Standfirst: Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, and early deals start on November 6. A fake deal usually works the same way: the seller raises the old price first, then cuts it back and calls the drop a saving. This guide shows how to check the old price, do the discount math, and compare sellers before you pay.
When Black Friday 2026 happens
- Black Friday date: Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Cyber Monday 2026 is Monday, November 30, three days later, and many online deals run across the whole weekend in between.
- Early deals start now: Best Buy says its early Black Friday deals start on November 6, 2026, so shoppers do not have to wait until November 27 to see Black Friday prices.
- How big the season is: Adobe’s holiday forecast, published on September 28, 2026, expects US shoppers to spend $275.1 billion online between November 1 and December 31, 2026. It expects Black Friday category discounts to peak at around 23 percent for TVs, 29 percent for toys and 23 percent for apparel.
How a fake discount works
- The basic trick: A fake discount starts with a price that was never the real everyday price. The seller raises the price for a short time, then cuts it back to where it was, and presents the cut as a Black Friday saving.
- What you see: On the page you see a high crossed-out price, a lower sale price in large type, and a saving that looks generous. Nothing on the page tells you when the crossed-out price was charged, or for how long, or whether anyone actually paid it.
- The test to use: Before you buy, ask one simple question. Was the old price the price this item was actually sold at, on a regular basis, for a reasonable stretch of time? If you cannot answer yes from something you can check, treat the discount as unproven and check it another way.
The FTC rule on former prices
- The rule: The Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, known as 16 CFR Part 233, say that a former price is a fair basis for a price comparison only when it was the actual, bona fide price at which the item was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time.
- What that means in plain words: A seller can only fairly say “was this price, now this price” when the old price was the genuine everyday price for a proper length of time. A price put up briefly, just so it could be cut again, does not meet that test, and if a seller sets an artificially inflated price just to make a later reduction look large, the FTC calls that bargain a false one.
- The FTC example: The FTC gives its own example. A store sells a pen for $7.50, raises it to $10 for a short time, then advertises “Was $10, Now Only $7.50”. The FTC calls that obviously a false claim, because the pen is simply back at its old price of $7.50, and no saving has been made at all.
- What the rule does not do: The rule does not set a fixed number of days, and it does not ban sales. It sets a fairness test, and a real sale, where the old price was genuine and the new price is lower, passes that test without any trouble.
Check the price history before you buy
- For Amazon items: For items sold on Amazon, free tools such as CamelCamelCamel and Keepa show the price history, so you can see whether the “was” price was real. A real discount usually shows a flat line at the old price for a long stretch, then a clear drop, while a fake one often shows the price jumping up shortly before the sale and then falling back to where it had been.
- For other stores: For stores that do not have a price history tool, make your own record. Write down the price of anything over $100 now, and compare it on November 27. A note on your phone, with the date and the store name, takes a few seconds and gives you a real comparison on the day.
- Check the exact model: When you check a price history, make sure it is for the exact same item, with the same size, storage, color and model number. A similar item with a different model number can have a very different price. If a price looks wrong, take a screenshot with the date showing.
Do the discount math yourself
- Stacked discounts do not add up: When a store offers 30 percent off plus an extra 20 percent off, the total is 44 percent off, not 50 percent off. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price, not to the original price, so the saving is smaller than the two numbers added together.
- How the math works: Take an item priced at $100. A 30 percent cut takes it to $70. The extra 20 percent then comes off $70, not off $100, which takes off a further $14 and leaves a final price of $56. The total saving is $44, which is 44 percent of the original price.
- Work out the final price: Before you buy, work out the final price yourself, including any delivery charge, and compare it with the price you wrote down earlier. A large headline discount can hide a delivery charge that takes away much of the saving. Also read the small print: some extra discounts only apply to selected items, or only above a spending threshold, or only with a code at checkout.
Compare the same model at other sellers
- Do not trust one page: Check the same exact model at two or three other sellers, including the maker’s own store, rather than trusting the strikethrough price on one page. If every other seller is charging close to the sale price, the sale price is probably the going price, and the crossed-out price is the odd one out.
- Match every detail: Compare the exact model number, size, storage, color and what is included in the box, and compare the total price with delivery and the delivery date. A cheaper price elsewhere may be for a smaller size, an older model, a refurbished unit, or a version without an accessory, and those differences can explain a price gap that looks like a bargain.
- If the gap is huge, pause: If one seller is far cheaper than every other seller for the same exact model, pause before you buy. It may be a genuine clearance, but it may also be a lookalike store, a listing error, or a seller that will not deliver. Our guide to spotting a fake online store while holiday shopping explains the warning signs to look for before you pay a seller you have not used before.
Check returns, warranty and the seller itself
- Read the return policy first: Read the return policy before buying, not after the item arrives. A low price is less useful if you cannot return the item, or if the return window is short, or if you have to pay for return delivery yourself. Best Buy says most purchases made from October 30 through December 31 can be returned through January 15, 2027, but activatable devices such as phones are excluded. That is one retailer’s example, not a general rule.
- Check the warranty: Check the warranty terms before you buy, especially for TVs, phones, laptops and appliances. A deal from a seller that is not an authorized seller can leave you with a warranty that the maker will not honour.
- Watch for lookalikes and pressure: Watch for lookalike websites and fake stores with slightly misspelled URLs, or with web addresses that look close to a well-known store but are not quite the same. Type the store address yourself, or use a link you already trust. Be wary of “only 1 left” warnings and pressure timers that reset when the page reloads.
A quick checklist before you pay
- Check the price and the math: Check whether the old price was the real price, using a price history tool where one exists, or the price you wrote down earlier. Then work out the final price yourself, including delivery. Remember that 30 percent off plus an extra 20 percent off is 44 percent off in total, not 50 percent off.
- Compare and check the terms: Compare the same exact model at two or three other sellers, including the maker’s own store. Read the return policy and the warranty terms, and check that the seller is the real store and not a lookalike. A good price with no return and no warranty is a different deal from the one on the page.
- Ignore the pressure, keep the proof: Ignore the timer and the “only 1 left” warning, and take a moment before you pay. A real deal will still be there after a short pause. After you buy, keep your order confirmation, your receipt, and a screenshot of the price you paid. For other holiday risks, see our guides on holiday gift card scams and drained cards and on protecting holiday packages from porch pirates.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, Guides Against Deceptive Pricing (16 CFR Part 233): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-233
- Adobe 2026 holiday forecast (published September 28, 2026): https://business.adobe.com/
