One Day Sale NZ: Biggest Events, GrabOne, and Shipping Guide

Anyone who’s tried to snag a bargain from a New Zealand one-day sale site knows the thrill — and the frustration — of a deal that vanishes by midnight. With the closure of 1-day.co.nz and the dramatic revival of GrabOne, the landscape of daily deals in NZ has shifted. This guide maps the major sale events still standing, explains what happened to the old guard, and lays out what shipping actually costs so you can plan your next buy.

Biggest sale day in NZ by spending: Black Friday (estimated $1B+ in 2023) ·
Date of Black Friday 2026: 27 November 2026 ·
Status of 1-day.co.nz: Closed operations as of Sunday, date unconfirmed ·
GrabOne relaunch: Bought by Paradigm Group; new site in operation ·
Singles Day origin: China, 11 November, now adopted by NZ retailers ·
Typical shipping cost for NZ sales: Domestic $5-$15; often free above $50-$100

Five key facts paint the picture of where NZ one-day sales stand today, from the largest event by revenue to the fate of the most popular dedicated site.

What are the biggest one day sale events in New Zealand?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday in NZ

• Black Friday is the biggest single-day sales event in NZ by revenue, with estimated spending exceeding $1 billion in 2023 (GrabOne NZ, the largest daily-deals platform in the country).
• Many NZ retailers run Black Friday deals for several days or a full week (GrabOne NZ).
• GrabOne markets its Black Friday event across Store, Escapes, and Experience offers, with discounts up to 50% off (GrabOne NZ).
• PBTech is one of the major NZ retailers known for advertising Black Friday deals.

Singles Day (11 November)

• Singles Day originated in China as a shopping festival on 11 November (OneDayDeals, a NZ deals directory).
• Many NZ e-commerce retailers now run Singles Day promotions (GrabOne NZ).
• Singles Day is smaller than Black Friday in NZ but rapidly growing.

Boxing Day Sales

• Boxing Day (26 December) remains a major in-store and online one-day sale event in NZ.
• Traditionally the biggest in-store shopping day, it now has a strong online component as well.

End-of-season clearance sales

• Major retailers like The Warehouse, Farmers, and Noel Leeming run end-of-season clearance events that often function as one-day sales.
• These typically occur at the end of summer (February/March) and end of winter (August).

The pattern: Black Friday dominates by revenue, but Singles Day and Boxing Day each fill distinct calendar niches for NZ shoppers who know when to look.

What happened to 1-day.co.nz?

Closure announcement

• The site has closed its operations in New Zealand as of a recent Sunday, with the exact date unconfirmed (1-day.co.nz closure notice).
• The closure left a gap in the one-day deal market that had been filled by the site since before 2020.

Reasons for shutting down

• The exact reasons for 1-day.co.nz’s closure have not been publicly disclosed.
• No new buyer has been announced for 1-day.co.nz, and whether the site will ever return or be sold is unknown.

Impact on NZ shoppers

• The closure has forced shoppers who relied on 1-day.co.nz for daily deals to seek alternatives such as GrabOne, Onceit, Daily Do, and Groupy.

The implication: Without a successor buyer, NZ’s most recognizable one-day deal brand has gone dark, leaving GrabOne as the closest direct competitor in the daily-deal space.

Is GrabOne back in New Zealand?

Liquidation of previous operator

• GrabOne went into liquidation in 2023 owing creditors more than $16.5 million (NZ Herald, a major New Zealand news outlet).
• The NZ Herald reported the story, confirming the scale of the financial trouble.

Paradigm Group purchase

• Wellington-based Paradigm Group purchased GrabOne and relaunched it (Stuff, an established NZ editorial publication).
• Paradigm Group is a Wellington-based holding company that focuses on acquiring distressed assets.

Relaunch and current status

• The new site is operational at new.grabone.co.nz.
• GrabOne now runs one-day deals, flash sales, and multi-day events like Black Friday across Store, Escapes, and Experience categories (GrabOne NZ).
• GrabOne’s Black Friday 2025 promotion page says the sale starts on Thursday, 20 November 2025 (GrabOne NZ).
• A GrabOne one-day sale listing for Ezibuy says the offer ends at midnight tonight (GrabOne NZ).
• The Ezibuy listing says all shipping, customs, and excise taxes are the responsibility of the purchaser (GrabOne NZ).

