10 Tips to Get the Most Out of Amazon

Everyone wants to get the best deals when shopping on Amazon, especially when the holidays are near. But you may not have the time to discover everything Amazon has to offer. By knowing your way around Amazon, you can get early access to great deals, or even get 50% off on some of your purchases.

Keep reading to see how you can use Amazon like a pro.

1. Get Amazon Prime for Free for Six Months

Before you get too excited about the offer, you should know that this only applies if you’re a student. Students can get Prime Student and use Amazon Prime for free for six months.

You will need an .edu email to sign up for Prime Student, and it’s a six-month free trial. You also pay 50% less than all other Amazon Prime members, just for being a student. Students get free product samples and get to enjoy 50 million songs ad-free.

The student benefits will only be valid for four years or until your listed graduation date. Students also get exclusive deals and only have to pay $6.49 a month.

2. Get Same-Day or One-Day Shipping

If you live in an eligible city, Amazon Prime members can get free same-day or one-day shipping. To use this great feature, you’ll need to meet some requirements such as your order being at least $35, and if you want the things delivered that same day, the items have to be eligible for same-day delivery.

You’ll also need to make your purchases before 12 pm, and your location needs to be in the eligible zip code list. If you meet these requirements, then happy shopping.

Related: 4 Easy Ways to Track Price Drops in Amazon

3. Get Warehouse/Outlet Prices

All the items that get returned to Amazon end up at their warehouse site. That doesn’t mean that the things are of poor quality – it just means the product was not what the client expected and was returned.

In Amazon Warehouseyou can get great deals in sections such as pre-owned products, open-box, and like-new. If you can’t find anything worth buying in Amazon Warehouse, head over to the Amazon Outlet store.

Here you can find low prices on many overstocks and discounted items. There are categories such as Best Sellers, Electronics, Pet Supplies, Baby, Beauty, Clothing, Shoes, etc.

4. Get Those Lightning Deals

With Amazon’s Lightning Deals, you can get things at great prices. Some discounts can be as much as 50% off. When you enter the lightning deals page, there will be a clock in the description of each item so you know how much time you have left.

You don’t have to have a Prime account to take advantage of these lightning deals. But you do get early access to the deals if you have Prime.

5. Save Time and Money with Subscribe & Save

If you regularly end up ordering the same things at around the same time, you should try Subscribe & Save. On this page you can set up items to be delivered regularly and even get 15% off your entire order when you get five or more things in a month to the same address.

It’s also possible to manage your orders since Amazon will send you an email reminder. In the reminder you will see everything you ordered and any discounts that apply. You can cancel your orders at any time.

6. Speed Up Checkout Time By Adding a Payment Method

When it’s time to check out, things will run more smoothly when you have your preferred payment method set up. By going to your Amazon Wallet, you can add different kinds of payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, Amazon Store cards, Personal Checking Accounts, or an EBT Card.

Each payment method will have an option for you to add either a card, checking account or EBT card. You will need to apply for the Amazon Store card, though.

7. Choose an Amazon Hub Locker Near You

Neighbors don’t always play nice and might even take your stuff. If you want to avoid having your deliveries stolen, then it’s a good idea to set up an Amazon Hub Locker. Under the search bar, click on the “Your Pickup Location.”

Amazon will show you the nearest pickup locations near you. To change the pickup locations, click on the change option below the amount and pickup locations Amazon has for you.

Each available location will have an “Add to My Address” button. Click on it, and the option will turn green, indicating that it was successfully added.

8. Organize Photos and Videos With Amazon Drive

As an Amazon user, you also get your own space to upload your pictures and videos. Amazon users get 5GB of free storage with Amazon Drive. You can upload files such as pictures, videos, music, etc.

If you go Prime, you get unlimited photo storage. There are a few things to keep in mind, such as the only file types that are accepted are PNG, JPEG, CR2, NEF, TIFF, BMP, and ARW. The pictures have to be less than 2GB.

9. Get Your Money Back on Late Items

Sometimes when you check out, you’ll see a green Guaranteed Delivery Date. This means that it’s almost impossible for your items to be delivered late, but if it is, there is a possibility of getting a refund for the delivery.

There is even the possibility of you getting an extra month of Prime for free if your things are not delivered on time. Your order does need to meet the standards to be eligible for these benefits. This can only happen once during your free Prime trial and also applies to Amazon Family accounts.

10. Low Price Guarantee on TVs

Don’t you just hate that feeling when you see the TV you bought on another site at a lower price? If you recently purchased a TV on Amazon and it hasn’t been more than thirty days since your purchase, you could qualify for the TV Low Price Guarantee.