Shoppers on Black Friday end up overpaying by HUNDREDS of pounds – how to avoid getting stung

SHOPPING on Black Friday can cost you hundreds of pounds more as retailers inflate prices ahead of the sales.

Buying a basket of twelve popular items on Black Friday itself would cost shoppers £275.02 more than shopping at other times of the year, new research reveals.

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The analysis, which was carried out by price checking tool PriceSpy, examined 2020 prices for 36 of the most popular items.

Only one item, an LG fridge, was cheapest on Black Friday itself.

A whopping 28 of the items were cheaper at other times of the year, while 7 items cost the same price on Black Friday when compared to other months.

The research proves that despite advertising amazing deals, many shops are actually inflating prices so it looks like they have been reduced on the day.

PriceSpy checked popular categories including headphones, TVs, fridges, coffee machines, tablets, laptops, mobiles, fitness watches, consoles, straighteners, hairdryers and vacuum cleaners.

In each category, the price comparison tool checked costs for the three most commonly searched products.

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The categories with the biggest average Black Friday price increases include coffee machines (£63.53), mobiles (£49.33), TVs (£31.66) and hairdryers (£34.55).

In the run-up to Black Friday this year, prices have already steadily been increasing, meaning shoppers might struggle to find genuine deals.

2021 data shows the average price of popular items rose 2.25% between the start of September and mid-October.

PriceSpy is urging UK consumers looking to bag Black Friday bargains to stay vigilant against dud deals.

Here's some top tips to make sure a deal is real:

• Avoid impulse buys: Make a list of what you want and need to buy during Black Friday and stick to it!
• Check the RRP: While RRP isn't a perfect guide as many items are discounted year round, it does give you a starting point for checking deals
• Compare prices: Check the cost of items at several different retailers as you my find it cheaper elsewhere and save yourself some extra cash.
• Use shopping tools to check price history: Use websites such as and PriceRunner to see how much an item cost earlier in the year. If the Black Friday price is higher - don't buy it. You can also use  to track the price history of items sold on Amazon.
• Start early: Keep your eyes peeled for bargains in the run-up to Black Friday. Data shows prices start dropping 12 days before the event itself. We list some of the best ones here.
• Don't forget the last-minute deals: If you can hold your nerve, you'll find massive savings at the end of Cyber Monday, as retailers offer their final deals.
• Take advice: At the Sun, we hunt for bargains so you don't have to. Check out our Black Friday page to make sure you know where to find the best deals.

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To help shoppers spot the fake bargains, PriceSpy has run checks on the same 36 items to see what the cheapest prices so far this year have been.

If you're considering buying any of these items you need to check supposed Black Friday deals to make sure they're actually less expensive.

If not, you should avoid buying them on Black Friday and wait until prices drop to their lowest levels again.

The cheapest 2021 prices and the month they were cheapest are:

• Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) with Charging Case - £59.99 - Sep-21
• Bose QuietComfort 35 II - £127.00 - Aug-21
• Beats by Dr. Dre Solo3 Wireless - £69.97 - Oct-21
• Samsung UE50TU8500 - £399.99 - Jan-21
• Panasonic TX-50HX580B - £299.00 - Oct-21
• LG 32LM6300 - £179.73 - Apr-21
• Fridgemaster MS83430FFS (Silver) - £399.00 - May-21
• LG GSX961NSVZ (Stainless Steel) - £1,299.95 - Sep-21
• Samsung RB29FSRNDSA (Stainless Steel) - £349.00 - Sep-21
• DeLonghi Dedica EC 685 - £140.00 - Feb-21
• Sage Appliances Barista Express - £465.19 - Sep-21
• Nespresso Creatista Plus - £328.00 - Aug-21
• Apple iPad Air 64GB (4th Generation) - £439.99 - Jul-21
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 SM-T500 32GB - £139.94 - Sep-21
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 SM-T510 32GB - £199.99 - Oct-21
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 i5 8GB 128GB 13.5" - £748.00 -Aug-21
• Asus Chromebook 12 C223NA-GJ0014- £149.00 - Jun-21
• Apple MacBook Pro (2019) - 2.3GHz OC 16GB 1TB 16" - £1,699.00 - Jun-21
• Apple iPhone 12 64GB - £420.00 - Jun-21
• Apple iPhone 11 128GB - £378.99 - Sep-21
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE SM-G780F (6GB RAM) 128GB - £369.00 - Jun-21
• Garmin Forerunner 245 - £142.99 - Sep-21
• Garmin Forerunner 645 Music- £189.99 - Jul-21
• Apple Watch Series 6 40mm Aluminium with Sport Band - £224.99 - Sep-21
• Microsoft Xbox Series S 512GB - £199.55 - Aug-21
• Microsoft Xbox One X 1TB - £164.99 - Jul-21
• Nintendo Switch - £139.99 - Oct-21
• Gettin'fluo Hair Straightener - £35.33 -Jul-21
• GHD Platinum Styler + - £132.00 - Feb-21
• BaByliss 2513U Velvet Orchid Straightener - £19.98 - Jul-21
• Revlon RVDR5228UK Essentials Quick Dry Hair Dryer - £15.99 - Apr-21
• Dyson Supersonic - £224.95 - Aug-21
• GHD Air - £74.99 - Jul-21
• Numatic Henry - £99.00 - Jun-21
• Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal - £324.00 - Oct-21
• Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute - £369.99 - Oct-21

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In the run up to Christmas, many people will be hunting around to find the best bargain they can.

To avoid fake deals from unscrupulous retailers, shoppers need to box clever and do their research.

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