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Something strange...

post #1 of 13
2/21/09 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I could use some advice please.

A while ago I bought a 125 ml. bottle of Guerlain L'instant EDT from an English seller on eBay. So far so good.

However today I received a message from another eBayer saying that all his Guerlains are FAKE!

I don't know what to think of this. I checked the feedback on the seller I bought my bottle from and it's 100% positive, also there are several other people who bought a bottle of L'instant from him and they didn't seem to have noticed anything strange either.

Not trying to be paranoid here, but could it be possible the message I received about the bottle being fake is in fact coming from someone working for Guerlain? I ask this, because a while ago I mentioned something about a dupe oil of Spiritueuse Double Vanille here on Basenotes, upon which I immediately received a PM from someone who said to be interested in the oil and wanted to know where I bought it. Strange thing was, she had no messages on Basenotes and it seemed she only signed up to ask me about that dupe oil!

And now today this thing with my eBay purchase, so this got me thinking...


Btw, the juice from eBay smells authentic to me, but I must admit I don't know L'instant EDT very well, only from a small decant I had a couple of years ago. It doesn't last very long, but this seems to be quite normal, reading the reviews.

Gentlemen, your thoughts, please...
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post #2 of 13
2/21/09 at 1:21pm
Take your bottle into a department store with a Guerlain concession. Spray some of their Instant on the back of one hand and your on the other and smell the two. If they smell the same you have a genuine item, if not...

Also, Instant doesn't last long on me either, but I bought mine from a reputable seller online so I know it's genuine.
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post #3 of 13
2/21/09 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDS1963 View Post

Take your bottle into a department store with a Guerlain concession. Spray some of their Instant on the back of one hand and your on the other and smell the two. If they smell the same you have a genuine item, if not...

Also, Instant doesn't last long on me either, but I bought mine from a reputable seller online so I know it's genuine.

Hmmm, I could do that. But I prefer to take a decant with me, else they probably think I try to steal my own bottle.
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post #4 of 13
2/21/09 at 1:40pm
Thread Starter 
I just remember something else too! Wasn't there a problem with Guerlain and eBay a while ago? Don't remember exactly what it was, but I think it was something about Guerlain didn't want people selling their stuff on eBay anymore.

Anyone remember this too and knows how that turned out?
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post #5 of 13
2/21/09 at 2:18pm
  • kbe
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Guerlain may want horns but they will surely die butt-headed.

Sealed bottles of Guerlain or any other legitimate fragrance cannot be stopped from being resold on eBay. I don't know if they have tried to do that but they might as well piss into a hurricane.

The decant/store bottle tester idea is a good one. I hope it is the real thing.
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post #6 of 13
2/24/09 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
The person who wrote me (and several others!) that email was talking out of his a$$. This Guerlain is 100% genuine. Really shitty to do something like that. I have informed the seller about it and also wrote to eBay, I hope that he/she lose his account.
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post #7 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:01pm
Fake bottles seem to have tell-tale signs, such as crude seams, paint that can scraped off with your fingernails, caps that don't fit exactly right, and minor quality control issues. However, in the case of L'Instant, I doubt there are a lot of fakes out there (probably none). I got a nearly full 125 ml bottle on ebay a while back for very little. It's just not that popular for U.S. ebay.
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post #8 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Domingo View Post

I just remember something else too! Wasn't there a problem with Guerlain and eBay a while ago? Don't remember exactly what it was, but I think it was something about Guerlain didn't want people selling their stuff on eBay anymore.

Anyone remember this too and knows how that turned out?

LVMH asked eBay to blacklist all their items.

Some knockoffs are better than others, we've seen some truly amazing imitation bottles, but the scent usually doesn't come close.
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post #9 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:19pm
Sweet fragrances are a lot tougher to be sure of, so I think you need to pay more caution with them. If you spray too much and you're not used to it yet, then you might think it's a fake.

I did the same kind of double-take with Opium pour Homme EDT, and L'instant EDP. I got too excited and sprayed too much, and wondered for the next few days why I couldn't smell them. It's because I fatigued my nose out of sweet smells. I tried them both a week later and they both had multiple dimensions I had never smelled before.

It sucks that you're only given a week to return some things though.
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post #10 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynendal View Post

Sweet fragrances are a lot tougher to be sure of, so I think you need to pay more caution with them. If you spray too much and you're not used to it yet, then you might think it's a fake.

I did the same kind of double-take with Opium pour Homme EDT, and L'instant EDP. I got too excited and sprayed too much, and wondered for the next few days why I couldn't smell them. It's because I fatigued my nose out of sweet smells. I tried them both a week later and they both had multiple dimensions I had never smelled before.

It sucks that you're only given a week to return some things though.

Okay, I can understand that somewhat, but the tone of said email was very different. The person basically said that the seller sold fakes and that I should report him at both eBay and pay pal so he would lose his account. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the juice!

Btw, a couple of day's after I opened this thread I got another eBay message where he said I bought a genuine perfume. So I guess it's just some kind of weirdo.

It's just not funny to slander a sellers reputation like that, imo.
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post #11 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesoul View Post

LVMH asked eBay to blacklist all their items.

Some knockoffs are better than others, we've seen some truly amazing imitation bottles, but the scent usually doesn't come close.

I know. But I have a dupe of Jo Malone's Black Vetyver Cafe which is 10 times as good as the original.

Anyway, this Guerlain is definitely not a fake, it's just cheap, that's all.
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post #12 of 13
2/24/09 at 10:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Domingo View Post

Okay, I can understand that somewhat, but the tone of said email was very different. The person basically said that the seller sold fakes and that I should report him at both eBay and pay pal so he would lose his account. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the juice!

Btw, a couple of day's after I opened this thread I got another eBay message where he said I bought a genuine perfume. So I guess it's just some kind of weirdo.

It's just not funny to slander a sellers reputation like that, imo.

It might explain why it doesn't last long, though.

Yeah, it's terrible. I like getting messages on ebay asking about sellers I've bought from, though - just last month I recommended sunglasses to a girl in britain who was cautious.
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post #13 of 13
2/25/09 at 6:15am
You guys will roll your eyes at me, but here I go again: L'Instant PH edt lasts really well on me, and I smell it on the shirts I was wearing with it when I put them into the washing machine a week later.

Not to say anything about the fake/not fake issue, because it's clear the bottle is legit, but I'd wager you guys are smelling good a lot longer than you think when you wear this stuff.

I'm glad there was such a good result, Domingo.
--Chris
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