We assembled a team to look at the mountains of data that camelcamelcamel has accumulated over the years. They reported back with some interesting trends. We look forward to sharing more of our observations in the future. Stay tuned for more helpful, money-saving blog posts.

For our first blog post, we want to share some interesting trends that correspond with Father’s Day. After shining a flashlight into each nook and cranny of the database, it was clear that there were certain items frequently price tracked year after year during the months and weeks leading up to Father’s Day. With all of these new data points at the ready, we’ve put together some money-saving, and Dad-appreciating, tips and tricks.

General Electronics

The pre-pandemic years showed upticks in Computer Components and Gaming Consoles around Father’s Day. However, waiting lists and limited restocks for items like the PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch have been part of the new normal, for now. The good news is, our Popular Products page remains ripe with deals on electronics year round, so it’s worth bookmarking and keeping an eye on. The better news is, there are still a ton of very cool and popular electronic items that have gone down in price.

Apple AirPods

Apple AirPods are both a cool Dad gadget and a convenience item, so it makes sense that they showed up on CCC as a frequently price-tracked item around Father’s Day. If you decide to grab a pair for the hardworking Dad in your life, be sure to show him all of the convenient hacks and Easter eggs.

For bonus points, pair the AirPods with an Audible subscription or Amazon Music Subscription. Or if Dad is a runner, the AirPods make a great companion to the Apple Watch.

How to Get the Best Price on Apple AirPods

Generally, the price of Apple products tend to drop  as you move further away from the release date. AirPods are no exception. Additionally, since we began writing this post, Apple Airpods have dropped to USD $119 ––that includes third party sellers––which is an absolutely smoking deal.

A little history: The AirPods started out around USD $160 and have dropped in price approximately every four months since then. This is a common trend with Apple products. In general, it’s good to look around the catalog on release days for older models and other Apple products that have dropped in price. In general, past models can decrease as much as 5 to 30 percent of the initial price, depending on how much time has lapsed post release. A good rule of thumb is to understand the differences in models, make sure to look at the price tracking chart, and weigh the functions with personal needs on any given Apple product.

Hint: Keep an eye out for savings in early November, Prime Day, and Black Friday...

The Amazon Echo Line

The Echo Line of speakers has an almost endless list of mindblowing functions and hacks, especially when paired with Alexa as a digital voice assistant. With a simple voice command, Dad can lower the volume of music or a movie, check the weather, set timers, or order an Uber. Additionally, the Echo allows for some stunning automation: set the thermostat to change throughout the day, program lights around the house to flash when timers go off, it can even water the lawn. Before giving the Dads in your life something from the Echo Line, Google “IFTTTs,” (“If This,Then That”), so you can show him some useful and entertaining functions.

Echo speakers are not just about party tricks and life hacks. With as few as two Echo speakers (second-generation Echo Plus and third-generation Echo Dot and later), stereo pairing is possible. This means movie nights or everyday music listening can be taken to the next level with one speaker handling the left audio channel, and another handling the right. Finally, make sure to check out the Fire Stick as a companion for TV and movie nights.

How to Get the Best Price on the Amazon Echo

This compact, life hacking speaker follows similar trends year after year. For the newest models, there is currently a 20% price drop. Additionally, you can pretty much expect a similar drop that lasts a few weeks and occurs every couple of weeks. Also, older models and the Echo Dot never breach USD $50; even dipping as low as USD $18.

Kindle

Is Dad a cool nerd? Does he like reading books and the news? Is he environmentally conscious? The Kindle is a really cool gift even if he is just trying to get back into reading. For extra credit, you can pair it with a Kindle Unlimited subscription and pre-load it with some fun and easy-to-read books. Side note: if Dad already has a tablet, you can download the Kindle app and have the books literally read out loud. We swear. Google it.

There are also a ton of additional cool features that often get overlooked. For example, you can customize fonts as well as download and read high definition comic books and graphic novels. There is a tool called X-Ray that allows the reader to track characters, concepts and threads within the storyline; and you can even keep track of words in different languages for the budding multi-linguist.

How to Get the Best Price on a Kindle

As far as the Kindle goes, a USD $30 spread is common for the 8GB mode. Our data has been showing repeated drops in May and in June, just in time for Father’s Day. So if you set your price tracker based on the products' history, you could take advantage of this regular fluctuation. Also, keep an eye out for price drops during holiday seasons.

The Fire Tablet also shares a lot of the same features of the Kindle and has multiple price drops most months.

Tools and Kits Make for Poignant Experiences

Classic Dad stuff like tools show up as a frequently price tracked item, as if we were living in a 90’s sitcom. It makes sense that items like the Stanley Fat Man and Apollo Tool Set are popular since they are both highly affordable and useful.

The thing is, Dads also greatly appreciate experiences as well as physical gifts. Think about how you might be able to one-up gifts by parlaying them with memorable experiences. Pair a spiffy new tool set with some found lumber, nails, glue, a saw, stains, paints, or sand paper. There are also a ton of cool project kits, like woodworking kits and chisel sets. Think about how excited the grandparents would be if you both built them a birdhouse. If building isn’t Dad’s thing, there are a ton of next-level dyeing kits available so you and Dad can make everyone matching shirts.

Instant Pot

Oh, the Instant Pot. This is the all time, most price tracked item around Father’s Day for many years in a row. We thought about how the overall popularity of this product probably played a role in the data we sorted, but let’s face it: Instant Pots are the bomb. Aside from being able to pressure cook, steam, and prepare rice, there’s also a yogurt setting.  Digging into our data, it’s clear that Instant Pots have produced staggering sales for multiple years in a row; they’ve been responsible for hundreds of cookbooks, and there’s even an R2-D2 model.

Father’s Day doesn’t always have to be about getting gifts that help the parents in your life perform “Parent Duties.” Think of it as a tool to help make typically slow cooked meals, astonishingly quick for the entire family with minimal effort.

Making meals in the Instant Pot really is as easy as slicing a large chunk of meat in half, adding stock––onions, carrots, celery, (salt at the end)––and pushing the button. Or take it up a notch and use fresh fennel and garlic; dried herbs like coriander, and cumin (bonus points if you buy them whole and grind them by hand or in a spice grinder); some dijon mustard and dry white wine… and push the button. Do you see where we are going with this?

How to Get the Best Price on the Instant Pot

The lifespan of the Instant Pot has dropped from around USD $130, when it first came out in 2013, to around USD $89. Beside the downward trending price for the last decade, you can feel good about purchasing the Instant Pot any time of year without feeling like you’re missing out on a deal. Other than the occasional drop to around USD $80, the Instant Pot holds strong at USD $89.

Think about what makes the Dads in your life unique. Figuring out how to produce valuable experiences with your physical gifts, like movie nights or weekend building projects, is a game changer.

We look forward to sharing more articles with you about our data observations, and how we can help you save money using Amazon price tracking at camelcamelcamel.

Words & Art by Jamie Payne.