Prices go up to make the sale look bigger.

During the autumn, the comparison site Pricerunner followed the price evolution of around 38,000 products from the 50 largest online stores in the Swedish market. The survey shows that in 13 percent of the products, the price increased by 29 percent between September 11 and November 19.

– It’s a real increase. It is not forbidden to raise prices. But stealthily raising prices to lower them on a special occasion is illegal, says Nicklas Storåkers, Pricerunner’s CEO.

According to the Marketing Law, three criteria must be met for a price reduction to be called a sale. The product must be in the normal range, the price reduction must be noticeable, and the offer can only be valid for a limited period.

Warn of scams

But there are many cases in which the sale is exaggerated according to Storåkers.

– If a store during the fall has raised the price of an item from SEK 1,000 to SEK 1,300, and then lowered it to SEK 900 during Black Friday, they can say that the price difference is greater than it really is, if compare with the price of the product a few months ago, it says and continues:

– Now Black Friday has not been this year, but I can say with certainty that there will be big problems with scams. It seems to be a better deal than it really is.

During last year’s Black Friday, 27 percent of all deals in the 50 largest online stores were fraudulent sales, according to Pricerunner.

This fall there have been big price increases, among other things, in televisions, dishwashers, hobs, fitness products, womenswear and training clothes and beauty products.

Great opportunity

That said, Black Friday is still the cheapest day of the year according to Storåkers.

– They are very good prices in general that day. And it’s a great opportunity to strike, especially if you’re shopping for Christmas gifts, for example. But it’s the exact same show again this year – we see prices go up in the fall and it’s not a coincidence. It’s a widespread problem, he says.

Storåkers suggests making a list of what to buy before going to online or brick-and-mortar stores, and sticking to the list so you don’t get lured by red price tags.

– It is an excellent opportunity to buy what you plan to buy, but of course it is easy to be tempted to buy more, just because it is cheaper at the time. It can be smart to compare prices at different stores and see how the price has developed recently, says Nicklas Storåkers.

Åsa Johansson / TT