Quick summary: With Black Friday just weeks away (28th November), I’ve learnt the hard way how to separate proper bargains from dodgy deals when buying gaming gear online. Here’s my guide to spotting fake discounts, avoiding scams, and timing your purchases to save actual money rather than falling for inflated “sales” that aren’t really sales at all.
Right, let’s be honest. I’ve been caught out before. Thought I was getting a cracking deal on a graphics card, only to realise the “original price” was made up. The retailer had bumped it up three weeks before the sale, then slapped a big red “50% OFF!” sticker on it. Learned my lesson there.
Gaming equipment isn’t cheap. Whether you’re after a new console, a gaming laptop, or just upgrading your rig with better components, you’re looking at serious money. Which is exactly why scammers and dodgy retailers target gamers. They know we want the latest kit, and they know we’re watching for deals.
So here’s what I’ve picked up over the years about shopping smart for gaming gear online.
The fake discount problem
This one gets everyone at some point. You see a £600 gaming laptop “reduced” from £1,200. Brilliant deal, right? Not necessarily.
Many retailers jack up the “original price” before a sale. They’ll list an item at an inflated price for a few weeks, then “discount” it back to what it should’ve cost in the first place. You think you’re saving £600 when actually, that laptop was never worth £1,200 to begin with.
How I check if a discount is real:
- Use price tracking sites like CamelCamelCamel (for Amazon), Keepa, or PriceSpy
- Check the item’s price history over at least 3 months
- Compare across multiple retailers – if everyone’s selling at roughly the same “sale” price, that’s probably the actual market value
- Look for the average selling price, not the “was” price
Here’s a proper example: Last year I was eyeing up an Asus ROG gaming monitor. One site claimed it was down from £450 to £280. Checked the price history. It had been £290-£310 for the previous six months. The “£450” price appeared for exactly two weeks before the sale. That’s not a bargain; that’s a con.
Red flags that scream “scam”
I’ve seen some proper dodgy sites in my time. Some look decent at first glance, but once you know what to look for, they’re easy to spot.
Warning signs I never ignore:
- Prices that are simply too good. If a PlayStation 5 is going for £200 when everywhere else has it at £450+, something’s very wrong. Either it’s stolen, fake, or you’ll never see your money again.
- Weird website URLs. Scammers love creating fake sites that look almost legitimate. They’ll use “epicgames-free.com” instead of “epicgames.com” or swap letters for similar-looking ones from other alphabets. Always hover over links before clicking.
- No contact details. Proper businesses have phone numbers, physical addresses, and customer service. If all you get is a contact form or a dodgy Gmail address, walk away.
- Suspiciously new websites. Use a WHOIS checker to see when a domain was registered. If it was created three weeks ago and is already running “massive sales,” that’s a red flag the size of a football pitch.
- Only accepts weird payment methods. If they want bank transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards instead of proper payment methods like PayPal or credit cards, run. Fast.
- Spelling mistakes and poor English. Legitimate retailers proofread their sites. If the product description looks like it went through Google Translate backwards, you’re probably looking at a scam.
I nearly got done by a fake gaming key site last year. They were flogging Steam codes for new releases at half price. Site looked professional enough. Then I noticed they only accepted cryptocurrency and the “company address” was a residential flat in Manchester. Did some digging – loads of complaints about keys not working or accounts getting banned. Dodged that bullet.
Black Friday: the main event
Right, Black Friday 2025 falls on 28th November. It’s still the biggest shopping day of the year for gaming gear, but you need to be clever about it.
The deals actually start earlier now. Most retailers kick off their “Black Friday sales” from mid-November. Some of the best prices appear a week or two before the actual day because retailers want to beat their competitors.
What typically gets proper discounts:
- Gaming peripherals (headsets, keyboards, mice, controllers) – often 30-50% off
- External hard drives and SSDs – massive savings, sometimes 40% off
- Gaming subscriptions (Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus) – usually £20-30 off annual memberships
- Last year’s console models – especially if new versions have launched
- Gaming monitors – decent savings on slightly older models
- PC components – graphics cards, RAM, processors from previous generations
What rarely goes on sale:
- Brand new console releases (the latest PlayStation or Xbox)
- Newly released games (maybe £5-10 off at most)
- High-end current-gen graphics cards
- Nintendo products (they almost never discount properly)
I scored an absolute blinder last Black Friday. Got a Corsair mechanical keyboard that normally goes for £120 down to £65. I’d been tracking the price for two months, knew it was genuine. But I also nearly bought a “gaming laptop” that turned out to be a refurbished model from 2019 being flogged as if it was current. Always read the fine print.
My Black Friday survival tips:
- Make a list before the sales start. Know exactly what you want and what it normally costs. Without this, you’ll just buy random stuff because it looks cheap.
- Set a budget and stick to it. Sales are designed to make you spend more, not less. I learned this the hard way.
- Check warranty and return policies. Some retailers restrict returns during Black Friday. You need to know what happens if the item’s faulty.
- Watch out for “doorbusters” and “lightning deals.” These create artificial urgency. If you miss one, another deal will come along. Don’t panic buy.
- Compare delivery costs. A £10 saving means nothing if postage is £15 more than the competition.
Beyond Black Friday: other times to buy
Miss Black Friday? Not the end of the world. Gaming equipment goes on sale throughout the year if you know when to look.
- Cyber Monday (1st December 2025): The Monday after Black Friday often has better online deals than Black Friday itself. I’ve found PC components particularly well-priced on Cyber Monday.
- January sales: Retailers need to shift stock after Christmas. You’ll find last year’s models heavily discounted. Not the newest kit, but solid value if you don’t need cutting-edge specs.
- Amazon Prime Day (July): Becoming a proper rival to Black Friday. I snagged a gaming monitor for 35% off last July. Worth keeping an eye on.
