I don't suggest buying off of EBay !

DESHAVE4LIFE · Jan 21, 2015

Was looking on eBay and found a guy in California who had a bunch of sample( 10ml ) decanter of Tom Ford fragrances including Noir De Noir, Grey Vetiver, Tobacco Vanille etc
Needless to say I bought a 10ml bottle of the Noir De Noir .. mind you I have tried this out at Neiman Marcus and wore all day one time so I know what it smells like, its projection and longevity.
I received it yesterday and .... Its FAKE I contacted seller and he swears he only sells authentic product ... NOT
I am sending it back to Modesto,Ca today and supposedly he is going to refund my $23 I paid
Don't buy fragrances from EBay .. I should of known better

Musikmann · Jan 21, 2015

Thanks for the warning. I have bought numerous items on eBay, and never been burned, but never any fragrance samples. I hope you get your refund without any hassles.

DESHAVE4LIFE · Jan 21, 2015

Musikmann said:
Thanks for the warning. I have bought numerous items on eBay, and never been burned, but never any fragrance samples. I hope you get your refund without any hassles.

YES I have been buying/selling on ebay since 2002 and I have never been burned either but this was my first purchase of a fragrance from ebay .. never again ! I guess I should of known better but I tried this Tom Ford Noir De Noir at Neiman Marcus and fell in love with it but was not going to even consider dishing out $215.00 for a 1.7oz bottle (50ml) so I thought this 10ml sample for $23 was a good deal which it would of been but was so obviously fake .. I guess this goes on a lot on ebay with people selling high end perfumes/cologne fakes .. it's a shame !

DESHAVE4LIFE · Jan 21, 2015

what gets me is the seller has a bunch of Tom Ford samples (5ml - 15ml) that he has listed and people are paying good money for them .. he has his settings on private so when you go to feedbacks you can't see the auction listing from past buyers

.. live & learn I guess

Eamrein · Jan 21, 2015

Just celebrated (if that's the correct word) my 15th year on eBay. Only burned a couple of times on small items. Never buy anything I can't afford to lose..

BSAGuy · Jan 21, 2015

Oops. Sorry for your bad experience. Hope it works out. Like you, I have been on eBay for a long time (since 1998) and have only had 1-2 bad experiences. Unfortunately, not all sellers and buyers are honest.

pflyer85 · Jan 21, 2015

There are plenty of other reliable places that have niche/higher end samples at a reasonable price that I would go to before Ebay. The only cologne I will buy off ebay is cheapies. The reason I wouldn't hesitate to buy cheaper fragrances would be the cost effectiveness of faking. In fairness you did say you have only tried the fragrance one time. To be completely honest wearing one time is not going to give you enough time to judge longevity, projection, etc for every fragrance. I have a number of fragrances that I own that flat out have spotty performance and are very much dependent on a certain temp/humidity combo to get maximum performance. Not saying you weren't burned and didn't get a fake but just something to consider.

DESHAVE4LIFE · Jan 21, 2015

pflyer85 said:
There are plenty of other reliable places that have niche/higher end samples at a reasonable price that I would go to before Ebay. The only cologne I will buy off ebay is cheapies. The reason I wouldn't hesitate to buy cheaper fragrances would be the cost effectiveness of faking. In fairness you did say you have only tried the fragrance one time. To be completely honest wearing one time is not going to give you enough time to judge longevity, projection, etc for every fragrance. I have a number of fragrances that I own that flat out have spotty performance and are very much dependent on a certain temp/humidity combo to get maximum performance. Not saying you weren't burned and didn't get a fake but just something to consider.

I understand what you are saying BUT I was able to try the Tom Ford Noir De Noir at Neiman Marcus and just sprayed one spray on my neck .. 7-hrs later I could still smell it with ease, I sprayed my wrist with the one from ebay .. it had an entirely different smell and you smell an alcohol smell AND 2-hrs later you could absolutely smell nothing on my wrist
I know wearing a cologne for one day is not enough to write a complete review on longevity, projection etc. but it was too obvious this was NOT the real deal

seller is refunding my money and begged me to not leave negative feedback, I didn't read fine print in his auction till afterwards but it stated if you had a problem to contact him first before leaving feedback

enough for me to NOT buy fragrances from ebay ever again

goby · Jan 22, 2015

DESHAVE4LIFE said:
he has his settings on private so when you go to feedbacks you can't see the auction listing from past buyers

.. live & learn I guess

Yep. Now you know. Sellers with great feedback never hide it.

SteveWY · Jan 22, 2015

The OP makes a very broad statement. I think I have rated my purchases on ebay as about 95% satisfactory.

Atalk · Jan 23, 2015

I buy primarily cheapies from eBay and I try to reduce risk by only buying NIB and sealed. I consider myself fortunate to have only been burned once (and to no surprise, the seller refunded my money within 5 minutes of my "This is a fake bottle" email). Sometimes however, eBay might be the only place to get a certain fragrance so I will roll the dice assuming the product meets my first two requirements.

unkajonet · Jan 23, 2015

I've always thought that when the price per ml of a sample is less than the cost per ml of a full bottle, then it's probably a good idea to find another seller.

