Black Friday can be dangerous if you have been telling yourself you do not need another skateboard.
You open a skate shop website just to have a look. Five minutes later there is a deck in one tab, wheels in another and a pair of shoes you definitely were not shopping for.
Then the discounts start making everything seem perfectly reasonable.
For skaters, Black Friday can be a good time to replace worn gear, build a new setup or grab something that has been sitting on the wish list. The trick is knowing what you actually need before every red sale sticker starts looking irresistible.
If you are planning a skate-related shopping session, here are five Australian stores worth checking.
1. Skate Warehouse
Skate Warehouse is an obvious place to start if you want plenty of skate gear in one spot.
Black Friday is particularly useful when you have several things to replace at once. Maybe your deck has seen better days, the wheels are getting small and one bearing makes a noise that you have been pretending not to hear for the past month.
Checking the Skate Black Friday Deals can make sense before buying everything separately at regular prices.
Go in with a rough list.
It sounds boring, but it works.
If you need wheels, look at wheels first. Otherwise, it is very easy to spend your budget on a hoodie and discover afterwards that the wheels you originally came for are still sitting in the cart.
2. Fast Times Skateboarding
Fast Times is another familiar name for Australian skaters and is worth checking when the November sales arrive.
The shop carries skateboards alongside footwear and clothing, which makes it particularly tempting during a big sale.
If you have been waiting to buy skate shoes, Black Friday can be a good excuse to compare a few options.
Just remember that the cheapest pair is not automatically the best pair for you.
Anyone who has skated in shoes that rub in exactly the wrong spot knows this already.
If you already have a model that fits well, sale season can be a handy time to pick up another pair. Trying something completely different is fine too, but check the sizing and returns information before getting carried away.
3. OCD Skate Shop
OCD Skate Shop is another Australian store to have open when comparing Black Friday offers.
Deck sales are where things can get interesting.
Most skaters have preferences, even if they claim they do not.
You get used to a certain width. Maybe you like a particular shape. Perhaps you tried a wider deck once and immediately wondered why turning suddenly felt so strange.
A discount is not much of a bargain if you end up with a board you do not enjoy skating.
Check the specifications rather than choosing entirely because you like the graphic.
Although, realistically, the graphic is still going to influence the decision a little.
That is part of buying a deck.
4. Basement Skate
Basement Skate is another shop worth checking for skateboards, parts, shoes and related gear.
Black Friday can be useful for the less exciting purchases too.
Bearings are a good example.
Nobody spends three months daydreaming about replacing bearings, but when yours start sounding like a shopping trolley, they suddenly move up the priority list.
The same applies to hardware, grip tape and other small parts.
If you are already placing an order, look through your current setup before checking out. There is nothing worse than finishing a fresh build and realising the old hardware really should have been replaced too.
A quick check of what you already have can save another order next week.
5. Twelve Board Store
Twelve Board Store is another Australian retailer that skaters may want to browse around Black Friday.
If you are shopping for somebody else, this is where things can become slightly harder.
Buying skateboard gear as a gift sounds easy until somebody asks what deck width they ride.
Then there are wheel sizes, truck sizes and brands.
If you have access to their current skateboard without looking suspicious, take a photo of it. That may be much easier than trying to remember numbers somebody mentioned six months ago.
And if you have absolutely no idea what they use, clothing, accessories or a gift card may be safer than confidently buying the wrong trucks.
Check Your Current Setup Before the Sales
Before Black Friday arrives, put your skateboard on the floor and actually look at it.
What needs replacing?
Spin the wheels. Check the deck for damage. Look at your shoes. Think about the parts you have been saying are “still fine” for several weeks.
Make a short list and decide roughly what you want to spend.
This does not mean you cannot buy something purely because you like it. Skateboarding would be considerably less fun if every purchase had to pass a practical test.
It just stops the sale from making every item feel urgent.
A Deal Is Only Good If You Wanted It
Black Friday creates a weird kind of logic.
Something you had no intention of buying yesterday suddenly feels impossible to pass up because it is 30 percent off.
Take a second before checking out.
Compare prices between skate shops. Check shipping costs. Look at sizing and returns, particularly for shoes and clothing. Most importantly, make sure you are buying gear that actually suits the way you skate.
There will always be another deck graphic you like.
Probably within ten minutes.
So enjoy the sales, replace the gear that needs replacing and leave a little room in the budget for the completely unnecessary item that somehow ends up in the cart anyway.
