Hi, this is a guide to help you, the buyer, to spot counterfeit Designer brand cologne and Perfume on eBay.
First thing first, the list of the 99% safe fragrance buys on ebay:
1. Tester Bottles. As far as I know, no counterfeiter goes through the trouble of locating an empty tester bottle and fill it up. And since tester fragrances usually sell for lower than the retail package, those counterfeiters will not make as much money.
2. Used Fragrance. There's nothing wrong with buying a 90% or 50% filled bottle of fragrance if the price is right. The seller usually gives out good reasons to sell them. Again it won't be a counterfeit because the fakers won't make as much money.
3. Samples. The little .05oz sample vials of designer fragrance that come in paper packaging are most definitely authentic. They will also come in handy for spotting imitation fragrances as I will mention later.
4. Gift Boxes. Usually these contain deodorant sticks, shaving balm, lotion, shower gel etc. Counterfeiters usually don't bother faking the whole package.
5. Smaller sizes. For example The Ralph Lauren Double black has sizes 4.2oz and 2.5oz available. Most of the knock offs are 4.2, so the 2.5 is a safer bet.
PS:Look for sellers who don't specialize in fragrances, but just got them as a gift and want to pass them on. Also there's some bargain hunters who found a good fragrance for low price and wanted to sell it, that's pretty safe too.(thanks soto88)
Now, these are the commonly counterfeited fragrances on eBay, note that by no means is this a complete list, and if you have anything to add, feel free.
Green Irish Tweed by Creed
Silver Mountain Water by Creed
Millesime Imperial by Creed
Himalaya by Creed
Actually everything by Creed on ebay is 90% fake.
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue for Men AND Women
Armani Code
J'Adore by Dior
Cool Water by Davidoff
Acqua Di Gio
Clinique Happy
Princess by Vera Wang
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel
Actually, watch out for ANYTHING by Chanel.
DKNY Be Delicious
L'eau D'issey by Issey Miyake
Yves Saint Laurent Opium
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
Sean John Unforgiveable
Ralph Lauren Romance
Ralph Lauren Double Black
Now, those are the most common counterfeited fragrances, but that doesn't mean every single one of them on eBay is fake, you just have to beware of the following points when shopping:
1. Seller has 0 feedback. This one is a no brainer. No matter how cheap it is, no matter how tempting, don't buy it.
2. Seller lists A TON of the above "dangerous" fragrances at cheap starting bid(usually between .99 and 19.99). By a ton I mean at least 3 different kinds of the above fragrances and 5+ listings of each. Again, this doesn't guarantee the seller to be a faker, but it is very likely. If the seller sells other (none popularly counterfeited) brands in small quantities, then he's a little bit safer.
3. Bidder list shows "User ID Kept Private" The seller doesn't want experienced fragrance shoppers to warn the bidder of the possible dangers of the fragrance, so the seller chose to hide all the bidder names.
4. Seller uses ALL stock photos for EVERY fragrance he sells.
5. Check the seller feedback. If there's at least 1 negative feed back in the past 3 months, find out what it says, if it's an unhappy buyer who claims the perfume is a fake, or if the bottle is leaking, don't buy from that seller. I know you will be wondering "But he's a power seller! And he has thousands of positive feedback! How can he sell knock-offs?" Well, all those people are just average consumers, they can't distinguish a good knock off from the real thing. (Best tool to check negative/neutral feedback is http://toolhaus.org/ ) Also, check the feedback from the buyers who bought the same juice as you, if they only commented on "speedy delivery" or "pleasant communication" and nothing about the juice being "authentic", be wary.(thanks akshay03) Sometimes people just do a feedback when the item arrived, then it smells funny and they can't take back the positive comment.
6. You should take the words "100% Authentic" with a grain of salt. Also, if it says Satisfaction Guaranteed and nothing about the authenticity of the fragrance, be careful.
