Even for those of us who live in a large metropolitan area with tons of shopping options, the fact is that it is simply easier and sometimes cheaper to make perfume purchases online. The big concern here is how to buy perfume online without getting scammed…

Is it safe?

The answer is sometimes. It really depends on where you make your purchase. For example, if you google the name of a scent you are considering purchasing, dozens of sellers of the fragrance will appear. Anything from FragranceNet to Ebay will pop up and often showing as lower-priced than a typical department store purchase.

If a site isn’t an authorized seller of the product that they carry, they are part of a grey market which purchases products from abroad and outside of the manufacturer’s regular distribution channels. Like all consumer goods, the exact same product may sell for different amounts in different regions of the world.  The same perfume might sell for $20 in Dubai and for $40 in the US. A distributor can exploit this and sell a product intended for the Dubai market to an unauthorized retailer in the US for $25. The retailer may then sell it for $30, which is much lower than the retailer’s official US price.

Some companies, such as Chanel, are outspoken about stopping this practice since it soils their pristine luxury brand image. Other companies may choose to look the other way since it may boost profits on inventory that isn’t in high demand.

Even though a grey market product isn’t a counterfeit per se, there’s no way of knowing whether or not a perfume has been exposed to extreme temperatures or tampered with in some way. Must of us wouldn’t choose to purchase a fragrance of inferior quality just to save a few bucks.

And then there are the outright fakes…The risk of that goes up with popular brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Chanel and Dior. I’ve read that Chanel No 5 is one of the most counterfeited perfumes being sold online. Well no surprise there!

When making a purchase outside of regular distribution channels…Caveat Emptor. If it seems too good to be true then it probably is.

When I make a perfume purchase online, I feel quite safe buying from department stores (Nordstrom usually) or from widely recognized chains like Sephora. There’s always the option of buying directly from the manufacturer, although it can be the most expensive way to buy. I’m also very comfortable buying from licensed online retailers like Beautyhabit or Luckyscent. Luckyscent also has an extensive selection of samples sold for $3-$8 apiece, which is a great way to test a fragrance before committing to a full bottle.