3 products you shouldn't wait until Prime Day to buy
Like you, we are also eagerly awaiting the often-delayed Amazon Prime Day. It's coming soon, but 2020 has not been kind and the big day has been pushed back until October from its original starting point in July. Whenever Prime Day does happen, it's going to be big. People have been shopping from home a lot this year thanks to working from home, quarantine, and all that fun stuff. So it's a safe bet Amazon wants to keep that ball rolling.
Oddly enough even without the deals and savings of an Amazon Prime Day, the fact that people have been doing a lot more at home means they've been shopping a lot more at home, too. While we know Prime Day is going to bring some excellent savings and really cool deal events, we also know there are some items you just shouldn't wait for if you're in the market. These items we're talking about are ones that have just had the hardest time staying in stock over the last few months because everyone wants one. The sort of items that will probably sell out again if you happen to see them in stock at all. In other words, if you see one, grab one! Because you might not get another chance! Here are some of the most in-demand items of the year:
Nintendo SwitchThe Nintendo Switch is definitely the single biggest product that has run into the problem of supply not meeting demand. Turns out, when everyone is stuck at home, all they want to do is play video games. And the Switch has had some huge in-demand video games including life-on-an-island simulator Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Everyone just wanted to escape a little bit during the pandemic, which meant everyone was snatching up the Switch whenever it came back in stock. To this day, the console has still not returned to previous levels of availability. That's why we say if you happen to see one between now and Prime Day, go for it. Chances are even if the console is around during Prime Day and the holidays, it's not going to go on sale. Why discount a sure thing?
We do not recommend overpaying for the console. Its recent rarity has caused it to see a lot of spikes in price. If you're looking for the console, remember to look around at all the major retailers like Target, Best Buy, and others to see if it's in stock. And pay attention to the seller on those sites. For example, the only way to get a regular Switch on Amazon is through a third party, but the best price is still $100 more than it should be. Don't buy that. Be patient. The price will come back down. You can also check in-store stock because places like Target might not have it available for delivery but will have it available in stores.
If you don't mind getting the Nintendo Switch Lite, which can play all the same games but isn't quite as versatile, that one is easier to find in stock. You can find the Switch Lite going for its regular $200 price at places like Best Buy and Target.
By the way, you can pretty much change "Nintendo Switch" with "Xbox One" or "PlayStation" and the same mostly applies. The Switch has had a much higher demand for sure, but the other consoles have also been hard to find. It's just that with the newer generations coming out this holiday season, you can probably stand to be a little patient when it comes to buying either of those. New consoles mean the old ones should see some good deals this year.
Play some gamesNintendo Switch gaming console
The Switch has been one of the hardest items to find this year thanks to huge demand and not enough supply. If you see one, and the price isn't jacked up, you should go for it. The Switch Lite is easier to find these days.
$299.99Ring Fit Adventure and other video gamesHave you heard of Ring Fit Adventure? It's a Nintendo Switch game. It's a little different though because it requires a physical piece of hardware to play. A ring, in fact. It's sort of a fitness game only instead of following an instructor telling you to do more jumping jacks, it plays like a role-playing game of sorts where you do exercises to win. Whether it's because people have lost access to their gyms and are looking for alternative methods at home or because that physical wheel isn't easy to manufacture in the current environment, Ring Fit Adventure has become a rare commodity. If it hasn't gone out of stock, it has jumped in price.
If you can wait a bit, Amazon is probably the best place to get it right now. The normally $80 video game is currently only $70 there. The problem is it won't be in stock until October 15 according to the product page. That's actually around the time we are guessing Prime Day will be ironically enough.
Plenty of other video games have also been having trouble staying in stock. The more popular the franchise, the more trouble you're going to have finding it. While Prime Day does tend to be a good time for finding video game deals, you might not want to take the risk if there is something you're very interested in.
If you have an Xbox or a PC, I would also recommend you take a look at the Xbox Game Pass. This is a service that Microsoft is extremely serious about investing in. So much so that all the new games Xbox has announced this year, including games for the newest generation Xbox Series X console, will be on Game Pass. Since this is a completely digital service, you'll never have to worry about it running out of stock. Plus, we see deals on Game Pass all the time. You can even get $10 off a 3-month Game Pass Ultimate subscription right now if you want.
Get FitRing Fit Adventure video game
The Switch has been one of the hardest items to find this year thanks to huge demand and not enough supply. If you see one, and the price isn't jacked up, you should go for it. The Switch Lite is easier to find these days.
$69.88One of the other major changes in 2020 was the shift from working at work to working from home. That change saw a huge demand for a lot of work-from-home type stuff, including new laptops and such. But it also had an unexpected demand - webcams. The work-from-home revolution meant doing more conference calls, Zoom meetings, and the need for more virtual face time. Plus, a lot more people started playing video games with some of this unexpected free time. Streaming video games on a platform like Twitch or YouTube generally requires a webcam. All-in-all demand for webcams went up while supply lines dried out.
Two of the most popular webcams are made by Logitech: the C920 and the C922. They are flexible and easy to setup and have great resolution. Plus they work easily with most computer setups. However, both have been very rarely in stock the last few months. Even taking a look around the major retailers shows they aren't exactly easy to find. You can get the C920S for $75 at Best Buy. This is a slightly more expensive version than the base webcam that provides a flippable lens cover to protect your privacy.
You can find plenty of webcams still in stock that aren't those particular versions. Unfortunately, many of them have seen huge spikes in price. For example, the Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 webcam is normally around $30 and is currently going for as much as $80. The Logitech C615 is another webcam usually considered a "budget" option, but where it's in stock at all it's going for closer to $100 than its usual $35 price.
Smile for the CameraLogitech C920S webcam
Most of the more popular webcams are just completely sold out. Budget cameras that would normally only cost $30 to $50 are going for $100. This is not an easy product line to track down right now, and you definitely shouldn't wait if you can find one.
$74.99Don't hesitate!Most of the time, I recommend waiting for the deal. You should never pay full price for anything. You definitely shouldn't overpay for the things you want. However, 2020 is a weird year. And strange things are happening. Not the least of which is many of the items you want or need are just not available. While we know Prime Day is going to be awesome and you are going to want to see all the deals, some things you just shouldn't wait for. Who knows when the supply will catch up again to match the demand? If you see one of your favorite things in stock and you know it has been struggling like the products above, grab it and consider yourself lucky. For everything else, you've got Prime Day to look forward to.