The internet is teeming with offers for Black Friday 2022 and Cyber ​​Monday. Many consumers are not in the mood to shop because of the pressures of inflation. On the other hand, because of the rising prices, some hope to be able to save a little when buying Christmas presents.

But how much can you really save? An evaluation by the price comparison portal Idealo showed that although thousands of products were reduced in price on Black Friday last year, they were only reduced by an average of 5 percent. And the British consumer organization "Which?" found that 98 percent of all Black Friday deals were just as cheap or even cheaper on other days of the year.

So how do you know if a Black Friday deal is really a bargain? Five simple tricks will help.

It should actually be well known that dealers like to cheat with discount information, but it is ignored time and again in the zeal of bargain hunting. However, the specified discount alone does not say much. Just because a retailer has reduced a product by 20 percent from any starting price does not automatically make it cheap. In the end, what matters is not the highest promised discount, but the lowest actual price.

Even if online shops like to artificially create time pressure with countdowns or statements such as "only 3 products left in stock" and want to tempt impulse purchases, nothing beats a quick price comparison, preferably on a reputable price comparison site. The consumer center NRW even recommends using two different price search engines and comparing the results. Don't forget: the shipping costs should also be taken into account in the comparison.

The online price comparison tells you where a product is currently cheapest. A look at the price history shows whether it is really a bargain. Comparison sites such as idealo.de, guenstiger.de or billiger.de also show bargain hunters how the price has developed over the past few months. Based on these price curves, you can quickly see how much the price of the item has really fallen.

Another way to save is not just to compare the price of a fixed item, but also to look at similar products. Often just choosing a different color for the same product makes a significant difference in price. And those who are not tied to a specific product or manufacturer naturally have an even larger selection of potential offers.

Finally, the general safety instructions: When hunting for the best bargains, you quickly end up at retailers you have never ordered from before. The rule here is: use your head instead of being greedy. Especially when the deal seems too good to be true. Does the shop look reputable? Does it have an imprint and good user ratings? Or is the seller somewhere at the other end of the world and maybe even suspiciously asking for sensitive data? The fake shop finder of the consumer centers can also help with the assessment. The consumer advocates warn that black sheep are also lurking around in the Amazon marketplace and do not deliver after payment. Buyers are on the safe side if they do not pay in advance, but by invoice or direct debit.