Black Friday vs Prime Day vs Boxing Day: Where are the best deals?
The online shopping season is about to kick off with three huge sale events: Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Boxing Day. Here are the best times to buy.
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From October to December, online bargain hunters will be treated to three massive shopping events that promise to provide significant discounts on hundreds of popular products. First up is Amazon Prime Day in October, followed by Black Friday in November, and finally the traditional Boxing Day sales in December. That translates to a lot of online deals.
If you have your eye on a particular item or product type, it pays to know when each sale starts and the type of deals they offer to ensure you buy at the correct time. Here's what you need to know.
Amazon Prime Day
Now in its third year, Amazon Prime Day has swiftly become one of the biggest shopping events in Australia. As the name suggests, it is an annual sales event specifically catered toward Amazon Prime customers. For 66 deal-packed hours, Amazon and its third-party sellers will be slashing the price on thousands of products including highly sought after items such as laptops and home appliances.
When does Amazon Prime Day start in Australia?
Amazon Prime Day Australia dates are as follows.
The sale begins at 12am AEDT on Tuesday 13 October and officially concludes at 11:59pm AEDT on Wednesday 14 October.
However, because of the time zone difference, Australians will continue to receive access to international Prime Day deals via the Global Store. The deals will therefore keep going until Thursday evening.
What kinds of deals will Amazon Prime Day have?
As one of the largest online retailers in the world, Amazon will have a discount for pretty much anything you can imagine. Last year's sale boasted over one million individual deals, ranging from discounted video game consoles to dirt-cheap household essentials.
You can expect 2020 to be even bigger with research firm eMarketer predicting around $10 billion in global sales. Leaked deals that will be appearing during Amazon Prime Day 2020 include 40% off select Panasonic Cameras, 28% off the PlayStation 4 Pro, 50% off select T2 teas and 37% off Instant Pot Pressure Cookers.
You can also expect decent discounts on Amazon branded products such as Kindle ereaders and the Echo smart speaker range. In addition, Lightning Deals will be appearing at random intervals with blink-and-you'll-miss-it killer bargains. (You'll need to be quick though.)
We'll be bringing you all the best deals on the day, so be sure to bookmark our Amazon Prime Day hub page.
Join Amazon Prime
To get the best Amazon Prime deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. This is Amazon's premium subscription service that provides faster deliveries, free shipping and a host of online services including Netflix-style movie streaming and unlimited music.
If you're planning to grab a bargain on Amazon Prime Day, it's imperative that you're logged into your account. Not an Amazon Prime member? You can sign up to a free one-month trial to take advantage of the deals. Click here to get your free trial.
Amazon Prime Day pros and cons
Despite being restricted to a single website, Amazon Prime Day is one of the best shopping events of the year. Amazon's huge product selection ensures there's a bargain for everyone. On the downside, you need to be an Amazon Prime member to get the best deals which will set you back $6.99 per month or $59 per year. (As mentioned above, a free trial is available for one month.)
Don't miss Prime Day bargains! Check out all the offers in our full Amazon Prime Day guide and learn more about how Amazon Prime works.
More on Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day Australia 2023: Full list of deals
Amazon Prime Day 2023 takes place on July 11-12 this year - we have all the best Prime Day deals right here.
Read more…Black Friday (27-30 November)
Black Friday has been the premiere shopping event in the US for decades, with origins that date back to the 1950s. In recent years, the phenomenon has expanded to other countries including Australia.
Unlike Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday is not restricted to a single website. Instead, thousands of retailers will be running their own sale events, including in physical stores. (While this isn't as prominent as in the US, you can expect most of the big retailers to have discounts available in store as well as online.)
When does Black Friday start in Australia?
Black Friday is traditionally held on the Friday following the US Thanksgiving Day holiday. In 2020, this falls on 27 November. The local sales will kick off at 12am AEDT with more deals appearing when the US timezone catches up to us.
What kinds of deals will Black Friday have?
No Black Friday deals have been leaked yet. However, it's possible to get an idea of the kinds of offers that will be available by looking at last year's sale. Noteworthy bargains in 2019 included 70% off ASOS clothing, 40% off Dell computers, $700 off select Surface laptops and up to 60% off current-generation video games.
What is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday is an online-only sales event that takes place the Monday immediately following Black Friday. When it was originally devised in 2005, a lot of the Black Friday sales were restricted to in-store purchases. Cyber Monday offered a similar event for online shoppers.
Nowadays, pretty much all Black Friday deals are available online, so there's no need to wait until Monday. The two sales have essentially merged into one big shopping event that typically continues well beyond the nominated Monday. (Indeed, some shoppers are now calling it "Cyber Week".)
Needless to say, most bargains available on Cyber Monday will also be on sale during Black Friday. If you want the best deals, we advise getting in early.
Black Friday pros and cons
Black Friday, hands down, is the biggest shopping event on the Western calendar. Practically every product type in existence will be offering some kind of special. The main problem with Black Friday is the sheer size of it – finding worthwhile deals among a sea of so-so discounts can be challenging. You also need to be wary of price gouging from dodgy merchants (comparing prices on multiple websites is essential).
Thankfully, Finder is here to do most of the hard work for you. Bookmark our Black Friday hub and check back on 27 November.
Boxing Day sales (26 December)
AKA the way your parents used to do it. Before online shopping was a thing, the traditional Boxing Day sales was the best time to find a bargain. This is when all the big retailers shift remaining stock they didn't sell over Christmas.
Unlike Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, Boxing Day sales are typically in-store only, although you can also score online deals from some retailers.
When are the Boxing Day sales?
Boxing Day sales are held on 26 December, the day after Christmas. (Well, duh.)
Boxing Day sales pros and cons
If you prefer to shop online, Boxing Day probably isn't the best time to grab yourself a bargain; there will be more deals and bigger discounts during the aforementioned Amazon and Black Friday events.
With that said, if you want to save money on a "big ticket" item like TVs and white goods, Boxing Day is one of the best times to shop. You will also get to test the product out and ask any questions you have to the salesperson prior to buying.
Conclusion: Who has the best deals?
All three shopping events represent a great opportunity to pick up a bargain - but the sale with the "best" deals largely depends on the type of shopper you are.
If you're an Amazon Prime member and are keen to save on shipping costs, Prime Day is the best time to shop. If you want to support independent online stores and require the widest selection of deals possible, Black Friday is a stronger bet. If you prefer to see products in person before handing over your cash, wait for Boxing Day.
Whichever shopping event you end up going with, we recommend not putting all your eggs into one (online shopping) basket. Instead, hold back some cash for the following sales just in case a killer bargain pops up.
