What "Up To 70% Off" Really Means — and How to Find the Real Deals

What “up to” really means

"Up to 70% off" is a maximum, not a promise that every product is 70% off. It means at least one item (or a small selection) in the promotion is discounted by 70%; the rest can be anything from a few percent off to that maximum. The same goes for "up to 50% off," "up to 90% off," and similar claims. So when you click into a sale, you're often seeing a mix of shallow and deep discounts—and the banner doesn't tell you which is which.

Why retailers use “up to”

Retailers use "up to" because it's technically true and it pulls you in. A handful of clearance items at 70% off justifies the headline; the rest of the sale might be 15% or 20% off. The goal is to get you browsing. Once you're there, you might buy something at a smaller discount or at full price. So the phrase is marketing, not a guarantee that the deal you want is at the top number.

The real deal is the item that's actually 70% off—not the sale that says “up to” 70% off.

— On Sale

How to find the real deep discounts

Don't rely on the banner. Look for tools or retailers that let you filter by discount level: e.g. "show me only items that are 50% off or more" or "70% off and above." When you filter that way, you see the products that actually meet the deep discount—not the whole sale. That's how you find the real deals instead of wading through hundreds of items that are only slightly reduced.

Filter by discount, not by banner

On aggregators or store sites, use the discount filter first. Set a minimum (e.g. 50% off, 70% off) so you only see items that meet your threshold. Ignore the "up to" claim and focus on the percentage shown on each product. Live sale data from retailers will show you the actual discount per item, so you can tell the 70%-off clearance from the 15%-off new arrival. That way you spend time on the real deals, not the hype.

Summary

"Up to 70% off" means some items are discounted up to that amount—not everything. Retailers use it to attract clicks while most of the sale may be at lower discounts. To find the real deals: filter by discount level (e.g. 50% or 70% off minimum), use tools that show the actual discount per product, and ignore the banner. The best deals are the ones that actually hit the number you want—not the ones that share a sale with them.