I'll just come right out and say it: the Amazon Black Friday sale can be confusing, even for the seasoned sale sniffers here at Brad's Deals. After reading the online megastore's press release each year, we know we're going to get a ton of questions from readers about when certain items would go on sale, how long each sale would last, and how to know what kinds of sales to expect on what days.

The short answer to all of these questions is: we don't know for sure. While the press release mentioned new deals every day for 30 days, it also says the meat of the sale is set to fall upon the "Turkey 5," aka Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. But wait, then the Black Friday "ad" we got from Amazon was a list containing, in their own words, "examples of some of the top deals that will be available at various dates and times between November 17 and Black Friday." So, when are the best sales happening? Now? During the Turkey 5? Between November 17 and Black Friday? We're just as confused as you are.

Basically, the list we have isn't even the full list of doorbusters, and Amazon will not be supplying curious shoppers with any kind of easy-to-understand, deal-breaking timeline, gotcha.

What we do know, is that Voice Shoppers, can shop early from Select Black Friday deals, starting as early as 5 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Nov. 22, using Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, or Amazon Fire TV devices. If you happen to have one of these devices, you can learn about daily deals by simply asking "Alexa, what are your deals?"

The problem with releasing exclusive deals via Alexa is the fact that she's still kind of a novelty. While I'm sure Amazon is hoping to boost sales of devices that include her as a perk (lackluster deals on these items are included in Amazon's list of Black Friday deals), we're skeptical at both the quality of these exclusive deals and the amount of traction they're going to get when so few people have access to them.

Despite all this nonsense, you shouldn't completely lose hope in the Amazon Black Friday sale! With just a little bit of effort, you can navigate the ins and outs this tricky sale like an old pro, I promise. We did some research, and put together this handy list of four tips for conquering the Amazon Black Friday sale.

1. Get yourself an Amazon Prime membership ASAP.

Prime members get access to select Black Friday lightening deals 30 minutes before the general public. While we don't (and probably won't) know exactly what these deals will be until they're posted on the site, Amazon said in its press release that, "Prime members can shop thousands of Lightning Deals with 30-minute early access ..." so it's possible that many of the season's most popular items could be completely snatched up by Prime members before the the peasants without Prime memberships get so much as a shot at buying them.

If you're not willing to shell out $99 for a yearlong membership just to get early access to Black Friday deals — don't worry, you may not have to! In the past, Amazon has offered a one-day $20 discount on Prime right around Black Friday.

Amazon also offers a 30-day free trial Prime membership, so you can sign up today, use it throughout the month, and cancel it after Black Friday is over if you so desire. Prime members also enjoy free two-day shipping on most items, a vast array of award-winning TV shows to stream, free music, free e-book downloads and unlimited photo storage. After a month of using the service, you may actually find yourself inclined to pay the $99 fee to keep it going, but even if you don't, there's no excuse for not using the FREE trial to get a leg up on other Black Friday shoppers. For more info on Prime membership, check out this blog post on why I'm so obsessed with mine.

2. Look through the 'Upcoming Deals,' make a list of must-haves and set reminders on your phone.

OK, so maybe this tip is really 3 tips in 1. The sale hasn't yet started so I can't test this theory, but last year, I took an early peek at the Amazon Black Friday page and noticed that upcoming deals were posted in advance in the (whatdya know?) "Upcoming" section located under "Featured Deals" Here's a screenshot where I highlighted the "Upcoming" section, a Prime Early Access deal, and the time that deal will go live, in case you need clarification:

Under each deal, you'll see a button that says "Watch this deal." I clicked it and waited until the clock ran down, but nothing happened. Turns out, in order to be notified when a deal you're watching goes live, you'll need to download the Amazon app and turn on notifications. I have the app on my phone, but didn't have notifications turned on, so I got nada. If you're watching several deals with sales that all start at the same time, you'll get one consolidated notification.

If you don't want to download the app, take a few minutes every morning and scroll through all the deals listed from the next 24 hours and then make a note of what you want, what time each sale starts, and whether it's a Prime Early Access deal. Then take out your phone and set alarm reminders for 5-10 minutes before each sale is set to start. That way, you'll have time to get to your computer (or tablet, or Amazon app on your smartphone) in time to catch the sale before it's gone.

3. Download the Amazon and Prime Now Apps for "Watch a Deal" and Package X Ray Technology.

If you weren't into the lengthy process of tracking deals I outlined in my previous tip, you have yet another reason to jump on the app downloading bandwagon. As we mentioned above, if you use the app, you don't need to make a handwritten list or set reminders on your phone for when each sale is going to start, because the app will do it for you. The "Watch a Deal" feature allows you to pick the deals you're most interested in and get an automatic notification to your mobile device when the sale goes live. Amazon thinks this feature will help shoppers spend more time with their families, but let's be real, this will more than likely result in a lot of angry grandmothers screaming "Get off your phone, Jimmy! You have to cut the turkey!" at Thanksgiving tables across the country.

Another perk of using the app? The ability to peek inside packages that have been delivered before you open them up, so you don't spoil any Christmas presents when you open a package in front of the kids.

4. Check back often and lean on us!

You might notice that none of the deals in the picture above have any prices on them, and that's because the sale prices aren't posted until the deal goes live. If that stresses you out, check how much the item is currently selling for and ask yourself whether you'd be willing to pay that price. You know the sale price is going to be significantly lower, so if the current price seems fair or even just a bit over your budget, it's probably safe to say you'll be OK paying the sale price.

