Black Friday Australia 2026: the no-regret playbook

Black Friday lands on Friday 27 November 2026 (it’s always the day after the US Thanksgiving — the fourth Thursday of November), running through Cyber Monday on the 30th. In Australia it has quietly become the biggest discounting event of the year, overtaking Boxing Day in most categories that matter.

What genuinely drops

• TVs — the deepest window of the year, full stop. See what a fair 65" price looks like before you shop.
• Headphones and audio — flagship noise-cancellers hit yearly lows; previous-generation models get silly.
• Small kitchen appliances — air fryers and espresso machines are headline bait, priced accordingly.
• Stick and robot vacuums — flagship models see their biggest cuts.
• Laptops, mattresses, tools, LEGO — all reliably strong.

What’s mostly theatre

Fashion “up to 70% off” racks, current-generation phones (wait for the January–February launch cycle instead), gaming consoles at token discounts, and anything where the “was” price only ever existed for one week in July. The ACCC watches inflated anchor pricing, but you should too.

The 20-minute prep (do this in early November)

• Write the list. Impulse purchases at 40% off are still impulse purchases.
• For each item, learn the fair band — our price guides exist for exactly this moment.
• Check the timing page for each category — a few (BBQs, heaters) have better windows elsewhere in the year, and Black Friday is not their moment.
• Set up accounts and payment before the day. Carts expire; logins fail; the good stock goes early Friday.

Then buy only what’s on the list, only inside the fair band, and log off. That’s the whole trick.