7. Make sure there's an option to pay with PayPal, so when you do get a faker you can get your money back.
8. Also make sure the seller have a good return policy set up.
9. Beware of listings New York City, it is just a counterfeit heaven. The most authentic fakes are from NYC: colognes, watches, purses,, sunglasses, etc. Even if it is not from NYC, but it is from New York state or New Jersey, be careful. I've got nothing against you guys living there, but you probably saw the counterfeit scene there, and it is pretty bad. Also be careful f the seller's origin is not listed.
10. If you see expensive perfumes like Creed being sold as a "buy-it-now" from a seller that is NOT a store, then it's usually a fake. Especially if the seller has like 63 bottles of it as buy-it-now.(thanks RomanceSilver)
So you finally bought a bottle after you done extensive research on the listing, and it arrives. How do you check if it's real?
Do as many of these things as possible:
1. Examine the plastic wrapper. IF it has a plastic wrapper, check to see if it's tight. If it's taped together or easy to open, then it's a fake. (Note that the real cool water by Davidoff doesn't come in plastic wrappers)
2.Check the box, if the top or bottom is easy to open, i.e. doesn't have that same resistance as a brand new box, then it's most likely a fake. Check the inside edges of the tabs of the box. if it's scratched, then it's a fake.
3. Check the bottle, if the letters come off easily, something spelled wrong, scratched on the bottle, stickers falling off, sprayer won't work, cap won't fit, then it's a fake.
4. Go to the nearest mall, Sephora, Bloomingdale, or any other popular fragrance store and ask for a sample of the fragrance you bought. If they don't have a sample you can take home, ask for a card and ask for a spray of the fragrance on the card. Take the sample home and compare the smell of it and the bottle you just bought.
5. If you live in somewhere remote, with no fragrance stores near you, buy samples off eBay.
In the event that you DO find it a fake, ask the seller for a refund and ask them to cover the return shipping charges. IF they refuse, open up a "item not as described" dispute through PayPal.
Thanks for reading. I just wanted to write this guide after falling victim to the dishonest sellers on eBay. I hope it helps y'all to spot counterfeited fragrances.
First thing first, the list of the 99% safe fragrance buys on ebay:
1. Tester Bottles. As far as I know, no counterfeiter goes through the trouble of locating an empty tester bottle and fill it up. And since tester fragrances usually sell for lower than the retail package, those counterfeiters will not make as much money.
2. Used Fragrance. There's nothing wrong with buying a 90% or 50% filled bottle of fragrance if the price is right. The seller usually gives out good reasons to sell them. Again it won't be a counterfeit because the fakers won't make as much money.
3. Samples. The little .05oz sample vials of designer fragrance that come in paper packaging are most definitely authentic. They will also come in handy for spotting imitation fragrances as I will mention later.
4. Gift Boxes. Usually these contain deodorant sticks, shaving balm, lotion, shower gel etc. Counterfeiters usually don't bother faking the whole package.
5. Smaller sizes. For example The Ralph Lauren Double black has sizes 4.2oz and 2.5oz available. Most of the knock offs are 4.2, so the 2.5 is a safer bet.
PS:Look for sellers who don't specialize in fragrances, but just got them as a gift and want to pass them on. Also there's some bargain hunters who found a good fragrance for low price and wanted to sell it, that's pretty safe too.(thanks soto88)
Now, these are the commonly counterfeited fragrances on eBay, note that by no means is this a complete list, and if you have anything to add, feel free.
Green Irish Tweed by Creed
Silver Mountain Water by Creed
Millesime Imperial by Creed
Himalaya by Creed
Actually everything by Creed on ebay is 90% fake.
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue for Men AND Women
Armani Code
J'Adore by Dior
Cool Water by Davidoff
Acqua Di Gio
Clinique Happy
Princess by Vera Wang
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel
Actually, watch out for ANYTHING by Chanel.
