Need to know
- The Black Friday sales have begun, with a number of brands already dropping prices
- We're seeing decent discounts, but watch out for dangerous products and duds and shop carefully to get the best deal
- CHOICE has expert guidance for buying your favourite goods and services and in-depth reviews to compare the best offers
The dark horse on Australia's sales calendar, Black Friday, with its companion Cyber Monday, has truly taken off.
The weeks-long sale now eclipses the Boxing Day and end-of-financial-year (EOFY) sales as the year's biggest shopping event.
With the 2025 instalment already underway, we've got the latest on who's dropping prices and how big the bargains are, along with advice on how to buy your favourite products and services and what to avoid.
On this page:
- What is Black Friday?
- When is Black Friday?
- Is Black Friday big in Australia?
- How good are the discounts and are they worth waiting for?
- Where can I get a bargain?
- Tips for bagging a bargain on Black Friday
- What to avoid on Black Friday
- Your consumer rights on Black Friday
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the high point of a sales period in late November when many major retailers have significant discounts on their products, both online and instore.
These sales often run for several days in the lead up to Black Friday itself and then continue over the following weekend.
Most then finish up on the following Monday, known as 'Cyber Monday' due to its traditional association with online-only discounts.
Black Friday sales originated in the US, but have become increasingly common in Australia since the early 2010s and are now seen as marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday falls on the last Friday in November. In 2025, that will be 28 November, while Cyber Monday will be 1 December.
But some sellers are already dropping prices, with several major retailers and manufacturer brands including David Jones, Bing Lee and Lenovo launching Black Friday discounts in recent weeks.
Some retailers are already dropping prices ... most sales will keep running up to 28 November and last until Cyber Monday
Expect others to steadily join the fray, with more Black Friday deals from popular brands likely to drop each week this month.
Most of these sales will keep running up to 28 November, but some may be exclusive to Black Friday itself.
Most deals will then last until Cyber Monday, but some will stay in place even longer – last year, two big retailers kept their sales running until 4 December, two days after Cyber Monday.
This is in line with the trend observed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) of Black Friday sales events increasingly starting earlier and finishing later than they did in the past.
Is Black Friday big in Australia?
Black Friday has become a major sales event in Australia, overtaking the December shopping season.
Many of us are keen to take advantage of Black Friday, as evidenced by a survey CHOICE conducted last month of 1009 Australians to take a read of people's thoughts of the event.
Over 70% said they're interested in purchasing a product in this year's sales.
It's hardly surprising then that Black Friday is increasingly considered Australia's biggest sales event and was recently labelled so by Australia Post.
In the past few years, ABS data has regularly shown national retail spending to be higher in November than December, suggesting Australians are consistently shopping more during the Black Friday period than in the lead up to Christmas.
We spent over $5 billion instore and online between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024, according to Australia Post's latest eCommerce report.
Following a survey of shoppers and retailers ahead of the 2025 season, Deloitte expects this Black Friday to be even bigger than last year, forecasting consumers will spend 14% more over the November and December period than they did in 2024.
The Australian Retailer's Association and Roy Morgan are also expecting consumers to up their spend from last year, predicting we'll shell out $6.8 billion over the four day period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
In a sign of how large Black Friday looms on the retail calendar, businesses told Deloitte they expect 35% of their November to December sales to come just during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
How good are the discounts and are they worth waiting for?
You can expect most Black Friday discounts from big retailers to range from 20% to 50%, though in rarer cases you might see reductions of up to 70%–80%.
While many Australians are keen to take advantage of these deals, we'll be approaching them with some scepitcism – 52% of respondents to our recent survey thought the discounts in Black Friday sales aren't always genuine.
It's a well-founded sentiment – as with any big sale, markdowns can vary by product and, despite what advertisements may imply, discounts may not be storewide.
Markdowns can vary by product and may not be storewide
Case in point, in June this year, retailers Michael Hill, MyHouse and Hairhouse Online paid penalties of almost $20,000 each after the ACCC alleged they had misled consumers about the size and scope of their 2024 Black Friday sales.
While a genuine Black Friday deal will likely be nothing to sniff at, CHOICE is seeing retailers hold more sales throughout the year, and the discounts on offer at these often rival most of those we see on Black Friday.
Find out about sales from your favourite brands throughout the year by signing up to their email newsletters or following them on social media, so you can catch and compare offers as they come through.
Where can I get a bargain?
We've already seen major retailers and manufacturer brands including David Jones, Dyson, Bing Lee, Samsung, Winnings Appliances and Lenovo introduce Black Friday deals in recent weeks.
