Amazon Black Friday 2018: What to buy and what to skip

Amazon will officially launch its Black Friday sale on November 16 with deals on various products popping up through Black Friday. If you’re an Amazon Prime member and you have an Alexa-enabled device, you’ll have early access to select Amazon device deals starting at 12am ET on Saturday, November 17 until November 21. Prime members will also have access to Prime exclusive deals and Prime free 2-day shipping. Customers can also save an extra $5 by trying out the new camera features in the Amazon app.

What to buy

The online retailer plans to offer thousands of deals in nearly every category with free shipping on every order with no minimum purchase. The best deals so far are on Amazon’s own devices. Many of the deals from Black Friday 2017 are available again this year, like the Amazon Fire 7 Tablet for $29.99, but there are also deals on Amazon’s newer products like the 4K Fire TV Stick for $34.99.

What to skip

If you’re looking for the very best price on items like TVs and laptops, you may want to shop other retailers like Walmart and Best Buy.

For example, Amazon’s Black Friday deal on a 65″ Sony smart TV is $998. That’s $600 more than Walmart’s Black Friday deal on a 65″ smart TV!

Deals will become available at different times November 17 through November 23. If you see a deal you like, you can use the Amazon app to set a deal alert to notify you when a specific item goes on sale. As always, be sure to comparison shop so you know you’re getting the best price. See the full list of deals here.

RELATED: The top 10 best Black Friday deals!

Look out for these Amazon Black Friday deals!

Amazon devices

• All-new Echo Dot for $24 (Save $25.99, beats last year’s price by $6)
• Add a smart plug to any Echo purchase for only $5
• Amazon Fire 7 kids edition tablet for $69.99 (Save $30)
• Fire HD 10 for $99.99 (Save $50)
• Fire TV Stick with 4K and all-new Alexa voice remote for $34.99 (Save $15)
• Echo Spot for $89.99 or $129.98 when you buy two (Save up to $100)
• Fire TV cube with Far-Field voice control and 4K for $59.99 (Save $60)
• Fire 7 tablet with Alexa for $29.99 (Save $20)

Electronics

• Ring Video Doorbell 2 with a free Echo Dot for $139 (Save $60)
• Blink XT 1-camera system for $78.99 (Save $51)
• Save over 20% on Samsung EVO Select 128GB micro SD card
• Save big on select Chromebooks
• Save $100 on an Xbox One S
• Xbox One S Battlefield bundle for $229
• Purchase Nintendo Switch for $299.99 and receive Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a full game download code in-box at no additional cost

Toys

• Save up to 40% on select top toys from Barbie, Hot Wheels and more
• Save up to 30% on select party games for grown-ups
• Save big on Amazon Exclusives including Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter, VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker, and more
• Save up to 40% on select baby and preschool toys from Fisher-Price

Home

• Save up to 40% on office chairs from Amazon brands
• Save up to 20% on sous vides
• Save up to 30% on air fryers
• Save up to 25% on AmazonBasics products such as kitchenware and electronics
• Save up to 46% on select TP-Link products
• Save up to 40% on Philips Hue smart lighting
• Save up to 70% on select Samsonite luggage

Entertainment

• Get a 3-month audible membership for just $6.95 a month
• Get 3-months of Amazon Music Unlimited for just $0.99
• Get 3-months of Kindle Unlimited for $0.99

Fashion

• Save up to 50% off men’s and women’s clothing from Amazon brands
• Save up to 45% on select Adidas apparel, bags, shoes and accessories