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) I admit I am not the "end all" expert here, but over my time researching, comparison shopping and trying out other peoples products from ebay, I can tell you that there are some really reputable perfume dealers here sending out crap for perfumes and colognes. Some claim to be authentic and quite frankly aren't. Others claim to have quality products, when in actuality their products have been sitting in some wholesalers warehouse for years. Of course these people may or may not know either of the above information, as they may never touch their products or meet the people who they buy wholesale from. I can understand the idea of just listing and getting your product out their for maximum profit, but a good service and good quality products come from knowing your business inside and out.
I admit it, I use a dropshipper, as well as purchase through small bulk and large bulk inventory. I think the difference here is that I know all of my business relations on a first name basis. If I think I got a crap product - I will have no problem calling them up and letting them know about it. And surely I am not going to sell that crap product with my reputation attached to it. I know alot of other people would just suck it up and hope no one realizes. But thats bad business.
Alot of people may not realize this but fragrances do diminish in strength over time. You may see a cologne, say Cool Water Cologne for Men by Davidoff, at a unreal price. Your first reaction is going to be, "WOW, WHAT A DEAL!!", but buyer beware. It could easily be a cheap knockoff packaged in the exact way you would see at a department store. Now how are you, the consumer going to tell if you recieved a imitation or a old bottle that has a lesser duration?
The Three ways I have found to work for me are...
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Check the return Policy (Anything less than 30 days is probably a good warning) The way I look at it is, if you give someone less than 30 days, they may have problems getting it back to you in time. Returns generally go from the day the item was shipped people. If I ship Alien by Thierry Mugler on Monday, it arrives on Thursday that minimized the time available to return to 3 days. Can you get that item back to me in those 3 days without outrageous shipping charges? Change that to 14 days and it could be the same problem because the typical delivery time for Ground is 2-9 days. You get it on the 9th day and BOOM, same situation. Now I only accept returns on Unopened packages and I do admit, that is not ideal. But, because the nature of the item being sold, a opened package is like a new car driven off the dealership lot, it diminishes value FAST!! Which brings me to point two....
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Smell it - If for some reason it doesn't smell how you think it should, be wary. But also note that your skin chemistry may have changed since the last time you used that product, especially if it has been years since you last used said product. Most people will be willing to give you a full refund if you believe you have recieved a fake, myself included. But don't go making a big deal about it (negative feedback, etc). Email the person you purchased it from and discuss it with them. Most of the time they will be helpful.
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Look at the bottle and the printing on the box. (Generally testers are exactly that, Genuine Testers) If the bottle has bubbles in the glass, imperfections, or looks warped, its highly likely that its a fake. Also make sure the cap fits properly.
I know thats not definative by any means, but hopefully someone will understand everything I am trying to say here and benefit from that.
Guide created: 06/23/08
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