How to spot a fake Black Friday deal in under 30 seconds
Price trackers, the six-month rule, and the three retailer tricks that catch out even careful shoppers.
Every November, a remarkable number of products become "50% off" - having quietly been 40% more expensive since September.
Check the price history first
Paste the product URL into a price tracker before anything else. If the "was" price only appeared four weeks ago, the discount is fiction.
The six-month rule
A genuine deal is cheaper than the lowest price that item has hit in the past six months. Anything else is just a return to normal.
Three tricks to watch for
- Bundle inflation - a "free" accessory worth £5 attached to a £30 markup.
- Model shuffling - a nearly-identical model number with cheaper components, made for the sales period.
- Countdown theatre - timers that reset when you reload the page.
Be sceptical. The good deals survive scrutiny; the fake ones never do.
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