There are countless online retailers that specialize in fragrance and perfume sales. Today, let’s look at FragranceNet, one of the largest independent fragrance retailers in the world. Our FragranceNet review will answer one big question: Is FragranceNet legit?
This in-depth FragranceNet review will cover:
- Is FragranceNet Legit? (Yes! We’ll show you why.)
- Why Are Perfumes on FragranceNet So Cheap?
- Is FragranceNet Reliable?
- What About Testers and Samples from FragranceNet?
- Unboxing of Identical Purchases from FragranceNet and Chanel.com
- How Can You Save the Most Money on FragranceNet?
Disclaimer: The article is NOT sponsored by FragranceNet
Fragrance.com Review
Founded in 1997, FragranceNet is a trusted source for brand-name fragrances, skincare, makeup, haircare, aromatherapy, and candles. They’re special because they sell all of this at a discounted price.
FragranceNet has made over $1B in sales and shipped over 30 million packages worldwide. With an inventory of over 17,000 brands, you can find almost any fragrance on their website.
FragranceNet is one of the largest perfume websites in the world. Their headquarters and warehouse location are based in Deer Park, New York.
If you type in “fragrance.com” you’ll be directed to FragranceNet’s main retail website. Both FragranceNet.com and Fragrance.com are used interchangeably across their platforms.
Is FragranceNet Legit?
Yes – but let’s explain why.
FragranceNet claims they offer all genuine brand-name products. Their A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau supports that claim too.
FragranceNet’s Product Guarantee is convincing too:
All of the products showcased throughout FragranceNet.com are 100% original brand names. We only carry genuine brand name perfumes, colognes and beauty products. Absolutely NO imitations or knock-offs.
FragranceNet.com, About Us
FragranceNet is only a retailer. They are not a manufacturer, so they do not make any of the products they sell. FragranceNet buys its fragrances directly from perfume manufacturers or from the gray market (more on that later.)
To verify these claims, we bought two identical Chanel perfumes. One from FragranceNet and one directly from Chanel.com. Keep reading for the unboxing and conclusion!
Why Is FragranceNet So Cheap?
If FragranceNet sells real, legitimate perfumes then why are they so cheap? You may be thinking it’s too good to be true!
Let’s look at a fragrance example: Aventus by Creed.
Creed is one of the most popular, niche perfume houses. One of Creed’s perfumes, Aventus, is known worldwide for its great performance and high reviews. However, Aventus is also criticized for its high price tag. Many consider it overpriced with an MSRP of $435 per 100ml bottle.
But on FragranceNet, Aventus is only $335.99. That’s over $100 off! And we haven’t even applied a 37% off coupon. (That coupon is available at the end of this article!)
How is such a good deal possible on a legitimate, niche perfume?
FragranceNet is so cheap because of a number of reasons. Let’s break it down:
Perfume Gray Market
The gray market of the perfume industry is not as shady as it sounds. This gray market is simply where the legal buying and selling of fragrances happen outside of official selling channels.
This means the gray market covers selling channels not distributed by authorized retailers. However, the perfumes are still totally legitimate. The business model is just different.
For example, the gray market will offer much bigger discounts to sell and move larger quantities faster. These big price gaps occur from different geographic locations and especially when they involve international parties.
The gray market is one reason why FragranceNet is able to sell its perfumes for so cheap. They acquire brand-name perfumes at severely discounted rates, therefore they can sell them below MSRP.
If you want to learn more about the Perfume Gray Market, we go into detail in this blog post. Another great resource on the topic is Reference for Business.
Fewer Overhead Costs
Another reason FragranceNet can sell perfumes so inexpensively is that it has no retail storefront. Brick-and-mortar retail spaces, like a department store or a boutique, have a large overhead cost, but FragranceNet saves here.
FragranceNet only sells online and therefore only has a warehouse. They save on extra expenditures like rent, maintenance fees, window displays and decorations, cleaning fees, and more. Other retailers are paying these bills every month and so they must sell higher-priced goods to break even.
Selling Over Services – another reason why Fragrancenet is cheap
FragranceNet has one priority: to sell discounted perfumes and products. Their services overall are not as good as other official channels.
