
Raspberry Pi And Starter Kit
I bought this after years of wanting to do it and love it. The Raspberry Pi is a powerful little Linux-based computer that can be used to control things or just to learn to code. I’m doing a little of both so I also bought this awesome starter kit from Freenova which is packed full of more circuits and resistors than my secondary school technology classroom.
This is an excellent hobby to take up if you’re enjoying the great indoors.
Check today’s price for the Rasberry Pi
Check today’s price for the Freenova Starter Kit
Phone Boom Arm
A random thing I bought that I could probably not live without now. Boom arms are great if you’re a podcaster with a nice mic or, like me, someone who likes to have their phone sitting in a certain way at your desk. I use my phone as a webcam while also shooting unboxing TikToks with it so I need to sit on my desk in funny angles. Now that the pandemic left me with a permanent workspace, this boom arm is a lifesaver. Not literally.
Check today’s price for a smartphone boom arm
Ring Light Tripod
A little over a year ago, ring lights were for the influencers. I’ve been knocked for six at seeing how many people casually have these lying around their homes now. Of course, it makes sense. We’re on video calls more than ever, sitting at funny angles while ring lights offer the perfect solution.
I bought this one myself a few weeks back and with the additional tripod and phone holder, it’s already paid for itself a few times over.
Check today’s price for a smartphone boom arm
Anker Cables
Is your charging cable too short? That iPhone cable on the way out? Just sick of fighting with people at home over who owns which cable? For the love of your own sanity, buy a few more cables to sprinkle around the house.
Personally, I swear by Anker cables. They look pretty cool and are tough to break. Prime Day is a good time to stock up.
Check today’s price for Anker cables
Logitech Mouse
I’ve recently started to use an Apple Magic Trackpad 2, but that’s not for everyone. Until now, I’ve been using my beloved Logitech MX Master mouse. It’s extremely comfortable and usually gets a nice discount during the Prime Day Sale. If you’ve been thinking of upgrading one part of your home office set-up, you might very well be surprised how much you grow to love this mouse.
Assuming you’re right-handed as that’s all they make oddly enough.
Check today’s price for Logitech Mx Master
Nebula Projector
It’s about the size of a can of Coke, but this is arguably my favourite gadget of all time. It’s also possibly my most used gadget after my own smartphone. I have this in my bedroom and it converts an entire wall into a massive cinema-style screen.
If you’ve been thinking of getting a projector, this might well be worth considering. There are some drawbacks, like if all you care about is stunning resolution and the Android TV software is a bit iffy. However, most nights, I will watch some TV shows or a movie on this and you don’t think about any of this.
Check today’s price for the Nebula Capsule II
Amazon Prime Day takes place across two days this year, starting 21st June and finishing 22nd July.
