To many consumers, Cyber Monday — which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your couch, or at the very least your desk at work — is far preferable to the crush of consumers dominating stores during Black Friday. Just beware: items masquerading as good deals may be anything but.

While still smaller than total Black Friday sales, research firm IBISWorld predicts that Cyber Monday sales will climb 15% from last year to $2.2 billion. Meanwhile, sales throughout Black Friday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will climb just 1.8% this year from last year to $36.7 billion.

For those looking for deals, this trend may make sense, as Cyber Monday is sometimes the best time to buy certain things. A survey released in November by Savings.com, which examined more than 1.5 million deals from 25,000 retailers between 2009 and 2013, found that Cyber Monday was the best day to shop for clothes if you were looking for deals (the site noted that deals of 30 - 50% off were solid). When it comes to clothing, Cyber Monday has both “the most deals available and averaging the deepest savings across the board,” notes Brandon Hunt, the co-founder of DealScience.com.

Other items that tend to be very good deals on Cyber Monday include shoes and beauty products, says Mark LaCastro, a retail expert with DealNews.com. Hunt notes that you can also sometimes find decent deals on smaller electronics like headphones.

But despite some good promotions, there are plenty of “deals” that consumers should often avoid because they aren’t really bargains at all. Here are five.

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Televisions and other large electronics

Thanksgiving and Black Friday (and sometimes even earlier in the month, as Black Friday deals have been rolled out earlier and earlier) tend to have better deals on new televisions and other large electronics than does Cyber Monday, notes Hunt. These days often have promotions in which television prices are slashed — these are classic “door-buster” deals, to get shoppers into stores.

But beware: “Many of Black Friday’s deals on TVs are actually budget brands or name brands that produce TVs with lower specs for this specified shopping day,” says Jeanette Pavini, a spokesperson for Coupons.com. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the TV isn’t worth buying, just do your homework to make sure this TV’s features are right for you. You may also want to wait to buy these items until after the Consumer Electronics Show in January or near the Super Bowl, as deals tend to abound then, says LaCastro. Either way, you likely want to say no to TVs on Cyber Monday.

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Appliances and many other home goods

DealScience’s Hunt notes that Black Friday tends to be a deal day for “doorbuster-type stuff like appliances and large electronics.” Thus, like with televisions, appliances are typically not as good of a buy during Cyber Monday, and according to some experts September and October may be the best time to buy appliances. (Also, just FYI hubbies, your wife probably doesn’t want a dustbuster for the holidays anyway.)

What’s more, don’t shop for linens on Cyber Monday, says Pavini. “White sales have been a January tradition since 1878,” she says. “Therefore, if you’re looking to save some bucks on bedding, curtains, towels, or tablecloths, hold off on shopping until after the new year.”

Finally, holiday decorations — though they will no doubt be heavily promoted on Cyber Monday — usually aren’t a great deal on this day. “Typically for seasonal items like this, right after the occasion is when the sale is best,” says Hunt. “Christmas decorations are no different, so it’s worth it to wait.” And if you do need holiday decor, hit up the dollar store, where you can often find items, even during December, at super low prices.

Black Friday shoppers in a Best Buy store in Fairfax, Virginia. Getty Images

Laptops

If you’re looking to start the new year with a new laptop, you probably don’t want to get it on Cyber Monday, experts say. LaCastro explains that there tend to be better deals on laptops both on Black Friday (which many consumers tend to think of as a day to get deals on electronics) and around the back-to-school period, which offers excellent deals on both laptops and desktop computers.

Jewelry in a David Yurman store in Paris. Getty Images

Jewelry

Even though your wife may have been hinting that she’d like something that sparkles and lives in a tiny velvet box, it may be best to wait until after the new year to buy her jewelry. “January and February both hold amazing deals on fine jewelry for after-Christmas sales and Valentine’s Day promotions,” says Pavini.

Carnival’s Glory cruise ship stands docked prior to departure at the Port of Miami. Bloomberg

Travel

Thanks in part to the fact that so many people now book their travel online, Cyber Monday has become a big day for pushing out travel deals. But, as Hunt points out, “they are not special deals…try to stay away from vacation deals and cruises and things like that.” Cruises, for example, may be cheaper to book during so-called Wave Season in January through March, which is when cruise lines try to show off their lowest prices.