Man claims Amazon is 'lying' to buyers during Black Friday sales in eye-opening video

Shopping never needs an excuse, but when there’s a sale, it becomes imperative that one shop to their heart’s delight. Black Friday sales have been one of the biggest days for shoppers to look forward to for the longest time. However, people are raising some serious questions about its effectiveness and authenticity. The charm and allure of the Black Friday sale are fading, as it’s being replaced by doubts and curiosities about whether it’s even genuine or just another gimmick aiming at the quickest way to empty pockets. A video by Sam Thibault–who goes by @samthibault04 on TikTok–shows the behind-the-scenes price slash that brands boast about during their Black Friday sale rates. The video begins with the Amazon website listing a 56-inch TV at $289.

Thibault says, “It’s Black Friday now, but Amazon is lying to you. This 56-inch TV is supposedly 36% off. While it technically used to be $449, it wasn’t always $449.” How did Thibault figure out that it wasn’t always priced at 449 dollars? He used a price-tracking browser extension called “Keepa,” which showed the price of the TV over a particular period. He reveals the visual tracking of Keepa and continues, “Using Keepa, we can see that the original price was $299. Then they hiked the price to $449 and now, for Black Friday, it’s basically back to the original price that it was but $1less. So you’re saving $1.”

He shows the graphs of the price-tracking software, which clearly provides evidence of what Thibault is explaining. He gives another example of a gigabyte motherboard, which was also originally listed at a different price, then hiked and then for Black Friday, listed back at its original price, meaning no real difference because of Black Friday.

However, not all hope is lost for Black Friday. Thibault explains that it’s not every brand that does the “original-hike-original” trick for Black Friday. Talking about LG, he shared, “It’s not every brand. Like this LG UltraGear is actually on sale.” He shows the price-tracking graph, which agrees with Thibault’s conjecture. He concludes the video by revealing the price-tracking extension browser that can be a handy tool when trying to compare discounted prices and get the real picture.

Thibault’s video went viral, garnering over 1M views and 122K likes. People in the comments section shared their shock and surprise at this revelation. Some even shared their relatable experiences. @tiredpals said, “I have been looking at automatic litter boxes for a while and they’re literally the same price with a Black Friday deals sticker.” Another user shared the trick that helps them keep track of prices. @jax_gem_bits said, “This is why I add items to my cart that I want months in advance, screenshot the price, and come back Black Friday to see if it’s actually a deal.”