Prisjakt warns of price increases ahead of Black Friday

An investigation by price comparison site Prisjakt reveals that thousands of online products have increased in price leading up to Black Friday. Out of half a million products analyzed during October, nearly 30 percent saw price hikes, with over 14 percent increasing by at least 10 percent. Significant increases were noted in categories such as televisions, jackets, computers, gaming consoles, and perfumes.

Consumer expert Isabella Ahmadi suggests these increases may be a preparation for the sale period, potentially making discounts appear better than they actually are. Legal expert Anton Mattsson from the Swedish Consumer Agency noted that while regulations since 2022 require retailers to disclose the lowest price a product has held in the previous 30 days, companies can circumvent this by raising prices more than 31 days in advance.

Furthermore, compliance issues remain a concern. A previous review conducted by the Consumer Agency found that 39 percent of investigated companies violated price information laws, often by failing to provide the correct comparison price.