Chris Jagger from Finder takes a look at the Top hacks for Australians on Black Friday.

It’s official: Black Friday has been crowned king of the shopping season. 

For the second year in a row, it is projected to outperform Boxing Day sales in Australia. Our research points to an average spend of $375, which translates to a colossal $7.5 billion nationwide.

Needless to say, there are going to be a boatload of bargains to choose from, covering every product imaginable.

If you’re planning to take part in Black Friday this year, here are a few things you need to know – including our shopping hacks to snag the best deals.

What is Black Friday and when does it start?

Black Friday is an annual, worldwide shopping event that has its roots in the USA. It traditionally takes place on the first Friday after Thanksgiving.

This year, the date to mark in your calendar is 25 November. 

However, you can expect to see hundreds of Black Friday deals appear before this date. A lot of retailers attempt to get a headstart on the competition via early-bird sales. 

Savvy shoppers start checking for deals on 20 November – this is the real date to mark in your calendar.  

What kind of deals can I get?

There are very few online retailers that won’t be running a sale of some description during Black Friday

You can get a deal on pretty much anything you can think of – fashion, beauty, home appliances, electronics, video games, toys, alcohol, furniture, teeth whitening, even sex toys.

Whether the deals are actually worthwhile is another matter (something we will get to shortly.)

How can I tell if a deal is legit?

Unfortunately, retailers have been known to inflate the “before” price on sale items to make it look like you’re getting a better deal. That $100 discount could be closer to $10, or even next to nothing.

You should always compare prices across multiple retailers before buying anything on Black Friday. If it’s the same price everywhere, it’s not really a deal.

If you plan to shop at Amazon during Black Friday, an excellent site to bookmark is CamelCamelCamel. It shows the price history of every product on Amazon, so you can instantly see how the sale price stacks up.

Do I need to worry about scammers?

Bad guys are always on the prowl for online victims. Black Friday is unfortunately no exception. 

However, it’s pretty easy to stay safe by taking some simple precautions:

• Avoid sellers who request personal information or ask to finalise a sale privately. Stick to reputable online stores and always use a credit or debit card.
• If you’re shopping with a new retailer, check customer reviews online prior to making a purchase.
• Be careful before opening Black Friday links or attachments. Is it really from the website it claims to be from? Newsletters are particularly easy to fake.
• If a deal seems too good to be true, put your sceptic hat on. Popular products like PS5 consoles and the iPhone 14 are unlikely to receive big discounts, for example. 

Deal predictions for 2022

Having covered multiple Black Fridays, we now have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Here are some deals to watch out for:

• 80% off video games: Amazon is a good site to keep an eye on. You can expect to see significant discounts on popular games across all formats, including for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
• $300 off Dyson vacuums: We’re tipping up to $300 off popular stick vacuums. You should be able to get the same deals through Dyson’s official store or from one of its partners (eBay, Bing Lee, etc).
• 80% off fashion: Nearly every online retailer that sells clothes will be offering big discounts on Black Friday. Sites to bookmark include ASOS, THE ICONIC, PrettyLittleThing and boohoo.
• Up to 40% off TVs: Last year’s models tend to get the biggest price drops. Check The Good Guys for potential Samsung deals.
• 60% off toys including LEGO and Barbie: Again, Amazon is a good place to watch. Popular toys such as Barbie’s Dreamhouse are usually part of the sale.
• Up to 40% off laptops: Dell, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, ASUS and more will be running dedicated Black Friday sales on their websites.

If you would prefer to have someone find the deals for you, bookmark Finder’s Black Friday deals hub. We’ll be providing live, rolling coverage of all the best deals on the day.

Chris Jager is the senior reviews editor at Finder, specialising in consumer technology. With over 15 years of experience as a full-time journalist, Chris has provided expertise to many leading technology publications, including PC World, Australian Gamepro, Good Gear Guide, ARN, IT News, PC Authority, CRN, GameSpy, Gizmodo, Business Insider, MSN, Kotaku and Lifehacker Australia. Before joining Finder, Chris was the editor of Lifehacker Australia for 5 years. He has a Bachelor of Communications in Journalism from the University of Western Sydney. Outside of Finder, you’ll find him playing with retro 80s computers while juggling 3 pre-teen daughters.