It's hard to miss the fact Amazon's Prime Day is in full swing — but a popular thread on X raised the question of whether things are actually cheaper on Prime Day.

What's happening?

The online shopping bonanza known as Amazon Prime Day now lasts for four days in July, from the 8th to the 11th, but its first iteration in 2015 was a one-day affair.

In the intervening decade, the scope of Prime Day has widened in terms of both duration and volume — and while Amazon has taken some minor steps to cut down on packaging waste, by nature, it's a high-consumption event. 

While the event often features some of the retailer's best sales of the year, shoppers have long suspected that Amazon's Prime Day deals aren't always on the level, and at least one Redditor spied some sneaky pricing in 2024.

Judd Legum (@JuddLegum), who writes an independent newsletter he describes as "dedicated to accountability journalism," took to X as the sale was getting started, jokingly wishing followers a "Happy Prime Day" at the beginning of a thread.

"It's a scam," Legum added, producing a stream of screenshots to support his point. First up was a collage of headlines promoting Prime Day as a newsworthy thing, with which Legum took issue.

"Amazon Prime Day is promoted as a rare opportunity to secure 'deep discounts' on a variety of consumer items. In reality, Amazon deploys deceptive tactics to exaggerate its markdowns and create a false sense of urgency," he explained.

Many Amazon shoppers are familiar with price tracking tools such as CamelCamelCamel that enable shoppers to view past windows of pricing data before placing an order.

Legum shared screenshots indicating that the "deep discounts" advertised as Prime Day specials appeared to match historical pricing data on popular items like a Shark vacuum and Ninja air fryer.

4. Its average price is about $200. Over the last year, the same vacuum was available for $149 in November, December, March, April and May.

The same vacuum is available right now for $149 at Best Buy, Macy's, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware. pic.twitter.com/iuWNMt8TTl

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 8, 2025

For its part, Amazon has framed the event as a success: "We're really pleased by the engagement that we're getting from our customers and our members," Jamil Ghani, Amazon Prime's worldwide vice president, told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. "Not only is the event twice as long ... but we're also offering more than double the number of deals that are 50% off or more."

Why does it matter if Amazon Prime Day is called a 'scam'?

In his second tweet, Legum touched on why Prime Day pricing matters — a bevy of headlines from CNN, Forbes, and The New York Times haranguing shoppers and creating a "false sense of urgency."

Amazon is a retail behemoth, a purveyor of fast fashion, and a driver of "haul culture," with a massive network of YouTube and TikTok influencers participating in its sprawling affiliate network. 

As an entity, Amazon's sheer size amplifies its impact on the environment, whether through retail activity or data centers. 

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Events like Prime Day create more packaging waste, generate more air pollution, and ultimately lead to more items being sent to landfills before their time. That doesn't mean all purchases are bad, but generally speaking, unnecessary ones certainly add up to some harm.

It should be noted that Amazon does take steps to reduce its impact, such as reducing plastic in its packaging and working with Rivian to source electric delivery vans. These are significant acts, but Legum's concerns about stoking overconsumption remain valid to be cognizant of.

What can be done about Prime Day overconsumption?

Amazon has endeavored to reduce its impact on the environment by introducing EVs to its fleet of delivery vehicles.

As for shoppers, an "underconsumption core" movement has emerged to counter "haul culture," with influencers "destashing" and "deinfluencing" followers.

Shopping mindfully, recycling, and participating in the circular economy by selling used items also helps cut down on unnecessary waste, and saves money. 

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