That’s another reason why FragranceNet can sell perfume at such cheap prices. FragranceNet is not an authorized dealer for most brands.
Their focus is not excellent customer service or providing a world-class experience – it’s selling you fragrances. Does that matter to you? If you’re looking for this treatment, FragranceNet might not be for you. However, if your goal is to buy discounted fragrances, FragranceNet is the perfect resource.
Even if FragranceNet does not prioritize a highly-trained customer service or sales team, that doesn’t mean they’re not reliable.
Is FragranceNet Reliable?
Yes – FragranceNet is indeed reliable.
The FragranceNet website offers multiple methods of communicating should you want to contact the company. Their phone number and address are up to date. They also offer chat options online during business hours.
We tested their contact information and it is all legitimate. FragranceNet responded to emails and their customer service department did provide reasonable help.
In addition to legitimate communication channels, FragranceNet is very reliable with orders and deliveries. Returns are also accepted.
We have ordered from over 10 times from FragranceNet since 2017 and they have all been safely delivered in less than 10 days.
Here is an actual buying experience to show FragranceNet’s reliability:
FragranceNet Shipping Speed Review
First, FragranceNet shipped the product from their warehouse based in Deer Park, New York. That is also where the headquarters is located.
FragranceNet does have multiple warehouse locations throughout the United States. This order came from their location in Reno, Nevada.
As you can see from our order history, we’ve made quite a few purchases from FragranceNet since 2017, so we have grounds to make a conclusion.
Sometimes orders came very fast – within 4 days. Other orders took up to 10 days to be delivered. We put our 5 most recent orders in a chart:
FragranceNet Defective Product Case Review
FragranceNet prides itself on selling quality, brand-name perfumes. While the products are in fact legitimate, sometimes they can be defective.
From our experience, most of our perfume orders arrived in perfect condition. But, some of the orders had small issues.
For example, the bottle on the left is the product listing image (perfect condition) and the bottle on the right is the one from our FragranceNet order. You can see the ribbon knot fell off the bottle and there’s a small chip on the bottleneck.
The issue looks minor, and many people would not be bothered by this. But this particular perfume, Love In White, is from the house of Creed. As we covered earlier, it is very expensive. For nearly $400 per bottle, it’s reasonable to expect a flawless product.
FragranceNet’s Customer Service Review
To test FragranceNet’s Customer service, we reported this chipped bottle as an issue. This is what FragranceNet had to say:
As you can see, this is clearly a canned email that they send to every customer with a similar issue.
When we followed up with a phone call, they said that most of the perfumes are sold as-is but for our particular problem, they will take returns for a full refund.
In conclusion, their customer service quality overall is okay. No, it’s not as good as authorized dealers or brands, but that’s to be expected. FragranceNet asks questions about defects before allowing a return, unlike other retailers who will happily accept a return.
You might have to call FragranceNet and jump through a few hoops, but they still do provide reasonable services.
With that said, you should still take note of their return policies when making a purchase.
Opened items may not be returned. The shipping cost will not be refunded.
FragranceNet’s Returns and Refunds Review
From our many orders, we ended up returning two bottles for a refund: the chipped Creed bottle and another one that had problems with its cap.
Once we got approval for the return, the process was not too complicated. FragranceNet did legitimately accept my return and issue a refund for the two bottles. Other than these two returned items, all other products from those 10 orders mentioned above were fine.
Does FragranceNet Sell Fakes?
No – FragranceNet does not sell fakes. FragranceNet only sells authentic products from genuine brands. Here’s why we know they don’t sell fakes.
For starters, selling fake perfumes would put FragranceNet out of business. All it would take is one competitor (or famous influencer or Youtube thought leader) to buy perfume from FragranceNet and match it with authentic ones.
If someone found one fake bottle among their FragranceNet orders, they could report it and sue them for fraud.
That risk isn’t worth destroying the reputation of a website that has sold over $1B in products.
FragranceNet Reviews on Reddit
Another way to verify if FragranceNet sells fake perfume: check reviews! These are 100% legitimate reviews from the popular forum site, Reddit.
There are several FragranceNet reviews on Reddit. Moderators have even featured the most frequently asked questions in a sidebar and a Wiki page. Reddit visitors don’t have to find answers from hundreds of posts – they can just search these filtered responses.
