Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, 27 November, and Cyber Monday on Monday, 30 November. In Serbia this is also the first Black Friday under a new rule: since 1 May 2026, the “old” price shown next to a discounted price must be the lowest price at which the seller offered the product in the previous 30 days. Raising a price in October and then advertising “50% off” in November is no longer a grey area. It is an offence.
Below you will find what the law actually says, how a shopper can check in five minutes whether a discount is real, and what a seller, especially a web shop, has to do before launching a sale.
In short: Previous price = the lowest price in the 30 days before the discount starts. Legally, Black Friday is a “promotional sale” and may last at most 31 days. A sale of up to three days may show only the percentage. “Up to 70% off” is allowed only if that discount covers at least a fifth of the range. Discounted goods bought online can be returned within 14 days like any other goods.
When is Black Friday 2026 in Serbia
Black Friday is always the Friday after American Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November. In 2026 that means:
- Black Friday: Friday, 27 November 2026.
- Cyber Monday: Monday, 30 November 2026.
In Serbia it is neither a holiday nor a date set by law. Each retailer chooses when its sale starts and how long it lasts, so “Black Week” and “Black November” are common. The law only limits the duration and how prices are displayed, as explained below.
What is new in 2026: the 30-day lowest price rule
The Act Amending the Trade Act (Official Gazette of the RS, No. 35/2026) entered into force on 1 May 2026. It added three paragraphs to Article 37 that change the meaning of every crossed-out price. In our unofficial translation:
“The previous price is the lowest price at which the trader offered the goods during the period of 30 days before the start of the price reduction, except for perishable goods and goods with a short shelf life.”
Two more rules close the obvious loopholes:
- The product has been on offer for less than 30 days: the previous price is the lowest price in a period of no less than 15 days before the reduction.
- The price is cut gradually within the same sale (for example 20%, then 30%, then 40% off): the previous price stays the lowest price in the 30 days before the *start* of the sale, not yesterday’s price.
Before 2026 the law required the discounted and the previous price to be shown, but did not say which price counts as “previous”. That made it possible to raise a price two weeks before a sale and then “discount” it. Now the lowest price counts, so raising the price before the sale does not help: the lower October price remains the reference.
Black Friday is a “promotional sale”, not a “seasonal sale”
The law distinguishes three kinds of sale at a reduced price (Article 37), and Black Friday fits only one:
| Type | When it is allowed | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Clearance sale | Closing the business, closing a shop or discontinuing certain goods | While stocks last, without restocking |
| Seasonal sale | Starts between 25 December and 10 January, or between 1 and 15 July | Up to 60 days |
| Promotional sale | Any time | Up to 31 days |
A “seasonal sale” sign at the end of November is therefore not in line with the law, and “clearance” only if the seller really stops selling those goods. Black Friday, Black Week and Black November are promotional sales. All of November is 30 days, so “Black November” fits the limit, but a sale from 15 November to 31 December does not.
One exception matters for Black Friday in particular: a sale lasting up to three days does not have to show the discounted and the previous price; a clearly stated discount percentage is enough. The percentage is still calculated from the previous price, because a promotional sale is by definition a sale below the previous price.
What every sale must state
Under Article 36, a discount offer must clearly state:
- the type of incentive (for example a promotional sale, a coupon, a gift with purchase);
- exactly which goods it covers;
- the start date and the end date;
- any special conditions (minimum basket, registered customers only, online only).
A coupon or voucher must also show who issued it and its value or discount. The words “free”, “pay for one, get two” or “two for one” may be used only if the customer pays nothing except unavoidable delivery costs.
Article 38 bans three tricks that appear every November:
- “Up to 70% off” on three items. The highest percentage may be advertised only if it applies to at least one fifth of the range. This also applies to web shops.
- Bait. Advertising a discount on goods available in such small quantities that it is obviously meant to lure you towards other goods, unless the available quantity is clearly stated.
- Fake reductions. An earlier price that was shown untruthfully, or a price that applied for a negligibly short time.
How a shopper can check whether a discount is real
The 30-day rule only helps a shopper who knows what the price used to be. Here is a five-minute check:
- Save prices now. For products you plan to buy, take dated screenshots in October and early November. That is the only evidence you will have.
- Compare the crossed-out price with your screenshot. If the crossed-out price is higher than a price you saw in the last 30 days, the discount is calculated from the wrong base.
- Check the archive. For larger shops, the Wayback Machine often has snapshots of product pages from previous weeks.
- Read the terms of the sale. The start and end dates must be stated. If they are missing, the offer is incomplete.