- Labor Day weekend (late August/early September): American holiday, but UK retailers often run competing sales. Good for back-to-school tech deals.
- New product launch windows: When new graphics cards or consoles get announced (usually September-December), the previous generation drops in price. If you don’t need the absolute latest, this is brilliant timing.
- Presidents Day, Memorial Day (February-May): Smaller sales, but still 20-25% off select items. Good for accessories and peripherals.
- Around major game releases: When big titles launch, retailers sometimes bundle them with hardware. Got a decent deal on an Xbox controller when Starfield came out.
Here’s my annual shopping calendar for gaming gear:
The key is patience. Unless your current kit is actually broken, waiting a month or two for a proper sale can save you hundreds.
Checking if a retailer is legitimate
Before I hand over any money, I do these checks. Takes five minutes and has saved me getting scammed multiple times.
- As per tip given by Boylesports: Google the company name + “scam” or “reviews.” Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people skip this. If the first page of results is full of complaints, that tells you something.
- Check Trustpilot and Reviews.io. Look for patterns in reviews. Loads of 5-star reviews posted on the same day? Probably fake. Mix of ratings with detailed complaints and praise? More believable.
- Verify their address. Put their business address into Google Maps. If it’s a residential house or doesn’t exist, massive red flag.
- Look for proper security. The site should have HTTPS (padlock in the address bar). This doesn’t guarantee legitimacy, but the absence of it is a dealbreaker.
- Check how long they’ve been trading. Companies House (if they’re UK-registered) will show when they were incorporated. If they’re claiming to be “established retailers” but only registered last month, something’s dodgy.
- Test their customer service. Send them a question before buying. If you get a coherent response quickly, that’s a good sign. No response or gibberish? Walk away.
I’ve got a mate who bought a “gaming PC” from a site that looked professional. Paid £800. PC never arrived. Tried to contact them. Website disappeared two weeks later. He’s still trying to get his money back through his bank. Don’t be that person.
What to do if you’ve been scammed
Right, so you’ve already bought something and now you’re realising it was dodgy. Here’s what to do:
- Contact your bank or credit card company immediately. If you paid by credit card, you’ve got Section 75 protection. If you used a debit card, you might have chargeback rights. Act fast – there are time limits.
- Report it to Action Fraud (the UK’s national fraud reporting centre). They probably won’t get your money back, but it helps track scammers.
- Leave honest reviews everywhere you can. Trustpilot, Google Reviews, Reddit. Warn other people.
- Don’t try to “fix” it by sending more money. Some scammers will claim there’s an “import fee” or “customs charge” you need to pay to release your order. It’s a trap.
Change your passwords if you created an account on the dodgy site. Scammers sell account details.
Building versus buying
Quick note on this because it comes up a lot: should you build a gaming PC or buy a prebuilt one?
If you’re comfortable with a screwdriver and can follow a YouTube tutorial, building often saves money. You can pick components during different sales and assemble them when you’re ready.
But prebuilt systems have their place. During Black Friday especially, some prebuilt deals actually work out cheaper than buying components separately. Plus you get a warranty covering the whole system, not just individual parts.
I built my current rig over three months, buying components as they went on sale. Saved about £200 compared to buying everything at once. But my previous PC was a prebuilt I got in a Black Friday sale, and that was brilliant value too. Depends on timing and patience.
Gaming laptops: extra considerations
Gaming laptops need special attention because they’re harder to upgrade later. You’re stuck with whatever you buy.
Things I always check:
- The GPU is the most important part. Don’t be fooled by impressive CPU specs if the graphics card is rubbish. An i9 processor with a GTX 1650 is like putting a Ferrari engine in a Reliant Robin.
- Screen refresh rate matters. If you’re paying for a gaming laptop, get at least 120Hz. 60Hz displays are fine for work, not for gaming.
- Cooling system. Gaming laptops run hot. Check reviews specifically mentioning thermals. Some “gaming laptops” are just normal laptops with RGB lights.
- Battery life. Gaming laptops are power-hungry. If the battery only lasts two hours, you’re essentially buying an expensive desktop you can move around a bit.
- Build quality. Cheap gaming laptops often have awful keyboards and trackpads. If you’re spending £800+, it should feel premium.
Last year’s models often represent better value than the newest releases. The performance difference between generations isn’t always massive, but the price difference certainly is.
Console shopping tips
Consoles are straightforward compared to PCs, but there are still things to watch for.
- Bundles can be brilliant or terrible. A console with two games you actually want? Great. A console with two games you don’t care about for £50 extra? Pass.
- Digital-only consoles are cheaper upfront but more expensive long-term if you buy lots of games. Physical games can be resold or borrowed. Digital ones can’t.
- Official retailers versus marketplace sellers. I stick with official retailers for consoles. The savings from some random marketplace seller aren’t worth the risk of getting a dodgy unit.
- Warranty matters. If something goes wrong, you want proper manufacturer support, not some bloke on eBay saying “no refunds.”
- Don’t fall for “stock alerts” from sketchy sites. When consoles are hard to find, scam sites pop up claiming to have stock. They don’t.
Accessories: where the real savings are
Here’s something I’ve noticed: the best percentage savings aren’t on consoles or PCs. They’re on accessories and peripherals.
Gaming headsets that normally go for £80 can hit £40 in sales. Controllers drop from £50 to £30. External hard drives get slashed by 40%. These are where I focus my Black Friday shopping now.
I’m not saying don’t buy the big-ticket items. Just that if you’re trying to maximize value, accessories give you more bang for your buck in sales.
Plus, a decent headset or mechanical keyboard genuinely improves your gaming experience more than marginal hardware upgrades often do.
Stay sharp, don’t rush, and happy shopping.