This Reddit post shares a list of all the legitimate places to buy discounted perfumes. FragranceNet is on the list HERE, among many others.
Here is a Wiki index created on Reddit, especially for fragrance. You’ll see FragranceNet is mentioned multiple times throughout the index as a trusted source to buy perfume, decants, discounted brand-name bottles, and more.
FragranceNet Reviews by Influencers
FragranceNet is the go-to destination for fragrance enthusiasts. Many industry influencers publicly endorse the site with positive reviews.
As you know, fragrances can be costly – but not on FragranceNet. That’s why many fragrance influencers attribute FragranceNet as the place where they were able to truly build their perfume collections.
Plus, these influencers highly recommend and love FragranceNet!
Gent Scents is a Youtube influencer with over 91k subscribers. In his video explaining which discount sites are legit, he says that he “loves FragranceNet” and admits he’s personally purchased hundreds of bottles from the site. He confirms perfumes on Fragrances Net are all genuine.
Another leader in the fragrance space is the Youtube Channel “Smelling Great Fragrance Reviews” with over 67k subscribers. In this video, he says “It is safe to buy testers from these online discounters,” plus adds other positive mentions of FragranceNet.
FragranceNet Legitimacy Review
There are a lot of rumors online, but FragranceNet is legit. As the perfume industry moved online, many scammers began taking advantage of online shoppers. Thankfully, legitimate retailers like FragranceNet provide a safe place to buy legit perfumes.
How do we know FragranceNet is legit? We can start with their legality. FragranceNet is 100% legal and has positive industry-wide recognition. Their website is operated by FragranceNet.Com Inc., a dully-registered US company. Scam stores don’t have legal business entities.
Next, their record of fulfilling orders and customers supports that FragranceNet is legit. They have been in business since 1997! This long track record has surpassed the test of time, proving it’s legit. The chances of a dicey operation selling fake products are slim since they wouldn’t survive over 20 years as FragranceNet has.
Another reason FragranceNet is legit is social proof. Their following on social media is outstanding with over 1 million Facebook followers! FragranceNet is in the spotlight for so many. They simply could not operate a non-legitimate company in front of so many people.
The fourth reason is easy. FragranceNet is transparent. Here they are answering questions about themselves on BBB:
FragranceNet Reviews on BBB
Why are reviews of FragranceNet on the Better Business Bureau, or BBB, so bad?
The BBB is responsible for making sure businesses treat customers well and operate respectfully. Therefore, people don’t go to the BBB to share their pleasant experiences. The BBB is where people file complaints. Positive reviews are usually shared in places like forums or review sites.
Plus, when you have a large enough customer base, you are bound to receive lots of complaints. FragranceNet has hundreds of thousands of reviews on its “secondary” eBay store. That’s not even their official site! Pleasing that many people is near impossible. In addition, we gave a few examples of why FragranceNet can trigger bad reviews (like our chipped Creed bottle earlier).
But the bottom line is: FragranceNet does NOT sell fakes.
Are Perfumes on FragranceNet Real?
Yes! And we put this to the test.
Here is an actual purchase comparison if you still want more proof.
FragranceNet vs Chanel Comparison
Chanel is one of the most expensive, luxurious brand names in the world. It’s easy to understand why it’s also one of the most counterfeited brands out there.
As a top luxe brand, Chanel has a reputation for lack of discounts and is very strict on screening authorized dealers. That is why you won’t find many Chanel resellers on the market. Even if there are, the prices are close to full retail.
FragranceNet vs Chanel Infographic – Coco EDP Comparison
Here is an infographic providing the full side-by-side comparison of both purchases:
As you can see from these photos, both the FragranceNet.com and Chanel.com orders seem identical – but let’s take a closer look.
Chanel beat FragranceNet’s unboxing presentation, but that was to be expected. Chanel is a luxury brand so any order direct from the brand should go above and beyond here.
Upon inspection, the bottle details are the exact same except for one thing: their batch numbers. You can use this website to check the production date of a perfume batch. That tells you when it was made.
