How to Spot a Fake Discount Before You Buy Online in India (2026)

Every sale banner in India screams the same number: "70% OFF," "80% OFF," sometimes "90% OFF." Before you trust one, learn to spot a fake discount — because a chunk of those percentages come from an inflated MRP, not a real price cut. With Independence Day sales landing on Amazon and Flipkart this month, this is the week that trick gets used the most. Here is how the inflated-MRP game actually works, and a five-point checklist to run before you tap "Buy Now."

Why "80% Off" Doesn't Always Mean 80% Off

In India, sellers are legally allowed to set their own Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on most non-regulated categories — clothing, accessories, home decor, gadgets, kitchenware. There is no independent body checking whether that MRP reflects what the product genuinely sold for before the sale. So a seller can list a ₹499 phone case with an MRP of ₹1,999, mark it "75% off," and sell it at the same ₹499 it was always worth. The discount is real math, applied to a fake starting number.

This isn't illegal, and it isn't unique to one platform — it shows up on Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and D2C brand sites alike. The percentage badge is marketing, not proof of savings. The only way to know if a deal is genuine is to check the actual price movement, not the MRP the seller chose to print.

The 5-Point Checklist Before You Click "Buy Now"

Run through these before any big-ticket purchase, especially during a sale event:

• MRP sanity check: Does the MRP match what similar products from the same brand cost elsewhere? If a no-name earbuds brand has an MRP of ₹4,999 and everything comparable sells for ₹800–1,200, the MRP is fiction and so is the "80% off."
• Price history: Amazon and Flipkart don't show price history natively, but browser extensions and price-tracker sites do. If the "sale price" is the same number the product has carried for the last two months, there is no sale — only a banner.
• Cross-platform comparison: Open the same product (or a close equivalent) on a second store before buying. If Amazon's "sale price" is higher than Flipkart's everyday price, the discount is theatre.
• Seller and rating check: A steep discount from an unrated or newly listed seller carries more risk than the same discount from a store with a long review history. Check who is fulfilling the order, not just who is selling it.
• Bank-offer fine print: "Extra 10% off with HDFC cards" often applies only above a minimum order value, only on select cards, or as a statement credit weeks later — not an instant price cut. Read the terms before you count it as savings.

What a Verified Discount Actually Looks Like

The fastest shortcut is to buy from a listing where someone has already checked the price against the product's real market rate. That's the whole point of a deals page: every listing on RichDeals' live offers carries the current price against the MRP, and drops that no longer hold up get pulled or marked expired instead of quietly sitting there with a stale badge.

Two examples from live listings show what a discount looks like when the math checks out — an accessory MRP that matches what the category actually costs, sold at a price that's genuinely lower than usual:

• Portronics Car Power 5 12W Dual-USB Fast Car Charger — ₹179 against an MRP of ₹499, a category where ₹300–500 chargers are the norm, not the exception.
• Fastrack Revibe Analog Men's Watch — ₹1,518 against an MRP of ₹3,795, in line with what Fastrack's analog range has actually retailed for.

Neither MRP is a stretch for the category, which is the tell you're looking for.

Real Discount vs. Inflated Discount: Quick Signals

Signal	Real discount	Inflated / fake discount
MRP vs. category norm	Matches what similar products cost	Wildly higher than anything comparable
Price history	Price is genuinely lower than the last 60–90 days	Same "sale price" shown for months
Cross-store price	Lower than or equal to other platforms	Higher than a competitor's regular price
Seller history	Established seller, verified ratings	New/unrated seller, no review trail
Bank offer	Applies instantly at checkout, terms are clear	Buried conditions, minimum spend, delayed credit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a big discount percentage always fake? No. Plenty of steep discounts are genuine — clearance stock, festival-sale inventory pushes, or a brand genuinely cutting margin to win a sale event. The percentage alone just isn't proof either way; you have to check the MRP and price history behind it.

Which categories have the most inflated MRPs? Unbranded electronics accessories, fast fashion, home decor, and "gifting" items see it most, because there's no established market price to compare against. Branded appliances, laptops, and smartphones are harder to inflate since their MRPs are widely published and easy to cross-check.

Do price-tracker extensions work on Indian sites? Several support Amazon.in and Flipkart specifically, showing a price history graph on the product page itself. They're a genuinely useful five- second check before any purchase over a few thousand rupees.

Does RichDeals verify the discounts it lists? Every live listing carries the price and MRP we found at the time it was checked, and listings get pulled or flagged when a price no longer holds. Browse the current live deals and offers to see verified pricing instead of a banner percentage.

What should I do if I already bought something on a fake discount? Most Indian marketplaces have a return window (usually 7–10 days) even on sale items unless explicitly marked non-returnable. Check the return policy on the product page before the window closes — it's the fastest recourse if you realise the "discount" wasn't real.

The One-Line Takeaway

A discount percentage is a claim, not a receipt. Before you buy, check the MRP against the category, glance at the price history if the extension is already installed, and compare across at least one other store. It takes under a minute and it's the difference between an actual deal and a number someone picked to make you click faster.