But you can expect many more businesses to soon be joining them – previous years have seen Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Kmart, Big W and Amazon all rolling out Black Friday deals in the second half of November.
Over the years, we've seen a broad range of offers from outlets big and small, and with the event becoming more popular in Australia, you can expect lots of retailers to join the action.
Most Black Friday deals are available at physical stores and online, but some may be exclusive to a brand's website.
Black Friday deals will be available in many physical stores, but some may be online-only.
Tips for bagging a bargain on Black Friday
Clothes, shoes, manchester, kitchen appliances and tech will be among the most popular purchases this Black Friday, according to our October survey of shoppers.
But consumers aren't just buying products – recent years have seen travel and entertainment also attract a growing proportion of our Black Friday spending.
Clothes and shoes
Almost half (42%) of respondents to our October survey said they were interested in buying clothes or shoes this Black Friday.
CHOICE follows sales closely and our buyers are always seeing where the best deals are to be had on a wide variety of goods.
Expect discounts on clothes and shoes, but keep an eye out for bargains at other times of year.
For clothes and shoes, CHOICE buyer Narelle Cornelius advises looking beyond the appealing price reductions and being realistic about what's on sale (which can be limited) and whether it suits you.
"They usually have limited stock, colour and size options," she says. "Retailers are hoping the promise of big discounts gets people in, caught up in a frenzy and starting to buy things they don't want or need."
Because many clothing retailers are now offering deals at almost every turn, Narelle says it pays to keep an eye on bargains at other times. Some of these other sales may offer more savings than Black Friday, or they might include discounts on the items you're actually after.
"With sales happening all year round, people would be better off keeping a close eye on their favourite stores and websites for sales," she suggests.
Kitchen appliances
Of the shoppers we surveyed, 27% told us they'll be on the lookout for small kitchen appliances this Black Friday, while 16% said they're hanging out to buy larger kitchen aids, like bread makers and large kitchen mixers.
We're always testing these sorts of devices and have plenty of tips to share on how to grab a good appliance during the sales.
Air fryers
If you're looking to get on the air fryer bandwagon, make sure you've got enough space in your kitchen and look for a model with a viewing window and internal light to save you from repeatedly having to open it during cooking. For more, see our guide to buying a great air fryer and our latest air fryer reviews.
Coffee machines
Keen for a coffee machine? See which type (manual, automatic or pod) will suit you with our coffee machine guide.
No matter what configuration you're after, it pays to keep an eye out for machines with clear and simple controls and to get info on the warm-up time, which can vary by machine. For more, see our home espresso coffee machine reviews.
Kitchen mixers
With some mixers able to do anything from kneading bread and pizza dough to mincing meat and making pasta, it's no wonder these appliances are a popular Black Friday purchase.
But before you buy one, work out which type will suit you – whether you should go for a single or twin tool attachment model will depend on what you like to cook.
It's also important to think about which attachments and speed settings will best cater to your cuisine of choice and how much storage space you have available in your kitchen. Get more info with our kitchen mixer buying guide.
For other popular kitchen appliance buys, make sure you're not settling for second best by checking out our reviews of toasters, kettles, microwaves and more.
Home technology
One in five survey respondents told us they're interested in grabbing a phone or TV this Black Friday, while 17% said they'll be on the hunt for a new computer.
Smartphones
If you're looking for a smartphone, we recommend confirming with the retailer that any phone you're considering supports all the available 4G and 5G bands for your network and local area. WhistleOut has a list of the different bands currently used by local telcos.
Battery life and camera quality are also vital metrics that vary between phone models, and you're going to want to make sure whatever you're buying meets your standards. See how popular models compare with our latest smartphone review.
CHOICE tip: If you're presented with the opportunity to buy an older 4G-enabled phone, be careful. While they won't feature in Black Friday deals, some old handsets currently circulating in Australia may have lost triple zero access with the shutdown of 3G across the country.
Tech items such as TVs are a popular buy on Black Friday. Follow our tips to get a good deal.
TVs
Got your eye on a new TV? We recommend making sure the screen size matches the space where you plan to put it. Sitting too close to a big TV means you'll start seeing the pixels (dots) that make up the screen.
Also, make sure you can connect any devices you're planning to use with it (most new TVs only have HDMI ports) and check the unit's model number – this will tell you what year it was made and can help you identify the latest model or drive a hard bargain on something older.
See our guide to getting a bargain TV and advice for buying a TV on Black Friday for more on how to do this.
Get our verdict on all the other hottest tech items with our headphone, wireless speaker, soundbar and laptop reviews.
