Here's what the T3 staff actually bought on Prime Day (and if they have any regrets)

Amazon Prime Day 2021 was a doozy this year, with a ton of sales prices dropping down to the lowest we've ever seen them. So when the T3 team was asked what we'd be watching out for at the beginning of the week, we were eager to share the products on our wishlist we'd (hopefully!) be buying in the Prime Day sales.

But the best laid plans sometimes mean you're eyeing up a £170 (approx. AU$310) power tool for your home gym in the run up to Prime Day, only to find yourself spooning with a chubby seal plush when the dust clears. It's a crazy time, is what I'm saying. 

We all get caught up in the lightning deals, and seduced by discounts. Sometimes mistakes are made, but maybe we're actually better off afterwards. So what better time to check back in with the team to find out how their Prime Day went and what they actually ended up buying.

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Paul Douglas, Content Director: My Prime Day sales plan was to buy a Le Creuset Signature Enamelled Cast Iron Round Casserole Dish. I knew the exact size and colour I wanted and just needed to wait for the price to drop. It had been priced at an eye watering £230 (approx. AU$420) and a day or so before Prime Day kicked off, I saw that it had dropped to £176.85 (approx. AU$320) – and it was showing as low stock. On Sunday evening, with Prime Day not starting until midnight, I was about to place my order but then I thought “Hold on, it’s not even Prime Day yet, I should wait to see if it drops further,” (because I am a savvy deals shopper, obviously). 

The next morning the price had gone back to £230 and it stayed at that price throughout the Prime Day period. So at 6pm on the Tuesday, with just a matter of hours to go before Prime Day ended, I bought these sweet Bose 700 headphones at the lowest ever price of £209.99 (approx. AU$380) instead. OK, I can’t cook a beef bourguignon in the Bose, but they look and sound amazing and I’m looking forward to having them when I return to working in the office in a few weeks. The Le Creuset can wait for Black Friday.

Get the Bose 700 for AU$376 on Amazon Australia.

Spencer Hart, Style and Travel Editor: I love sales, but I don't like parting with my money unless I really need something. I originally wanted a new hose (glamourous, I know) but then I looked back at my short, leaking hose and decided it would do the job for a few more months. 

Instead, I got another Google Nest Mini, so now I've got Google Assistant in all of the major rooms of my house. It was only £22 (approx. AU$40), which for such a useful device seems like a steal. It’s actually now only £19 (approx. AU$35), which has annoyed me a little. What I really needed was a plasterer to plaster my living room, but Amazon didn't discount any of those during Prime Day, so I'll have to wait for Black Friday instead. 

Duncan Bell, Lifestyle Editor: I was thinking of buying this Philips air fryer for my other half but then I decided we really didn’t need it, and if he’s that bothered, he can buy one himself anyway. 

In fact, I pretty much resolved not to buy anything because the secret of sales is to buy something you really want or need, while it’s cheaper. Not, as less skilled shoppers all too often do, buying something nobody needs, just because it’s 25% off. 

However, following an office conversation about how Xbox restocks – followed by immediate Xbox sellouts – make the consoles even more irresistible to people, I ended up buying, yes, a roasting tin. 

It was an odd mental leap, maybe, but the Xbox talk reminded me I had been meaning to get a second Eaziglide Neverstick3 Professional Non-Stick Induction roaster. It’s easily the best roasting tin I’ve ever used but it’s a John Lewis exclusive, and was sold out for months. But now it’s back, baby. There was no money off whatsoever, so it perhaps wasn’t the canniest sales purchase ever, but there it is. 

Ruth Hamilton, Outdoors and Wellness Editor: My plan for Prime Day was simple: one cheap 3rd gen Echo Dot only, stay focused, don't get suckered in by the phrases like 'lowest price ever!' flying around. Obviously, It didn't pan out that way. I bought my Dot, and then I found some excellent bargain Duplo for my niece, so that went into the basket too. Then someone mentioned these reusable bamboo make-up remover pads were down to under £7 (approx. AU$12), which is practically nothing, and next thing I knew I was at the checkout again. 