You also never know when Amazon is going to bust out a crazy deal without warning, so as tedious as it may seem, checking the page or the app as often as you can is probably in your best interest. Experienced shoppers might know about the Amazon price tracking apps and websites that claim to do this work for you, but they're usually buggy and hard to use. I tried out a few during last year's sale didn't get any kind of notification when my item went on sale, so I don't recommend relying on these tools.

So what DO we know about the 2016 Amazon Black Friday sale?

We know what *some* of the sales are going to be, and we've listed them below for you to peruse. Again, we don't know when these deals will go on sale, and we don't know how long it will take until they're sold out. Some of the deals look decent to us, but to be honest, Black Friday is never Amazon's finest hour.

Amazon Devices

• Save $20 on Echo Dot, only $29.99 – the lowest price ever for Echo Dot
• Save $20 on All-New Echo, only $79.99
• Save $30 on Echo Plus, only $119.99
• Save $50 on Amazon Tap, only $79.99
• Add a smart plug to any Echo purchase for only $5 ($20 off)
• Save $20 on Amazon Cloud Cam, only $99.99
• Save $30 on Fire 7 Kids Edition, only $69.99 – and save an additional $10 when you buy two Fire 7 Kids Edition tablets, only $129.98
• Save $40 on Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, only $89.99 – and save an additional $10 when you buy two Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, only $169.98
• Save $50 on Fire HD 10, only $99.99 – the lowest price ever for the Fire HD 10
• Save $30 on Fire HD 8, only $49.99
• Save $30 on Kindle Paperwhite, only $89.99
• Save $30 on Kindle, only $49.99
• Save $30 on Kindle for Kids Bundle, only $69.99
• Save $15 on Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, only $24.99

Electronics

• Premium brand 40-inch smart TV, only $279.99
• Sony 75-inch 4K Ultra HD smart LED TV (2017 Model), only $1,999.99
• Sony 70-inch 4K Ultra HD smart LED TV (2017 Model), only $1,199.99
• Samsung UN65MU8000 65-inch 4K Ultra HD smart TV (2017 Model), only $1,297.99
• Sony 65-inch 4K Ultra HD smart LED TV (2017 Model), only $1,499.99
• Samsung UN55MU8000 55-inch 4K Ultra HD smart TV (2017 Model), only $897.99
• Sony 55-inch 4K Ultra HD smart LED TV (2017 Model), only $999.99
• 32-inch 720p TV, only $69.99
• 49-inch 4k TV, only $159.99
• Save up to 30% on select TP-Link smart home and networking products
• Save up to 25% on select Seagate hard drives
• Save up to $150 on Acer Helios 300 Gaming Laptop
• Save up to $120 on Cyberpowerpc Gaming Desktop
• Save 30% on Corsair K70 Gaming Keyboard
• Save up to 35% on select SanDisk memory products
• Save up to 40% on PC gaming laptops, desktops, components and more
• Save up to 25% on select 3D printers

Toys

• Save up to 35% on Melissa & Doug toys and furniture
• Save up to 40% on K'NEX Thrill Rides-Kraken's Revenge Roller Coaster
• Save up to 30% on select Crayola arts and crafts
• Save up to 30% on select Paw Patrol toys
• Save up to 50% on select Zoomer toys

Smart Home

• Save up to $40 on Schlage Smart Lock – Works with Amazon Alexa
• Save $50 on Bluetooth-enabled Opal Nugget Ice Maker
• Save $100 on SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit

Home Furnishings

• Save up to 35% on select Thanksgiving and holiday décor
• Save up to 40% on select mattresses, furniture and area rugs
• Save up to 35% on select Rubbermaid products
• Save up to 40% on select Thermos products

Pets

• Save 35% on Soft WellBites Dog Treats
• Save 15% on Fluval 2.6-Gallon Aquarium Kit

Sports & Outdoors

• Save up to 60% on New Balance shoes and apparel
• Save up to 30% on Under Armour TB12 Recovery Sleepwear
• Save 20% on select Tumbl Trak products
• Save on Bushnell Binoculars and Camelbak Hydration
• Save up to 35% on select camo apparel
• Save 20% on select Barska products
• Save up to 25% on Nikon Coolshot 80 Rangefinder
• Save 20% on Atomic Foosball Table
• Save 25% on select X-Rocker Gaming Chairs
• Save up to 35% on select Killerspin Table Tennis Rackets
• Save 20% on select Paragon popcorn machines

Video Games

• Save up to $100 on select Playstation virtual reality bundles
• Save up to 50% on Just Dance 2018 Gold Box

Music, TV, Movies and Books

• For the first time ever, non-Prime members as well as Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get three months of the full catalog on-demand service with access to tens of millions of songs, for just $0.99 starting today
• Save 40% on new release movies and TV seasons, as well as catalog best sellers available to rent or purchase and instantly stream on Amazon Video
• Save up to 80% on select Kindle best-selling books

Deals From Small Business and Entrepreneurs

• Save 30% on Segway Minipro 2018 Edition
• Save 20% on Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit
• Save $30 on Anki Cozmo
• Save 80% on Queen Rose Full Pregnancy Body Pillow
• Save 20% on CoffeeGator Pour Over Coffee Maker
• Save 60% on Silpada ‘Santa Fe’ Sterling Silver, Brass and Turquoise Bracelet

So how do you feel? Are you adequately prepared for Amazon Black Friday? Do you have any more burning questions we can answer for you? Let us know in the comments, and we'll try to help however we can!