Black Friday sales are now live. You don't have to feel disappointed being in India, you can grab some great products at big discounts sitting at home. This year you can get the Samsung 840 EVO SSDs, Pebble smartwatches, Amazon Fire Phone, Kindle ebook readers, and a lot more at a good discount. Don't miss our pro-tips with select products.
(Also see: Black Friday Deals: 10 International Websites That Ship Goods to India)
1. Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
Amazon is selling the Samsung 840 EVO SSDs at a discount. The best part about the deal is that it's not on their Lightning Deals sale, so you can probably grab it till stocks last, or when the pricing goes back to normal after the weekend. You can grab the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for $350, which would translate into around Rs.25,000 including shipping and custom duties. Amazon will ship this directly to India, and you can pick faster delivery options during checkout. Adding an SSD to your existing, or new system is a sure shot way of increasing overall user experience. The same SSD sells for around Rs. 37,500 on Amazon, and much higher at other Indian online retailers.
Pro tip: While you're buying from Amazon US, make sure you convert the currency to US Dollar. By default it will show up in Indian Rupees which has a slightly higher conversion rate since it is decided by Amazon itself. Converting to US will ensure you get a slightly better conversion rate, depending on your credit card provider.
Price: Rs. 25,000 (approximate after custom duties and shipping fees)
Link: Amazon
2. Amazon Fire Phone
Amazon has reduced the price of its Fire Phone down to just $199 (previously $449) for the unlocked version. That's a massive price drop. No doubt a new Fire Phone may be on its way next year, but at this price it seems like a steal. To buy the Fire Phone from India, you'll need to use a service that ships items from US to India, like Shop and Ship or Borderlinx. The Fire Phone will eventually cost you around Rs.15,000 including custom duties and shipping.
The Fire Phone is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, supported by 2GB of RAM. The smartphone features 4.7-inch HD display, and a 13MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation. The phone comes with certain Amazon-exclusive features which are limited to just US as of now, but you could use most of them except for the e-commerce store integration. The purchase ships with a free 1-year Prime subscription, Amazon's loyalty program in the US. It offers free shipping, and other benefits, in case you regularly shop from Amazon US.
Price: Rs. 15,000 (including shipping and custom duties)
Link: Amazon
(Also see: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales: How to Order From the US)
3. Pebble Smartwatches at a discount!
Pebble has reduced prices for its Steel and regular smartwatch as a part of its Black Friday promotions. You can now grab a Pebble Steel for just $149 (regular $199) or the regular Pebble smartwatch for $79 (regular $99). Both these smartwatches are capable of pairing up with your smartphone using an app. You can track your fitness metrics, receive notifications directly from your phone on your wrist, control your music, and these smartwatches include a battery that can last days. You can extend the functionality using a number of easily accessible apps.
Pro tip: Pebble directly ships its smartwatches to India, and other countries as well. The free shipping option may seem attractive, but that means India Post will handle your package once it arrives in India. The only downside of that is the extremely slow handling of international packages. For just $25, you can pick DHL to ship the package. Also take into account that custom duties for watches is still a bit on the higher side of things in India.
Price: $149 for Pebble Steel, $79 for Pebble smartwatch (doesn't include shipping and duties)
Link: Pebble
4. Kindle e-readers and tablets at a discount
Amazon is selling its Kindle e-readers and tablets at a discount on Black Friday. The all-new Kindle e-reader with touchscreen support is now available at an all-time low price of just $49 (regular $79), the Kindle Paperwhite is selling at just $99 (regular $199), and the Kindle Fire HD6 is available for $79 (regular $99), and the bigger variant Kindle Fire HD7 is at $109 (regular $139). The only drawback of this otherwise amazing promotional pricing is that it won't be shipped directly to India. You'll need to use services which ship products directly to India from US. But if you have relatives who're just coming over for the holiday season, this is a don't-miss-it deal. Even if you import this manually using another service, it'll still be a great price.
Price: Starting from $79
Link: Amazon
5. $100 iTunes gift cards for $75 with e-mail delivery
If you have a US iTunes account, there's good news. PayPal is selling iTunes gift cards worth $100 for just $75. You can get these gift card codes delivered directly via e-mail. Gift cards can be used to buy apps on iOS and Mac App Stores. You can even use them on the iBooks Store, if you're using a US iTunes account already, and the iTunes music store. The store codes are really easy to redeem. The offer is valid only till around 8 am on November 29, so hurry!
Price: $75 (regular $100)
Link: eBay US
6. Amazon's Lightning Deals for Black Friday
Amazon is going to run a large set of Lightning Deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These deals will be in the intervals of 10 minutes each, and Prime members will have an early access to each deal. These Lightning Deals have limited set of products at a special price. You can find out what's lined up for the day on the Amazon Goldbox page. To claim a deal, you have to click the Add to Cart button, and checkout within the specific time which is typically 10-15 minutes. In case you spot a great deal, but it seems "100% claimed", join the waitlist and wait for a few minutes. Sometimes people don't end up paying for a deal they claimed, and you can get a chance to grab the product.
Pro tip: How to spot a great deal?
You may come across several deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon Lightning Deals, as well as other sites - but how do you ensure it's worth it? Calculate the overall price of the product including shipping and custom duties, and then compare it to the one in India. For products with deep discounts you'll find them to appear cheaper in US than in India, but do take into account the actual import duties involved in getting the product here. Also, refrain from ordering any heavy items like big-screen TVs, and others, since shipping cost will be much higher due to the weight. To calculate import duties, simply search the Web for "custom duties for product" replacing product with the category (example: laptop, smartwatch, etc.). The first few results will give you a good idea of what to expect. Import duties are never consistent, and depend on the port of entry, and the invoice shared with the Customs officials in India.
Link: Amazon Lightning Deals for Black Friday
(Also see: Black Friday Deals: Four Websites That Offer Free Shipping to India)
7. Misfit Flash
The no-nonsense fitness tracking device Misfit Flash is now available for $24.99 (regular $49.99) as a part of Black Friday promotions. The Misfit Flash can measure physical activity, and sleep cycle. It can be paired with a smartphone, and comes in a number of color options. There's no display on the fitness band, but there are tiny lights around the device that indicate progress towards a daily activity goal to keep you going. The best part - you never need to charge the device. It doesn't directly ship to India, so you'll need to use an external service to get it shipped to India.
Price: $24.99 (regular $49.99)
Link: Misfit Store
8. Fitbit Charge
Amazon has discounted the Fitbit Charge fitness tracker down to $99 for today. The latest fitness tracker from Fitbit comes with a display, that can also be used to show call notifications when hooked wirelessly to a smartphone. Amazon can directly ship the fitness band to India. The overall cost comes out to be around $136 including import fees and shipping costs. That's a great price for the fitness tracker, normally this sets you back by around $179 including all taxes and shipping. The deal is valid on a limited quantity, and only for today. Don't miss it.
Price $99
Link: Amazon
Also see:
Black Friday Deals: 10 Games for Your Smartphone, Tablet, and Computer
Black Friday Deals: 10 Great App Deals for Android and iOS
Black Friday Deals: 10 Paid iOS, Android Apps Gone Free
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