{"id":19558,"date":"2024-11-29T04:57:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T04:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=19558"},"modified":"2024-11-29T04:57:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T04:57:34","slug":"black-friday-how-to-spot-a-deal-and-not-get-ripped-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=19558","title":{"rendered":"Black Friday: How to spot a deal and not get ripped off"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Black Friday sales are already in full swing and it can be easy to get swept up in the shopping frenzy and end up out of pocket – instead of bagging a bargain.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of Black Friday offers are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, consumer group Which? has warned.<\/a><\/p>\n

We’ve spoken to some experts who have shared tips on how to shop Black Friday without being ripped off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Make a list and stick to it<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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“It’s only a deal if it\u2019s something you genuinely wanted or needed before seeing the discount,” said Sarah Johnson, director of merchandise consultancy Flourish Retail.<\/p>\n

She recommends making a list and budget to stick to in order to avoid impulse buys.<\/p>\n

“Make the deals work for you by using Black Friday to save on products you already planned to buy,” she said.<\/p>\n

“If you stick to your list and stay within your budget, you\u2019ll maximise your savings without unnecessary splurges.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Compare historic prices<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen looking to make a purchase, it’s worth comparing the price at multiple retailers,” said Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine.<\/p>\n

He also recommended using websites that allow you to check a product\u2019s price history over the previous 12 months.<\/p>\n

“That way you\u2019ll know a good deal when you see one,” he said.<\/p>\n

Which? investigated deals on 227 products at eight of the biggest home and tech retailers in the UK in last year\u2019s Black Friday “fortnight” between 20 November and 1 December.<\/p>\n

Its research suggested nine in 10 of the deals analysed were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.<\/p>\n

Mr Rose said you should not feel “pressured to splash out on Black Friday purchases as those deals are usually repeated – if not beaten – at other times of the year.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Search for second-hand<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"Vivien<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Influencer Vivien Tang says it’s easy to find new items on resale sites<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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If you spot something you want to buy in the Black Friday sale, search for it on a second-hand platform where you might find it even cheaper, says resale influencer, Jess.<\/p>\n

Many resale platforms give you the option of offering a price that matches your budget, she said.<\/p>\n

“If you make an offer and it\u2019s reasonable most sellers will accept,” she said. “So not only are you likely to get a good deal in the first place because it\u2019s not new from a shop but you can offer a lower price.”<\/p>\n

Vintage clothing influencer Vivien Tang also buys and sells on resale websites.<\/p>\n

“I think it is very easy to find almost new or brand new items on second-hand platforms,” she said. “The condition option on listings is now compulsory so it makes it easier to filter for newer items.”<\/p>\n

If you’re using the Black Friday sale to buy Christmas presents you should not rule out buying second hand, according to a new report.<\/p>\n

Some 63% of people would be comfortable receiving second-hand Christmas gifts and a further 26% felt neutral about the idea, according to a survey by research consultancy Retail Economics for second-hand marketplace Vinted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Beware of debt<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Many people will use a credit card, or may dip into their overdraft, when buying what they consider bargain items on Black Friday.<\/p>\n

But if you end up paying interest, this could outstrip any saving made on the Black Friday promotion.<\/p>\n

Using a typical credit card to make a \u00a3300 purchase, then paying back at \u00a320 a month would take more than a year to pay off and mean having to pay \u00a355 in interest, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts. <\/p>\n

Using an overdraft would usually lead to an even bigger interest bill. <\/p>\n

A credit card offers more protection when buying something over \u00a3100, so there is greater chance of a refund if something goes wrong.<\/p>\n

Financial experts say paying off a credit card immediately, perhaps from savings, before any interest is accrued, is the safest option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Check for scams<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Criminals use the hype around Black Friday to try to steal from online shoppers.<\/p>\n

Purchase scams are when someone is tricked into sending money via a bank transfer to buy something – often advertised online or via social media – that doesn’t exist.<\/p>\n

The number of purchase scams soared by 29% around Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year, according to analysis by Lloyds Bank.<\/p>\n

The bank’s fraud prevention director, Liz Ziegler, said: “When shopping online, the best way stay safe is to buy from a trusted retailer, and always pay by card for the greatest protection. If you\u2019re unable to do those things, that should be a big red flag that you\u2019re about to get scammed.”<\/p>\n

You should be wary of fake websites and check the web address belongs to the official brand before you enter any financial or personal information, according to Which?.<\/p>\n

Beware of posts from a newly-created social media accounts, or links to a recently-created website. You can use verified domain checkers to confirm when a website was created, Which? said.<\/p>\n

It warned against buying at “too good to be true” prices because if something seems too good to be true, it likely is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: <\/em> www.bbc.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getty Images The Black Friday sales are already in full swing and it can be easy to get swept up in the shopping frenzy and end up out of pocket – instead of bagging a bargain. The vast majority of Black Friday offers are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19558\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}