You don’t have to wait until November 23 for good tech deals: They’ve already begun rolling out. We’ll keep updating this article with new ones as they emerge.
Black Friday is no longer just the day after Thanksgiving. Deals now roll out in a chaotic mass all throughout November.
Just a couple of years ago, most of those early discounts weren’t any good. But that’s changed.
While the deals that command headlines (those so-called “doorbusters”) are typically still available on only Thanksgiving or Black Friday, some worthwhile sales are already trickling out now.
We’ve begun rounding up those here, so keep an eye peeled for further updates as the days tick by. We’ll add new deals as we spot them. And don’t forget: Holiday return windows have just expanded (many run into early January), so you can buy now and repent at leisure—assuming you can float the cash.
Our top picks for deals are below, but here are a few things to keep in mind while shopping:
To qualify for Amazon’s Prime deals (and earlier access to some of the retailer’s limited-time Lightning deals), you can sign up for a 30-day Prime membership if you haven’t already done so in the past.
If you plan to buy anything from Newegg, be sure to sign up for a two-year Shoprunner trial, which gets you free two-day shipping and free return shipping on many items. (As far as I can tell, you don’t actually have to pay with Paypal at checkout to take advantage of the Shoprunner benefits.)
As always, keep in mind that these deals can expire before Black Friday if quantities run out, so don’t wait too long if something appeals to you. This first batch of Best Buy deals is officially slated to end Sunday, November 11.
For your convenience, we’ve listed the return information policies for popular retailers. Do make note of the exceptions on their Return Policy pages, however. Some categories of products (like cell phones) have much shorter windows for returns, regardless of the holiday shopping period.
Amazon – “You may return most new, unopened items sold and fulfilled by Amazon within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. During the holidays, items shipped by Amazon between November 1st and December 31st can be returned until January 31st.”
Best Buy – “Almost every purchase made throughout November and December can be returned through January 12,2019.”
B&H – “As a courtesy during the busy holiday season, we have extended our usual 30-day limit on returns and exchanges. Purchases made between November 1,2018 and January 1,2019 may be returned or exchanged through February 1,2019 (or 30 days from date of purchase, whichever is longer). All other standard return policy conditions apply.”
Costco – Costco’s return policy has no date limits, except for the following restrictions on these categories for electronics: “Costco will accept returns within 90 days (from the date the member received the merchandise) for Televisions, Tuner-Free Displays, Projectors, […], Computers, Touchscreen Tablets, Cameras, Aerial Cameras (drones), Camcorders, MP3 players and Cellular Phones (return details will vary by carrier service contract).”
Newegg – “We want to ensure your holiday shopping this year is hassle-free. That’s why we’re automatically extending our return policies on almost every product! For purchases placed between November 1,2018 and December 24,2018, you will have until January 31,2019 to return your product. There’s nothing additional that you have to do!”
Target – “All electronics and entertainment items must be returned within 30 days for a refund or exchange. For these items purchased between 11/1 – 12/25, the 30-day refund period will start on 12/26. All Apple products, excluding mobile phones, must be returned within 15 days. For these items purchased between 11/1-12/25, the 15-day refund period will start on 12/26.”
Walmart – “As an added convenience for customers, items (Drones, computers, camcorders, digital cameras, digital music players, e-tablets, e- readers, portable video players, GPS units, video game hardware, and prepaid cell phones) purchased between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 will begin the 15 day return period on Dec. 26.”
