It might seem like we're still a ways away from Boxing Day sales in New Zealand, but the most wonderful time of the year is in full swing and December 26 will be here before you know it. If you still need help thinking of Christmas gift ideas, we've got you covered. As for when Boxing Day deals start, Amazon's Boxing Day sale kicked off on December 22 in 2023, so we expect to see a similar drop this year.
We're blessed with a whole heap of special sales periods these days. We're in the middle of Christmas and its month of lead-up deals, then there's Black Friday and Cyber Monday, EOFY, mid-year sales and Easter, plus retailer-specific deal days like Amazon Prime Day, which now happens twice a year. You might think that diminishes what we'll see on Boxing Day in 2024, but if Black Friday was anything to go by, you can expect all-time low prices on top-tier tech.
While they keep us busy, our experience with the above sales and previous Boxing Day sales make us qualified to advise you on how to make the most of Boxing Day this year, and what deals to look out for. As well, of course, as what deals are actually worth buying once we get closer to the big day. Like other big sales periods, Boxing Day is a great time to grab big-ticket items like TVs, tablets and laptops, that you wouldn't necessarily buy for someone at Christmas – though if mum is getting a 65-inch OLED TV this year, go you.
While early sales will appear masked as Christmas deals – the best Boxing Day deals will land a day late if you're looking to save on presents. If you can wait, though, we saw epic prices on many of the best stick vacuums, tablets, laptops, phones and coffee machines during last years Boxing Day sales, and we expect more of the same in 2024.
Today's best Boxing Day sales in New Zealand
- Amazon | tech and electronics, books, clothes, games, subscriptions and more
- Andoo | kitchen appliances, small appliances, TVs, Audio and heating
- Apple | iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, Apple TV 4K, AirPods and more
- Bose | premium audio – headphones, earbuds, soundbars and more
- Dell NZ | PCs, laptops, tablets, monitors, accessories and more
- HP | laptops, desktops, monitors, printers and more
- Lenovo NZ | Motorola Razr and Edge smartphones, laptops, 2-in-1's, and PCs
- MobileStation | all your tech needs, including refurbished phones
- Noel Leeming | all your tech and appliance needs
- PB Tech | phones, computers, laptops, headphones, PC parts and more
- Razer | all things gaming and PC peripherals
- Samsung NZ | Galaxy phones, smartwatches and tablets + appliances and TVs
- Secretlab NZ | ergonomic gaming and office chairs for long-lasting comfort
Early Boxing Day deals in New Zealand
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: key information
When do Boxing Day sales start?
Boxing Day is always on December 26 – the day right after Christmas – and the Boxing Day sales traditionally also started on this date. But in the last few years, some retailers have launched their Boxing Day deals a few days before the official date, and then kept them running through to New Years Eve. We've even seen some roll into New Year sales.
There's going to be deals all throughout December, and whether they're marked as 'Early Boxing Day sales' or Christmas sales, they'll be worth keeping an eye on. While the deals are likely to see the best prices come December 26, it's likely not going to be that dramatic a change depending on the deal. So, if you're desperate to nab something before Christmas, it might not be worth the wait. However, if the lowest prices are what you're after, Boxing Day proper is when you'll want to shop.
How long do Boxing Day sales last?
Boxing Day sales are a weird one to answer, as they come directly off the back of Christmas, so it can be hard to differentiate. However, if you're working off the premise that Boxing Day sales start on December 26, how long they last is still retailer-specific. While some stores will continue offering their Boxing Day deals until the end of the year, others will offer 24 hours of awesome deals, and wrap them up at midnight on December 26.
That being said, some retailers will let their Boxing Day deals run until they morph into early January and New Year sales from December 27. Do note that the deals available in early January are unlikely to be the exact same as what will be available on Boxing Day – December 26 will likely offer the best prices.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
The exact origin of Boxing Day is disputed, but it’s generally accepted to have begun from a British tradition of charitable giving on the day after Christmas, December 26. The Oxford English Dictionary dates its first usage to the mid 1700s, and around this time, Boxing Day was marked by the gifting of Christmas boxes to service people from their wealthy employers.
These days, Boxing Day is a very different affair that’s closely associated with sport, shopping and eating leftovers from Christmas lunch. In New Zealand and some Commonwealth countries, Boxing Day sales are the last major shopping event of the year, as retailers look to shift older stock to make way for newer models. In recent years however, the American shopping import of Black Friday sales has become bigger than Boxing Day.
What countries celebrate Boxing Day?
Originating in the United Kingdom, Boxing Day is a holiday that is specific to countries that are members of the Commonwealth. However, not every country celebrates the same. For example, in Australia, Boxing Day is a public holiday – as it is in New Zealand – in all states except South Australia, where Proclamation Day is celebrated on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday instead.
The countries that celebrate Boxing Day are as follows:
Australia, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Germany, Greenland, Hong Kong Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and United Kingdom.
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: our predictions
The Boxing Day sales are a good opportunity for retailers to clear out older stock, which means it’s a fantastic time for shoppers to find a bargain. While we might not see discounts on the latest models, December 26 is still likely to bring savings on items that appear in our best-of guides.
TV deals
Boxing Day sales are a good time to pick up a discounted TV. TheMarket, Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming and PB Tech could be the retailers to watch, and there’s a decent chance that they will also price match each other. If this is the case, check if TheMarket is offering a discount coupon code – you’ll get a little extra off this way.
