Discount Perfume Online?

January 28, 2011 9:56 AM

Are online discount perfume retailers legit?

I am looking to buy new perfume and have found some almost too-good-to-be-true deals online at places like fragrancenet.com, perfumania.com, scentiments.com, etc. Online reviewsof these retailers seem to be mixed. Does anyone have experiences with these or similar sites? Or know of a great place to get designer perfume for slightly less than at department stores? If it matters, I'm looking for Michael Kors by Michael Kors and/or Bvlgari's Au The Blanc? Thanks!

posted by hefeweizen to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

Perfumania does have a chain of physical stores--I've purchased scents there--so they're not just a fly-by-night internet operation. I've also purchased perfumes at some of the more "sketchy" places in NYC--there's one, for instance, just south of Union Square. The perfumes have always been legit. I don't know where the savings come from--I've always assumed that, at least with the sketchy NYC places, that the perfumes were intended for foreign markets (i.e., "gray market"). I can't speak to the other sites you've mentioned.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:00 AM on January 28, 2011

My mom has used some of those sites for buying gifts for my sister and me. The perfumes were in great shape and authentic, as far I know. They smelled like the samples I'd used in Sephora.
posted by mesha steele at 10:10 AM on January 28, 2011

Very often, the online places are selling counterfeits of the "real" fragrance, and so are not really a good deal. I used to buy a designer fragrance from perfume com, and that was the real thing, discounted usually due to a missing cap. FYI they do have Michael Kors. Discount seems to be because it comes unboxed. They have Au the Blanc too, and I suspect the discount is because it is the "eau parfumee" version.

Also, take a look at sites like retailmenot.com for online coupons, at using credit cards that give "cash back" for purchases, and/or finding a selling site that rewards you for return visits.
posted by bearwife at 10:13 AM on January 28, 2011

I tried buying well known name brand cosmetics at discount from perfume dot com. The soap smelled moldy and had brown spots. The refund was prompt, apologetic and hassle-free, but I went back to paying full price. I think at least some discount stuff is just too old to sell at full price, with quality uncertain but probably still fine.
posted by Corvid at 10:36 AM on January 28, 2011

In the early 2000's, I had a new credit card number get stolen two days after I used it online the first time at perfumania.com. Could be a coincidence. Might not be. Also, it was like 10 years ago. Just a data point for you.
posted by jeversol at 11:02 AM on January 28, 2011

I've bought perfume (including Michael Kors) from a physical Perfumania shop, and as far as I can tell, the perfume is real. It smells identical to the ones at the department store; the boxes are the same and everything. (I haven't noticed weird rashes or any other indications of low quality).
posted by bluefly at 11:50 AM on January 28, 2011

Perfumania is a legit store. I have purchased from them many times and the product was perfect.
posted by fifilaru at 11:54 AM on January 28, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, Perfumania is sold out of the Michael Kors in the 3.4 oz size and doesn't carry Au The Blanc. I'll keep checking back, but in the mean time, any experiences with some of the other sites?

Also, while it doesn't currently carry what I'm looking for, overstock.com seems to have some good prices on fragrances. Just in case anyone is also searching.
posted by hefeweizen at 12:55 PM on January 28, 2011

The larger discount online perfume stores I've used have always been legit. Sometimes they will specify unboxed. I've successfully used luckyscent, FragranceX, Perfumedeals, ScentedMonkey and others. I think FrangranceX had the best prices, although one bottle had a broken top. eBay sellers are slightly riskier for counterfeits and old stale juice, but even there I've mostly had good luck.
posted by kevinsp8 at 4:03 PM on January 28, 2011

Depending on your definition of "legit," I recommend the decanters. The Perfumed Court is a very well-respected decant site, which I happen to love. I've ordered from them many times, and it's always been a great experience.

They buy the big bottle of perfume, decant it into smaller containers, and sell these off. So it's not a knock-off, it's the real perfume. It just doesn't come in the real, full-size bottle.

They cost slightly more by ounce, I suppose, but it's a lot easier to afford $X for a wee little sample bottle (which lasts a damned long time) as opposed to 10($X) for a "real" bottle.

• Au The Blanc as low as $3 for a sample bottle.
• They don't have Michael Kors by Michael Kors, but I'm sure they will soon. Got a bunch of other Michael Kors scents, though.

posted by ErikaB at 4:11 PM on January 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Luckyscent and Perfumed Court are great resources. Don't forget eBay, either -- I've gotten the real thing from sellers there, too.
posted by sdn at 8:24 AM on January 29, 2011

Decants (at least via Perfumed Court) are a bit pricey by volume, but there's no better way to see if you really want to fork out the bucks for a full bottle. Samples can be deceiving... you can love it, but then get tired of it really fast.
posted by kevinsp8 at 4:25 PM on January 29, 2011