From the moment I became an shopping editor about seven years ago, I knew I was signing up for sale-filled summers. (I mean, Prime Day has basically monopolized the months of June and July since 2015.) The Amazon-hosted events—which grew from 24-hour shopping sprees to four-day-long frenzies—are usually jam-packed with deals that are hard to ignore. But should you bypass some of ‘em? Absolutely.

From June 23-26 (this year’s sale dates), you’ll be seeing a flood of discounts on Amazon that are exclusive to Prime members. Heck, some early deals are already happening… and the pre-Prime Day discounts that we’ve vetted so far are pretty good. Still, the best are yet to come—and when they really start rolling in, you’ll want to stay abreast of saving tricks and red flags before hitting “Add to Cart.”

What to not buy during Amazon Prime Day

1. Large appliances

According to our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute, you'll probably have better luck finding deep discounts on large appliances during Labor Day and even Cyber Week. This includes washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators.

Carolyn Forte, our former executive director of the GH Institute's Home Care & Cleaning Lab, told us that "retailers use holidays [like Presidents' Day] to offer great discounts, especially on models they are looking to move out while making room for new ones coming in."

With that being said, if you’re in dire need of a new appliance, Prime Day can still be a good time to save. I’m just saying, if you can hold off until Labor Day weekend, you might find a better deal.

2. Deals from third-party and unverified sellers

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is (sigh). For example, if you've had your eye on a high-quality juicer that's suddenly half-price from a seller with a misspelled store name, you might want to steer clear.

Here are some ways you can tell if a brand is verified:

  • Check to see where the item is sold from, and/or what brand it's sold by. Ideally, you want a product that is shipped and sold by Amazon.com—find this information in the right rail, below the "Add to Cart" button. This is especially important with beauty products (because, yes, Prime Day is a great time to stock up on makeup and skincare essentials). Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann even tells me that she never orders a product from a third-party seller, which is a good practice to follow.
  • Shop brands that have been verified via Amazon’s Brand Registry for legit products. Many manufacturers and retailers have enrolled, granting a verified storefront within Amazon. When you click through to the seller’s page, it should typically be branded with lots of other brand items on sale (Revlon's Amazon store is a great example). When a sale is offered by one of these verified sellers, you can trust that the deal is trustworthy all while enjoying the convenience of Prime shipping (and returns)!

3. Bad deals

In a poll we shared with Good Housekeeping readers last year, most shoppers said they aren't fazed by discounts below 50% off. As a shopping editor who sees subpar deals on a daily basis, I’m on the same boat.

Right now, we're already seeing discounts surpassing 50% off on things like summer-ready clothing and high-quality tech gear (check out this reader-favorite dress that’s half price and these Sony headphones that are heavily discounted).

There’s one exception to this 50% minimum, though. Apple products rarely go on sale—but come Prime Day, you’ll likely find 10% to 25% discounts on AirPods, iPads, and MacBooks. Since these deals are hard to come by, they’re worth considering during the event (even if the deals aren’t groundbreaking).

4. Good deals on not-so-good products

That said, there’s never a good deal on a bad product: Consider the quality of the items you’re investing in (and whether or not you’re better off splurging on items that were tested or come from a reputable brand).

In fact, our in-house pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute Labs are dedicated to testing various items in pursuit of finding the very best ones—from bedding to cleaning products, clothing, and more. Then, editors work closely with them on a regular basis to help ensure the products we're covering check all their boxes.

So if you see one of our expert-approved items on sale, you know you've found a good deal on a good product. This goes for Amazon Prime Day, too—because overall, we only include quality products and brands that've been approved by our experts in our sale coverage.

What you should buy during Amazon Prime Day

Although there's a handful of items you should steer clear of during Amazon Prime Day, there are still a ton of products we encourage you to buy throughout the event.

I mentioned before that tech items are worth the look. More specifically, keep an eye out for Amazon-brand products like the Kindle, Echo, Ring, and Fire devices, because we think they’ll be heavily discounted during the sale. Prime Day is historically a great time to find the Samsung Frame TV on sale, too.

Jamil Ghani, the Vice President of Amazon Prime, also mentioned “saving on fresh groceries and household essentials” in this year’s Prime Day press release, which leads me to believe we’ll be seeing some great deals on everyday goods.

Since Prime Day is happening in June this year (with early deals already up and running), I also suggest checking out discounted travel gear for your upcoming summer vacay.

Although Prime Day’s happening early, we think it’ll still be a good time to stock up on back-to-school needs like backpacks and supplies. And if you have a college kid getting ready for campus life, we predict you’ll also find decent savings on dorm necessities like bedding, small coffee makers, and closet organizers.

And lastly, Prime Day’s a smart time to buy clothing on sale—and we’re already seeing significant discounts on fashion. For instance, Lacoste polo tees are 50% off right now, and select shoulder bags from celebrity-loved brand JW PEI are discounted (a rare find).

Before you make any purchases, treat this article like a checklist to help ensure you’re getting the best deals possible (on the best products available).