The truth about was-prices

What our price tracking shows about the crossed-out number on the badge.

By the SaleDrop deals desk · Updated 18 Oct 2026

Every sale leans on one number: the crossed-out "was" price next to the new one. The bigger the gap, the better the deal looks. The problem is that nobody checks whether the item ever actually sold at that "was" price.

We do. For every deal we track, we keep the highest price we have ever recorded it at and the price it held for the longest stretch. That lets us measure the saving against what the item genuinely cost, not the figure printed on the badge.

The typical sale badge across the 3,415 deals we have tracked long enough to judge is 55% off. Measured against the price the item actually holds, the median real saving is just 0% (R0). The rest of that headline is worked out from a price we have not seen the item reach.

None of this means the deals are fake. Many are genuinely low. It means the badge percentage is the wrong thing to trust. About 90% of those deals carry a was-price higher than anything we have ever recorded the item selling for, and roughly 76% save you under 10% against the price the item normally holds, whatever the sticker says. The price history is what tells the two apart.

Clear examples right now

Each of these has a was-price well above the most we have ever seen it charged.

Real 55% off claimed 81% off Weber Griddle Keep Warming Rack R145.68 usually R324.35 Amazon ↓ dropped 18 Oct

Real 58% off claimed 81% off Contrast Mini Skirt R249 usually R599 Woolworths Witchery ↓ dropped 14 Oct

Real 33% off claimed 80% off High Rise Stretch Jean Leggings R100 usually R149 Woolworths ↓ dropped 15 Oct

Real 40% off claimed 70% off Sterling Silver Anchor Bracelet R269 usually R449 American Swiss ↓ dropped 16 Oct

Real 43% off claimed 71% off Tipped Shoulder Top R399 usually R699 Woolworths Witchery

Real 40% off claimed 67% off Gold Plated Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia Two-Tone Round Cluster Bracelet R300 usually R500 Sterns ↓ dropped 15 Oct

Real 38% off claimed 64% off Lace Trim Mini Skirt R499 usually R799 Woolworths Witchery

Real 50% off claimed 70% off Yellow Gold & Sterling Silver Beaded Row Ring R800 usually R1,600 Sterns ↓ dropped 16 Oct

What to do instead

Judge today's price against what the item has actually held, not the crossed-out was-price. Look at the lowest and usual price on our chart, then decide whether today's number is genuinely good. If we have not tracked an item for long, treat it with more caution, not less, because we cannot see what it cost before we started watching. There is more on our method on the how we verify a deal page.