When are the next best sales after Black Friday?

Woman shopping online
Black Friday is behind us, but there bargains to be had at other times of the year too. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Online sales are a great chance to upgrade your gear for less. That telescope you've got your eye on could suddenly be $200 cheaper, or a better model might suddenly become affordable. Either way, it's a fantastic opportunity to make your money go further.

Black Friday week is your best chance to save big. Technically, it's the Friday after thanksgiving but, in practice, retailers kick off their Black Friday sales well before the big day. Part of our job is bringing you the best deals and, we've got to say, this Black Friday saw some amazing savings.

The best current deals

While Black Friday is behind us and Boxing Day is yet to arrive, there are still some deals to be had. Below are the best deals on telescopes, cameras and binoculars.

Celestron NexStar 8SE
Best telescope deal
Save $200
Celestron NexStar 8SE: was $1,699 now $1,499 at Amazon

Save $200 on one of the best telescopes. It'll give you excellent views of everything from nearby planets to deep space nebula. And, thanks to its motorized features, you can jump to any object with just a few button presses.

Canon 10 x 42L IS WP
Best binocular deal
Save $455
Canon 10 x 42L IS WP: was $1,699 now $1,244 at Newegg

Save over $450 on these Canon 10x42L IS WP binos, which we rank as the best overall binoculars. Thanks to their image stabilization features, you can enjoy shake-free stargazing which, coupled with their excellent image quality, makes them a steal at this price.

Canon EOS R7
Best camera deal
Save $300
Canon EOS R7: was $1,649 now $1,349 at Amazon

Save $300 on this Canon EOS R7 camera body, which we think is the best camera for beginners. It boasts superb autofocus, 4K video capabilities, a 34.4MP sensor and it'll handle almost anything, from astrophotography to vlogging.

Boxing day sales

A man using binoculars and a telescope to view the sky. The sky is orange and purple, with the picture framed by trees and bushes.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The answer, surprisingly enough, is that Boxing Day sales are the next best sales after Black Friday. As the day after Christmas, this year's Boxing Day falls on Friday December 26, when you can expect to see some major price drops.

However, compared to Black Friday, when companies offer discounts on a wide range of products, Boxing Day sales tend to be a little different. Many of the discounts are on clearance products, items that the retailer wants to get rid of, in time for new stock to come in.

Granted, telescopes and drones are less seasonal than, say, winter coats, but retailers will still want more space for new models and new product lines. The good news is that unlike phones, that can have their operating systems become obsolete, telescopes, drones and the like don't automatically become less useful.

So, if you're looking for a great deal, and you've missed out on Black Friday, Friday December 26's Boxing Day sale is the one to watch out for. You can expect some deals to run until January 1st.

January clearance

However, while the Boxing Day sales are often used by retailers to get rid of older lines, that doesn't mean they just stop in January. In fact, you can expect further discounts to continue into the new year, whenever a company releases a product that supersedes an old model.

For example, when the DJI Mini 3 launched, we started seeing retailers offer discounts on the DJI Mini 2. And the Sony A7R IV mirrorless camera is currently discounted at Walmart, having been succeeded by the Sony A7R V. The Sony A7R VI is also rumoured to get a 2026 release, which could result in a price drop for the Sony A7R V.

We keep our eyes open for any deals, so it's also a good idea to regularly check in with us if you're after a bargain next year.

Prime Day

A silhouetted telescope with the backdrop of a night sky.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After the Boxing Day/New Year sales, the next big sale will be Amazon's Prime Day sale which, despite the name, lasts several days. This annual event, open to Amazon Prime members, ran from July 8-11 in 2025. We expect this year's to also take place early to mid-July. We also wouldn't be surprised if, this year, Amazon had Prime Day last a full calendar week.

And, while it didn't quite hit the highs of Black Friday, there were some great deals for Prime Day this year. For example, we saw these Nikon Prostaff P3 10x42 binoculars drop to $100, only three dollars more than they were on Black Friday. Walmart also slashed the price of this Fujifilm X-T5 by nearly $500.

Hang on.. Walmart? That's right, because while Prime Day is Amazon's event, other retailers often either try to match their prices or offer their own discounts. Even the retailers that aren't officially competing, or won't admit to it, tend to kick off their own summer sales or back-to-school sales around this time.

Prime Big Deal Days

Prime Big Deal Days is another Amazon sales event, which has been running since 2022. In 2025, it took place on October 7 and 8 and Amazon has already confirmed it'll be back for 2026. From our experience, there are good deals to be had, but it doesn't quite beat Prime Day, Black Friday or Boxing Day in terms of discounts.

Chris McMullen
Contributing Writer

Chris is a freelance journalist who, aside from covering games and gaming-related tech, has a taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic. As well as Space.com, you can find his work at The Escapist, GameSpew (where he’s the morning news writer) and more. You can follow him on Twitter @MarmaladeBus.

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