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Thursday, May 1, 2008

Buyers Guide to Spotting Counterfeit Discount Perfumes

By Michael Rares

When checking out my competition on the internet you will come across some vendors selling items at substantially lower prices then retailers could buy them at. One place to investigate and I check out fake discount fragrances is on eBay.

Take this example from Michael Rares, a discount perfume industry expert with over 30 years of experience. He came across an item by Chanel that caught his eye. Chanel is a company that has strict distribution restrictions and limits its supply to all of its licensed distribution channels.

The item Rares noticed was Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Spray. A 3.4oz bottle usually retails for $110.00. This one was priced on eBay for $39.95. The same item, when it is available, sells in the discount fragrance market for around $85.00. As a consumer, this low of a price should immediately put up a red flag, as it did for Rares, that the product is either counterfeit or stolen. The reason being is that there is no need to cut the price of discount perfumes to this extreme of a low. Realistically, most discount perfumes can sell close to or at market price.

Of coarse the first clue in determining if a product is real is the pricing. But if you buy a discount fragrance there are some things to look at to determine if it is real.To illustrate what to look for. Rares purchased a Coco Mademoiselle from eBay and one from the department store. Close examination of the products revealed that there were obvious differences between the two products.

Comparing your purchase with a real one purchased in a department store is a good way to see many of the flaws of a fake discount fragrance. If you are not able to purchase a real item, you can compare the item in question against one from a department store. Examine the outside packaging. Check to see that the lettering size and font matches. Is the lettering located in the same place. Check to see if the box is folded and glued correctly and in the same manner. Boxes for counterfeits often fall apart if handled too much and the seams of the box do not line up.

Is there an inner lining inside the box and is the construction consistent with the perfume box you are comparing it with? Does the bottle fit into the lining correctly and then does it fit inside the box properly. Check out the UPC Bar code on the box. Is it located in the right place and does it look the same . Also check if the numbers and see if they all match up. The detail bordering needs to be the same. The real Coco perfume there is a gold trim around the outside of the box and the inside flaps are gold. See if they match and are the same color.

The Bottle is a good place to find differences fake perfumes. Check the angles of the glass for seams or rough edges. Quality bottles are seamless.There should not be lines in the middle of the bottle. Examine the spraying mechanism of the bottle, and the stem inside the bottle. In the case of the Chanel bottle, the gold sprayer and the stem inside were completely different with the counterfeit version. Look at the construction of the cap and does it fit properly to the bottle. The cap should be snug but not tight.

The smell test is always the first test for consumers, but it can be hard to tell the difference the counterfeiters are very good at copying the smell. But test it anyway. Check the Perfume liquid for the correct color and make sure there are no substances floating in it .

Rares was able to conclude, based on this analysis, that the Chanel perfume was a counterfeit. Although he had nearly 30 years of experience on his side, you too can spot the fake by following these simple guidelines. Sites that allow anyone to sell just about anything to anyone will always pose these risks to the consumer. If you are unable to obtain any information on a product online, judge it by the price. And remember, if it seems too good to be true, that's because it is.

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