The Boxing Day sales have traditionally been a good time to pick up the latest releases from the year – think stunning OLEDs or QLED displays. The newest features tend to trickle down to the cheaper models too, so if you're looking for something a bit more affordable, then you should be well catered for.
We think the best TV you can buy right now is the Samsung S90C (pictured above) and we’re hoping it gets a discount on Boxing Day. While we did see some tasty discounts during Black Friday in November, we expect Black Friday to offer further price-cuts.
Computing and laptop deals
While Black Friday is typically thought of as the best time of year to pick up a discounted laptop or PC, we definitely wouldn’t rule out Boxing Day as a close contender. Leading retailers will absolutely be looking to compete on everything from basic Chromebooks to lavish gaming laptops – and not just to shift old stock either.
We expect manufacturers such as HP and Lenovo to offer competitive deals on their websites, while Amazon Australia and PB Tech are top retailers to watch.
So what laptops should you look out for? Well, we saw a heap of deals on all kind of MacBooks during Black Friday, with even the newest 2024 M4-powered MacBook Pro getting in on the action with 10% off. While we expect Apple's entire range of tech to see some discounts across retailers, we also hope to see the first real sales on newer tech like the M4 Mac Mini.
Lenovo and HP are also key retailers to watch for come Boxing Day. During Black Friday, we saw discounts of up to 45% at both laptop-manufacturing giants. These massive deals saw shoppers save thousands on tech like the IdeaPad 5 2-in-1, HP 17.3-inch , Yoga 7i 2-in-1, HP Envy x360 and Legion Pro 5i laptops. We expect much of the same, if not better, come Boxing Day.
Headphones, phones and tablets
The Black Friday sales period delivered some incredible headphone deals, and we were blown away by the variety on offer. Whether you prefer earbuds or over-ear cans, Black Friday had you covered with big sales on some of the very best headphones and earbuds. This includes big hundreds off the AirPods Pro 2, Galaxy Buds 3and QuietComfort Ultra, as well as big savings on the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sony WH-1000XM4.
We’ve got our fingers crossed that a wider variety of options will become available on Boxing Day, but we're not sure that the prices could come much lower than we what we saw during Black Friday. We hope they do, though, and if they do, retailers to watch for headphones deals include Amazon Australia, PB Tech and Noel Leeming.
This year’s Black Friday was also an awesome sale for those looking to snag a new phone, and we think Boxing Day will deliver in much the same way. Across New Zealand's biggest retailers, but it was mostly Samsung devices that saw the biggest discounts. From massive savings on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6, to deals on the Galaxy S23 Fe and Galaxy A55, shoppers with varying budgets were accounted for.
It’s a similar story with tablets – we didn’t spot any iPads with a price cut over Black Friday, but the budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 was discounted by NZ$150. Deals were a lot more abundant regarding ereaders, though, as we saw deals on Amazon's newest Kindles on Amazon, specifically the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, new Amazon Kindle and Kindle Scribe.
Health and fitness
New Year, new you? If that's the plan, then Boxing Day smartwatch and fitness tracker deals will be there to help. Boxing Day and January sales are prime time for retailers looking to cash in on those popular fitness-focused New Year’s resolutions. If you think you’ll be one of many to kick start a new fitness routine in January, then you’ll likely find excellent discounts on fitness gadgets, should you want them.
During Black Friday the best smartwatch deals we saw in New Zealand again focused mainly on Samsung tech, with the Galaxy Watch 6, Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra all receiving big discounts. Another brand to watch for in NZ is Garmin, as Amazon AU is always pumping out big price-cuts to the Instinct 2, Forerunner 955, Epix 2 and other premium trackers like the Fitbit Charge 6.
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: FAQs
Is Boxing Day a good day for sales?
Yes! While it's unfortunate that it lands after Christmas – and, thus, after you're likely to be doing the majority of your shopping – Boxing Day is perhaps the number one best time to shop, along with Black Friday.
While we can't predict how good this years Boxing Day offering will be, we were very impressed with the Black Friday deals we saw, and expect Boxing Day to be similar, if not better.
Is it cheaper to buy on Boxing Day?
If it wasn't cheaper to shop on Boxing Day, then it wouldn't make a very good sales day, would it? Jokes aside, along with Black Friday, the days leading up until Christmas and EOFY sales, Boxing Day is one of the best times to snag big discounts on big-ticket items like TVs, coffee machines, phones and laptops.
Is Boxing Day bigger than Black Friday?
Black Friday is certainly the bigger sales event worldwide, as it's lead by the USA, but up until recent times Boxing Day has been the #1 sales event in Australia and New Zealand. 2023 might have been the turning point for that battle, though.
Obviously, the facts and figures are going to be hard to pinpoint, if they're available at all. However, Retail Doctor CEO Brian Walker said before 2023's Black Friday sale that the upcoming sale would be bigger than Boxing Day, as many use it as the starting-off point for their Christmas shopping. Whether one is actually bigger than the other, we don't know. However, if you count the Christmas deals that will be available for weeks leading up to the big day, then even with Black Friday sales lasting 14 days this year, Boxing Day has it beat.
What is the best thing to buy on Boxing Day?
Like Black Friday, Boxing Day is a great time to get those big-ticket items and tech that are usually too expensive to buy at full price. An added benefit is that, usually, big tech products like that aren't going to be bought for Christmas. Not many people are getting a 75-inch OLED from Santa. So that means you get to enjoy the sales on things like TVs, game consoles, tablets, laptops and monitors, without hampering your Christmas shopping – or giving someone a Christmas gift on Boxing Day.
Boxing Day sales in New Zealand: best deals from last year