FragranceNet’s batch, 4501, was made about 7 months ago. Chanel’s bottle, batch 4301, was made 9 months ago! Both bottles were manufactured at the end of 2019, so both are generally new and fresh. The bottle from FragranceNet is from a newer batch.
FragranceNet vs Chanel Pricing Review
Let’s get to the important part: the price comparison.
The full price on FragranceNet was $153.99 – more expensive than the full retail of $105 on Chanel’s website. But, thanks to FragranceNet coupons, we used a 37% off coupon and ended up getting a slightly cheaper deal. Chanel’s Coco was only $97 on FragranceNet.
Keep reading for more details regarding FragranceNet coupons.
FragranceNet vs Chanel Shipping Review
FragranceNet actually beat Chanel in sending a shipping confirmation email. But, FragranceNet’s bottle arrived 2 days later than that of the Chanel official website.
In conclusion, both the Chanel Coco perfumes are identical. Besides a bit of shipping time and price differences, the orders ended up being the same.
If Chanel from FragranceNet is legit, its entire product inventory must be. It’s safe to say that FragranceNet is legit.
FragranceNet eBay Store Review
FragranceNet has its own eBay storefront.
They have been using eBay since 2011 and have impeccable ratings. FragranceNet has attracted 98.3% positive feedback from 13,000 reviews. That’s unheard of!
eBay is an e-commerce marketplace that matches buyers and sellers. The business makes profits by charging fees on the sellers’ end.
Therefore, costs for FragranceNet to sell perfumes on eBay will be higher than selling the same products on their website fragrancenet.com.
Merchants also have to spend extra money to update listings on eBay. Theoretically, FragranceNet should have more items available and more up-to-date selections. But with an inventory of 10k+ perfumes, that’s difficult to manage on a third-party site like eBay.
If you compare their eBay retail site to their official retail site, you’ll see there is a big difference.
For example, we searched “Chanel” and we saw 3 total results for Chanel on eBay, but 69 on FragranceNet! Also, there is a lack of product images for some listings on eBay while FragranceNet.com always has photos.
Lastly, the perfume price on eBay is lower than the original MSRP’s – until you add the regular 30% off coupon readily available on Fragrancenet.com. Then, eBay is more expensive than orders from Fragrancenet.com.
When should you buy from the FragranceNet eBay Store?
In general, we don’t recommend buying from the eBay store instead of FragranceNet’s retail website, but there is a rare exception. Sometimes (and we stress only sometimes), FragranceNet’s eBay store will offer a better deal.
If you find this rare occurrence, then save money and buy from the FragranceNet eBay store. For example, a discount on the eBay store’s product might get you more than 37% off on the order.
Another reason you may choose to buy from FragranceNet’s eBay store instead of their website is for third-party protection. eBay has a money-back guarantee. This provides extra protection that you don’t get dealing with FragranceNet directly.
The last obvious reason to shop on eBay is to use any “eBay Bucks” you may have. Since these bucks expire, it’s important to spend them quickly and efficiently. FragranceNet’s eBay store is simply an extension of its website, so it’s a smart and safe third-party retailer to shop through.
FragranceNet Full-Bottle-Alternatives Review
FragranceNet sells a lot more than just classic perfume bottles. It also sells:
- perfume decants
- perfume samples
- brand-new perfume testers
Here is a review of each:
FragranceNet Subscriptions/Decants Review
Perfume decants are a common and easy way to enjoy perfume. Decants aren’t from the official perfume manufacturer, but they contain the same great product.
A perfume decant is just a smaller size bottle or vial of perfume that you pour the fragrance into. These can be purchased from legitimate stores (FragranceNet) to ensure it’s genuine. Perfume decants let you sample a fragrance before committing to an entire bottle and they offer more uses than a tester.
Learn more about perfume decants from tip #6 on our perfume buying guide.
FragranceNet offers a perfume decant subscription for as low as $9.95 per month (with an annual subscription). The subscription offers 600+ genuine brand-name fragrances and lets you “pick your scent” each month.
The FragraneNet decant subscription is a great way to try new scents and find new favorites. However, if you want to try pricier perfumes or niche brands, you have to pay extra.
If you choose a month-to-month plan, it costs $14.95/month.
Is it smarter to get decants from the subscription versus buying them individually?
