Are you ready for one of the year's biggest sales outside of Black Friday? Amazon Prime Day is finally here!This year it takes place on Tuesday, July 12, and we've got everything you need to know about the event — along with some of the deals you can expect.To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Amazon held its first-ever Amazon Prime Day on July 15 last year. It's a 24-hour day of sales, (mostly) only available to Amazon Prime subscribers (might we suggest you start a 30-day free trial today ?).The main event is taking place on only one day, Tuesday, July 12. But actually, you can take advantage of themed Countdown Deals , which are going on now.Unlike a traditional sale, where items are marked down for the entirety of the sale, Amazon Prime Day is filled with rotating "lightning sales." These are bargains that only last for a short time, changing as fast as every 10 minutes. This means you've got to keep checking back on the site to see if there's something new you might be interested in snagging (luckily, the site usually offers a peek at what deals are coming up). Amazon will also feature a variety of daily deals you can shop from, too. Using the Amazon app , you can set up alerts to watch a deal and get notified when it's available, so you don't miss out.If you own an Echo, Echo Dot, or Amazon Tap , you can save $10 on your first Amazon Prime Day purchase of $20 or more. If you take advantage of Amazon's Countdown Deals, you could save $20 or more. You can ask your device, "Alexa, what are your Prime Day deals?" on July 12 to get a rundown of what's on sale — and check out the Alexa-based exclusive deals here For a few of the sale items you can look forward to TODAY, read on.