Travel and entertainment
Deloitte's 2025 holiday shopping survey found consumers plan to spend 30% more on experiences like entertainment and travel over November and December, compared to the same period in 2024.
As with tangible products, however, shopping for things to do can come with its own pitfalls.
Visit our Travel page for advice on common scams to avoid, how to get the best value insurance, the easiest ways to manage your money overseas and more.
Our Tickets hub, meanwhile, has info on your rights and advice on how to dodge scams targeting popular events.
What to avoid on Black Friday
As with any sales rush, Black Friday has its fair share of consumer pitfalls ready to entrap shoppers racing for a bargain.
Scam websites
Scammers use sales to lure victims to fake copies of popular retailer sites.
CHOICE is always keeping an eye on the latest scam trends and one of the biggest threats we consistently see in the retail space is phishing websites designed to steal your money and sensitive information.
Some sites are copies of the official pages of popular retailers, while others are "ghost stores" – wholly invented operations, claiming to be small local boutiques.
Shoppers making orders through any of these sites are usually left waiting for products that never arrive or find their purchases are poor-quality knock-offs.
To make matters worse, CHOICE has seen scammers being allowed to promote these criminal sites through ads on social media and search engines.
Signs you could be looking at a scam shopping site include big discounts on almost all advertised items and an unusual URL for a page that's claiming to be a well-established brand.
See our tips for spotting a scam copycat site or a ghost store for more info. If you think you've provided money or personal information to a scammer, see our guide to what to do if you've been scammed.
Extended warranties
When buying a new, expensive product, the retailer might offer you extra protection that goes beyond the manufacturer's warranty.
These extended warranties (sometimes also called 'protection' or 'product care' plans) come at a cost, but most of them aren't worth it.
We've found many carry the same or weaker protections as your existing consumer guarantee rights.
Most extended warranties sell you rights you already have under the Australian Consumer Law.
These rights are given to you under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and decree that expensive products should last a reasonable amount of time, such as a few years.
If staff are trying to upsell you an extended warranty – something former retail workers have told us they were directed to do – ask what rights it will give you beyond your ACL rights.
Finally, pay close attention at the checkout: we've seen retailers adding these products to your total purchase both instore and online without making it obvious.
Dangerous products
We found a dangerous hair dryer for sale on Temu.
Black Friday's global status can make it a great opportunity to score an online bargain from an overseas retailer, but be aware that doing so could land you with a product that could be a risk to you and your loved ones.
Items for sale on international sites don't always meet Australian safety standards and may even be the subject of a targeted recall here.
Children's and babies' toys and baby safety items are just some products we believe you should think twice about before buying from overseas.
Just this month, we gave global platform Temu a Shonky for selling unsafe products (among other issues). It came after we found toys for sale on the site that didn't meet Australian battery safety standards.
We also found a hair dryer that poses an electrocution risk for sale on the popular platform.
Temu removed these items from sale after we contacted them last year and the company isn't the only international marketplace we've called out – we've also found dangerous items on eBay, AliExpress and Amazon.
That's not to say everything you buy in Australia is safe – only certain high-risk products, such as aquatic toys, bicycles and some baby products, are subject to mandatory safety standards.
See how you can protect yourself with our guide to avoiding unsafe products. Check if an item you're considering is the subject of a recall by searching for it on Product Safety Australia.
Dud products
CHOICE has been testing and assessing products and services for over 60 years, never afraid to name a poor-performer when we see one.
Every November, we call out the year's worst in our Shonky Awards. Consider our recently-released 2025 Shonky winners a roll call of the goods and services you'll definitely want to avoid this Black Friday.
Also check out our rundown of the worst products we've tested this year and stay across our regular guides on products to avoid to keep abreast of what you shouldn't be buying.
Your consumer rights on Black Friday
In Australia, you're protected under the ACL, whether you've bought a product in a bricks-and-mortar store or online.
Companies based overseas that sell products here online need to adhere to the ACL as well, but while that's the case in theory, in practice you might find it difficult to get a satisfactory resolution if you have problems with something you've bought from them.
In Australia, you're protected under the ACL, whether you've bought a product in a bricks-and-mortar store or online
Retailers need to provide a remedy (refund, replacement or repair) for a faulty product, but they're not obliged to give you a refund or exchange if you just change your mind or find that something doesn't fit.
So, if you're stocking up on Christmas gifts and aren't sure whether your mum will love that vacuum cleaner, check the store's returns policy before you buy.
Find out more about what you're entitled to with our guide to using your consumer guarantees.
We're on your side
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
