The most frequently asked question in early November is: “When do the Canon Black Friday deals start?”. We’ve been watching Canon prices for over nine years, and find that Canon holiday deals usually follow a pattern. Canon deals don’t start on a particular day, but instead build-up over the course of several months (reaching a peak during Thanksgiving week). We lay out the schedule below. Disclaimer: the below is based on analyzing the history and is what happens in a typical year, but of course Canon or dealers can choose to change it up, at their discretion!
October: Most items have already been fully discounted.
It may surprise you that most Canon items have already been discounted to the lowest prices of the season. (This excludes the popular “marquee” items, more details on that below.) For many lenses and cameras, Canon already started instant rebates of up to $300 off on October 24th. For most items, especially non-popular items (e.g. 17-40L or EF 50L), we don’t expect to see a further discount this year.
Week Before: Marquee items will get a new rebate on November 24th.
Canon traditionally starts their Black Friday deals one week early. This year won’t be an exception, with a new Canon instant rebate period beginning on Sunday, November 24th. Most items will just carry over the same discount (see above), but a few “marquee” items will see an additional discount of perhaps $100, or a free accessory.
For example, 2018’s week-before-Black-Friday rebates saw price drops on the EF 100-400mm II, 24-70mm II, and 16-35mm III, and the inclusion of a free battery grip on the 5D Mark IV and 6D Mark II. We don’t yet know what this year has in-store.
Week Of: Dealers will get into the mix, with free bundles or via street price.
There’s no fixed schedule for when it’ll show up, but we’ll be on the look-out for a hot bundle from the big players. Last year, Adorama and B&H added a free printer, which ended up as a $350 after-rebate savings. These deals are short-lived, last year’s lasted 24 hours, and it did NOT come back. Typically these deals start well before Black Friday and are gobbled up before the turkey hits the dining table. Don’t make the first-time reader mistake of waiting for Black Friday. Jump when you see the hot bundle deals — buy first and think later!
Our street price dealers will also get into the mix, a few items may be discounted further the week before or during Thanksgiving. We don’t know yet what is up-coming, but in the past we’ve had special bundles or pricing. These are also very limited quantity, so don’t miss out.
Week Of: Watch for Refurbished or Used Sales
Last year’s Canon refurbished sale was a bust, but expect them to run something during the Thanksgiving week. (The better refurb clearance sale unexpected showed up near Christmas Eve.)
Used dealer KEH already started a 12%-off pre-Black Friday sale. Take advantage of it now. We should see a similar discount again on Black Friday, but by then most items will have been purchased. MPB may also get into the game with a rare discount.
Day Of: Canon Black Friday is Typically Canon Blah Friday
Don’t expect any deals on the actual day of Black Friday — unless you’re looking for entry-level items. Rebels and older xxD series will be heavily discounted (and prominently featured as doorbusters in retail shops for the physical sales). Online, there should be some nice offerings on memory cards, accessories, software, and other assorted miscellany. For example, look at Amazon 2018 Black Friday Deals Week or B&H’s 2018 deals. If you’re waiting until the actual day of to start shopping, well, you’ve waited too long.
Today: Don’t Miss Any Black Friday Deals
The best way to not miss out on the Canon Black Friday deals is to subscribe. We are posting 3-4 times a day during the holiday season, and many deals can sell out in hours. You can subscribe and get notified as soon as we post — by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, or via our RSS feed. Happy deal hunting, Thanksgiving deal season is now open!
Yeah, Canon has a very finicky clearance strategy. I just picked up a refurb Canon 85mm 1.8 for $238 last week. The deal is still live. I just happened to visit their site on a whim and check prices on a few lenses I try to keep an eye on. Even though I’m signed up for emailed updates through their site, I never get an email from them. If you want to buy something from them, the only way is by literally checking every couple of days, and supplies can be very limited. I’ve had items in my cart, filled out my info and clicked to order, only to be informed they were now out of stock.
If you miss the Black Friday/Christmas sales, don’t panic. In March/April, Canon runs a “friends and family” sale of 15%, which applies to most items, including most refurb items. If you miss that, there’s also a sale on select items mid-summer.
You can also signup to get notified by our site whenever a refurb item goes in-stock. Our notifications are automated and happen within minutes of the Canon store stocking an item. https://www.cpricewatch.com/blog/get-notified/#q3
This is what I do! Best and fastest way to get notified.
This is precisely the information I need at this moment. Thanks, CPW! Keep us posted. 😀
I want to purchase the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 because of the crazy deal it is on ($549), but I’d rather wait until BF to see if anything bundle-wise comes around to sweeten the deal. However, is there a risk that the price will increase back to $849 when the next instant rebate period rolls around on November 24? If so, I’d rather just purchase now.
Thanks for all the helpful info!
We’re not expecting the price of the 17-55mm to change (increase or drop) on Nov 24, and given the price point of this lens I think a significantly better bundle deal is very unlikely. Adorama has a pretty nice bundle right now including a bunch of free stuff for $549: https://www.cpricewatch.com/go/Adorama/EF-S-17-55mm-f2.8-IS-USM/p=40&m=6&s=ca1755unk
Thanks for the help!
How long are the blackfriday/cyber monday deals supposed to last? I am eying the 24-70 2.8 mark ii going for 1600
We’re expecting them to last through December, but retailers may have stock issues near the end of the year.
Please check out our street price of $1499 for that lens.