Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals can be best In India

The Black Friday sales season has started in the US. The best offers will come on the big Friday, which is tomorrow, but if you check out the e-retail sites, the deals are already there. The Black Friday will be then followed by the Cyber Monday, which will be the coming Monday and in between there will be more deals. Now, all of this is for the consumers in the US. The shopping season in the US, similar to the one in India that is ahead of Diwali, is before Christmas. But the interesting part is that Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals work for many Indian shoppers too in many cases.

If you are fond of really good gadgets, which by the way aren't cheap, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the perfect time to pick them, even if you are in India. Over the years some of the best deals that I managed to get in gadgets were during Black Friday. The key bit is to understand that you won't get a cheap Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in these sales but niche stuff, which is expensive in India, can be really "affordable" to put it metaphorically.

At the same time, shopping during the sales season does require a bit prudence. Ideally, you should not buy products for which you may require warranty during the first year of purchase. This means, don't buy smartphones during the Black Friday sales from India, unless the deal is so good -- think iPhone 7 at an effective price of Rs 30,000 (not possible) -- that you can't ignore it. Instead you should look at:

-- DSLR camera lenses: These are expensive in India and the deals during Black Friday on the lenses are just absolutely great.


-- High-end headphones: The headphones, especially the wired ones, don't fail. This means you can safely buy them and not care about the warranty all that much. Also, the deals on headphones are just fantastic. In India companies like Headphone Zone have made the high-end headphones relatively more affordable. But even then, the Black Friday deals means you can save up to Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 on good pair of headphones even when you paying the duty at Indian customs. The discounts are that good.

-- High-end audio speakers: It is slightly more riskier to buy these from the US but because such compact speakers are so expensive in India.


-- Tripods and bags etc: These are the items that don't require warranty. Again, there are stupendous deals on these items and you can get really top-class stuff at bargain prices. In many cases good tripods, camera bags, laptop bags etc are not even available in India. And even if they are, the chances are that they cost almost two times their regular price in the US. During Black Friday, many of these items go on sale and that may help you save some serious money.

-- Exotic computer hardware: Don't buy motherboard or graphics card from the US. But good quality RAM, keyboards, mice, small compact cases etc can be bought. There is low chance of these products requiring any warranty or aftersales service.

-- Binoculars, telescopes and outdoor gear: Again, these are the products that are either very expensive in India or they are not available. The sales season in the US is good time to snag them.

-- Tool kits etc: Finding high-quality tool kits etc is difficult to find in India. These are also the items that don't require any warranty. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday there are good deals on some of these items.

So, the products are there. But how do you buy them. My suggestion is that stick to the big sites. Also, carefully check the shipping policies and how the site will handle the customs etc before you order. Usually the following websites are good enough for international shopping.

-- Amazon: This is the big daddy. Amazon, once upon a time, even offered free international shipping if you ordered something that was worth more than $125. Keep an eye on similar offer if there is one, although chances are low because now Amazon has a India-specific website and hence may not promote shopping through the global site. Amazon is also completely fuss-free. Just ensure that when you are searching for deals you opt for items eligible to shipping to India. Also, check out the Global Store that Amazon India has. It may also have similar deals. If you buy from the Global Store on the Amazon India, you will be able to pay in rupees. On the main site you will have to pay in dollars.

-- Newegg: Very big and reputable website, specialising in computer hardware and accessories. Offers some impressive deals.

-- B&H Photo Video: Fantastic website for finding deals on cameras, headphones and camera-related accessories. Ships to India and handles customs etc expertly.


Pro Tip: To track camera deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, crawl through forums at DP Review because that is where a lot of camera shoppers lurk and discuss deals. For audio-related deals, head to www.head-fi.org , a community of audio enthusiasts.