Black Friday deals have already started

It feels the “deals” seasons happen more and more often, and last longer every year. Although that’s potentially great for people looking to snatch games at a cheap price, my experience is that it also means deals are less interesting and more diluted nowadays. It’s become harder to find an actual deal on something good… Nonetheless I’m super excited for the days to come and hope to catch a few good discounts on video games of course, and my other hobby, board games 🙂

What to expect from Black Friday 2021 in video games

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I wouldn’t expect any significant discounts on the “hot items” that are current generation consoles. The PS5 and Switch OLED have been extremely hard to find throughout the year, and I don’t see any incentive for retailers to do discounts on the consoles themselves. Your local retailer having PS5 inventory will be the deal.

Another warning: I’m seeing more and more “deals” in Amazon’s video game section, in particular for third party hardware that is really sub-quality electronics. If a brand you’ve never heard about  is selling a super cheap “PS4 Stand slash cooling base station slash controller charger”, seriously ask yourself if you really need that kind of stuff. I’ve purchased that kind of accessory too many times to count, and I can’t remember the last one I don’t regret. Honestly, these things are cheap for a reason. First, it’s probably because you don’t really need them. Secondly, if there’s one “off brand” accessory you really want, there’s a good chance you can find it cheaper on Aliexpress, even without a deal. Also, avoid unknown third party controllers like the plague! (personal opinion).

Now, third party accessories are not all bad. And some might actually be things you personally need. I recently snatched a cheap mario-themed case for my Switch and I love it. And yes, I’m aware there are third-party controller companies that actually build quality stuff.

Black Friday 2021 ongoing Video Game deals

Before we jump to the more general guide, here’s a list of deals that are already ongoing for video games:

 



 

0.TL,DR guide to Black Friday 201

  1. Make a list of the stuff you plan to buy
  2. Know in advance how much you are willing to pay for it (what you’d consider a deal)
  3. Jump on surprise “flash” deals that are too good to ignore (e.g. 75% off a game you were on the fence about getting). Worst case scenario you will be able to resell the game easily (even maybe for a profit) afterwards.
  4. It’s not only about video games, there’s other stuff you probably want/need to buy and now’s the right time: clothes, etc… Include those in your list
  5. Do a bit of comparison shopping, but don’t waste too much time (you could lose a deal if you hesitate too much). You probably already have your favorite sore anyway, that’s where you’ll get 90% of your deals. You don’t need to do comparison shopping if you already know how much you are willing to pay for the stuff you want! (see steps 1 and 2)
  6. Follow us on twitter, we will tweet VG deals throughout the week
  7. If you plan to shop on Amazon, make sure to get a prime free trial ahead of time to get all the associated benefits.

1. Make a list of the stuff you need/want

So, that one is simple: ahead of the sales days, I make a list of what I want and need. Typically I’ll be looking at the video game section on Amazon, and make lists of the games I’ve thought about buying this year. Last year I focused mostly on AAA titles but didn’t have much success. This year I still have a huge backlog of games to play and not much time to play them, so I have to admit I’m failing my own advice and don’t really have a list.

2. Know in advance how much you are willing to pay for the things on your list

Once you have a pretty good idea of what you want to buy, you have to know what’s a “good” price for you for that game or piece of hardware. You can search the net for some price comparison to understand how much the game currently sells for. Then you have to know if you would buy it even without a sale, or if you’re really looking for a sale to justify the purchase. In the first case, this is simple: if you catch that game on sale during the holiday season, just get it without thinking, even if the sale is just a mere 5% off or some gift code you don’t intend to use. You would have purchased the game at retail price anyway, so you might as well do it. In the other case, ask yourself how much you would be willing to pay for that game, and set that as your limit. If the game doesn’t sell for your target price, then you’ll wait for another opportunity, you don’t have to buy it this year.

Heads up that CheapAssGamer maintain a huge list of all announced prices for Black Friday in the US so far.

3. Be open for surprise deals that are too good to ignore

While always keeping in mind that you don’t want to buy stuff you’ll never play, keep an open mind for really good deals. A while, I’ve been able to get great deals on Amazon for games such as Uncharted 4 or Doom. The prices were so good that I was able to buy the games, play them, resell them for a profit and the buyer was still amazed at the good deal they were getting from me! These don’t happen often so you have to seize the opportunity when you see them.

So, generally, have a list of what you want, but also be open for such opportunity deals, if the item on sale is something you would like to play at some point.

4. It’s not only about video games!

I tend to focus my shopping spree on my hobby which is video games, but there’s also a bunch of things I need or want to buy that I’ll include on my list. This goes from board games for my family to other items (clothes, food…)

For all of these, just like for games, I have a vague idea of what kind of stuff I want, and will be on the lookout for deals in those categories.

5. Price is not the only convenience you should look for

I’ll be very bold here, I do most of my shopping on Amazon. There’s so many places one person can look at during the shopping season, and rather than miss on a good deal just because I want to compare prices, I’d buy on Amazon. I don’t want the shopping season to become an obsessive price comparison thing, so I’ll only do the occasional check on other sites if I come across some surprise deals over there. Your choice might vary. I have been a member of Amazon prime for years and have gotten back that investment tenfolds since I subscribed, but you might have your favorite retailer too. Pick your main choice, but stay on the lookout for deals on other retailers if possible.

If you intend to shop on Amazon: make sure you subscribe to a Prime free trial now to get the additional benefits for Amazon Shoppers.

6. Where and when to look for deals

More directly, you can check Amazon.com’s deals page throughout November and December.

If you’re looking for deals on specific games or hardware, let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to look for those in particular in the weeks to come!

Disclaimer: Wololo.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

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