The Honest Black Friday Checklist (What Actually Is a Deal)

Compare against the 90 day price, not the sticker

A product that sat at 69 dollars for three months and shows a 199 dollar reference price is not discounted by 65 percent. Track the price for a couple of weeks before the sale and write down the realistic street price.

Where the real discounts usually are

• Last generation audio gear - often 30 to 40 percent off with almost no practical difference.
• Small kitchen appliances and accessories - bundled rather than discounted.
• Refurbished laptops and tablets - the biggest percentage savings of the year.

Protect yourself

Use a payment method with buyer protection, screenshot the price before ordering, and read the returns window. On NOVAMART every deal page shows both the current price and the lowest price of the previous 30 days, so you can check the claim yourself.

If the discount is bigger than the product category ever discounts, check the reference price.