TikTok star Queenie Tan reveals how Aussies can spot a ripper deal in Amazon Prime Day sales

Despite the cost of living biting hard, Aussies can be savvy during mid-year sales. See experts’ tips on how to score a bargain and make your money stretch further.

Shopping up a storm during sales periods can be enticing but with cost of living biting hard, experts have revealed how Australians can avoid overspending.

The TikTok star Queenie Tan, who is a licenced personal finance content creator, said it was easy to get caught up in the excitement of sales and fall into the trap of buying items that were not needed.

“It’s only a sale and you’re only saving money if you’re buying something that you’re already going to buy. If you’re just buying something because it’s on sale or because it’s cheap, then you’re not really saving money,” Ms Tan said.

She encouraged Aussies looking to score a bargain in the mid-year sales, such as Amazon Prime Day, to first create a list of the items they would like to purchase and then research prices across different outlets, to better understand if the deal offered is worth it.

Joel Gibson, of One Big Switch, suggests Aussies avoid browsing sales reduce temptation of buying things they don’t need. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Joel Gibson, of One Big Switch, agreed having a shopping list was important and suggested people avoid browsing.

“They want you to browse, because then you’ll buy things you didn’t even know you needed. But the way to win at sales is to keep a list throughout the year of the things you need to buy, and then see who’s discounting them at sale time,” he said.

“You can use websites such as Google Shopping and Little Birdie to get an instant snapshot of who’s charging what for the thing you’re hunting for. No need to spend hours scrolling.”

Recent CommBank research shows that more than nine in 10 consumers are looking to deals and discounts as a way to help make their dollar go further, CommBank personal finance expert Jess Irvine said.

“The golden rule for buying during sales is to ask yourself three questions: 1) Can I afford this? 2) Do I need it? and 3) Do I really want it? As a rule of thumb, if the first time it occurs to you to purchase something is during a sales period, you should think very hard about whether you are potentially falling prey to ‘impulse purchasing’,” Ms Irvine said.

“To avoid impulse spending, it’s a good idea to keep a note in your phone titled ‘Shopping list’ and add items throughout the year as it occurs to you to buy them, along with the date. If something has been on your list for 30 days or more, that is something you could potentially consider buying during a sale period.”

TikTok star Queenie Tan suggests Aussies stick to a shopping list and research prices across various outlets. Picture: Supplied.

While in store, Ms Tan said scanning the barcodes using Google Lens, was a way to easily check other advertised prices for that item.

Ms Tan said she saved about $50 on a recent keyboard purchase at Officeworks by doing just that, where the company matched the competitor’s lower advertised price.

Mr Gibson said knowing the true value of the deal could help in purchasing decisions.

“The discounts are usually genuine but some retailers will mark up items before marking them down to make the percentage off look better. You can use a website called ‘CamelCamelCamel’ to check the price history of products on Amazon and that will give you an idea of whether the price is actually as low as it gets for that item,” he said.

Another way Ms Tan makes her money stretch further is by shopping through cash back programs such as Shopback or Cashrewards, where she earns a small percentage back on the items she buys, which get banked in the program to use for future purchases.