Counterfeit colognes

[Rivguy]

I have looked at a few colognes on the bay and wonder if some of them are counterfeit. I fully understand the caveat emptor situation of eBay but I would be interested to hear about some of your experiences with some of these vendors. I was particularly interested in the vendor that sells Royall Lyme Bermuda colognes. I have purchased from one vendor (I am uncertain if I can mention the name so I won't) and had a very good experience. I know that there are good and bad vendors everywhere but I was just curious of what other have experienced.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Austin]

Steer clear of the Creeds and Tom Fords on the bay. They are usually counterfeited cheap crap. However, there are a few reliable sellers. You also have to be careful with some colognes that have gone sour due to weather or age.

 

[DavyRay]

The ebay feedback loop should be functional. If you are doing business with a seller with a good reputation, you should be able to trust that seller's product to some degree.

If you do business with an ebay seller who does not have many transactions, or who does not have a great rating, or who does not have a good reputation, you are foolish. There are limitations to the ebay feedback system, but in general, it works.

Check with buyers here and on other sites (basenotes?), for other reputation comments.

You should name the seller you have interest in. It is a public forum. No harm in asking.

 

[Rivguy]

Thanks Austin, I do wonder about some of the vintage or classic colognes that could have gone bad. A while ago I saw a thread that addressed some of the classic colognes that have been reformulated. If you or someone else can point me to that thread it would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[dougr]

I posted a warning with pictures of the counterfit Creed that I bought on eBay but my thread was removed. Evidentely it must have stepped on some toes but I did not want my friends on this forum to go through the same experience. Another well known and active BnB friend on this Forum is an expert with Creed and he told me what to look for to prevent a counterfit. I purchaced my Creed from him and one other person on BnB and have been well satisfied. Also, I posted the same pictures on another similar blog site and my thread with pictures were also removed but a dozen board members saw it, commented, and PM'd me so that they got their money back.

 

[OldAF]

I posted a warning with pictures of the counterfit Creed that I bought on eBay but my thread was removed.

Really? Why? It seems like this would be helpful in keeping members from getting ripped off.

 

[Aaron01]

eBay can be a good place to get fragrances, but you have to make sure the seller has good feedback for selling similar items.

Typically the more popular a fragrance the more likely you're going to find counterfeits. There's not too much of an incentive to counterfeit things that don't have much of a market for them.

 

[Scott0079]

Steer clear of the Creeds and Tom Fords on the bay. They are usually counterfeited cheap crap. However, there are a few reliable sellers. You also have to be careful with some colognes that have gone sour due to weather or age.

+1 .... got some bathtub Creed myself once, got my money back fortunately, still not worth the hassle.

 

[john parker]

To check feedback, read here http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=179416. May provide some good info to you.

 

[StylinLA]

Thanks Austin, I do wonder about some of the vintage or classic colognes that could have gone bad. A while ago I saw a thread that addressed some of the classic colognes that have been reformulated. If you or someone else can point me to that thread it would be greatly appreciated.

It's a bummer but my sense is that there are some wise guys on eBay that are fairly knowledgable about frags (and other collectibles too of course.) They are able to get away with selling some crap because eventually someone will likely buy it and if it's a discontinued frag, there's nothing to compare it to unless you've got some finely tuned nose that remembers the scent perfectly.

Too easy for seller to hide behind a sort of c"aveat emptor it's an old scent" argument.

It's too bad because I'm quite certain some eBay selles are the real deal selling legit vintage frags.

Frags are more durable than we think. I believe the biggest issue with buying older stuff is the conditions in which it has been stored. Extremes of heat seem to damage scents. I found a bottle of now very rare Patou Pour Homme at a tiny convenience store that serviced an office complex. I fear that sitting in that unairconditioned store for 5-10 years kind of gutted the juice. I can get a sense of what it was, but it has little longevity which was not the rep with this one.

 

[Monkeyboy]

I've bought dozens of fragrances from ebay sellers and have only had one bad experience pictured here on the left. The bottle didn't look right and certainly didn't smell right. The seller gave a full refund without asking for it back.

I usually feel more safe ordering from major online sellers but once got a bottle of Chanel Antaeus from frag&*#@*net.com that didn't smell right at all.

 

[Alraz]

The Royall distributor for Royall sells on ebay. He usually have some specials like buy 4 for about $70. These are good and the guy provides good service too.

Al raz.