How can you tell if a sale price is real?

What the FTC says

The FTC has guidance on price comparisons in its rules on deceptive pricing. In plain terms, when a seller advertises a was price or a regular price, that earlier price should be a real one at which the product was actually offered to the public. A price that was never really charged is not a fair basis for a discount claim.

Not every reference price is deceptive, and the rules are about the seller's practice. As a shopper you cannot see that practice, so the checks below are what you can control.

Four checks that work

1. Check the unit price. A bigger discount on a smaller package can still cost more per unit.
2. Compare across stores. Look at the same item, same size, at two or three retailers.
3. Look at price history if the site shows it. A price tracker or our product pages can show whether the sale price is lower than the usual price.
4. Check the sale calendar. Some categories drop at predictable times of the year, and our sales calendar lists them.

Signs to slow down

Be careful with a sale that never seems to end, a deal that depends on a limited-time banner without a clear end date, or a was price that you have never seen the item sold at. None of these proves anything, but each is a reason to run your own check first.

If a deal still looks good after the checks, it probably is. If not, you lose nothing by waiting for the next sale window.

Keep your own record

The simplest defense is a short list of what you usually pay for the things you buy often. When you know your normal price, a sale tag stops being a mystery and becomes a number to compare. Write the price down after a purchase, or save a screenshot of the product page, and the next sale is easy to judge.

Timing

Our best time to buy guide and the Black Friday page explain when different categories usually go on sale.

Sources

• FTC guidance on pricing and former-price comparisons
• Retail unit-price labels