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Black Friday is Friday, November 27 this year, and the “deals” have already started. Some are great. Many are normal prices with a red tag and a crossed-out number nobody ever paid. We check hundreds of deals a week, and the same few tricks keep showing up. Here is how to spot them in a minute or two, so your money goes to the real discounts.
Quick answer: how do you spot a fake Black Friday deal?
To spot a fake Black Friday deal, ignore the percent-off badge and check three things: what the item actually sold for over recent months, whether it is the current model, and the final price at checkout. If the price is not clearly below its normal selling price, it is not a real deal.
Fake deal cheat sheet
- Inflated “was” price: compare with what the item usually sells for, not the list price
- Old model: check the model number and release year before you buy
- Special Black Friday version: an unfamiliar model number can mean fewer features
- Padded bundle: price each extra on its own; filler is not savings
- Unknown seller: check who ships it and who handles returns
- Fake urgency: countdown timers and “only 2 left” are sales tools, not proof of a deal
1. How can you tell if a “was” price is real?
A “was” price is real only if the item actually sold at that price for a good stretch of time. Many fake deals start with a crossed-out “list price” or “MSRP” the item rarely or never sold for, which turns a normal price into “40% off”.
The FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a former price should be the actual, bona fide price the item was offered at on a regular basis. Stores still show reference prices in different ways, though, and third-party sellers are a mixed bag.
Amazon, for example, shows two kinds of strikethrough prices, “List Price” and “Typical Price”, and each follows its own rules. That helps, but the safest habit works everywhere: compare the sale price with what the item has actually sold for in recent months at a few big stores. If it was $79 most of October and it is $79 on Black Friday with “$129” crossed out, nothing changed.
2. Is last year’s model really a deal?
Last year’s model is a deal only when it is priced like an old model. Black Friday is when stores clear out older stock, and some of it is sold at prices close to the new version.
Here is an example from our own posts. Last November, during Black Friday week, we posted the Apple AirTag 4 Pack at $62.99. Apple has since released the second-generation AirTag. A first-generation 4-pack at a similar price today is worth less, because the newer version exists and goes on sale too.
Before you buy a phone, tablet, laptop, TV, watch or earbuds, look up the model number and the release year. Our tablet guide and smartwatch guide list the current lineups, so you can tell which names are this year’s.
3. Are “Black Friday only” models worse?
Sometimes they are. Some TVs and other electronics sold in big sales are special versions with model numbers you won’t see the rest of the year, and they can have a weaker processor, fewer HDMI ports or a dimmer panel.
They are not always bad buys, just not the same product as the one in the reviews. Search the exact model number. If you can’t find reviews or a spec sheet for it outside that one sale, compare its specs line by line with the regular model before you decide.
4. Are bundles a good deal?
A bundle is a good deal only if you want every piece and the total beats buying them separately. Otherwise the extras are filler that hides a full price.
“Console + game + controller” or “camera + bag + memory card” bundles can save real money. They can also pad the price with things you would never buy. Price each piece on its own. If the main item alone is cheaper elsewhere, and the extras are a flimsy case and a tiny memory card, walk away.
5. Who is really selling it?
Check the “Ships from” and “Sold by” lines before you pay. On Amazon, Walmart and other marketplaces, one product page can have many sellers, and the deal price may come from a third party.
That seller might have slow shipping or a short return window. For big purchases, buying from the store itself or the brand’s official storefront makes returns and warranty claims much easier.
Be careful with links in texts, social media ads and emails, too. Fake store websites copy real logos and show impossible prices. Type the store’s address yourself or use its app.
6. What will you actually pay at checkout?
Judge every deal on the final price, not the headline price. Shipping fees, “service” fees, required add-ons and coupons that only work on one color can all push the total up.
A deal can also get better at checkout. Clip-on coupons, store credit for buying, or a card offer can lower what you pay. Our Amex offer guide shows how one of those works.
