618 Isn't Even Here Yet — but I've Already Fallen Into the Presale Traps For You

Yesterday a follower sent me a screenshot: she’d favorited an air fryer on an e-commerce platform. The price on April 15th was 299 yuan. The “618 pre-sale price” on April 20th was 399 yuan.

Savings? Negative 100 yuan.

This happens every 618, but I notice every year plenty of people still fall for it. Let me break down the presale trap types so you can check your cart before May’s real sales begin.

Trap one: Price hiking before the “discount”

This is the most common trick. Merchants raise prices two weeks before the big promotion, then slap on a “pre-sale exclusive price” or “big promotion estimate” tag. It looks cheaper than usual, but might actually be more expensive.

How to beat it: Use price tracking tools to check historical prices. Type “历史价格查询” in the search box and find the price trend chart for the product. Over 80% of products have verifiable lowest-price records.

Trap two: Gift shrinkage

“Buy one get one free” and “Order now and receive a 199 yuan cooking machine as a gift” — these are everywhere during big sales. But look closely: many gift items are custom models you can’t find on any e-commerce platform, making their market value impossible to verify.

How to beat it: If there’s a gift with your purchase, look up the market price of that gift first. If you can’t find it, assume it has zero value. Before buying, ask yourself: would I still want this if the gift weren’t included?

Trap three: Non-refundable deposits

Pre-sale items typically require a deposit — anywhere from tens to hundreds of yuan — with the balance due on the big sale day. Here’s the problem: if you change your mind and don’t complete the purchase, the deposit is gone.

This rule is legal, but many people don’t read the fine print carefully and only realize they can’t get their deposit back when they no longer want the item.

How to beat it: Before paying the deposit, ask yourself: “If I don’t want this by the end, can I afford to lose this money?” If the answer is no, don’t pay the deposit.

Trap four: “Only 3 left!” is often fake

Countdown timers create urgency, but some merchants use technical tricks to fake low inventory — artificial scarcity.

How to beat it: Hard to defend against completely, but here’s a universal rule: the more urgently a purchase is pushed at you, the more you should cool off. Put the item in your cart, close the page, sleep on it, and decide the next day.

One final thought from my own experience:

The real value of pre-sales isn’t “saving money” — it’s “peace of mind.” You lock in inventory so you don’t have to compete with hundreds of millions of people on the big day. But only if you actually need the thing. Not because it seems cheap.

Buy what you need. Everything else is a waste, no matter how good the deal seems.

— Su Xiaonuan, writing from Chengdu

Your turn: What are you planning to buy for 618 this year? Anyone already fallen into a trap? Comment below so everyone can learn from your experience.