How to spot a real discount (and ignore the fake ones)

Every sale season, the same thing happens. Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra — all lit up with “Up to 80% OFF” banners. Some of those deals are genuinely great. Many are not. The trick is knowing the difference before you tap “Buy”.

Here’s the exact checklist we run on every deal before it makes our list.

1. Check the price history, not the “MRP”

The struck-through “MRP” on a listing is often inflated. A ₹3,990 headphone that has never actually sold for ₹3,990 will happily show you “67% off” all year.

What matters is the lowest price it has recently sold at. Tools like price-history trackers show you the real 30- and 90-day low. If today’s “deal” is the same as last month’s normal price, it isn’t a deal.

2. Watch out for the festival price bump

This one catches a lot of people. In the week before a big sale (Big Billion Days, Great Indian Festival), some prices quietly go up — so the “sale price” is really just the normal price with extra steps.

Note the price a couple of weeks early. If it jumped right before the sale, be suspicious.

3. Stack the real savings

The sticker price is only part of it. Genuine savings in India often come from:

• Bank card offers — instant 10% discounts on specific cards.
• Coupons clipped on the product page (easy to miss).
• No-cost EMI on bigger buys.
• Exchange offers on phones and appliances.

A “smaller” headline discount with a good bank offer can beat a flashier one without.

4. Factor in returns and warranty

A ₹200 saving isn’t worth it if the seller is sketchy, the return window is tiny, or there’s no proper warranty. For electronics especially, buy from the brand or a top-rated seller even if it costs a little more.

The one-minute version

1. Is today’s price at or near the genuine recent low?
2. Did the price jump right before the sale?
3. Are there bank / coupon / EMI offers to stack?
4. Is the seller trustworthy with a fair return window?

If it clears all four, grab it. If not, wait — there’s always another drop.

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That’s exactly the filter we run so you don’t have to. Every deal on reliefdeals.com is price-checked before it goes up.