SG Deal Watch

Black Friday in Singapore: Is It Worth It?

Updated 25 Oct 2026 · SG Deal Watch Editorial Team
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Short answer

Black Friday (the day after US Thanksgiving) and Cyber Monday now run in Singapore too, sitting between 11.11 and 12.12. For local shoppers the double-digit sales are often just as strong, so compare the same item across all three before deciding.

Black Friday started as an American in-store event the day after Thanksgiving and has become a global online sale, with Cyber Monday following the next Monday. In Singapore it now runs too — but it lands in the middle of the local double-digit sale season, which raises a fair question: is it actually the best time to buy?

When Black Friday happens

Black Friday falls on the Friday after US Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Thursday of November — so late November, between 11.11 and 12.12. Cyber Monday is the Monday straight after. Many retailers now stretch both into a week or more of “Black Friday” promotions.

Is it worth it for Singapore shoppers?

It depends on what you are buying:

Card comparing Black Friday with the double-digit sales by category and timing

When each sale window tends to help most.

  • Imported tech and global brands. Black Friday is often strongest for international electronics, software and brands that run worldwide campaigns. If you buy direct from an overseas or official store, this can be the best window.
  • Everyday marketplace buys. For items you would get on Shopee or Lazada anyway, the local double-digit sales frequently match or beat Black Friday — and 12.12 is only a couple of weeks later.

So Black Friday is not automatically cheaper in Singapore. It is one of several strong windows, not the only one.

Watch GST on overseas orders

Black Friday tempts a lot of cross-border buying. For goods brought in by air or post, a GST-registered supplier or marketplace charges 9% GST at checkout when each item’s sales value is S$400 or less. Otherwise, import GST may be collected at the border when the shipment’s total CIF value exceeds S$400, and imports by sea or land generally do not get the S$400 import relief. Build that into your comparison so an overseas “deal” is compared on a like-for-like basis.

How to decide

  1. List what you actually want and its everyday price.
  2. Compare the same item across Black Friday, 11.11 and 12.12. Prices from one event are a useful benchmark for the next.
  3. Check the “usual price” is genuine. Under the CCCS price-transparency guidelines, a strike-through comparison should reflect a bona fide previous price, not an inflated one.
  4. Add shipping and GST before judging a cross-border deal.

See how to spot fake discounts for the detailed checks, and our best wireless earbuds deals guide for how to time a purchase rather than chase any single banner.

The bottom line

Black Friday is worth watching — particularly for imported tech and international brands — but it is not guaranteed to beat Singapore’s double-digit sales. Treat it as one window among several, compare the same item across events, and only buy when the number is genuinely the best you have seen.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you apply or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never changes the rates, figures or comparisons shown — those come from official or vendor sources with an "as of" date. We do not recommend specific products.

Sources

  1. Southeast Asian shopping festivals (double-digit sales) — eMarketer (as of 2021)
  2. GST on Imported Low-Value Goods — Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (as of October 2026)
  3. CCCS Publishes Guidelines on Price Transparency — Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (as of September 2020)