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How can you know what you are buying?

post #1 of 10
12/4/12 at 3:50am
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone. I`m pretty much new in fragrance world and I want to ask a question that bothers me for some time now. The thing is that out there are alot of fake smells being sold even in big shops. When you buy smells how you can be sure that it`s not fake? Here is what I mean. For example, I never have smelled Armani Code. So I go to the shop, ask to smell a tester and here is the problem - how can I know if it`s fake or not if I don`t know how it should smell? Or for example this kind of situation. I go to the shop, ask to smell tester and later order same smells from online shop, but when they arrive I feel that smell is little bit different. But how can I know who is selling fake - the local perfume shop or online shop? Is there any kind of place where I could smell testers with standard of real smells? I guess the best way would be to go directly to the factory in France where smells are being produced, but I doubt somebody gonna let me in there. So guys, when you buy perfume how you define if it`s fake or not. Where do you find that standart of original smell?
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post #2 of 10
12/4/12 at 4:51am
Life is chance. Stay informed with new releases. Older fragrances change pending on where they are stored. If you purchase a fragrance developed in 1992 and you order on line, its a good chance the juice has changed a bit or reformulated. Then comes the criminal element. Look at reviews and understand the return policy. Go to YouTube and look at fragrance reviews, they do a good job describing fragrances and how to spot fakes. It really takes a while. Be smart and watch your budget.

Good Luck!
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post #3 of 10
12/4/12 at 5:03am
As a rule of thumb, avoid discounters and stick to reputable department stores / boutiques.
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post #4 of 10
12/4/12 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

As a rule of thumb, avoid discounters and stick to reputable department stores / boutiques.

Never a truer word said, I just purchased some Givenchy Adventure Sensations from a known online discounter and it hasn't a fifth of the impact of my old store bought one, everything vanishes after an hour whereas the original lasts for at least 7 hours.

To give them credit where its due they acknowledged that there could be a batch/storage problem and refunded me immediately, I'm just glad I decided to open it before gifting it to check.

It's worth sticking to bricks and mortar chains and paying a bit more, after all the discounters have it cheap for a reason.
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post #5 of 10
12/4/12 at 6:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

As a rule of thumb, avoid discounters and stick to reputable department stores / boutiques.

This.
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post #6 of 10
12/4/12 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gandhajala View Post

As a rule of thumb, avoid discounters and stick to reputable department stores / boutiques.

a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y!
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post #7 of 10
12/4/12 at 7:46am
If you're going to reputable stores, I'd say pretty much with 100% certainty that the testers you're smelling are the real deal. Brick & mortars don't purchase "fake" stock. As for ordering online...like others have said. There's always somewhat of a gamble to it. Yes, there are reputable online places, but you're still taking a chance in some way. It's just up to you if the discount is worth the risk. In some cases, it may be, and in others, not. Only you can make that call with your own money. Best of luck & Welcome!
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post #8 of 10
12/4/12 at 9:09am
Never had any type of problems with the more reputable online stores, eg. FragranceX, FragranceNet, LuxuryPerfume, Scentad Monkey, etc. I thimk there is way to much paranoia surrounding fakes. I tend to stay away from Ebay though.
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post #9 of 10
12/4/12 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
What can you say about Cheapsmells? I heard they are reliable, but they also got discounts and stuff. Also prive is very low: some of smells cost almost twice less than here in Latvia for example.
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post #10 of 10
12/4/12 at 11:53pm
Buy a sample of whichever fragrance you are interested in (most samples, if not all, are authentic). Smell it and compare it to your purchase.
I understand that in some regions "reputable dealers" are difficult to distinguish from counterfeiters, in that case your best bet is to stick with the online stores mentioned here.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › How can you know what you are buying?