I shopped Amazon Haul for tech products, here’s what I found

Move over, Temu and Shein — there’s a new bargain store in town. Amazon has just launched Haul, a dedicated section in its mobile shopping app that purports to deliver ultra-affordable wares. With everything priced at $20 or less, Haul is targeting shoppers looking to keep an eye on the purse strings.

I wanted to find out if it lived up to the self-generated hype, so I dove into Haul’s tech category to see what kinds of gadgets and gizmos I could snag. From fairly practical to almost pointless, here’s what I found in Amazon’s answer to the discount craze. Spoiler: There aren’t any Android phones on there just yet.

Amazon’s newly launched bargain hub is available exclusively in the Amazon Shopping app and on its mobile site, currently in beta and limited to US customers. The concept is simple: a curated selection of ultra-low-priced products spanning categories like fashion, home goods, lifestyle, and electronics. Every item is priced $20 or under, with many priced below $10 and some costing as little as $1.

You can tell immediately that it’s designed to make shopping fun and affordable. On top of the heavily discounted items, you can unlock more savings with bulk purchases — like 5% off orders over $50 or 10% off orders over $75. Delivery isn’t always lightning-fast — delivery times take a back seat to affordability — but all purchases are covered by Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee, which kicks in if your item turns up in bad condition or not as described.

Haul also offers a simplified returns policy, which allows for items priced over $3 to be returned for free within 15 days of delivery. To save on postage, they can be left at over 8,000 drop-off points, including Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods. It’s Amazon’s way of merging the thrill of budget finds with the peace of mind of its customer service.

It’s a good pitch. Amazon Haul aims to carve out a niche in the ultra-affordable shopping market with deals that rival even the most cutthroat competitors. But I wanted to know if there was anything for the tech nerds to get excited about.

No, it isn’t, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you see a pair of headphones on a budget retailer’s site for under $10, they’re almost certainly substandard in quality. Amazon Haul could either flog sketchy wares for a bit of extra revenue and deal with the complaints, or it could be a bit more realistic about what you can get for less than $20. I’m optimistically assuming that this was the boardroom discussion that took place, and the execs came down on the side of customer satisfaction.

If you head to the electronics section of Amazon Haul, it’s almost entirely accessories for devices rather than the gadgets themselves. Most of them are phone holders, cases for things, and screen protectors. Here are some examples of the kind of stuff you find.

Kawaii 3D funny silicone case cover for AirPods — $1.99

There are tons of options on Amazon Haul if you want affordable case covers for your AirPods. The Kawaii 3D case cover is a typical example, and how far wrong can you go for just $2? Whether the “high-quality material” part of the description is accurate is your risk to take.

Cell phone clip bed stand holder — $7.19

The brand name is Generic, which isn’t a great start, but this is a fun phone holder with either a spiral or a clamp base. At $7, it isn’t a ludicrously low price for the type of product either, which might say more about how much you’re paying for the name on big brand accessories. There are no reviews yet, but if it stays clamped at one end and holds your phone at the other, it does the job.

Air vent cell phone car mount — $1.99

I did say there was a theme. Another generic and ludicrously cheap stocking stuffer is this phone holder for your car, but if it holds your phone in the right place while you’re driving, it’s pretty much doing what it advertises. Whether the metal hook clip really is “cutting edge,” as it says in the description, is another matter.

As you might have noticed by this point, these products are so basic that they don’t even have catchy names. The name on Amazon Haul is usually a clumsy description of the item. Still, this monocular is about the closest you’ll get to a gadget. Just don’t hold old for many specs or technical details in the small print.

2-in-1 phone camera lens — $4.99

Can’t afford a phone with all those fancy wide-angle lenses? Just find five bucks and clip on this bad boy.

If you think of anything that might usually cost you at least $30 to $40, there’s probably some version of it on Amazon Haul for under $20. That includes clothing, footwear, kitchen utensils, wrapping paper, jewelry, and a whole host of other things.

The fashion side certainly seems to be catering more towards women — one of the first categories you see is party dresses. For instance, you can pick up this sleek square-neck number for just $8.88, even if the origin field just saying “imported” doesn’t give you too much confidence in the tailoring. That said, if you can grab these snow sneakers for just $19.99 and they keep the water out, you’ll have saved yourself a pretty penny on winterwear.

I’d still say Haul is worth a look, even if it’s just for gift ideas for those less-favored extended family members. Take this 24-ounce vacuum travel coffee mug, for instance. It’s $11.99, but you’d be paying three times the price if it had Yeti in front of its name.

Amazon Haul might not be where you go for premium craftsmanship or designer labels, but it’s got a lot of potential for budget-conscious finds and quirky gifts. Like its competitors, this is a digital flea market — you might strike gold or just have a laugh at how trashy your discoveries are. Either way, you don’t have too much to lose.