With the festival season near, essential tips for navigating online sales

To avoid fake discounts, no-cost EMIs, and buy now-pay later offers, go for pre-planned purchases only, and stick to the budget decided upon beforehand

E-commerce majors like Amazon and Flipkart have launched their festive season sales. These can be a great occasion to upgrade one’s wardrobe, gadgets, or big-ticket items, but only if one shops smartly. From inflated MRPs and tricky EMIs to misleading 'deals', experts warn that not everything on sale is a bargain.

Spotting genuine discounts

Festive sales often promise massive discounts, but not every deal is as good as it seems. Sometimes platforms hike prices before the sale and then show fake discounts. “Track the product’s price a few weeks before the sale to check if it was inflated and then slashed,” says