How to Spot a Fake Black Friday Deal (and Check a Product's Real Price History)

Every November, the internet fills up with red price tags, countdown timers, and “Was $199, now $99!” banners. Some of those are genuinely great deals. Others are the same price the product has sold for all year, with a bigger “original” price stuck next to it to make the discount look dramatic.

Good news: you don’t need to be a deal expert to tell them apart. With a couple of free tools and a two-minute habit, you can check whether a Black Friday price is actually low, or just dressed up to look low.

This guide covers the most common tricks, the free price-history tools worth using, and a simple checklist to run before you hit “Buy.”

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Why “fake” deals happen

Retailers love comparing a sale price to a “regular” or “original” price, because a big crossed-out number makes people feel like they’re winning. The problem is when that original price isn’t real.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has addressed this directly for decades. Its Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a “former price” comparison is only legitimate if that former price was the actual, bona fide price the item was offered at, on a regular basis, for a reasonably substantial period of time. If a seller sets an artificially inflated price just so it can later advertise a big “reduction,” the FTC calls that bargain “a false one.” The “sale” price is probably just the regular price. (16 CFR § 233.1, FTC Guides Against Deceptive Pricing)

The same guide even describes the classic trick: a seller raises the price for a few days, then “cuts” it back to normal and advertises “Were $10, now only $7.50!” That’s exactly the kind of thing you’re about to learn to catch.

There’s a second kind of fake deal too: fake stores. The FTC warns that fake shopping sites and social media ads often use stolen photos and logos to advertise expensive products at unbelievably low prices, and then ship a knockoff or nothing at all. (FTC Consumer Advice)

So you’re really watching for two things:

1. A real store with an inflated “original” price. Annoying, but you still get the product.
2. A fake store or fake ad. Dangerous, because your money and card details are at risk.

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7 signs a Black Friday deal might be fake

1. The “original” price is one you’ve never seen

If a pair of headphones has sold for around $150 most of the year, and the Black Friday listing says “Reg. $249, now $149,” that $249 is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Your price is basically the normal price.

2. The discount only exists at one store

When a genuinely good deal shows up at a major retailer, competitors often match or come close. If every other store sells it for the same “sale” price year-round, it isn’t really a sale.

3. The price went up in the weeks before Black Friday

This is the “raise it, then cut it” move from the FTC example. A price-history chart (more on those below) makes it obvious: a bump up in early November, then a “discount” back to where it was in October.

4. A “Black Friday edition” or unfamiliar model number

Some products sold during big sales are slightly different versions of popular models, with a different model number, fewer features or less storage. Compare the exact model number with the version reviewers tested before assuming it’s the same thing.

5. Countdown timers and “Only 2 left!” pressure

Urgency is a sales tool. A real deal will still be a real deal after you spend two minutes checking its price history. If a site punishes you for pausing, that’s a sign to slow down.

6. A price that’s too good, from a store you don’t know

The FTC’s advice is blunt: unusually low prices are a sign of a scam, especially in social media ads for expensive items. Before buying from an unfamiliar seller, search the store’s name plus words like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” (FTC)

7. They want gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, or crypto

This one is a hard stop. According to the FTC, only scammers demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, payment app, or cryptocurrency, and money sent that way is nearly impossible to get back. Pay by credit card when you can, because it gives you the option to dispute a charge if the item never arrives or isn’t what you ordered. (FTC)

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How to check a product’s real price history (free)

You don’t need paid software. These free tools show you what a product has actually cost recently, so you can judge the “sale” price against real numbers instead of the store’s crossed-out price.

Google price insights (works across many stores)

Google can show a product’s price history over the past 90 days and its typical price range across stores on the web. In Chrome, look for the “Shopping insights” label in the address bar on a product page, and you can also hit Track to get an alert if the price drops. (Google Chrome Help)

A few things to know:

• It’s available in the US, and it needs you to be signed into Chrome, with history sync and “Make searches and browsing better” turned on.
• It isn’t available on every product page yet.
• Privacy tip: if you’d rather not tie your shopping to your main Google account, use a separate Chrome profile for deal hunting.

How to read it: if today’s “sale” price sits at or below the bottom of the typical range, and below most of the 90-day chart, it’s a genuinely good price. If it’s in the middle of the range, it’s an ordinary price wearing a sale tag.

PriceWatch (Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Costco, Newegg)

If you shop the big-box retailers, PriceWatch tracks prices across Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Costco, and Newegg in one dashboard. Its free plan covers up to 5 items with 90-day price history and email alerts (free alerts arrive with a short delay). It’s handy for keeping an eye on a few gifts heading into Black Friday.

IsThereAnyDeal (PC games)

For PC games, IsThereAnyDeal compares current prices across many digital game stores and shows historical lows, so you can see whether a “75% off” game has been cheaper before. If the Black Friday price matches or beats the historical low, it’s a strong deal. If the game regularly hits that price in seasonal sales, there’s no rush.

Your own screenshots

The simplest tool of all: start screenshotting prices now. If you’re eyeing a TV, laptop, or console bundle, grab a quick screenshot of the price each week through November. When Black Friday arrives, you’ll know exactly what “normal” looked like.

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Your 2-minute Black Friday deal check

Before you buy, run through this list:

1. Is the store real? Go to the retailer’s site by typing the address yourself or using a bookmark, not by clicking an ad. Unfamiliar store? Search its name plus “scam” or “review.”
2. What’s the price history? Check Google price insights, or a tracker like PriceWatch (or IsThereAnyDeal for PC games). Is today’s price near the 90-day low?
3. Is it the exact same model? Compare the model number with the one in reviews.
4. Do other stores have it for about the same? If yes, the “deal” may just be the going rate.
5. What’s the return policy? Holiday return windows vary, so check before you buy, especially for electronics.
6. How are you paying? Use a credit card. Never use gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, or crypto for an online store.
7. Still want it after checking? Then buy it and enjoy it. A good deal is a real price on something you actually wanted.

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Real deals do exist. Here’s what they look like

Fake discounts get the headlines, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday do bring real price drops. Genuine deals usually share a few traits:

• The price is at or near the lowest point on its 90-day history chart.
• Multiple major retailers are offering a similar price at the same time.
• It’s the standard model reviewers tested, not a stripped-down variant.
• There’s no pressure to pay in unusual ways, and the store is one you already know.

We’ll be rounding up deals that pass these checks in our Black Friday and Cyber Monday guides. In the meantime, read Black Friday Scams to Watch For.

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If something goes wrong

If you bought from a store that never delivered, or you received something very different from what was advertised:

1. Contact the seller first and try to resolve it.
2. If that fails, contact your credit card company (or whichever payment company you used) to dispute the charge.
3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reports help the FTC spot patterns and warn other shoppers. (FTC)

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The bottom line

A crossed-out price tells you what the store wants you to think the product is worth. A price-history chart tells you what it actually costs. Take two minutes to check the real price, buy from stores you trust, pay with a credit card, and ignore the countdown timers.

Shopping this week? Read Black Friday Scams to Watch For before you click any “deal” link.

Prices and tool features mentioned were accurate at the time of writing and can change. Always confirm the current price and terms on the retailer’s site before buying.