Mabuse! · Jan 23, 2015

I have sold samples and bottles on ebay before, and never ever burned anyone.

PGHChris · Jan 23, 2015

Personally, I have only purchased a few fragrances off of ebay and I've never been burned. But I follow a few simple rules:

1. Regardless of what you're buying, make sure feedback is 99% plus, and you can read everything from the past year.
2. DO NOT purchase from a vendor who does not accept returns.
3. Check the prices against brick and mortar stores, as well as other online vendors. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
4. If buying fragrance samples - do not buy hand-decanted samples. Only purchase carded vials.
5. If buying full bottles - provided the seller meets rules 1 and 2 first, check to see that the seller posted ACTUAL pics of the fragrance, not a stock photo.

Even if you do follow these rules, you still run the risk of getting a fake, but the risk is greatly reduced. When purchasing fragrances online you run the risk of getting fakes no matter where you purchase from, its just more likely that you will get one from a discount or bargain store, than from a reputable establishment (Macy's, Nordstrom, etc.).

I follow these simple rules, and I've never received a fake from ebay. I have received fakes, on separate occasions, from Amazon (both Amazon Marketplace, as well one sold directly from Amazon) and a brick & mortar location of Perfumania. Like I said, there's always a chance that you'll receive a fake from somewhere; the market is absolutely polluted with them. But if you take the necessary steps to minimize your risk, there are some genuinely good deals on real fragrances to be found - even on ebay. I would disagree with the OP on the sweeping proclamation that "you should never buy fragrances on ebay". I would instead say that, while you certainly run the risk of getting a fake, no matter how careful you are, if you take the appropriate precautions that risk is greatly minimized.

mata777 · Jan 24, 2015

Been on ebay since 2000, only had to file a complaint to get money back maybe 5 times total after 700+ transactions. Many of those were frag decants with 0 problems. Sorry to hear you got burned op, I'm almost sure you will receive your money back.

Doc4 · Feb 2, 2015

I've bought a few bottles of Penhaligon's on e-Bay, all the bona-fide real juice. That said, I was buying from someone in England who had an "inside track" on the stuff (I believe lived near a store where they sold off the excess at rock-bottom prices, or some such thing.) But they are long since out of the e-bay game, so my supply has dried up.

I guess, like watches and such, it's one of those "make extra careful from whom you buy" items.

john parker · Feb 2, 2015

PGHChris said:
Personally, I have only purchased a few fragrances off of ebay and I've never been burned. But I follow a few simple rules:

1. Regardless of what you're buying, make sure feedback is 99% plus, and you can read everything from the past year.
2. DO NOT purchase from a vendor who does not accept returns.
3. Check the prices against brick and mortar stores, as well as other online vendors. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
4. If buying fragrance samples - do not buy hand-decanted samples. Only purchase carded vials.
5. If buying full bottles - provided the seller meets rules 1 and 2 first, check to see that the seller posted ACTUAL pics of the fragrance, not a stock photo.

Even if you do follow these rules, you still run the risk of getting a fake, but the risk is greatly reduced. When purchasing fragrances online you run the risk of getting fakes no matter where you purchase from, its just more likely that you will get one from a discount or bargain store, than from a reputable establishment (Macy's, Nordstrom, etc.).

I follow these simple rules, and I've never received a fake from ebay. I have received fakes, on separate occasions, from Amazon (both Amazon Marketplace, as well one sold directly from Amazon) and a brick & mortar location of Perfumania. Like I said, there's always a chance that you'll receive a fake from somewhere; the market is absolutely polluted with them. But if you take the necessary steps to minimize your risk, there are some genuinely good deals on real fragrances to be found - even on ebay. I would disagree with the OP on the sweeping proclamation that "you should never buy fragrances on ebay". I would instead say that, while you certainly run the risk of getting a fake, no matter how careful you are, if you take the appropriate precautions that risk is greatly minimized.

AND, check the seller on a site such as toolhaus to see what his feedback really is!

Maxime D. · Feb 4, 2015

Don't burn all Ebay because of a few dishonest sellers. I've been burned more often by buyers than sellers, at least when you get burned as a buyer you can get your money back. Never send something without a tracking number, especially when it's Europe.

babydials · Feb 4, 2015

Never had a problem. A lady friend had the reverse issue. She was selling a rare vintage perfume that was legitmate. The recipient claimed it was a fake, filed a complaint, got her money back and kept the perfume.

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I don't suggest buying off of EBay !

DESHAVE4LIFE

Musikmann

DESHAVE4LIFE

DESHAVE4LIFE

Eamrein

BSAGuy

pflyer85

DESHAVE4LIFE

goby

SteveWY

Atalk

unkajonet

Mabuse!

PGHChris

mata777

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather

john parker

Maxime D.

babydials

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