We calculated the prices of 11 random perfumes from the first page of FragranceNet’s subscription selections. For 5 out of 11 perfumes, the per-ounce prices are 139% higher. For some, it was up to 214% times more expensive.
Is the FragranceNet decant subscription worth it? Compared to FragranceNet’s discounted full-bottled perfumes, we don’t think their decants make economical sense.
Their decants and this subscription is a reasonable option, but it’s not nearly the good “deal” you find on discounted full bottles on the rest of the site.
FragranceNet Perfume Samples Review
FragranceNet also offers perfume samples. These samples are smaller versions than decants. And for only a few bucks per sample and hundreds of samples to choose from, FragranceNet samples are brilliant.
Here you can see the site offering over 350 samples for sale!
Let’s take an example. Parfums De Marly, a famous perfume niche house, usually retails for around $300 per bottle. That’s an expensive investment – especially if you’re a first-time buyer. Thankfully, you can mitigate the risk and buy a sample from FragranceNet to try it out.
From our expert experience, samples are the cheapest way to experience the widest range of perfumes possible.
Are FragranceNet perfume samples worth it? Absolutely.
Take any of the luxury perfume brands mentioned in this guide: Parfum de Marly, Creed, or Chanel. All those brands’ perfumes cost hundreds of dollars per bottle. Imagine spending $300+ and not liking it! Samples are a smart method of testing and ensuring you love a fragrance before spending money on one and FragranceNet makes sampling perfumes easy.
FragranceNet’s Tester Perfumes
Decants and samples are great ways to test perfumes, but what if you want a bigger bottle? Try a tester perfume. They’re 100% legit!
Perfume testers are a smart strategy to get the scent you want without the cost. Testers are just bottles that were designated to become customer testers in stores, so they lack fancy packaging. Since they’re lacking the box and other luxe add-ons, they’re much cheaper than typical retail bottles.
When should you buy a tester perfume from FragranceNet? When shopping for yourself or for someone who doesn’t care about the package or box. If you’re buying a gift for someone, it’s probably best to buy a real retail box for the best presentation.
As you can see, this tester bottle of Mont Blanc is identical to the real bottle but its box is clearly marked “tester.” It lacks the luxe vibe that Mont Blanc is known for – but the bottle’s contents are the exact same!
FragranceNet Coupon Guide – Get the Best Deal Possible
We’re here to get you the best perfume deals possible. FragranceNet helps make that easy.
If you go to the site, you should see advertisements for 30% or 35% off sitewide deals. You might even see a sale ending in X amount of hours.
But here’s the secret:
FragranceNet ALWAYS gives you 37% off! You just have to have the right coupon.
FragranceNet 25 Coupon Review
This common 25% off coupon comes with every FragranceNet order. This deal is no better off than what is constantly available on the website. You can do better!
FragranceNet 30 Coupon Review
It seems 30% off is their constant deal online. Despite all the alarming countdowns and time-limited notices, they always have a 30% off sitewide sale. But you can still do better.
FragranceNet 35 Coupon Review
With some more digging, you can get 35% off. It’s a better deal, but it’s not good enough. Let’s do better!
FragranceNet 37 Coupon Review
You can ALWAYS find active 37% off coupon codes. How?
Google.
The codes change from time to time, but if you search for FragranceNet coupons, you’re bound to find 37% off coupons.
We suggest using promo code websites like RetailMeNot or offers.com to find these coupons – plus many others!
FragranceNet Cashback – Double Dipping
The final way to save even more money on FragranceNet is by using a cashback or rebate website. This way, you can double dip on savings. With some rebate sites, you can save an additional 10%!
A rebate site, or cashback site, is a type of reward-based website that pays its members a percentage of the money earned via purchases.
Rebate sites are explained in detail in our Ultimate Buying Guide‘s tip #9.
At the time this article was written, there was only a 0.5% cashback offer for FragranceNet. At other times, we’ve seen it as high as 10% cashback!
Want to see an actual purchase case of how to save 25% by buying perfumes from Saks Fifth Avenue? Read more in our Ultimate Buying Guide.
Bottom Line: FragranceNet is legit.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any doubt about FragranceNet’s legitimacy? What are your experiences? Leave a comment below and let us know!