Black Friday 2020: Everything you need to know
Black Friday is a day when shops offer the most attractive sales of the year. This event, which originated in the United States, takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving, the fourth Friday in November. Initially scheduled for Friday 27 November, this year Black Friday has been exceptionally postponed due to confinement, and will now take place on Friday 4 December 2020 for many French retailers (including Amazon France, CDiscount and Darty).
In France, Black Friday doesn't just last 24 hours; a week before the date (Black Week) you can already see a host of promotions. To help you make the most of this day and this week, we've put together some tips on how to avoid scams, as well as a list of the best deals available on the new and second-hand markets.
This article will be regularly updated (last update made on 04 December at 09:30 am).
The best offers this Friday 04 December
- Macbook air 13"3, 256 GB for £999.99 instead of £1,249.99 at Darty
- Huawei Matebook X Pro (2020) for £1,199 instead of £1,799.99 on Boulanger
- Samsung Galaxy S20+ for £749 instead of £1,009 on Samsung
- Go ride electric scooter £199.99 instead of £349 on Cdiscount
- Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones at €179.99 instead of €379 on Cdiscount
- Ecovacs robot hoover for £159.98 instead of £319 on Amazon
- Microsoft Surface laptop 3 for £839 instead of £1149 on Amazon
The best offers on e-commerce sites
The high-tech market remains the priority market during Black Friday. The best deals are usually on phones, laptops, tablets, etc. This is your chance to buy electronics at a low price.
The main e-commerce sites offering attractive discounts:
The best deals on second-hand websites
The second-hand market is also offering tempting discounts during Black Friday. This is your chance to make even more savings and give great Christmas presents to your loved ones without having to break the piggy bank.
Rakuten
Rakuten is a website that sells new and second-hand products. This site is one of the retailers that have moved Black Friday to 4 December, but they too are already offering tempting discounts.
You'll find discounts on second-hand products (products already offered at low prices initially), including Apple Airpods Pro "like new" for €150 instead of €279. And a JBL Flip 5 bluetooth speaker sold "like new" for €85 instead of €130.
Rebuy
This German company specialises in buying back and refurbishing electronic products. On Black Friday, renamed "Green Friday" on Rebuy, you'll find even more attractive offers than usual. They are offering discounts on refurbished products.
For example, you'll find theiPhone XS Max 64GB in "very good condition" for £619.99 instead of £1159 on other e-commerce sites.
BackMarket
The exception is BackMarket, specialists in the sale of refurbished electronic products, who are not offering any special Black Friday discounts. BackMarket already offers discounts of up to 70% off all year round. However, you will be able to find the day's interesting offers in the "Flash Sales" category.
For example, you can find the "like new" Apple Watch Series 4 (2018 ) for £279 instead of £599. Beats by Dr. Dre 2 noise-cancelling headphones are available for £96 instead of £229.
Vestiaire Collective
This French company offers second-hand luxury goods. The items are carefully selected, checked and authenticated. You can find second-hand luxury goods in very good condition that are 70% cheaper than on their official websites. Vestiaire Collective is taking part in Black Friday and offering discounts on its second-hand luxury items.
For example, a new Gucci silk scarf with label sold for €186 instead of €286.
How can I avoid Black Friday scams?
During Black Friday, it's hard to spot scams and rip-offs because all the sites are offering very attractive discounts. Some official sites are offering discounts of up to 80%. You need to be vigilant about the following 3 points:
1. False reductions
Many shops offer fake promotions during sales or other events where prices can be slashed. You think you're getting the bargain of the century, but the price displayed in front of you has been increased just before the event to give the illusion of an extraordinary offer. The retailer then gets away without having lowered his prices too much.
To avoid this, make a list of the products you want to buy during Black Friday, add the prices displayed and compare these prices with the prices offered by shops during Black Friday. You'll then know whether the retailer is playing you or not.
Beware, too, of counterfeiters who take advantage of this promotional period to try and sell off their stock of fakes.
2. Fake websites
The sense of urgency and exclusivity associated with Black Friday means that some consumers pay less attention to the websites of the vendors on which they make their purchases. Cybercriminals take advantage of this loophole to create fake websites. They charge you for items that you will never receive.
To avoid this scam, take ten minutes to analyse the place where you buy. If it's an unusual place, be wary - it's probably the work of criminals.
Make sure that the site you are using is reliable. The first thing to do is check that the protocol is HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure). It is located in your URL bar in front of the name of the website you are visiting and is always accompanied by a small padlock that proves that a secure SSL certificate is in place. Click on the padlock for more information.
Next, check that all the information is there: legal notice, seller's contact details, general terms and conditions of sale, company name, etc. If any of this information is missing, leave the site.
1 - SSL certificate padlock / 2 - Protocol / 3 - Domain name
3. Fake text messages
Some scammers will take advantage of this shopping season to rip you off. Watch out for text message scams. You'll receive messages asking you to pay extra for the delivery of a parcel. The sums involved are often derisory, usually around €2, which is why so many French people fall for this scam. But this scam has been set up to steal your bank details, so in the end you'll lose a lot more than €2.
To spot this scam and avoid it, read the message carefully to see if there are any spelling mistakes or not. Do not call or click on the link in the message. If you click on the link you will be taken to a copy of the website of the institution or service mentioned. La Poste would like to remind you that it will never ask you to pay to collect a parcel by SMS or e-mail. This is fraud.
Examples of fake text messages that lead to scams
After Black Friday, there's another important date for bargain aficionados: Cyber Monday. It takes place on the Monday following Black Friday. Initially scheduled for Monday 30 November 2020, the many retailers in France that moved Black Friday to 4 December because of the lockdown have also moved Cyber Monday to 7 December 2020. This event has been set up to encourage online shopping, but also the purchase of high-tech products. As you'll have gathered, you'll be able to take advantage of huge discounts on a wide range of products up until that date.
Bargains in complete safety
If you're buying second-hand for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, choose a secure payment method like Obvy. With its escrow system, the money is kept safe in a digital safe for the duration of the transaction. This allows you to check your property before initiating payment. It also assures the seller of your good faith and solvency beforehand: a win-win situation!
This article will be updated regularly (last update made on 04 December at 09:30 am).