Fnac and Darty price history: how to find it and judge a deal

Fnac and Darty do not display a price history on their product pages: you see today's price and, when a discount is announced, a crossed-out reference price. To see how a price has moved, you need a price comparison site that draws a chart, web archives such as the Wayback Machine, or a price tracker that records the price at regular intervals from the day you add the product.

This guide walks through each method and its limits, explains what the crossed-out price legally means in France, and shows how to decide whether a Fnac or Darty "deal" is worth it.

Does Fnac or Darty show past prices?

No. The two French retailers belong to the same group, Fnac Darty, but neither offers a public price chart on its website. On a product page you will find, at most:

• the current price, which can vary by seller (both Fnac and Darty run a marketplace with third-party sellers);
• a crossed-out price and a discount percentage when a reduction is advertised;
• possible perks tied to a loyalty scheme or a promotional event.

None of that tells you whether the item was cheaper two months ago, or whether it is likely to drop at the next big sales event. That is exactly the information you need to judge an offer.

How to check a Fnac or Darty price history: your options

There is no perfect solution, but several approaches complement each other. Here is how they compare.

Method	Shows past prices?	Accuracy for Fnac / Darty	Effort
Dated screenshots	No, only from your own records	Exact for the day captured	High (manual)
Wayback Machine	Yes, when a snapshot exists	Hit and miss (few or incomplete snapshots)	Medium
Comparison site with a chart	Yes, often over several months	Varies: the chart may blend retailers	Low
Browser extension	Mainly for Amazon	Rarely built for Fnac / Darty	Low
Price tracker	No, starts the day you add it	The price on the page you track	Low (automatic)

1. Dated screenshots

The low-tech option: when a product catches your eye, screenshot the page with the date visible and repeat every so often. It is reliable, free and handy if you ever need proof, but it becomes tedious with more than a couple of products, and you cannot recover anything from before your first screenshot.

2. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine

The Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) stores copies of web pages captured on different dates. Paste the product page URL: if snapshots exist, a calendar lists them and you can see the price shown on that day. In practice it only works sometimes. Less popular product pages are rarely archived, and some snapshots don't show the price when it loads dynamically. You can also archive a page yourself with "Save Page Now" to keep dated proof.

3. Price comparison sites with a chart

Some comparison sites popular in France, such as idealo and leDénicheur, show a price trend chart on their product pages. It is often the quickest way to get a sense of past prices. Two checks: make sure it is the exact same model (colour, storage, version), and see whether the chart follows one specific retailer or the lowest price across all of them. If it's the latter, it may not reflect what Fnac or Darty actually charged. Our guide to price comparison sites can help you pick one.

4. Browser extensions

The best-known price history extensions were built for Amazon (see Amazon price history). On Fnac or Darty pages they usually show little or nothing. Be wary, too, of extensions that ask for access to all your browsing data.

5. A price tracker

A price tracker checks a page's price at regular intervals and builds a dated history. The key limitation: it cannot make up the past. The history starts on the day you add the product, so this is something to set up before a big sales event, not on the day itself.

What does the crossed-out price mean? France's 30-day rule

Since 28 May 2022, Article L112-1-1 of the French Consumer Code has governed advertised price reductions, transposing the EU Omnibus directive. When a seller announces a discount, the previous price shown must be the lowest price that seller charged in the 30 days before the reduction. For successive reductions over a set period, the reference stays the price before the first cut. The rule does not apply when a seller compares its prices with those of other retailers.

In short, the crossed-out price tells you about the past month at that seller, nothing more. A product may have been cheaper three months ago, or at a competitor, without the crossed-out price showing it. For the details, read our guide to the 30-day rule (Omnibus directive).

How to tell if a Fnac or Darty sale is a real deal

1. Check the exact model: a variant (colour, storage, last year's version) can be priced very differently.
2. Check who is selling: Fnac or Darty itself, or a marketplace seller? Price, warranty and after-sales service may differ.
3. Look at a chart covering several months: a "sale" price close to the highs is not a bargain.
4. Compare with other retailers, delivery costs included.
5. Keep the calendar in mind: the winter and summer sales, French Days or Black Friday often bring genuine drops, but also inflated discounts.

The most common warning signs are covered in how to spot a fake discount.

Are prices the same at Fnac and Darty?

Not necessarily. Being part of the same group does not mean both websites show the same price for the same model at the same moment. Their ranges overlap (tech, home appliances, TV and audio), but promotions, stock levels and third-party offers differ. The useful habit: open the product on both sites and compare the final price, delivery and services included.

Price match refunds: Darty's "Contrat de confiance"

Darty's Contrat de confiance includes a commitment to refund the difference if you find a lower price elsewhere. According to the terms Darty publishes, the item must be the same brand and same model reference, offered with equivalent service conditions (delivery, warranty, after-sales service and so on). Prices seen in private sales, on auction or resale sites and on marketplaces are excluded, as are some discounted products. The claim has to be made within a limited period after purchase.

Fnac, for its part, has a dedicated price alignment page. In both cases the terms (time limit, eligible products, how the refund is paid) can change, so read the current version on the retailer's website before relying on it. A dated price history also helps you spot quickly a drop that happens just after you buy.

Tracking a Fnac or Darty product with UniverTrack

To be upfront about what UniverTrack does for these retailers: there is no official integration with Fnac or Darty. You paste the product page link, and the tool reads the page on a best-effort basis to pick up the price. It then checks that price automatically on a regular schedule and records every reading. The result is your own dated history, starting the day you begin tracking. It cannot show prices from before you added the product.

Based on that history, it shows a "good time to buy" indicator and can email you when the price falls below your target. If you add the same product from several retailers, say Fnac and Darty, the offers are grouped on one product page (Pro plan and above). Step-by-step instructions are in how to track a Fnac or Darty price.

When should you start tracking?

Ideally several weeks before a planned purchase or a major sales event, so you have a baseline when the discounts appear. For a large appliance, our guide on when to buy home appliances covers the periods when price drops tend to be more common, a good starting point before the end-of-year sales.