Black Friday has not yet arrived, but the discount campaign has already begun to generate expectations among consumers and stores. This year it is taking place on Friday, November 27, and the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) recommends not waiting until that day to check whether the advertised offers represent a real saving: it is advisable to start saving the prices of the products you want to buy from now.
The warning comes after analyzing more than 14,000 product prices for electronics and household appliances in 60 online stores during Black Friday 2025. The results showed that 37% of the items had increased in price compared to the minimum recorded in September and October, while only 35% had become cheaper. The remaining 28% kept their price.
In addition, the price increases were more pronounced than the discounts: the products that became more expensive did so by an average of 12%, compared with an average decrease of 8% among those that did reduce their price. These figures correspond to the analysis of the previous campaign, not to the results of Black Friday 2026, which has not yet been held.
Three steps to check if an offer is real
The main recommendation from the OCU is to start tracking products before the campaign begins. To detect possible fake markdowns, consumers can follow three steps:
1. Save the price and date from now.
If there is a product you want to buy during Black Friday, it is advisable to take a screenshot showing the price, the store, and the date of consultation. Repeating this process over the next few weeks will make it possible to check how its cost evolves and whether it experienced a rise just before the campaign.
2. Always compare the same model.
It is not enough to look for a product with similar characteristics. To check whether there is a real discount, you have to compare exactly the same item, with the same reference, capacity, size, version, or features. It is also important to review the price in different establishments, since the same offer can vary considerably between stores.
3. Check the price that is used as the reference for the discount.
When a retailer announces a price reduction, it must indicate as a reference the lowest amount that has been applied to that same product during the 30 days prior to the markdown. It cannot use as a reference a price recommended by the manufacturer or an amount that is higher and that it has not actually applied.
What the law says about false sales
The obligation is set out in Article 20 of Law 7/1996, on the Regulation of Retail Trade. The regulations establish that, when an establishment advertises a product with a price reduction, it must display the previous price alongside the discounted price. That previous price will generally be the lowest applied to the identical product during the 30 preceding days.
This means that a store cannot artificially raise the price of an item a few days before Black Friday in order to then announce a discount that, in reality, does not represent a markdown compared to its usual cost.
In 2025, the OCU already reported 11 online sales platforms for possible false sales. In several of the establishments analyzed, the organization found that the discounts advertised were not calculated on the minimum price of the previous 30 days, as required by law.
What to do if you find a false sale
If the consumer detects that the previous price a store uses does not match the minimum applied during the previous 30 days, they can compile evidence and file a complaint with the establishment.
To do so, it is advisable to keep screenshots showing the dates, the product link, the exact model, and the conditions of the promotion. If the company does not offer a solution, you can also contact the consumer services of the autonomous community or a Municipal Office for Consumer Information (OMIC).
The OCU also has a Prices Advisor that allows you to consult the cost trend of numerous electronics and home appliance products across different online stores.
The goal is simple: don’t get carried away solely by the percentage discount that appears in the ad. Before buying, checking what the product really cost can be the best way to know whether Black Friday offers a chance to save or if the supposed bargain isn’t one.