What to buy on Black Friday and what to avoid

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday are beyond overwhelming. The biggest shopping holidays of the year feature so many products, categories, and retailers that it can be tough to keep track. Since Black Friday is no longer a single day, but an entire season, it's prime time for us to bestow a little advice on how to shop it successfully.

You don't want to get out over your skis and buy everything in sight, but if there's a good deal on something you need, you don't want to miss that either. It helps to know what to buy and what to avoid. Mashable has a hub for Black Friday coverage that can give you more in-depth analysis of every shopping category you can imagine, but here are a few quick tips on things to buy and things to avoid as you navigate Cyber Week.

Top 10 deals we've already seen for Black Friday 2025

1. Apple AirPods 4 — $69 $129 (save $60)

2. HBO Max (with ads) — $2.99/month for 12 months $10.99/month (save $8/month)

3. Amazon Kindle — $79.99 $109.99 (save $30)

4. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $9.99 $39.99 (save $30 with code STREAM4K)

5. Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones — $248 $399.99 (save $151.99 + get $30 Amazon credit)

6. Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 — $349 $799 (save $450)

7. Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $749 $999 (save $150)

8. PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Console (1TB) — $449 $489 (save $40)

9. TCL 65-inch QM8K Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $899.99 $2,499.99 (save $1,600)

10. Samsung 55-inch The Frame QLED 4K Smart TV — $897.99 $1,197.99 (save $300)

Best things to buy on Black Friday

Mashable has lots of recommendations on everything from streaming services to Apple products to TVs, but Cyber Week is a great time to buy things you already planned on buying at some point. Don't spend big just because it is on sale — buy something you need and get it cheaper than the retail price. Here are the top categories to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

1. Apple products

Buying the fruit company's flagship tech during Black Friday is a major hack. If you're already planning on buying some of the most notoriously expensive tech on the market, why not buy it at a discount? You'll find the best selection of Apple deals at Amazon. In the days leading up to Black Friday, almost all of the latest AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks were sitting at record-low prices there. Competitors like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target were matching some, but not all, of its offers.

2. TVs

Since the early days of Black Friday, when shoppers would line up at 3 a.m. and get in fist fights, TV deals have dominated Black Friday. It's the best time of year to buy a TV, hands down. So far in 2025, every single TV in Mashable's list of the best 65-inch TVs is already at a record-low sale price. Heads up: these deals do tend to sell out quickly, though.

3. Streaming services

Black Friday is the only time of year that we see widespread discounts on streaming services. This year, most of the heavy hitters have already thrown their hats in the ring — including HBO Max, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. The best we've seen so far is HBO Max offering its ad-supported tier for $2.99 per month for an entire year.

4. Amazon devices

It's no secret that the biggest discounts of Prime Day are usually on Amazon's own devices, but somehow Amazon tends to one-up itself on certain gadgets on Black Friday. Whether you're working on building out your smart home or you're finally ready to pull the trigger on a new e-reader, expect record-low pricing on Echo devices, Kindles, Fire TVs, and more. Just stay away from Ring cameras (more on that below).

5. Kitchen gear

Kitchen appliances, cookware, and bakeware all tend to see widespread deals on Black Friday. From air fryers to Instant Pots to Mashable's favorite Ninja appliances, you'll likely find some all-time low prices this season. If you've been eyeing that Ninja Slushi, now's the time to grab it. It's $100 off at most of the major retailers, which drops it to a best-ever $269.99.

6. Headphones and speakers

Mashable's favorite brands of headphones and speakers drop to their lowest prices of the year during Black Friday season — and this year is no different. You can find all of Mashable's top picks for both headphones and speakers, from brands like Apple, Bose, Sony, and Beats, on sale for record-low prices before Black Friday proper even arrives. Of note: the AirPods 4 are only $69 (reg. $129), and the Sony WH-1000XM5s (our former top pick) are down to a new low of $248 and come with a $30 Amazon credit. In the speaker department, the JBL Charge 6 (our favorite Bluetooth speaker) is chilling at a new low of $129.95.

7. Smartwatches

In addition to sweet Apple Watch deals, you can bet that Cyber Week will bring steep discounts on Fitbits, Garmin smartwatches, and Samsung Galaxy watches. Already, we've seen early deals from Apple and Samsung, in particular.

8. Gaming deals

Upgrading your gaming console, laptop, monitor, or even buying new games feels like a drag — when you're doing it at full price, that is. Luckily, during Black Friday season, you can catch markdowns on both. So far this year, we've seen pretty epic early deals on gaming monitors, gaming laptops, and even the PlayStation 5 Slim. If there's a gaming-related purchase you need to make, Black Friday is the time to do it for less.

9. Toys

As the official holiday season kickoff, it only makes sense that all the hottest toys of the year — including Lego — drop down to all-time low prices for Black Friday. If there's a specific toy on your shopping list for the holidays, you'll likely be able to score it at its best price of the year. But as one of the hottest items to snag during Cyber Week, toys also tend to sell out quick.

While Black Friday might have some great deals, there are some things to look out for. Here are a few quick tips on what to avoid on Black Friday.

1. Third-party sellers

In general, you can trust things sold and shipped by Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy. However, all three of these retailers also allow third-party listings, which will often have outrageously low prices on high-demand items. While some of these sellers are genuine, others tend to be less reliable, and you run the risk of buying counterfeit products. If a deal from a third-party seller seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Ring doorbells and cameras

The steep discounts on Ring cameras and bundles might be tempting, but we don't recommend anything from Ring due to privacy concerns. Not only are they easily hackable, but Ring is also notorious for giving people's info away without their consent. There are plenty of home security deals from other brands on Black Friday, and if you need a little guidance on the good ones, check out our guide to the best home security cameras.

3. Anything you don't need

As we mentioned before, it's best to use Black Friday as a way to get something you need at a good discount. What's not as advisable is buying things just because. Something you don't need or won't use is still something you don't need or won't use, no matter how great the price is.