7. Can a small discount be a great deal?
Yes. A modest discount on a brand-new, current model is often a better buy than a huge percentage off something that never sells at its “was” price.
During Prime Big Deal Days in October we posted the 2026 MacBook Air 13-inch with the M5 chip at $1,099. That was only about 15% off the listing’s price, but it was a strong price for a current Mac. Compare the same configuration, since memory and storage change the price a lot. Meanwhile, a no-name gadget at “75% off” may cost exactly what it always costs.
8. What is a fair price?
A fair Black Friday price is one close to the lowest prices an item has sold for during past big sales. These are typical price ranges in the US for a few popular items. Prices change often, so use them as a rough guide, not a promise of what any store will charge.
| Item | Typical price | Good deal | Not a deal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple AirPods Pro 3 | About $180 to $249 | Under $200 | Older AirPods Pro at a similar price |
| Apple AirTag (2nd gen) 4-pack | About $80 to $99 | Under $85 | First-gen packs sold as if they were new |
| Base iPad (A16) | About $270 to $349 | Under $300 | An older iPad for nearly the same price |
| Bose QuietComfort Headphones | About $150 to $290 | Under $200 | A high “was” price when it often sells near $200 |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 | About $55 to $100 | Under $60 | The full price with a “deal” badge |
For reference, during Prime Big Deal Days we posted the Bose QuietComfort Headphones at $169.00, and in October we posted AirPods Pro 3 at $179.00. When a Black Friday price is close to prices like these, it is a real deal. When it is far above them, the badge is doing the selling.
9. How do we check a deal before we post it?
We run every deal through the same checks you just read. We look at the real recent selling price, the current model, the seller and the final price at checkout.
If a price only looks good because of a made-up list price, we skip it. You can see what passed today in our Electronics deals and Apple deals.
More: browse our buying guides, see the discounted gift cards you can stack with a sale, or get checked deals as they drop on WhatsApp, Telegram and our newsletter.
Key takeaways
- FTC pricing guides say a former price should be one the item was really offered at on a regular basis.
- A deal is only real when the checkout total beats what the same model usually sells for.
- Last year’s model is a bargain only if it costs clearly less than the current one.
- A 15% cut on a current model can beat a 75% badge on an item that never sold at its “was” price.
Frequently asked questions
Are Black Friday deals real?
Many Black Friday deals are real, but not all of them. A real deal is a price clearly below what the item normally sells for. Fake ones use an inflated list price to make a normal price look like a discount, or sell an older model at what looks like a sale price. Check the recent selling price and the model number before you buy.
How do I know if a Black Friday price is actually low?
Compare it with what the item sold for over the last few months at a few big stores, not with the crossed-out list price. Check the exact model number too, so you are comparing the same product, the same size and the same memory or storage. If the Black Friday price matches its usual price, the discount is only on the label.
Are Black Friday TVs lower quality?
Some Black Friday TVs are lower quality. A few sets sold during big sales are special versions with their own model numbers, and they can have fewer HDMI ports, slower processors or dimmer panels than the regular model reviewers tested. Search the exact model number, letters included, and compare the specs before you buy.
Is it better to wait until Cyber Monday?
Usually not. For most items, prices on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are very similar, and many stores now run one long sale through both days. If you see a real deal on something you need, buying it then is usually fine. Waiting makes more sense when the item you want is not on sale yet at all.
What does “up to 70% off” really mean?
“Up to 70% off” means at least one item in the sale is 70% off. Most items in that sale are usually discounted much less, often 10% to 30%. The headline number tells you about the best item, not the one you want, so check the price of the exact product you plan to buy before you get excited.
What if the price drops after I buy?
Check the store’s price adjustment and return policy first. Some stores refund the difference within a set number of days, and others do not. If yours does not, returning the item and buying it again at the lower price may work, as long as you are still inside the return window and the item is unopened or in returnable condition.
