Bear markets can create buying opportunities for long-term investors -- Wall Street is one of the only places where people flee the store in terror when the merchandise goes on sale. But it's important to know what you're buying; low-quality stocks and weak businesses will fall, but may not get back up. Buy right, sit tight, and you'll likely see new highs over time.

If you're looking for some guidance, don't fret. Here are three proven winners you can buy for a total of under $1,500 that could pay off handsomely during the next bull market.

1. An e-commerce giant wearing many hats

Amazon (AMZN -2.56%) is the no-brainer e-commerce leader in the United States, controlling a staggering 38% of the market. Everyone knows about Amazon Prime, and many of you reading this are probably members. However, that's not the primary reason to own the stock over the long term.

Prime is the mousetrap that gets consumers into the Amazon ecosystem, but the company has steadily developed new and emerging businesses over time. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become the largest public cloud platform in the world, and is the company's most profitable segment, responsible for all of Amazon's operating income in the second quarter.

Amazon also has a flourishing ad-tech business where it generates ad revenue, and Prime Video, which is offering live NFL games to further push into streaming. Ad-tech has grown 20% year-over-year through the first half of 2022, and AWS is up 35%. Meanwhile, Amazon has $60 billion in cash and short-term investments. The recent stock split also makes shares more affordable so that you can buy Amazon stock with confidence in the future.

2. A company selling the freedom to move

Airbnb (ABNB -3.18%) has seemingly taken the travel industry by storm, with the company's name becoming a descriptor over the past few years; you don't grab a place to stay, you book an Airbnb. Today Airbnb has more than 6 million active listings worldwide, resulting in more than 100 million stays or experiences booked in each of the past two quarters.

Signs are pointing to travelers gravitating toward the flexibility that Airbnb offers, even for long-term stays -- stays of 28 days or longer were the company's fastest-growing category by duration in Q2, up 25% year-over-year and 90% over 2019. Roughly 150 million people actively use Airbnb, which gives the company room to expand considering a global population of nearly 8 billion.

Financially, Airbnb is rock-solid. It's produced $2.9 billion in free cash flow over the past year, and has roughly $10 billion in cash on its balance sheet. Management is beginning to repurchase shares, signaling that it believes the company's stock is attractively valued.

3. Fix up your portfolio with this retailer

The Home Depot (HD 0.74%) is one of the world's largest retail companies, and is the largest in the home improvement space. Owning a home is part of the American Dream; it's the largest purchase most people make in their lifetimes and tends to create strong emotional attachments. In other words, people love spending money on their homes to repair, maintain, and improve them.

The company sold more than $152 billion in products over the past year, including hardware, materials, and even discretionary products like appliances, holiday decorations, and more. Investors love Home Depot for its track record of outstanding investment returns, share repurchases, and a dividend with 13 consecutive increases.

Home improvement spending could surpass $600 billion by 2025, doubling from its 2008 figure. It makes sense; homes get remodeled repeatedly, and new homes enter the market for a growing population. Home Depot has successfully built an e-commerce business that uses its stores as distribution centers, so adapting to modern consumer habits could protect its market share and help push long-term growth in the right direction.