Amazon brought back invite-only deals for Black Friday: Here's what's worth getting
Amazon has dropped seven invite-only deals ahead of Black Friday 2023. Here are the four actually worth requesting an invite for.
Amazon is solidifying invite-only deals as a part of their 2023 shopping holiday lineup with their return for Black Friday. As of Nov. 15, here are the invite-only deals worth checking out at Amazon:
Invite-only deals first appeared during July's Prime Day, offering impressive discounts, like 75% off a 43-inch Omni TV and 43% off the Acer Swift X. Both of these deals marked record-low pricing, which has been the standard for pretty much all the invite-only deals offered.
In comparison, so far, the Black Friday deals have left a lot to be desired, but they may not totally worth writing off.
How do Amazon Prime invite-only deals work?
Invite-only deals are Amazon's answer to anyone who doesn't enjoy the chaos of shopping holidays (so, everyone).
Any Prime member can request an invite on one of the seven deep discounts available for Black Friday. From Nov. 19 to Nov. 22, Amazon will send out unique invite links to shoppers who have been selected to access the deal. Shoppers can put in one request for an item (and only buy one of that item), but you can put in as many invite-only requests as there are deals.
If you're not selected, you will also be notified.
While invite-only deals are a great way to avoid last-minute shopping stress, there are a few downsides, including:
You have to be a Prime member to shop the deals. However, you can sign up for a 30-day free membership and be eligible to shop.
Your selection is limited to whatever Amazon decides is invite-only, and while the markdowns are significant, the seven items being offered for Black Friday aren't all that exciting.
Requesting an invite doesn't guarantee a deal.
Are Black Friday invite-only deals different than Prime Day invite-only deals?
The invite-only process for Black Friday is the exact same as it was for both Prime Days. What's been offered, however, is quite different.
As we mentioned above, we're not exactly jazzed with the Black Friday invite-only options. July and October's Prime Day brought out savings on TVs, headphones, and soundbars from brands like Hisense, Jabra, JBL, and Sony.
The seven available deals for Black Friday feel like a noticeable step down. Yes, we're seeing some repeat deals in the SodaStream, Star Wars Echo Dot stand, and Blink Outdoor cameras, but there are no obvious big-ticket deals, especially on tech items. It is Black Friday after all — considering we've seen three TV deals between the two other Prime Day sales, we're surprised that Amazon isn't pulling out bigger stops — especially since their non-invite TV deals include some hidden gems. The only pair of headphones is for small children, and not from a widely popular brand like Jabra or JBL.
With that said, Amazon has thrown in some last-minute additions during both Prime Day sales as well. Considering their Black Friday sale starts on Friday, Nov. 17 and runs for a full 11 days, there's still time to add in some better deals. At the time of writing, this batch of deals says invites will be sent out from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22, which could also indicate that more products will get the invite-only treatment.
We've reached out to an Amazon representative inquiring whether we can expect to see more deals, and at this point, they could not confirm whether or not there'll be more deals. If any do crop up, we'll be sure to update this post.
Amazon's Black Friday invite-only deals
Why we like it
During Amazon's first foray into invite-only deals back in July, the SodaStream E-Terra was one of several options on sale for $109, offering a single CO2 cylinder and dishwasher-safe reusable bottle. Though this bundle is a little pricier, it also comes with a little more: altogether, you'll get two CO2 cylinders, two reusable bottles, and two 40-milliliter bubly drops for flavoring. At $74, you'll be saving a total of 37% on the bundle. While this is a great price, it's worth noting that this bundle was on sale for $128 back in May.
Why we like it
During October's Prime Day, Amazon offered a three-pack of Blink outdoor cameras for $100. For Black Friday, this deal is back in a slightly different iteration, as you'll get two outdoor cameras for $117 off — a 65% discount (October's three-camera deal marked a 60% discount). Blink cameras last up to two years on two AA batteries before needing replacements. Aside from the invite-only price, the lowest this two-set of cameras has ever hit is $89.99. It's not surprising that one of the steepest discounts is on an Amazon product — the retailer loves marking down its own branded products during shopping holidays.
Why we like it
This Echo Dot stand deal is another repeat invite-only deal, and unlike the Blink cameras, is the exact same deal we saw during July's Prime Day. It was a left-field pick then and remains one now, but if you missed grabbing them on sale during last Prime Day or didn't grab an invite, it's worth requesting one again — these invite-only deals are the only times they've gone on sale.
Why we like it
Perhaps even more out of left field is this kids Bluetooth set from Onanoff. Sure, they're super cheap, but Amazon has offered Jabra and JBL headphones in prior invite-only batches. While we're holding out for some adult headphones, these are steal if you're shopping for a kid. They have over 10,000 4.5-star reviews on their product page, and though these headphones have been made specifically for Amazon, other BuddyPhones have garnered a 3.5/5 rating from our sister site, PCMag. $10 for 3.5 stars isn't bad — but if you don't request this deal, it looks like these headphones aren't hard to catch in the $20 to $35 range, based on data from the price tracker camelcamelcamel.
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