Are Those Snowboard Boot Discounts Real?

You see "50% OFF" plastered across that snowboarding shoes sale banner and your heart races. Finally, you can afford those boots you've been eyeing. 

But here's what retailers won't tell you: many of those "massive discounts" are complete fiction. 

Stores jack up prices weeks before the sale, then slash them back to normal and call it a deal. You're not saving money—you're just paying what the boots actually cost.

What's the Actual Trick Retailers Use?

The scam is simpler than you think. A retailer lists snowboard boots at $400 for a few weeks. Nobody buys them at that price because it's inflated. 

Then Black Friday hits and suddenly they're "60% off" at $160. You think you're getting $240 off, but those boots were never worth $400 to begin with.

This practice is so common that the Federal Trade Commission has specific rules against it. 

The original price has to be genuine—meaning the product was actually sold at that price for a reasonable amount of time. But enforcement is spotty, and online retailers especially push the boundaries.

A 2019 study by consumer protection groups found that nearly 40% of Black Friday deals were cheaper at other times of the year. 

For winter sports equipment specifically, the pattern gets worse. Retailers know you're desperate to buy before the season starts, so they manipulate urgency and pricing together.

How Can You Check What Boots Actually Cost?

You need price tracking tools. These browser extensions and websites monitor how much products cost over time. They'll show you a graph of price changes over the past 3, 6, or 12 months.

When you look at a snowboard boot listing, install one of these trackers and check the history. 

If the price suddenly jumped from $180 to $350 two weeks ago, and now it's "on sale" for $200, you're looking at a fake discount. The real price was always around $180-$200.

The best time to check price history is at least 90 days before a major sale event. This gives you a baseline. Screenshot the prices you see in September or October. 

When November sales hit, compare them to your screenshots. You'll be shocked how many "deals" are actually price increases.

Some tracking tools also show you the lowest price that product has ever been sold for. If the current "sale price" is still 30% higher than the historical low, you're not getting the best deal possible.

Red Flags of Fake Discounts	What It Looks Like	What It Means
Recent price spike	Price doubled 2-3 weeks before sale	Artificial inflation before "discount"
Higher than historical low	"Sale" price is 20-40% above past lows	Not actually the best deal
Constant "sales"	Every time you check, there's a discount	The sale price is probably the real price
Vague original price	"Compare at $X" instead of "Was $X"	They might never have sold it at that price

What About Those Pre-Season and End-of-Season Sales?

Here's where timing actually matters. Real discounts happen when retailers need to clear inventory. For snowboard boots, that's typically late February through April when the season is ending.

Pre-season sales in September and October are usually fake. Retailers are building hype for the upcoming season. 

They want full price, not discounts. Any "early bird special" you see is probably just regular pricing with marketing spin.

End-of-season clearance is where genuine discounts live. Shops need to make room for next year's models. 

They'll actually cut prices—sometimes by 40-60% off the real price, not some made-up original price. But you're buying last year's model and you're gambling on sizes still being available.

The catch is selection. By March, popular sizes in popular models are gone. You might save $150 on boots, but they might not fit perfectly or be the exact style you wanted. That's the trade-off.

How Do You Spot Genuinely Good Snowboarding Shoes Sale Events?

Start tracking prices in August or early September. Make a spreadsheet with the boots you're interested in and their current prices. Check back weekly. Watch for patterns.

A genuine sale shows gradual price reduction or a sudden drop that makes sense with the calendar. 

If boots go from $220 to $165 in late February, that's probably real. If they go from $180 to $320 to "$160 on sale!" in three weeks during November, that's manipulation.

Also compare across multiple retailers. If five different shops all sell the same boot for $190-$210, but one shop claims it's "regularly $400, now $180," you know that $400 price is nonsense. The market rate is clearly around $200.

Check the manufacturer's suggested retail price too. Boot companies publish MSRPs on their websites. If a retailer's "original price" is higher than the MSRP, they're lying. You can't have an original price that's above what the manufacturer charges.

What Tools Actually Work for Price Tracking?

Browser extensions exist specifically for this. They sit in your browser and automatically check prices whenever you visit a product page. You'll see a small graph showing price history right there on the page.

These tools pull data from their databases of historical prices across millions of products. The more popular the product, the more accurate the data. For snowboard boots from major manufacturers, the data is usually solid.

Some tools also send you alerts. You set a target price—say, $150 for a specific boot model—and the tool emails you when that price hits. This works great if you're not in a rush and can wait for the actual best deal.

The downside is these tools don't catch everything. Smaller retailers or newer products might not have much price history. 

And some retailers block these tools from accessing their sites. But for mainstream snowboard equipment, they're accurate enough to save you money.

Should You Ever Trust Percentage-Off Claims?

Treat percentage claims with suspicion. "60% off" sounds incredible, but it's meaningless without knowing what the original price actually was.

Focus on the final price instead. If boots cost $175 after discount, ask yourself: is $175 a fair price for these boots based on everything I've researched? Ignore the percentage. Ignore the original price. Just evaluate the actual number you'd pay.

Compare that final price to competitor prices, historical prices, and the manufacturer's MSRP. If $175 is genuinely lower than what you've seen elsewhere and lower than the 90-day average, then yes, it's probably a decent deal. The percentage doesn't matter.

What's Your Move Before Clicking Buy?

You've found boots you want during a snowboarding shoes sale. Before you buy, spend five more minutes. Pull up your price tracking tool and check the 6-month history. 

Compare the current price to at least two other major retailers. Verify it's at or below the manufacturer's MSRP.

If all three checks pass, you've probably found a real discount. If even one fails, wait. The boots will go on sale again, or you'll find them cheaper elsewhere. There's always another sale, but there's no undoing an overpriced purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a snowboarding shoes sale is fake?

Answer: Check the price history. If the price was artificially raised a few weeks before the sale and then “discounted,” it’s fake. Tools will show if the boots were never actually sold at the so-called “original price.”

When are the best months to get real discounts on snowboard boots?

Answer: Late February to April. That’s when retailers clear out old inventory, leading to genuine 40–60% off deals—not fake inflated discounts.

Are pre-season sales in September/October legit?

Answer: Usually no. Pre-season “deals” are often just regular prices dressed up as discounts because retailers know the buying season is starting and want full-price sales.

What price-checking steps should I take before buying?

Answer: Do three checks:

1. Look at 6–12 month price history using a tracker.

2. Compare with at least two other retailers.

3. Make sure the sale price is at or below MSRP. If all three check out, the deal is likely real.

Should I trust “50% off” or “60% off” sale claims?

Answer: No—ignore percentages. Focus only on the final price and compare it to the product’s typical market price and historical lows. Discounts mean nothing if the base price was made up.