March 20, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Spot a Real Deal vs a Fake Discount
Not all "sales" are created equal. Learn to tell genuine markdowns from inflated prices and permanent sale sections.
The fashion industry has a dirty secret: not every “sale” is actually a sale. Many brands inflate their original prices to make discounts look more impressive, run permanent “sale” sections that never end, or use psychological pricing tricks to create urgency where none exists.
The Inflated Original Price Trick
Some brands set their “original” price artificially high so they can show a bigger discount. A $200 jacket “on sale” for $100 sounds amazing — until you realize the jacket was never intended to sell at $200. The real market price was always around $100.
How to spot it: Compare prices across multiple retailers. If a product is “on sale” everywhere, all the time, the original price is probably inflated. Also look at the brand's regular pricing — if everything is always 40-60% off, those aren't real sales.
The Permanent Sale Section
Many retailers have a “sale” section that's always full. Items rotate through, but the section itself never closes. This isn't necessarily dishonest — some items are genuinely being cleared out — but it trains shoppers to expect discounts and can make you less critical of whether a deal is actually good.
How IOSS Verifies Deals
At I Only Shop Sales, we take a different approach. Our system tracks original prices from brand product feeds — the actual retail price set by the brand, not a made-up comparison price. We only list items where the current price is at least 25% below the original feed price.
Our verdict system adds another layer. A “Strong Deal” rating means the discount is deep (50%+) and the item comes from a reputable brand. We don't inflate ratings because of affiliate commissions — our editorial process is independent of our revenue model.
Quick Checklist
Before you buy a “deal,” ask yourself these questions:
- Is this item on sale everywhere, or just here?
- Has this item ever been sold at the listed original price?
- Would I buy this at the sale price even without the discount framing?
- Is the brand known for quality at this price point?
If you answered yes to most of these, you've found a real deal. If not, you might be falling for marketing rather than genuine savings.