Here's everything you need to know about Cyber Monday 2019

What time does Cyber Monday start?

Cyber Monday deals will run around the clock, starting at 12 a.m. EST on December 2, 2019.

However, many stores will also offer discounts in the days leading up to Cyber Monday. Last year, for example, Amazon's official Cyber Monday frenzy began the Sunday before at 8 p.m. EST, but the site ran deals throughout the preceding weekend as well.

What is the point of Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday was created to encourage folks to buy their Christmas presents online, as the Monday after Thanksgiving became an increasingly popular shopping day. Over the past decade, Cyber Monday has become the biggest online shopping day in the US, raking in billions for retailers each year.

For you, it's an excellent day to get a jump on your Christmas shopping, or buy things for yourself, especially if you're looking for bargains. In particular, it's a great day to buy tech gadgets and older generations of big-ticket tech items.

What sites do Cyber Monday?

If you can name any website that sells things, it's probably offering Cyber Monday deals.

Janet Alveraz, executive editor of the personal-finance publication Wise Bread, believes Amazon is one of the best places to shop, especially compared to Black Friday. "Amazon shopping, in general, tends to be better on Cyber Monday," Alveraz said. "But remember, that only holds true if you're an Amazon Prime member."

While it may be tempting to search only for new products, eBay is also an excellent place to shop on Cyber Monday. "You'll find a lot of people reselling items they just purchased on Black Friday," Alveraz told Business Insider.

Participants in Cyber Monday include:

To keep track of your favorite stores' best deals, subscribe to their online newsletters and follow their social media.

Are Cyber Monday deals the same as Black Friday?

Most major stores will offer both Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. However, they won't necessarily be the same deals. Last year, Cyber Monday had slightly better deals overall; shoppers saw an average of 2.5% greater savings.

Generally, Black Friday is a better day to shop for expensive, big-ticket items, while Cyber Monday is preferable for gadgets, gifts, and older-generation tech.

Make sure you plan out your purchases in advance and look through Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads to figure out when (and where) each product you're looking for will see the lowest price.

Is Amazon doing Cyber Monday?

Amazon participates in Cyber Monday; last year's Cyber Monday was its biggest shopping day in history.

The site usually offers deals not only on Cyber Monday but throughout the days before and after. Last year, Amazon's Cyber Monday deals began the Sunday before. The retailer dubbed the subsequent week Cyber Monday Deals Week and continued to provide discounts each day.

Many of Amazon's Cyber Monday Deals are "Lightning Deals," which offer a limited number of items at a big discount. You can check the status bar on the left side of a product's page to see how close it is to being fully claimed. Prepare to act fast on these; the most popular ones can sell out in seconds. If a lightning deal has run out, you can join its waitlist to receive a notification if the discount pops up again.

Note: Many Amazon deals are only available to Prime members.

To get a feel for what might be on sale, peruse our favorite Amazon deals from last year's Cyber Monday.

Does Apple do Cyber Monday?

Apple rarely discounts its own devices for Black Friday. However, some third-party stores provide "discounts" on iPhones, Macbooks, and the like in the form of gift-card bundles or trade-in credit. You can also check eBay, Amazon Marketplace, or other resellers for refurbished versions of Apple devices, which can sell for hundreds of dollars below MSRP.

Take a look at our Apple Cyber Monday Deals hub to see the best Apple deals from last year's Cyber Monday.

Check out all our Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage

The Insider Picks team will be reporting the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in real-time from big-box retailers — like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom — and direct-to-consumer startups like Casper, Leesa, and Brooklinen.

To potentially save more on deals this holiday season, visit Business Insider Coupons to find the most up-to-date coupons and promo codes.