Fake 'Was' Prices Before Black Friday: 83% of Deals Were the Same or Cheaper at Other Times
A 50%-off sticker is only as honest as the 'was' price above it. Which? tracked 175 Black Friday deals for a year and found 83% at the same price or cheaper at least once outside the sale. What the US, EU and Indian rules say, why India's 30-day rule doesn't cover this sale, and how to check a price history.
Priya finds 50% off on headphones: was ₹5,999, now ₹2,999. The price history says ₹2,999 was the normal price for most of the last three months; the 'was' price lasted about a week. Priya and the headphones are a made-up example. The pattern isn't.
What Which? found
The UK consumer group tracked 175 Black Friday deals at eight retailers from May 2024 to May 2025. 83% were the same price or cheaper on at least one occasion outside the sale weeks, and not one was at its lowest price of the year on Black Friday. That doesn't make every deal fake. It means the sticker alone doesn't tell you.
The rules in the US, the EU and India
- US: the FTC's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a former price should be one the item was offered at to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time. It's a guide, and it names no number of days.
- EU: a price reduction has to be counted from the lowest price of the last 30 days, which Europe's top court confirmed in 2024 in a case about discounted bananas.
- India: from 1 January 2027, shopping apps must show the lowest price of the last 30 days next to any discount. This November's sales come before that.
How to check
Amazon's app shows a price history next to the price in India and the US, with 30, 90 and 365 days. Free trackers cover many other shops. Look for a 'was' price that appeared only a week or two before the sale.
This is the long version of Price Check #02, a reel for @buildjayy on Instagram. If you're building a shopping app and want honest pricing built in, send me the word BUILD there, or start with the brief form on the front page.
Sources: Which?, 25 November 2025; the FTC Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, 16 CFR 233.1; the Court of Justice of the EU, press release 152/24, 26 September 2024; PIB, 10 September 2026, on India's E-Commerce Amendment Rules 2026; and Amazon on price history.
- 6 Nov 2026
- Published, with the reel.
Product builder from Surat. Ships his own apps, runs live broadcasts, and takes on a few founders a year for product, brand and growth. hey@jaybutani.com