Amazon Black Friday deals have launched. The retailer announced overnight on Oct. 4 that it was releasing "Black Friday-worthy" sales immediately.
If you thought seeing holiday merchandise around Halloween was early, Amazon is now taking the holiday shopping season to a whole new — and earliest-ever — level.
Here are the details.
What are Amazon's Black Friday 2021 deals?
New deals are dropping daily at amazon.com/epicdeals. There will be limited-time offers announced through November on Apple, Sony, Bose and KitchenAid products, as well as other major brands. Deals include:
Up to 30% off on Barbie, Fisher-Price, and Hot Wheels.
Up to 50% off a selection of women’s watches from Anne Klein, Nine West and others.
Up to 45% off on select Shark vacuums and steam mops.
Up to 30% off on certain Samsung phones and earbuds.
Some of the most anticipated Black Friday deals are on electronics. Amazon is offering up to 20% off a selection of televisions from LG, Samsung and Sony. Undoubtedly, more significant discounts are to come.
In early limited-time specials, we saw:
Apple AirPods Pro for $179 ($70 savings).
An HP Chromebook 11-inch laptop for $199.99 ($100 savings).
A Thamtu G11 robot vacuum cleaner for $99.99 ($160 savings).
Some new features this year include:
Stocking stuffers. Amazon is featuring affordable gifts under $10, $25 and $50. There are small, fun gift ideas; travel and wellness gifts; and ideas for pets, parties, kids and outdoor enthusiasts.
Holiday gift list. A new gift list is also available so shoppers can share gift ideas with everyone in their household, organized by the recipient.
Email or text gifts. These are for people you don't have an address for. It's a function of the mobile app available to Prime members.
How to save money at Amazon
Amazon is out of the gate early, so expect others to join shortly. That's when the savings are bound to get serious. For now, it might be a good idea to look around for the things you're most interested in and bookmark them for price comparison in the coming weeks.
However, with ongoing supply chain issues, the most aggressively priced items might be in very short supply. Buying early also helps alleviate the stress of possible shipping delays, so if you see a really tempting and well-priced item, don't wait too long.
What were Amazon's Black Friday 2020 deals?
Amazon stirred the pandemic holiday shopping pot early last year, too. Here are some of the deals from 2020:
A Fire HD 10 tablet for $79.99 ($70 savings).
A Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote for $27.99 ($12 savings).
Up to 50% off a selection of watches from Citizen, Bulova, Anne Klein and others.
Up to 40% off the KidKraft Super Vortex Racing Tower.
Up to 50% off Skullcandy Indy True and XT earbuds.
A Ring Video Doorbell 3 with an Echo Show 5 for $149.99 (regularly $274.98).
Up to 40% off select Ninja kitchen products.