- Compare prices, not percentages. 40% off an inflated price and 15% off a real price can end up at the same amount.
If you find an irregularity, report it to the market inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade and attach the dated screenshots.
Discounted goods can be returned like any other goods. When you buy online you have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason, and a “sale items cannot be returned” notice does not change that. Deadlines and templates are in our guide to returning goods bought online in Serbia. If a discounted item is defective, the same complaint rules apply as for full-price goods, as explained in our guide to product complaints in Serbia.
For sellers: how to run Black Friday without an offence
The fine for an offer contrary to Articles 36 and 37, or advertising contrary to Article 38, is RSD 100,000 for a legal entity, RSD 40,000 for a sole trader and RSD 10,000 for the responsible person (Article 67). The amounts are fixed, and for a web shop with hundreds of products showing the wrong “old” price during a sale the risk is not theoretical.
Checklist before launching the sale:
- Work out the previous price for every product. The lowest price in the 30 days before the sale starts, including October promotions, product-level coupons and price changes.
- Check the duration. Up to 31 days. If you extend Black Friday into December, that is a new sale and the previous price is calculated again.
- Put the start and end dates on the banner and the sale page. “This weekend only” is not a date.
- Advertise the highest percentage only if it applies to at least 20% of the range.
- Check your terms of sale. If they say sale items cannot be returned, that clause is void and should be deleted. A template is in our guide to terms of use and terms of sale.
WooCommerce and the lowest price: where web shops get it wrong
WooCommerce shows the regular price crossed out next to the sale price. The regular price is not the same as the lowest price in the last 30 days. If you ran a promotion on the same product in October, the crossed-out price on Black Friday must be the October sale price, not the regular price.
WooCommerce has no built-in price history. There are two solutions:
- A plugin that records price history and shows “Lowest price in the last 30 days” under the price. The most used on WordPress.org are “Omnibus: show the lowest price” (more than 10,000 active installations) and “WC Price History” (more than 5,000). Both were built for the same EU directive the Serbian rule comes from.
- A manual check for a small number of products: export prices before the sale and compare them with order reports and product revision history.
An important timing detail. A plugin starts recording prices only once it is installed. If Black Week starts on 20 November, the plugin should be running from 21 October to have a full 30 days of history. If you install it later, the first days have no data and you have to check the previous price by hand.
Three more technical points before the sale:
- Scheduled sale prices. WooCommerce lets you set “from” and “to” dates for a sale price, so the price starts and stops on its own. The same dates go on the banner.
- Cart-level coupons (“20% off everything with code BF20”) do not change the product price, but Article 36 still applies to them: dates, conditions, discount amount.
- Cache. If you use page caching, clear the cache when the sale starts and ends so customers do not see the old or the sale price at the wrong time. Black Friday traffic is also a test of your site’s speed.
If you need price history, scheduled sales and a site check before the traffic peak, we handle that as part of website maintenance, and we build new shops with all of this set up from day one, see web shop development costs.
Note: This article is a practical guide, not legal advice. Quotations come from the Trade Act (Official Gazette of the RS, No. 52/2019 and 35/2026); the English wording is our unofficial translation. The legal position was checked on 12 October 2026.
FAQ: Black Friday in Serbia
When is Black Friday 2026?
On Friday, 27 November 2026. Cyber Monday is on Monday, 30 November 2026. Serbian retailers decide when their sale starts and how long it lasts, up to a maximum of 31 days.
What is the “previous price” in a sale?
The lowest price at which the trader offered the product in the 30 days before the discount started. For a product on offer for less than 30 days, the lowest price in a period of no less than 15 days. The rule applies from 1 May 2026.
Can Black Friday last all of November?
Yes, because November has 30 days and a promotional sale may last at most 31 days. A longer sale is not in line with the Trade Act.
Does the seller have to show the old price?
Yes, the previous price must be shown next to the discounted price. The exception is a sale of up to three days, where a clearly stated discount percentage is enough.
Can I return goods bought on Black Friday?
If you bought online, you have 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason, the same as for goods bought at full price. Discounted goods are not an exception.
Where do I report a fake discount?
To the market inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade. Attach dated screenshots showing the earlier and the sale price.
What is the fine for a fake discount?
Under the Trade Act, RSD 100,000 for a legal entity, RSD 40,000 for a sole trader and RSD 10,000 for the responsible person in a legal entity.
Sources: Trade Act (Official Gazette of the RS, No. 52/2019 and 35/2026), Act Amending the Trade Act, text adopted by Parliament, Paragraf: Trade Act amendments from 1 May 2026, Omnibus: show the lowest price, WC Price History.
