10 June 2026.
The end of financial year sales arrive each year with promotions for ‘exclusive offers’ and ‘our biggest sale ever’, but CHOICE experts say be wary of the retail tricks designed to get you spending more than you planned.
“The end of financial year sales can be a great time to get your hands on that slick new appliance for your home, but with many retailers competing for your cash, it’s important to know the tricks and traps to avoid getting ripped off or accidentally purchasing a dud product,” says CHOICE Editorial Director, Mark Serrels.
The EOFY sales traps to watch out for:
1. Discounted duds
“Often, many retailers clear out old stock to improve their finances by the end of the fiscal year. This usually results in putting unpopular products, or older models that haven’t been able to sell on sale to make room for newer ones,” says Serrels.
“We’ve seen numerous products that performed poorly in our tests having big discounts during the sales. So remember, just because a product is advertised at a discounted price, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good deal.”
2. Fake urgency
“Retailer messaging like ‘must buy, sale ends soon!’ or ‘only 2 left in stock’ are designed to create pressure and get you to panic buy. Remember, the EOFY is just one sales period; last year, we saw sales extended into July, so it’s better to take time to do research to ensure you’re grabbing a good bargain,” says Serrels.
3. Brand blindness
“We consistently see products from the same brand have widely different results in our testing. So make sure you don’t pay for expensive features you won’t use or upgrade unnecessarily,” says Serrels.
4. Unnecessary extended warranties
“Extended warranties, also sometimes called ‘protection’ or ‘product care plans’, are usually nothing more than a sneaky sales tactic to get you spending more than what is already in your right. Next time, ask the salesperson – what protections does it give me beyond the Australian Consumer Law?,” says Serrels.
5. Fake shopping websites
“Fake websites have become far too common, and when you’re making a purchase that might seem like the real deal, we advise you to double check before adding it to your cart. Look out for things like unusual URLs, poor spelling, or massive discounts, which signal red flags!,” says Serrels.
