Six weeks before Black Friday, stores already sell 31.4% below their own "was" tags
Data study. Prices read on 2026-10-15T16:59 UTC from the TCL, eufy, Roborock and Dreame US stores.
The short answer
Of 232 main products (priced $100 or more) showing a crossed-out "was" price, the median selling price sat 31.4% below that tag. 131 were already 30% or more below their own tag, and 34 were 50% or more below. A big percentage-off banner in late November tells you little unless the price also beats what the product sold for in October.
How big the gaps are
| Gap below "was" price | Main products | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10% | 13 | |
| 10 to 20% | 50 | |
| 20 to 30% | 38 | |
| 30 to 40% | 56 | |
| 40 to 50% | 41 | |
| 50 to 100% | 34 |
By brand
| Brand | Main products | Showing a "was" price | Median gap | 30% or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreame | 207 | 78 | 33% | 42 |
| eufy | 207 | 0 | None listed | 0 |
| Roborock | 115 | 79 | 34.3% | 51 |
| TCL | 133 | 75 | 30% | 38 |
eufy's US store feed listed no compare-at prices when we read it, so it shows no gaps.
Largest gaps on in-stock products
| Product | Price | "Was" | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCL: x11k series 4k uhd hdr qd mini led smart tv with google tv:85" | $2999.99 | $9999.99 | 70% |
| TCL: qm9k series qd mini led qled 4k uhd smart tv with google tv:65" | $999.99 | $2999.99 | 66.7% |
| Dreame: dreame l40s ultra robot vacuum app only:White | $499.99 | $1399.99 | 64.3% |
| Dreame: dreame l40s ultra robot vacuum app only:Black | $499.99 | $1399.99 | 64.3% |
| Dreame: dreame l40s ultra robot vacuum live only:White | $509.99 | $1399.99 | 63.6% |
| Dreame: dreame l40s ultra robot vacuum live only:Black | $509.99 | $1399.99 | 63.6% |
| Roborock: roborock saros z70:Black | $999.99 | $2599.99 | 61.5% |
| Roborock: roborock saros z70:Silver | $999.99 | $2599.99 | 61.5% |
| Dreame: l40s ultra robot vacuum:White | $569.99 | $1399.99 | 59.3% |
| Dreame: l40s ultra robot vacuum:Black | $569.99 | $1399.99 | 59.3% |
What this does and does not show
- The gap holds for products you can actually buy. In the same snapshot (15 Oct 2026, 16:59 UTC), 170 in-stock main products showed a "was" price. Their median gap was 31.1%, and 94 were 30% or more below their tag. Membership-only offers and duplicate listings are left out of this count.
- It shows the gap between each store's own "was" tag and its selling price on one date.
- It does not show whether the "was" price was ever charged. That needs price history, which we now record twice a day. See how to tell if a deal is real.
- "Main products" means variants priced $100 or more. That filter removes most accessories and spare parts, not all. Across all 1,297 variants, the median gap was 33.3%.
- Check one product: should I wait for Black Friday? shows today's price, its "was" tag and stock.
Use this chart
Download the chart (PNG, 1600 x 1000). Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.
Embed code:
<a href="https://buyerdecision.com/research/was-price-vs-real-price"><img src="https://buyerdecision.com/images/was-price-gap-chart-v1.png" alt="How far below their own 'was' price stores were selling, 15 Oct 2026" width="800" height="500" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://buyerdecision.com/research/was-price-vs-real-price">BuyerDecision, manufacturer store price study</a></p>Suggested citation: BuyerDecision, "Was price vs real price", manufacturer store feeds read 15 Oct 2026, https://buyerdecision.com/research/was-price-vs-real-price
Use the data
Download the dataset (JSON, CC BY 4.0). Please credit BuyerDecision and link to this page. Questions: john@buyerdecision.com.
Questions
What is a compare-at price?
It is the crossed-out "was" price a store shows next to the selling price. The store sets it. It does not have to be a price anyone recently paid.
Does this mean these discounts are fake?
Not on its own. A compare-at tag can be a real launch price. It does mean a "30% off" banner six weeks before Black Friday is normal for many products, so a sale-day percentage tells you little.
Where does the data come from?
Public product feeds of the TCL, eufy, Roborock and Dreame US stores, read on 2026-10-15T16:59 UTC. The dataset is free to download.