The summer sale is in full swing and many are looking for a cape.

But it is important to be on your guard, so that the offer is actually as good as it seems.

Statistics from the price comparison site Prisjakt show that many stores' sale offers can look like a better deal than they really are.

Last 30 days

From the first of September, new rules apply regarding how an offer on sale is to be presented.

Instead of comparing with the most recent price, the lowest price for the last 30 days should be displayed.

In this way, stores can no longer raise the price just before the sale begins and thus strengthen the discount percentage.

- More than every third offer on our site right now has a high risk of becoming illegal from the first of September, says Carl Lindholm, PR manager at Prisjakt.

False sales

The discussion about false sales has intensified in recent years, according to Carl Lindholm.

He believes that the trend towards more online shopping, where stores adjust their prices very often, may be behind it.

- Stores change prices millions of times a day nowadays.

This has contributed to some stores unknowingly making mistakes.

There are also stores that deliberately make mistakes.

When the competition has become tougher, they have had to resort to foul tricks, he says.

Less responsibility for the consumer

According to market competitor Pricerunner, the bill will make a difference for the consumer in two main ways: the consumer needs to take less individual responsibility to check pricing and the realism may decrease.

The law also puts more pressure on how traders collect customer reviews and limits the possibility of false customer reviews - the most important assessment before a purchase according to Pricerunner.

How will the law affect consumption during the sales periods in the future? 

- One of our customer surveys showed that half of all consumers do not trust that price reductions are actually true during sales, so this law could have a positive effect on consumption and that fewer people feel cheated, says Evelina Galli, Technology & Consumer Expert at PriceRunner. 

See examples of how the stores' pricing works in the player above.