The deal submission deadlines for Prime Big Deal Days have already passed. What matters now is execution. Amazon has confirmed the event runs October 6 and 7, 2026, with member-exclusive deals starting at 12:01 a.m. Pacific and three fresh deal drops each day at midnight, 8am, and 1pm Pacific. If your deals are already locked in, this last stretch before the event is where sellers either capture the upside or leave it on the table through avoidable mistakes.
Inventory is the thing that actually kills Big Deal Days performance
The single most common way sellers underperform during Prime Big Deal Days is not a bad deal or weak creative, it is going out of stock mid-event after a strong opening few hours. Amazon’s own promotion terms can suspend or cancel a deal that goes out of stock, and even without a formal cancellation, an out-of-stock listing stops converting and starts losing the organic rank gains the deal just built. Check your sellable inventory for every deal ASIN right now, not the week before, and confirm your numbers account for the sales velocity a 40 to 55 percent discount typically produces, which is usually several times your normal daily rate.
If any deal ASIN looks tight on inventory, decide now whether to reduce the deal quantity cap, pull the deal, or accept the risk, rather than finding out mid-event when it is too late to adjust cleanly.
Advertising needs to be live before the event starts, not during it
Budget caps and bids set at normal, non-event levels will get burned through in the first hour of a deal day, often before most shoppers have even seen the listing. Increase daily budgets on campaigns tied to deal ASINs ahead of October 6, and check that your bids are competitive for the increased traffic and increased competition every other seller is also pushing into on the same two days. If you use Sponsored Brands or Sponsored Display alongside Sponsored Products, make sure all three are funded, since shoppers browsing during the event move across placement types more than they do on a normal day.
Your listing itself needs to look ready for a deal, not just be enrolled in one
Shoppers comparing deal listings during Big Deal Days move fast, often deciding in seconds. Confirm your main image clearly differentiates from competitors, your price shows the strikethrough discount correctly (check this manually, since pricing display bugs do happen), and your top review count and rating are visible and current. If you have A+ Content or Premium A+ Content, make sure it loads correctly on mobile, since the large majority of Big Deal Days traffic comes through the Amazon app.
What to watch during the two days themselves
- Check inventory velocity every few hours on your first day, not just once in the morning, so you can react if a deal is moving faster than expected
- Monitor ACoS and spend pacing through the day rather than waiting until the next morning, since event-day campaigns can burn daily budgets unusually fast
- Watch your Buy Box status on deal ASINs, since elevated traffic sometimes surfaces pricing or stock sync issues you would not notice on a normal day
- Keep customer service response times tight, since question and return volume typically rises alongside sales volume during major deal events
Frequently asked questions
Can I still add a deal for Prime Big Deal Days 2026?
Submission deadlines for official Today’s Big Deals typically close well in advance of the event, so new deal enrollment at this point is unlikely. You can still run your own promotions and coupons outside the official deal program during the same window.
What time does Prime Big Deal Days start?
Member-exclusive deals begin at 12:01 a.m. Pacific on October 6, 2026, with additional deal drops at 8am and 1pm Pacific on both event days.
Should I increase my advertising budget for these two days?
Yes, in most cases. Normal daily budgets are usually insufficient for the traffic spike during major Amazon sale events, and campaigns that run out of budget early in the day miss the remaining event-day traffic entirely.
What’s the biggest mistake sellers make during Big Deal Days?
Going out of stock mid-event on a deal ASIN. It both ends the sales momentum and can trigger deal cancellation under Amazon’s promotion terms, so inventory checks in the final days before the event matter more than almost anything else on this list.
If you want a second set of eyes on your inventory and advertising numbers before the event starts, Depu works with Amazon sellers on exactly this kind of peak-event execution as a freelance Amazon FBA and e-commerce growth consultant.
Sources:
About Amazon: Prime Big Deal Days, Our Biggest Deals to Kick Off Fall and Holiday Shopping October 6-7
Variety: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days October 2026, Dates and Best Deals