What's worse than having to spend over a thousand dollars on an RTX 4090 GPU? Spending thousands on a GPU, only for it to be an empty box except for unnecessary weight.
This is the situation a Newegg customer apparently found himself in after sharing an image of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 box that should contain one of the best graphics cards in the world, but instead contains bits of metal.
Thankfully, in replies to their Reddit post (opens in a new tab), it appears the unlucky customer was able to get their money back, and hopefully they'll soon be able to get their hands on a genuine RTX 4090, but their story reminds us that forever. we must be careful when buying online.
And this advice becomes especially important as we approach November and Black Friday.
Analysis: how to avoid scams this Black Friday
As we head into the Black Friday sale season, you should expect to see the internet flooded with Black Friday discounts and deals that encourage you to shop around. But among these real bargains, there will be many failures.
We're not just talking about situations like the example above, where a user is apparently being scammed into buying an item because they think it's going to be something else, but about discounts that aren't what they seem to be and deals on items that you're better at. avoid.
So what are some of the best practices you can follow to avoid the Black Friday purchases you regret?
For starters, you only want to buy from reputable sites that you recognize and that offer some form of buyer protection. If you're browsing an online store you've never heard of, check it out. Google "legitimate" should provide details about this on websites like Trustpilot. You'll also likely see links to Reddit posts that celebrate or lament the site, depending on whether it's a hidden gem or a sham. Yes, after your Do your research, you're still not 100% sure, buy elsewhere - the potential additional savings are not worth the risk.
You also want to make sure you're buying from the vendor itself, and not from a third party that uses the site as a marketplace. Newegg, Amazon, and Walmart are some of the stores that allow other people to sell items on their sites, and while many third-party sellers are fine, some bad actors can go unnoticed.
Once the site has passed your checks, it's time for you to check the quality of the desired product as well. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, online stores like Amazon are inundated with fake reviews. While you can use our guide on how to spot fake Amazon reviews to try to separate the real reviews from the mass-produced lies, we also recommend that you Google the item again and try to find independent reviews if you can.
If you're looking to buy a Black Friday gaming laptop, a Black Friday OLED TV, a Black Friday air fryer, or even a Black Friday coffee machine, the model you're interested in has probably been reviewed. for a publication like LaComparacion. We have no incentive to make a product better or worse than it really is, so if you want an opinion you can trust on a device you love, read our review and decide if it's something you want to buy.
Finally, before you click buy, make sure the discount is as good as it sounds. Leading up to Black Friday, it's not uncommon for brands to raise their prices only to later make the discounts seem bigger than they really are. Plus, even if a deal is good, stores may already have sold it for less, which could mean a better discount will drop closer to Black Friday. When evaluating an offer, try to review an item's price history to make sure it really is the best price.
Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that you'll never be caught off guard if you follow these rules, but this guide should help you dodge some of the pitfalls that Black Friday can bring.