What is Singles Day in New Zealand?

Origin of Singles Day (11 November)

• Singles Day originated in China as a shopping festival on 11 November, created by Alibaba Group in 2009 (Britannica, an established reference publisher).
• The date 11/11 was chosen because the numeral 1 resembles a bare branch, symbolising single people.

How NZ retailers participate

• Many NZ e-commerce retailers now run Singles Day promotions on 11 November (GrabOne NZ).
• GrabOne and other daily-deal sites have begun running Singles Day flash sales in recent years.

Comparison to Black Friday

• Singles Day is smaller than Black Friday in NZ but is growing rapidly as Alibaba’s global push extends reach.
• Black Friday remains the dominant sales event in NZ across all categories.

The pattern: Singles Day offers NZ shoppers an early-November opportunity for deals, but it still trails Black Friday in both retailer participation and consumer awareness.

When is Black Friday in New Zealand?

Fixed date: fourth Friday of November

• Black Friday 2026 falls on 27 November 2026, based on standard calculation using the fourth Friday of November.
• GrabOne says Black Friday falls on Friday, 28 November 2025 in New Zealand (GrabOne NZ).

Duration: often extended to a week or month

• Many retailers such as PBTech, Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman, and The Warehouse run Black Friday deals for several days or a full week.
• GrabOne says many Black Friday deals run through the weekend and into Cyber Monday (GrabOne NZ).

Black Friday 2025 event preview

• GrabOne’s Black Friday 2025 promotion page says the sale starts on Thursday, 20 November 2025 (GrabOne NZ).
• The event spans Store, Escapes, and Experience offers with discounts up to 50% off (GrabOne NZ).

Why is New Zealand sale shipping so expensive?

Geographic isolation and infrastructure

• NZ’s remote location increases carrier costs, often $5-$15 per parcel (Zappy NZ, a NZ logistics and shipping cost consultancy).
• Limited domestic carrier competition and the small population base mean higher per-unit shipping costs.

Fuel and carrier surcharges

• Fuel surcharges are applied by NZ Post and other carriers, varying monthly based on the average fuel price (NZ Post, the national postal service).
• Carrier surcharges for remote or rural delivery can add $3-$8 to standard domestic shipping.

How to reduce shipping costs

• Zappy NZ suggests consolidation and negotiated rates to cut costs (Zappy NZ).
• Many one-day sale sites offer free shipping above a spending threshold, typically $50-$100.

Timeline of NZ one-day sale events

GrabOne vs. Alternatives: Comparison table

Four major options remain for NZ one-day sale shoppers, each with a different strength and limitation.

Quotes and expert context

“GrabOne in liquidation owing creditors more than $16.5 million” — this confirmed the scale of the financial trouble that led to the original GrabOne’s collapse.

— NZ Herald, reporting on the liquidation (NZ Herald, a major New Zealand news outlet)

“Wellington-based holding company Paradigm Group announced today” — this confirmed the purchase and relaunch of the GrabOne brand.

— Paradigm Group press release, as covered by Stuff, an established NZ editorial publication

“The site has closed its operations in New Zealand as of Sunday” — this confirmed the shutdown of 1-day.co.nz, though the exact date remains unspecified.

— 1-day.co.nz closure notice

Summary

For NZ shoppers, the one-day sale landscape has consolidated around GrabOne as the primary daily-deal platform after 1-day.co.nz’s closure. Black Friday remains the biggest single-day sales event by revenue, followed by Boxing Day and the growing Singles Day. The decision is clear: if you want the widest range of one-day deals, start with GrabOne and supplement with Onceit for fashion or Groupy for local experiences. For the biggest savings, plan around the Black Friday window from 20 November to Cyber Monday, and always check shipping costs before pulling the trigger — a $5 fee on a $15 deal changes the math entirely.

For a detailed look at the latest flash sales and retailer strategies, check out the 2025 one-day sale guide from Pacific Brief.

Frequently asked questions