Does Sterns have genuine sales, or is the discount off an inflated price?

It varies by item, and the gap can be wide. Across the 272 Sterns deals we have tracked long enough to judge, the typical badge is 50% off, but measured against the price the item actually holds, the median real saving is R200 (25%). The rest of that percentage is calculated off a was-price we have not seen the item reach. We show both numbers on every deal so the badge does not do the deciding.

What is the biggest genuine Sterns price drop SaleDrop has recorded?

Right now the deepest genuine Sterns saving we are showing is 50% below the usual price: Sterling Silver Square Tube Hoop Earrings, now R449 against the R899 it usually sells at. That is measured off the price the item genuinely held, not the advertised was-price.

How many Sterns deals is SaleDrop tracking right now?

We are tracking 272 Sterns deals at 50% or more off, priced from R50 to R49,999, up to 80% off. Of those, 272 have enough recorded history for us to judge the saving, and 260 are at the lowest price we have on record.

How do I know if a Sterns deal is actually a good price?

Ignore the percentage badge and look at two figures we record: the lowest price we have ever seen the item at, and the price it usually holds. If the current price is at or near that recorded low and clearly below the usual price, the saving is real. Our method is on the how-we-verify page.

Sterns sale, checked

Sterns sells jewellery and watches. Here is how its sales behave while we watch the prices, and every live deal it is running at 50% or more off.

272 deals live272 with judgeable history260 at a recorded lowbadge says 50%, typical real saving 25%

How Sterns sales really work

Sterns is a jewellery and watch retailer in the same group as American Swiss, and the same rule applies: the headline discount means little until you have seen what the piece actually sold for. Jewellery markups are wide, so the badge percentage and the genuine saving can be very different numbers.

Our price history is the check. We show the lowest and the usual price next to each deal and flag was-prices that sit above anything we have recorded, so a sparkly percentage does not do the deciding for you.

Treat percentage badges on jewellery as marketing until the recorded history backs them up.
Branded watches discount more honestly than house-brand fashion pieces.
Look for a recorded low that has held, not a fresh deep markdown.