This Amazon Prime Day, don’t buy into disposable tech

Amazon’s Prime Day is the online retail giant’s biggest annual sale event. Prime Days are coming up on July 16 and 17 this year, and shoppers are already looking forward to making millions of purchases: In 2023, customers bought more than 375 million items worldwide during the promotion.

But no matter how low prices drop during Amazon Prime Days disposable, unrepairable tech is never going to be a good deal.

The fact is, tech products should be designed to last. They should be repairable, manufactured in a way that prevents them from breaking too soon, with software that will be supported for a long time.

But in today’s tech environment, it’s easier than ever to fall into the trap of always buying the next big thing – even if we don’t really need it.

And sales like Amazon’s Prime Days make a lot of wasteful, disposable “fast tech” very accessible. Avoid bad deals during this year’s Prime Days promotion, and consider ways you can buy less and get more out of the gadgets you do buy.

Amazon Prime Days will likely include wasteful “fast tech”

All kinds of things go on sale during Amazon Prime Days, but the latest tech and gadgets are a big part of what Amazon promotes during these events.

There’s no better example of wasteful “fast tech” than one of 2023’s best-selling Prime Day items: Apple AirPods. They’ll be on sale again this year in 2024 — but these earbuds just aren’t designed to last.

The small battery that powers AirPods degrades over time, eventually reaching the point where it can’t hold enough charge to be usable. Sometimes AirPods stop working in as little as 18 months.

And once the battery dies, it can’t easily be replaced. Instead of being manufactured with latches and screws to hold components in place, AirPods are glued together. 

That’s fast tech: You buy it, it dies — and then you need to buy it again instead of repairing or reusing it.

In 2024, Amazon is already promoting all kinds of tech products for sale during Prime Days: From AirPods, to Ring cameras, to projector and tripod attachments for iPhones. Watch out for bargains that seem too good to be true — because you may end up wasting your money on something doomed to break before too long.

Companies shouldn’t promote frequent “updated” products with unnecessary or unwanted features, like the annual parade of new iPhones. Short term deals, like those during Prime Days, encourage shoppers to buy the next new thing, even if they don’t need it.

How to shop more sustainably on Prime Day

The most important thing you can do is buy only what you actually need. Do some research upfront, too, in order to make sure the things you do buy are designed to last.

Our three best tips for shopping sustainably on Amazon Prime Day are:

1. Shop repairable tech
2. Buy refurbished tech
3. Consider buying experiences, not tech

1: Shop repairable tech

Tech has a longer useful life when you are able to fix it when it breaks. But more and more stuff today is not designed to be repaired, or requires specialized knowledge or tools to fix.

Our “Failing the Fix” report grades key tech manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Google on how repairable their devices are. Use this as a starting point if you’re thinking about buying a new phone or laptop:

Whatever kind of technology you’re thinking about buying, do your research before you commit to your purchase. Make sure your new gadget can be repaired: The money you save on Prime Day could be spent later on a pricier replacement device if you don’t!

For laptops, we’ve already identified some of the most repairable options this year:

2: Buy refurbished tech

Technology takes a lot of resources and raw material to create. It’s far healthier for our economy and our planet to reuse and recycle the stuff we already have than to always make more and then throw it away.

Amazon Renewed is Amazon’s program that lets you shop for refurbished items. Check Amazon’s refurbished offerings first on Prime Day to see if you can get a deal on something new to you instead of something brand new.

3: Buy experiences, not tech

Getting another year of use out of a computer or phone is an important way we can reduce e-waste. Even the most repairable phone, laptop, camera, or headphones will only last for a number of years, but the memories from fun experiences will last a lifetime. If you’re looking for a worthwhile bargain during Prime Days this year, consider skipping the gadgets completely. 

It may be best known for shipping physical things right to your door, but Amazon also offers a selection of deals on travel.