Where to Shop for Frags in NYC

Originally Posted by The_Giraffe

Go to Aedes.

Originally Posted by EnvYuS

I know there is a section for this but I feel obligated to respond.

Go to Aedes!! It is heaven. I think it's on Christopher Street. It's listed on the site. It is one of my favorite places to shop. The two owners are amazingly knowledgable and very helpful.

I like going to Barney's as well. They have some fun stuff to smell. There are two Barney's and I don't remember which one is the good one. I think the better one is the bigger of the two.

The fragrance district is terrible, IMO. I've been scared of fakes and duplicates. It's just not a safe place to shop and every store has almost the exact same selection. Booo

ENJOY!

Originally Posted by scentinell

Your entitled to your opinion, but your absolutely wrong. I've never known anyone to get a fake from these merchants. You don't say you bought a fake, only that your scared you might. The selection not good? Please! Unless your limiting yourself to foo foo boutiques, these guys have the same stuff you can by anywhere, including Creed in some shops. Like anywhere, you do have to watch for the lowest price, so just ask a few shops for prices before buying, no big deal. And, in my many experiences, the first price I get is lower than anyplace else, except perhaps the price at the shop next door, how can you lose? And how can you say the place is "terrible?" What nonsense. Some recent purchases: Bulgari PH Tester $18; Bugari Black tester $16; Guerlain Vetiver $24; Iceberg Twice $12; Lacoste Original $23. These prices are the lowest you'll find on ebay, with no shipping and no tax. In all cases, the products were fresh and very real.

Originally Posted by EnvYuS

I am entitled and since I am from NY I would consider my opinion to be a little more valuable then the average tourist. I don't know where you are from so I don't want to judge you. They are full of fakes there. I've found nothing but simple selections at these simple stores. If found some good stuff there but but the kind of thing not to be bought there is a Creed or any other high end frag. I wasn't clear with what I said. I know there are fakes in these stores. They are far from legit but they do sell a lot of easy to find fragrances, which make them nothing more special than Scentiments.com. They sell vey generic stuff in the frag district. Nothing special and nothing you can't find online for the same price. You can argue a price though. I've been able to get prices lowered on fragrances just by talking to the owner. It's a good place to haggle. I prefer Aedes and Barney's, but, as scentinell said, you can find stuff in the crappy fragrance district. Happy hunting!

Originally Posted by smitsky

Yes EnvYus. I have posted that I have been sold three fakes there in the past year. I have been saying that there are a lot of fakes there all along. I do hope that the folks who firmly believe that there are NO fakes there, never run into one. The percentages are too high, I am afraid!

Originally Posted by scentinell

Then please tell! What shops sold you fakes, I surely will stay away. Also, what happened when you returned and asked for a refund?

Originally Posted by smitsky

Hi scentinell,

Please review my posts here:

http://community.basenotes.net/showthread.php?t=189814

~S.

Originally Posted by scentinell

Thanks, I replied in that post as well. I suppose getting a fake is possible almost anywhere but a full priced retailer (even then I suppose it could happen). Frankly, and don't anyone take this the wrong way, if the packaging looks real and the scent seems real, why should I care who REALLY made the product. On the other hand, if I get a fake or something I think is fake (yes, I've bought stuff at dept stores that seemed "different"), but the store cheerfully refunds my money (as in your Frag. Dist. experience), that's ok by me. To get something half priced or more, that's returnable if I'm not satisfied would not deter me from shopping there again. And, smitsky, no offense at all, but it seems that aside from your take on the scent, you would not have thought the products you bought were fake -- how can you be sure they weren't just "off" as all of know can happen? Perhaps the shop didn't even know for sure.

Originally Posted by smitsky

Hi scentinell,

I can appreciate what you have expressed here. I guess it all depends on your point of view and your objectives.

As an example of what I mean here, let me say this:

If I buy a bottle of AdG for $42 at a store in the fragrance district and, because of my fragrance experience I am able to detect that it closely resembles a no-name (as in popular designer) fragrance that I can easily pick up in the same district for $3 (you've read it correctly - three) in scent quality and longevity (in this case the $3 product lasts longer), chances are that I might feel that I'm getting ripped off (if I wasn't a step ahead of the game).

I offer this as well: AdG retails for $65 before tax in Sephora. Walk out the door with a bottle after tax and you have paid roughly $70.36. The question is, if I have paid $42 (the going rate these days for a 3.4 Oz. size of AdG in said fragrance district) and am saving roughly $28 for a piece of junk that I might be able to pick up for $7 - $9 or so, based on the quality... what are we really "saving." This is a rhetorical question.

But... as you have suggested, if I like how the product that I have paid $42 for smells and how it lasts, why should I "care" if it is not what it says it is?

On to the other product:

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel

Due to my aforementioned fragrance experience, I am able to detect a symptom of a fake fragrance, namely poor lasting power, chances are I am going to feel absolutely ripped off if I pay $60 for a fragrance that normally costs $110 before tax. I want original Coco Mademoiselle. I do not want to pay $60 for something that is very inferior. $15 maybe (it did smell true to the original) - $60 not a chance.

The question remains, do I actually want original Coco Mlle & AdG, or am I willing to accept a fake and what price should I pay for this.

Also, keep in mind that these store owners would never try to sell something for above, say $25 - $30 that is not being touted as an "original." So, they are engaged in a scam if they try to sell such things. Telling you Coco Mademoiselle when it is not original is like you pharmacist saying here's an antibiotic which costs $90, when in fact you are getting a placebo sugar pill which should have cost you $1.99

Hope this gives you some idea of where I am coming from.

Originally Posted by scentinell

For the most part, I confine my frag. dist. purchases to stuff under $25, at that level as a ceiling, Ive been able to get things like Bulgari PH; Burberry Brit, Guerlain Vetiver; Lacoste original and I'm pretty confident no fakes in the bunch. Some of these were testers, I don't think the frauds would fake a brown tester box, but I guess you never know -- that would be sneaky indeed.

Originally Posted by musclegod007

Aedes is great....My fave is Barneys..home to Le labo, frederic Malle, L'artisan, and Serge Lutens.