If you know anything about online shipping, I am sure you have heard about Amazon Lightning Deals. And they especially get hot during the holiday season. Amazon Lightning Deals are daily deals that start every hour (or two depending on the category). The catch is they only have an allotted number to sell- and the early birds get the deal! Since many of these deals (especially on the HOT toy items) sell out quickly, here are a few tips on How to Score Amazon Lightning Deals! First…
How To Claim a Lightning Deal (info via Amazon):
- To find a Lightning Deal, click Today’s Deals on Amazon.
- Click Add to Cart for the Lightning Deal you want to claim.
- After you add the deal to your Cart, a timer will appear next to the Lightning Deal indicating how much time is remaining to complete your purchase and redeem the discount. (max. 15 min)
- Click Proceed to Checkout. Look for the promotion discount to be applied in your order summary before placing your order.
If you REALLY know you want the item:
- Go to the direct link for the item, 10 min before it is set to go live. Go ahead and add the item to your cart.
- When the deal goes live, you *should* see the price adjusted in your cart. (If it doesn’t you may have to go back to the main Lightning Deal Page and click thru to the item to add it to your cart- usually this is not necessary)
- The reason I say 10 min before is because Lightning Deals will only stay in your cart for a total of 15 min. This will give you a little buffer time to decide if you really want the item.
- Make sure to add yourself to the waitlist. I have been fortunate enough to have scored my items thanks to someone else deciding it wasn’t for them. And if the item becomes available to you off the waitlist– be ready to buy. You likely won’t get a 3rd chance.
UPDATE: It looks like the trick of adding the item to your cart ahead of time is not as reliable as it used to be. Still doesn’t hurt to try. But most likely you will have to go back to the main Lightning Deals page to add the item once it is live. And speaking of live…
Remember that now Amazon Prime Members receive early access to select Lighting Deals. This means you will be first in line and have an even greater chance of scoring that deal! I have noticed that a lot of items are selling out because of this new perk. Definitely a reason to consider Prime!
And speaking of Holiday Lightning Deals… Be sure to Join my Mission Saver Facebook Group for updates and reminders on all the deals this holiday season.
I am on a mission to help you save. Join me on this frugal living mission and together we will learn how to save more, so we can do more living and give more too!
Seriously, I shop at Amazon all the time and had no idea you could add the items to your cart before they go live. no wonder i can never get lego deals during Black Friday. Thanks so much for the tip!
Julie- It looks like with the addition of Prime Members early access, this strategy is not as reliable anymore. Still doesn’t hurt to try- but most likely you will have to re-add the item from the main lightning page. (It was a fun tip while it lasted! 😉 )