10 tips about Amazon Prime Day you need to know in the US

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Amazon Prime Day 2017 is more complex due to shifting deal start times and even more savings than ever promised by the online retailer.

If you're in the US, there's a lot you should know before the clock strikes an odd 9PM Eastern or 6PM Pacific tonight. Like that deals start a day early – today.

In fact, you can start saving right now thanks to early Amazon Prime Day deals that the official website has me available hours and even days in advance.

Here are ten ways you are get the most out of this invented online shopping holiday.

1. Amazon Prime Day begins tonight at 6PM

The Amazon Prime Day start time can be summed up in one word: confusing. That's okay, we're here to explain it for you.

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Amazon has been offering early Prime Day deals (see below) days in advance. But the real deals start at tonight, July 10 at 6PM Pacific / 9PM Eastern.

Yet the full Amazon Prime Day is actually on July 11. Here's why: In a way, this makes it easier to get the first (and usually the best) deals without having to wait until midnight or 3AM. Apple should take note.

2. You can get early Amazon Prime days right now

On that note, you can get a bunch of Amazon Prime Day deals this very minute, and includes popular Echo and Kindle products.

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You can save $30 on Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon.com's top-selling e-reader and our favorite deal so far. Looking for a cheaper take on the iPad mini? Just take another $20 off the Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet.

Our favorite phone is the Samsung Galaxy S8 and it's 25% off for Prime Day. The even bigger Galaxy S8 Plus 25% off, too.

Way more: Every Amazon Prime Day listed (so far)

3. Amazon Prime Day leaked deals

Amazon leaked its own Prime Day deals this year, giving us a preview of what's to come at 6PM, including 50% off the Amazon Echo speaker.

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It's slashing the price of the Amazon Echo Dot by $15, reducing the price of the Amazon Fire 7 tablet to $29.99 and rolling out a bunch of bundles for each.

The best bit of news from the official Amazon Prime Day preview is that there will be at least six TV deals later today, including some 4K TV sets.

4. Some deals will go quickly

The worst part about Amazon Prime Day is that the tens of millions of buyers it attracts means Lightning deals become a bit literal. They're over in a flash.

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Amazon Prime Day tip: Just because you're shopping in your underwear doesn't mean there won't be virtual crowds

When deals begin at 6PM Pacific on Amazon, it'll require constant refreshing and nimble clicking to get the best doorbuster deals.

There is a wait list that Amazon offers on sold out products, just in case buyers don't check out with the discounted item in time or cancel their order.

5. Don't forget about Amazon Video and services

Amazon is more than about flashy new hardware like the Echo and the new Fire Tablets. It's also a big software and service company.

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We also love the fact that Amazon Music costs $0.99 and many Amazon Video rentals are $0.99. Also see the best Amazon TV shows and Amazon Channels.

Plus, there's an excellent Kindle Unlimited price drop that gives you access to the online store's millions of books on a discounted subscription.

6. TV deals and cheap laptops are big-ticket items

The best deals are on big-ticket items, including 4KTV sets and laptops, including the MacBook Pro deals already in effect here, here, and here.

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The new Element 55-inch 4K Ultra HD smart LED TV (complete with Amazon Fire TV) is going to be $400 for Amazon Prime Day starting at 6PM.

We also like the TCL smart TVs, and there are savings there, too. There will be a $119.99 TCL that's TV that's 28 inches, and a 32-inch TCL TV that's $99.99. But It's Amazon prime Day, go big or go home, right? The 40-inch TCL TV will be $199.99.

One more Amazon Prime Day TV deal: It'll have a 55-inch premium brand 4K smart LED TV for only $599.99. But it hasn't disclosed which one this is yet.

7. Amazon Prime phones are all unlocked

Amazon Prime Phones run Android and and there are some good choices, like the award-winning Moto G5 Plus we reviewed and liked a lot.

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Believe it or not, some of them are down to $49.99 for Android phones. And many more are below the magical $99 price range.

The best part is that while you'll have to deal with Amazon lockscreen ads at this price (unless you upgrade for a fee), they're not locked down by US carriers.

8. Not everything is worth buying, in our opinion

There will be tons of amazing Amazon Prime Day deals for 2017, but we're not going to recommend every single item to you. That's a promise.

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Instead, we'll listed out the best Prime Day deals in order of what we think you should buy. Last on the list, so far, is the Prime Dash buttons. You don't need it.

So while we'll include every deal that we see – and there will be hundreds – we don't steer you in the wrong direction about what you should buy today.

9. Amazon Prime Day is a 'members only' deal day

One thing that you should buy is an Amazon Prime subscription, or at least start the free 30-day trial today. You can always cancel it.

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There's also an Amazon Prime Student discount (with a free six months). Either way you go, a Prime membership is the only way to get today's massive deals.

You also get two-day free shipping on most orders, Amazon Prime Instant Video,  and a bunch of other extras we haven't lived without since it launched.

10. Didn't get want you wanted? Stay tuned

There's more where that came from can be the unofficial Amazon Prime Day motto, because the online retailer (and others) will be back in a few months.

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We're already gearing up for our Black Friday and Cyber Monday plans, which kick off at the end of November. We'll do this deals thing all over again.

Also, Amazon isn't the only deals vendor in town today. Expect to see Walmart, Target and NewEgg to roll out their own deals to compete with Prime Day.

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