DKNY Be Delicious
L'eau D'issey by Issey Miyake
Yves Saint Laurent Opium
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
Sean John Unforgiveable
Ralph Lauren Romance
Ralph Lauren Double Black
Now, those are the most common counterfeited fragrances, but that doesn't mean every single one of them on eBay is fake, you just have to beware of the following points when shopping:
1. Seller has 0 feedback. This one is a no brainer. No matter how cheap it is, no matter how tempting, don't buy it.
2. Seller lists A TON of the above "dangerous" fragrances at cheap starting bid(usually between .99 and 19.99). By a ton I mean at least 3 different kinds of the above fragrances and 5+ listings of each. Again, this doesn't guarantee the seller to be a faker, but it is very likely. If the seller sells other (none popularly counterfeited) brands in small quantities, then he's a little bit safer.
3. Bidder list shows "User ID Kept Private" The seller doesn't want experienced fragrance shoppers to warn the bidder of the possible dangers of the fragrance, so the seller chose to hide all the bidder names.
4. Seller uses ALL stock photos for EVERY fragrance he sells.
5. Check the seller feedback. If there's at least 1 negative feed back in the past 3 months, find out what it says, if it's an unhappy buyer who claims the perfume is a fake, or if the bottle is leaking, don't buy from that seller. I know you will be wondering "But he's a power seller! And he has thousands of positive feedback! How can he sell knock-offs?" Well, all those people are just average consumers, they can't distinguish a good knock off from the real thing. (Best tool to check negative/neutral feedback is http://toolhaus.org/ ) Also, check the feedback from the buyers who bought the same juice as you, if they only commented on "speedy delivery" or "pleasant communication" and nothing about the juice being "authentic", be wary.(thanks akshay03) Sometimes people just do a feedback when the item arrived, then it smells funny and they can't take back the positive comment.
6. You should take the words "100% Authentic" with a grain of salt. Also, if it says Satisfaction Guaranteed and nothing about the authenticity of the fragrance, be careful.
7. Make sure there's an option to pay with PayPal, so when you do get a faker you can get your money back.
8. Also make sure the seller have a good return policy set up.
9. Beware of listings New York City, it is just a counterfeit heaven. The most authentic fakes are from NYC: colognes, watches, purses,, sunglasses, etc. Even if it is not from NYC, but it is from New York state or New Jersey, be careful. I've got nothing against you guys living there, but you probably saw the counterfeit scene there, and it is pretty bad. Also be careful f the seller's origin is not listed.
10. If you see expensive perfumes like Creed being sold as a "buy-it-now" from a seller that is NOT a store, then it's usually a fake. Especially if the seller has like 63 bottles of it as buy-it-now.(thanks RomanceSilver)
So you finally bought a bottle after you done extensive research on the listing, and it arrives. How do you check if it's real?
Do as many of these things as possible:
1. Examine the plastic wrapper. IF it has a plastic wrapper, check to see if it's tight. If it's taped together or easy to open, then it's a fake. (Note that the real cool water by Davidoff doesn't come in plastic wrappers)
2.Check the box, if the top or bottom is easy to open, i.e. doesn't have that same resistance as a brand new box, then it's most likely a fake. Check the inside edges of the tabs of the box. if it's scratched, then it's a fake.
3. Check the bottle, if the letters come off easily, something spelled wrong, scratched on the bottle, stickers falling off, sprayer won't work, cap won't fit, then it's a fake.
4. Go to the nearest mall, Sephora, Bloomingdale, or any other popular fragrance store and ask for a sample of the fragrance you bought. If they don't have a sample you can take home, ask for a card and ask for a spray of the fragrance on the card. Take the sample home and compare the smell of it and the bottle you just bought.
5. If you live in somewhere remote, with no fragrance stores near you, buy samples off eBay.
In the event that you DO find it a fake, ask the seller for a refund and ask them to cover the return shipping charges. IF they refuse, open up a "item not as described" dispute through PayPal.
Thanks for reading. I just wanted to write this guide after falling victim to the dishonest sellers on eBay. I hope it helps y'all to spot counterfeited fragrances.
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