Use Black Friday for giant TVs and big appliances; save Cyber Monday for laptops, headphones, small tech, clothing, beauty, and digital services
Make a short “must-buy / nice-to-have / gifts” list with a target price and a walk-away price so fake 40% off banners don’t fool you
Stick to trusted retailers, compare exact model numbers on at least three sites, and skip no-name TVs, sketchy “special buys,” and pricey warranties on cheap gadgets
Cyber Monday can be a big gimmick designed to take your money if you don’t go into it with a plan. This year the big day lands on December 1st, with most retailers stretching it into a “Cyber Week” event. Deals start rolling out on Black Friday morning and typically get extended well into the following week.
Here’s a guide to what’s actually worth buying, what to skip, and the smartest tricks and pro tips to squeeze every dollar out of your Cyber Monday shopping.
First: How Cyber Monday is different from Black Friday (and when it’s better)
The line between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is pretty blurry these days, but there are few differences worth knowing:
- Black Friday: Still the best day when shopping for ”big” stuff. Think things like giant TVs, gaming consoles, and major appliances, both online and in-store.
- Cyber Monday: Arguably the best day of the year for online apparel shopping, both in terms of sitewide sales and additional coupon codes that retailers make available. Also, a solid day for laptops, tablets, accessories, smaller gadgets, software, and digital services and subscriptions.
Many retailers now run Cyber Week, so you’ll inevitably see some overlapping deals, but apparel, tech and online subscriptions tend to hit their lowest prices on Cyber Monday itself.
Pro tip: Use Black Friday for giant TVs and big appliances if you see a legit low price. Use Cyber Monday for clothing, laptops, headphones, small appliances, software, and fashion/beauty.
Pre-Game: Set yourself up before Cyber Monday
1. Make a “deal or no deal” list
Don’t just waste time browsing online on Cyber Monday hoping to find a deal.
Instead, have an actual gameplan. I highly recommend making a shopping list with the following three columns and use it as your guide:
Column 1 - Must-buy this year (laptop, tablet, noise-canceling headphones)
Column 2 - Nice-to-have if cheap (air fryer, robot vacuum, weighted blanket)
Column 3 - Gifts & stocking stuffers (beauty sets, toys, small gadgets)
For each “must-buy” item, note the following:
- The normal price.
- The “good deal” price (what you’d actually be happy to pay).
- And your walk-away price where the price is too high.
That way, when you see a “40% OFF” banner, you can quickly check the price and know if it’s a real deal or just marketing tricks.
Best things to buy on Cyber Monday:
Laptops, tablets, headphones, and smaller tech
This is the classic Cyber Monday sweet spot:
- Laptops & tablets from Dell, Lenovo, Apple, and others often see some of their best discounts of the year.
- Headphones & earbuds (AirPods, Bose, Sony) frequently get steep markdowns plus bundle deals to sweeten the pot.
- Accessories like keyboards, routers, webcams, and smart home gear (smart plugs, smart bulbs) tend to be cheaper on Monday than Black Friday.
Here are some good places to look:
- Best Buy: Check their site first on Cyber Monday as they always have big markdowns on laptops, TVs, and headphones, plus some solid open-box options that can save you up to 50% off the original price.
- Amazon: Their enormous product variety and lightning deals on tech make them a must stop on Cyber Monday. Like always, makes sure you double-check price history and reviews.
- Dell / Lenovo / HP direct sites: They often run aggressive Cyber Monday sales that beat third-party retailers.
- B&H Photo Video is sneaky-strong for Cyber Monday laptop/TV/camera deals and often price-matches or beats the big box guys, especially on higher-end gear.
- eBay Certified Refurbished – eBay’s Certified Refurbished section is all about big brands (Apple, Samsung, Dyson, Bose, HP, etc.) that are inspected, tested, and often sold by the manufacturer or authorized sellers. It’s the perfect stop for Cyber Monday shoppers who want deals on “nice” stuff at 40–60% off the retail price.
Pro tip: Manufacturers have been known to tweak the specs of certain models slightly to make your price comparisons harder. Because of this, I highly recommend searching the exact model number across at least three websites before you click the “buy” button.
Appliances and home gadgets
Cyber Monday usually brings:
- Solid deals on vacuums and carpet cleaners from brands like Dyson, Shark, and Bissell.
- Look for deals on countertop appliances as they often have their lowest prices of the year (air fryers, stand mixers, coffee makers).
- Select deals on large appliances like dishwashers, washers/dryers, and fridges at major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and Best Buy.
These can be legit deals, especially if:
- You’ve priced them out beforehand and know exactly what a good price looks like.
- Delivery, haul-away, and installation fees are clearly spelled out and hopefully included in the price.
Pro tip: When buying large appliances, be sure to factor in delivery + haul-away + installation when comparing prices. For example, a “cheaper” washer with $150 in extra fees might not be a great deal after all.
Clothing, apparel, beauty, and soft goods
Cyber Monday is very strong for:
- Apparel & shoes: Retailers start clearing out holiday and winter inventory with site-wide 30–60% off sales. Then many stores will also offer a coupon code for free shipping or an additional percentage-off on top of the site-wide sale. It's makes for a perfect storm for clothing deals.
- Beauty & grooming sets: Look for deals on gift sets, tools (hair dryers, straighteners), and limited-edition kits.
- Bedding & mattresses: Deep online-only promos, especially from DTC mattress brands and big-box sites.
Check out these websites and the offers I'm predicting based on recent Cyber Monday history:
- Abercrombie (look for a 25% off site-wide sale + a 15% off coupon code)
- American Eagle (site-wide sale + coupon code)
- GAP/Old Navy/Banana Republic (50% off site-wide sale + a 10% coupon code)
- J.Crew - (look for a 50% off site-wide sale + a 15% off $100+ code)
- Kohl’s (stack codes + Kohl’s Cash)
- Macy’s & JCPenney (clothing and bedding)
- Target & Walmart (mainstream fashion and beauty, often with extra gift card promos)
What to skip (or be suspicious of):
Even on Cyber Monday, some “deals” are duds and the following often fits this category:
No-name TVs and random brands you’ve never heard of
- They’re often cheap for a reason as they have poor picture quality and almost no resale or repair options. Many models are actually made for Black Friday weekend and have inferior specs.
- If you’re shopping for a new TV, look for deals from established brands (Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL) and check reviews so you know what you’re getting.
“Cyber Monday only” items with no price history
- If the item is a store-exclusive bundle or mystery “special buy,” you won’t know if it’s actually worth that price as you can’t price compare.
- These are often created to look like deals, but in actuality they often are not.
Super-cheap gadgets with terrible reviews
- Skip anything with lots of one-star reviews mentioning the same problem like a safety issues, early failure, or missing parts.
Extended warranties on already-cheap items
- Paying $40 to “protect” a $90 gadget is rarely worth it. You’re often better off saving that money in a “future replacement” fund.
Pro tip: Sort reviews by “Most recent” and specifically read the 1–3 star reviews. That’s often where the real problems show up.