Are Black Friday deals real? How to spot a fake discount

What the evidence says

The consumer group Which? checks Black Friday prices every year by tracking the same products for months before and after the sale. Its two latest studies point the same way:

• Black Friday 2024: of 175 home, tech and health products at Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very, 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once in the six months either side of the sale, outside the four weeks Which? counted as the sale period (15 November to 12 December 2024). None of the deals was at its cheapest price of the year on Black Friday itself.
• Black Friday 2023: of 227 deals at the same eight retailers, 92% were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year, and around four in ten were cheaper.

That doesn’t make Black Friday pointless. It means a Black Friday price is usually a good price rather than the best one, so it’s worth buying when it hits a price you’re happy with, not because a banner says “today only”.

How a fake discount works

• The “was” price was briefly raised. The price goes up for a while before the sale, then comes back down to roughly where it started, now labelled as a cut. Our price checker has a list of exactly these: products that rose and then fell back to about their usual price.
• The comparison is to an RRP nobody pays. A “recommended retail price” can be well above what the product normally sells for anywhere, which makes an ordinary price look like a big discount. Which? has called out RRP comparisons like this in its Black Friday research.
• The “was” price is old. The product did once sell at the higher price, but months ago, and it has been cheaper ever since.
• The deadline is fake. Countdown timers and “ends tonight” banners push you to decide quickly. Which?’s tracking keeps finding the same or lower prices at other times, so a deadline is rarely your last chance.

What UK law says

UK consumer law bans misleading price comparisons, and a “was” price the product never genuinely sold at can be one. Since 6 April 2025, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover for breaking consumer protection law, without first taking it to court.

Whether a particular discount crosses the line depends on the facts, and you won’t see enforcement in time to help with this year’s shopping. So the useful protection is the check below. If you think a retailer has misled you, you can report it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice.

The one-minute check before you buy

1. Look up the price history. Our Black Friday price checker tells you whether a price is a genuine 90-day low, cheaper than usual, or raised and then “cut”. It covers the retailers in our feeds, which don’t yet include Amazon, Argos or Currys. For those, PriceRunner covers many UK shops and camelcamelcamel covers Amazon.
2. Ignore the percentage and the RRP. Compare the price you’d pay today with what the item has really sold for over the last few months.
3. Check two other retailers. A “deal” is only a deal if it beats what other shops charge for the same model. Search the product on DealStacker to compare the shops we cover.
4. Check who’s selling it. On marketplaces, a very low price from an unfamiliar seller can be a counterfeit or a grey import. Look at who sells and ships the item.
5. Know your safety net. Online orders usually come with a 14-day right to cancel, so you can change your mind if the price falls further. Our guide to your Black Friday rights explains how it works.

Found a real deal? Make it cheaper

A genuine low price is the starting point. On many orders you can add a voucher code, cashback and a discounted gift card on top, which can matter more than a few percent difference in the sale price. The Black Friday stacking playbook covers the order to do it in, and the Black Friday vs Cyber Monday guide covers whether it’s worth waiting for the Monday.

How we make money: DealStacker is free. When you click through to a retailer and buy, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra and never changes how we judge a price. More on how we make money.

Sources

We checked the facts in this guide against these pages on 24 October 2026. Fees and terms change, so check the company’s own site before you rely on them.

• Which?: most Black Friday deals the same price or cheaper at other times of the year (25 Nov 2025, Black Friday 2024 data)
• Which?: nine in 10 Black Friday deals cheaper or same price at other times (26 Nov 2024, Black Friday 2023 data)
• CMA: new consumer protection regime comes into force (6 April 2025)

Fake Black Friday deals: FAQ

Are Black Friday deals actually real?

Some are, but most aren't the best price of the year. Which? tracked 175 home, tech and health products at eight big UK retailers for six months either side of Black Friday 2024 and found 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once outside the four-week sale period. None of the deals it tracked were at their cheapest price of the year on Black Friday itself.

Is it illegal for shops to put prices up before Black Friday and then 'cut' them?

UK consumer law bans misleading price comparisons, which includes a 'was' price the product never genuinely sold at. Since 6 April 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover for breaking consumer protection law, without first going to court. Whether a particular discount is misleading depends on the facts, so the practical defence is to check the price history yourself.

How can I check a product's price history in the UK?

Use a price tracker before you buy. Our Black Friday price checker shows whether a price is a genuine 90-day low, cheaper than usual, or was raised and then 'cut', for the retailers in our feeds. PriceRunner covers many UK shops, and camelcamelcamel covers Amazon, which we don't track yet.

Is a bigger percentage off a better deal?

Not necessarily. The percentage is measured against whatever 'was' price or RRP the retailer chooses, and an RRP can be a price almost nobody pays. Compare the actual price you'd pay today with what the item has really sold for over recent months, and with other retailers.