Families waiting until autumn to buy some back-to-school items may end up paying more than if they had snapped them up this month, analysis by a website suggests.

Price and product comparison service PriceSpy found that last year the prices of some common items used by school and university students jumped between August and September.

Products categories where items typically increased in price between these months in 2022 included backpacks, computer mice, ink cartridges, printers, and headphones.

The typical prices of items that students often take to university with them, such as kettles, pots and saucepans, irons and air fryers also increased in 2022 between August and September, PriceSpy found.

But the prices of some other items fell between August and September last year, including computer keyboards, tablets and toasters.

Trends seen last year may not necessarily be repeated in 2023 and shoppers may find they save some cash by making a back-to-school shopping list early, comparing prices, and ticking items off as and when they spot sales.

Liisa-Matinvesi Bassett, UK country manager at PriceSpy, said: “Persistently high inflation this year means that people are going to be paying more for some of these school and university essentials than they did last year.”

She added: “With retailers running promotions at different times, running a quick price comparison before making key purchases can help save even more money.”