Amazon price comparison sites: which ones are the best to find deals and discounts?

Amazon Prime Day (or days!) is here. The now-annual event takes place over 13 and 14 October and provides Prime customers the chance to take advantage of myriad offers pushed to them in numerous ways by clever marketing and ingenious algorithms.

**All the latest Amazon Prime Day deals as they break**

But if you are keen on an television upgrade to enhance your viewing pleasure; a state-of-the-art smart watch to push you towards your health goals; or a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter (that was the top selling item in the US at last year’s event), then we’re here with some advice on checking the price being quoted is the best on the online shelves…

Amazon Prime Day: comparison sites and extensions

We’re all so familiar these days with the paradox of choice - ironically a book that's on sale at Amazon although so far not yet part of their 2020 Prime Day deals. With such an abundance of choice, making the appropriate purchasing decision become all that harder, and we start second guessing what the right move should be.

That said, looking at the numbers posted by the retail behemoth, it does appear that most of us manage to conclude our business in some way. And maybe by use of these tools we can do so even better.

Amazon's inside job

You can download the company’s web browser plug-in called Amazon Assistant and this will automatically allow comparisons for the best prices, sending you notifications if you desire. Personalised suggestions will be pushed your way along with ratings and reviews. It’s possible, however, that you want to step out of the Amazon sphere for your advice so read on.

Full screen

As sweet as Honey

A great extension and website to compare Amazon’s prices with those of other retailers as well as its third-party sellers is Honey. Install it on your browser and look for the ‘h’ symbol that appears on the product photo on any of Amazon’s pages. That gives you a drop-down list of the pricing history and there is also a feature of it that highlights the ‘best deal’ - giving you the confidence to proceed to payment.

Pop it in your cart

Just like Honey, the Popcart extension will show you when the best price has been found. Comparing 13 other retailers - including the likes of Walmart, Best Buy and Target - this tool allows you to quickly compare and contrast not only the single cost of an item, but also variations on packaging and size. Shipping charges are also included for comparison.

Blink and you’ll not miss it

So, you can see the price that Amazon is charging and you’re about to press the tempting ‘Add to Cart’ button. But wait, just above it there is a yellow bar telling you that there may be a better deal, or a coupon, available for you to save even more money. This is the service that PriceBlink offer you. It could be that once you assess the advice that the Amazon product is indeed the best option for you, but if you see the message. ‘Savings found! Buy this for less’ you’re likely onto something.

One hump or three?

CamelCamelCamel is an ideal site to double check if the price you are being offered from Amazon is as good as it sounds. That laptop saving of 20% appears incredible value but what if the discounted price is not actually that special after all? This website allows you to enter the URL from the product page and compare how its price has changed over the last year.

There is also the option to register with the site and you will have access to extra services such as price reduction notifications and browser extensions.

Not monkeying around with price

The Price Monkey is another Amazon-based price comparison site, and a rather complete one at that. Search for any product and you will be presented with a list showing:

- The current average price

- The maximum price reached

- The minimum price there has been

- The last five price changes, etc.

It also allows you to create an email alert so that the website can notify you if the desired item drops in price.

Looking to Savemoney?

One of the most used sites for these types of comparisons is Savemoney. It offers you virtually all the information you could need in a quick and concise way. By simply searching for an article, you will immediately see the price in your country and that of Amazon stores around the world, including shipping costs and the like, although Prime customers don’t need to worry about that.

Shopping in-store

Although comparison websites, by definition, function online, there is another way to do a type of ‘reverse’ comparison when you are out and about around the stores. Open up your Amazon app on your mobile device and using the camera option, scan the barcode of the product that has caught your eye.

Instantly, as if by shopping magic, Jeff Bezos’ algorithmic team will provide you with the equivalent price you could expect to see online. Neat, eh?

Whatever you do, set a budget before you dive in as once you're down the Amazon-offer rabbit hole it can sometimes be difficult to escape with your wallet intact. Buyers remorse is not a nice feeling...but a shiny new TV can sometimes ease that pain!

These are some of our tips for finding the right deal for you during the Prime Day event. If you have others, or you just want to boast about the huge saving you've made, leave us a comment in the section below.