This was not my last purchase of the event. Defences lowered as a result of having got up at 5am on both days so I could start bringing you those sweet deals you were so eager for, on Tuesday I allowed myself to be gently cajoled into buying a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones for – yes – the lowest price ever. I don't regret it; they're as awesome as everyone says. 

Get the Sony WH-1000XM3 for AU$324 on Amazon Australia.

Matt Kollat, Fitness and Nutrition Writer: Looking at deals for too long on Amazon Prime Day is never a good idea. Chances are, the more you’re looking at deals, the more likely you’ll buy something. And as opposed to buying stuff you actually need, which in my case were the Sportsroyals Power Tower and the Echo Buds, you’ll end up buying random stuff such as this Blob Seal Pillow or a cleaning slime putty.

But as well as those, I also bought the Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3050 keyboard and mouse set so I can get rid of some of the cabled-in peripherals from my desk. The latter was also a great purchase so I can tell people I’m not a child, only buying plush toys and slime putties on Amazon Prime Day. That said, I can’t imagine how I lived my life without the blob seal pillow up until now: it brought me so much joy already.

Yasmine Crossland, Reviews Editor: Before the sale, I had my heart set on buying Apple AirPods, but when it came down to it I couldn’t take the leap. After thinking long and hard, I decided I just wasn’t ready to part with over £100 for a pair of AirPods, instead, thinking to myself “maybe next time.”

I had also planned to keep an eye out for a Kindle Paperwhite deal, and that I did succumb to. With a discount of 33% taking it down from £119.99 (approx. AU$220) to just £79.99 (approx. AU$145), it really felt worth it. As it could be a while before I’m sitting on a Greek beach with my Kindle in one hand and a cocktail in the other, I’ll have to make do with Regent’s Park, clutching an umbrella instead of a Margarita. Oh, and to rid my home of cling film I bought a set of Beeswax wraps as well. 

Get the Kindle Paperwhite for AU$179 on Amazon Australia

Shabana Arif, News Editor:

I didn't really expect to see a discount on my Prime Day dream deal – the PS5 PULSE 3D Wireless Headset . I already have three headsets and a pair Sony wired earbuds so realistically, I wasn't planning on parting with any money. 

But then Paul dropped a link in Slack for the Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling wireless headphones, with the fateful words: "cheapest ever price". He wasn't lying. The next thing you know I was getting an order confirmation and joined the masses off Prime Day deals shoppers wondering if I'd made an unnecessary splurge. 

I'm glad to say, the headphones are fantastic. My current lineup consists of the Audio-Technica ATH-G1, Razer Nari Ultimate, and an old pair of Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60s. The WH-1000XM3s fill the gaping void I didn't know I had; lightweight, unobtrusive, and stylish to boot with top notch sound. They're 40% off on Amazon right now, so if you want to join Ruth and I – who both succumbed in Slack – head on over there. 

Ian Morris, Editor: While I really wanted Amazon Santa to bring me a high definition Blu-ray player it turned out on the day that he wasn’t prepared to take less than big money for one. So I gave up on enjoying movies and bought a bunch of other stuff instead. 

I got another SanDisk SD card, because 64GB was cheap and I still shoot on a DSLR. I also got a microSD card so I have something for any upcoming Raspberry Pi project I might want to indulge in. I’m considering building a smart home using Pi, so that’ll be handy. I also got an Xbox controller, even though it wasn’t cheap and I despise the fact they cost fifty quid. I need it for GTA and Forza. 

Buying the beautiful Lowepro Flipside 350 wasn’t a mistake, per se, but it’s a bit small. I need something that can take my camera, a laptop, and some clothes. This holds the camera and three lenses fine, but it will only really take a small tablet and approximately one shoe. I’m going to return this one and wait for Black Friday to get a bigger one. 

Winner of the purchases though was the Instant Pot. That arrived and I was more excited about it than almost anything else. These are always cheap on Prime Day and Black Friday and it’s taken me five years to get one. It’s fab though, the instructions are clear, simple, and written with care, and I’m excited to cook things under enough pressure. 

Everyone's Prime Day plans fell apart to some degree, but the team got some great deals that haven't them full of regret, happily. We hope we managed to hook you up with some tasty deals too!