America’s Black Friday sales have become a global event thanks to online shopping and Australian buyers are among the most eager when it comes to finding a US bargain.

Black Friday marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US with retailers enticing consumers into stores with heavy discounts for one day only.

The sales bonanza is on November 25 (or 2.00pm Saturday AEST), the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the US, but some Australian retailers are using the event to offer deals to local consumers.

If you are looking for a bargain, the internet will be full of opportunities for the canny shopper – and American retail heavyweights are the best place to start.

Sites such as Amazon and eBay have been favourites for Australians looking for a deal, offering up discounts on big-ticket items.

Apple is saying Friday “can’t come soon enough“. Macy’s, Sea Folly, Asos, Nike, Urban Outfitters and Patagonia are just a few of the other major brands promising deals for Australian shoppers.

To find Australia’s top Black Friday deals, websites such as Finder and Cuponation list the country’s best discounts.

eBay’s Black Friday sales advertisement. Photo: eBay

Buyer beware

But before the rush to compete with Americans for cheap TVs and Disney toys, one expert has a word of warning for Australian consumers.

Deakin University marketing lecturer Michael Callaghan says buyers should pay attention to the fine print.

“There’s all sort of regulations with telecommunications and electrical equipment, and you might get a very good deal online but it turns out it’s not usable or it’s illegal when you get it in the country,” Mr Callaghan said.

In a bid to keep online sales in Australia, homegrown sites are piggybacking off the shopping holiday with virtually every Australian retailer competing under the Black Friday brand.

“Black Friday is being used as a brand to attract consumers that would have been buying overseas,” Mr Callaghan said.

“If you’re a retailer and you’re not looking at your calendar with a view to have some sort of sale special for this period, then you are going to fall behind your competitors.”

Black Friday is the biggest sale in the US. Photo: Getty

Why Black Friday sales?

The term Black Friday was coined by the Philadelphia Police Department to describe the chaos from the crowds of people and traffic that surfaced on the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of sales.

It originated as a regular event in the United States in the 1960s, but has quickly become a pre-Christmas sales bonanza for international online consumers.

Shoppers line up for hours to be get the best deal on Black Friday. Photo: Getty

And according to Mr Callaghan, Australian consumers are some of the most savvy consumers in the world and have been stealing away bargains from US retailers for years.

“The phenomenon started with innovative consumers that were looking for the best deals around three to five years ago, when a lot of Australians started buying on Amazon.com and few other overseas sites offering Black Friday deals,” he said.

“Australians are very savvy consumers and I think it was Australians that largely started buying at Black Friday sales overseas because they knew the value of a good deal.”

Other discount dates

The dates you need to remember when shopping online before Christmas.

Retailers found that as Black Friday became a multi-media event, they weren’t getting the sales they wanted in the one-day affair.

What followed was the creation of three more discount dates to take advantage of prior to Christmas – starting with Cyber Monday.

Mr Callaghan said the pre-Christmas sales were more logical for consumers, allowing them to buy before the holiday than wait for Australia’s traditional in-store Boxing Day sales.

Another important date:  July 1, 2017

The government announced in this year’s federal budget that it will start charging goods and service tax (GST) on foreign businesses that sell in Australia online.

Currently, the GST only applies to online purchases worth more than $1000.

From July 1, 2017, the Australian Tax Office will (attempt to) apply the 10 per cent consumer tax to all online sellers with annual turnover of $75,000 or more.

This is a tax regulation, so there is no need for the government to pass any legislation to make it happen. There’s no change the Senate can block it.

So, perhaps another reason to get in early, before prices rise?