10 Amazon Shopping Tips Most People Don't Know

Most Amazon shoppers use the same three features: search, Prime shipping, and the cart. But there is a deeper layer of tools and behaviors that experienced buyers use consistently. Here are ten of them.

1. Filter to "Amazon's Choice" Skeptically

The "Amazon's Choice" badge signals high sales velocity and good reviews — but it is also influenced by advertising spend. Use it as a starting point, not a final answer. Compare it against the top organic result without that badge.

2. Sort by Average Customer Review After Filtering

Search results default to "Featured" (relevance + advertising). Switch to "Avg. Customer Review" to surface items that actual buyers rate most highly. Combine this with a minimum 100-review filter to avoid products with few, potentially incentivized reviews.

3. Check the Subscribe and Save Price

For consumables — cleaning supplies, vitamins, coffee, pet food — the Subscribe and Save price is often 5–15% below the standard price. You can cancel after the first shipment. The discount is immediate and stackable with coupons.

4. Clip Coupons Before Adding to Cart

Many product pages have a small checkbox labeled "Clip coupon" under the price. These are easy to miss. Clipping the coupon applies the discount automatically at checkout. Check for it on every consumable category.

5. Use the "Frequently Bought Together" Section

This section surfaces companion products that buyers of an item actually purchase. It is a reliable signal for accessories you actually need — camera bags for a camera, memory cards for a drone, filters for a coffee maker.

6. Check Warehouse Deals for Open-Box Savings

Amazon Warehouse offers open-box, returned, and refurbished items at 20–40% discounts. Items graded "Like New" are often indistinguishable from new. Search your target product, then filter Condition to "Used."

7. Read the One and Two-Star Reviews First

Positive reviews trend positive because happy buyers leave reviews at higher rates than neutral buyers. The one and two-star reviews reveal the real failure modes: a zipper that breaks at six months, a battery that degrades quickly, a size that runs small. If those reviews describe a dealbreaker for your use case, the four-star average does not matter.

8. Check the "From the Manufacturer" Section

Buried below the product description on many listings, the manufacturer sometimes adds a more detailed breakdown — dimensions, compatibility specs, or care instructions — that the bullet points omit. This is especially useful for furniture and electronics.

9. Set a Price Alert for Wishlist Items

Items saved to your Amazon Wish List send price drop notifications. You can also use third-party trackers for more granular alerts, including a target price threshold. This keeps you from impulse-buying at a suboptimal price.

10. Check the Return Policy Before Buying Third-Party

Fulfilled-by-Amazon (FBA) third-party items use Amazon's return policy — returns are easy. Fulfilled-by-seller items follow the seller's own policy, which varies. Check the "Sold by" label and the returns section before purchasing anything expensive from a third-party seller with their own fulfillment.

Disclosure: This site participates in the Amazon Associates Program. When you click links and make purchases, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep curating the best deals for you.