When Amazon Black Friday Sales Start
Amazon Black Friday sales typically begin with early access deals several days before the official date, with the main event launching on the Friday after Thanksgiving. In recent years, Amazon has opened its Black Friday store as early as the second week of November, with specific lightning deals and doorbuster offers going live at 12:00 a.m. ET on the first day of the sale. Amazon usually keeps the Black Friday store open for multiple days, often extending into Cyber Monday, and individual deals can appear and disappear at any time throughout that window. For exact start times, Amazon posts a dedicated Black Friday landing page that lists the official launch hour for each category of deals.
Amazon's early access Black Friday deals often start on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving, with select Prime member discounts appearing before the general public sale. The company has shifted its timeline in recent years, moving some high-demand product drops earlier in the week to reduce congestion on the main sale day. Historically, the first major wave of Black Friday deals on Amazon has gone live around midnight ET on the official start date, while subsequent waves follow throughout the day and into the weekend.
How Amazon Black Friday Sale Times Work
Early Access and Prime Member Deals
Amazon frequently offers early access Black Friday deals to Prime members, sometimes starting up to a week before the official sale date. These early deals often include deep discounts on electronics, home appliances, and popular toys, with new offers rolling out at specific times each day. Prime members can receive notifications when new early access deals drop, and the Amazon app typically sends alerts for time-sensitive offers that last only a few hours or until stock runs out.
The early access period allows Amazon to stagger demand across multiple days, reducing server strain and improving the shopping experience for customers. During early access, deal availability is often limited to a set number of units per customer, and prices may change or sell out quickly. Amazon has also used early access to promote its own devices, such as Echo speakers and Fire TV sticks, as entry-point products to draw customers into the broader sale.
Main Black Friday Day and Cyber Monday Extensions
On the main Black Friday day, Amazon opens its full catalog of discounted products, with new deals launching throughout the day in scheduled waves. The company typically highlights major categories such as laptops, TVs, and kitchen appliances, and each wave often corresponds to a specific product type or brand partnership. Amazon's deal pages include countdown timers and stock indicators, and customers can filter offers by category, brand, and price range.
Cyber Monday extensions on Amazon often carry over the best Black Friday deals and introduce new online-only offers, particularly for high-ticket items and Amazon devices. Amazon has increasingly blurred the line between Black Friday and Cyber Monday by running a continuous sale rather than treating them as separate events. This approach allows customers to shop across the entire weekend and into the following week, with new deals appearing regularly until the sale ends.
Where to Find Amazon Black Friday Start Times
Amazon publishes the official Black Friday start time and deal schedule on its dedicated Black Friday store page, which is accessible from the Amazon homepage during the holiday season. The page lists each deal category, the time it goes live, and whether early access or Prime member discounts apply. Customers can also check Amazon's official blog and social media channels for real-time updates on when specific deals drop.
Third-party deal tracking sites and browser extensions often monitor Amazon's Black Friday store and send alerts when new deals appear. These tools can help customers plan their shopping around specific start times and avoid missing limited-quantity offers. Amazon also provides a mobile app with deal notifications, allowing customers to track Black Friday sales on the go and receive reminders for upcoming deal waves.