Buy Crikey: Perfume it all smells good, whatever the source

Sniff around for good deals. Photo / Thinkstock

Christmas decorations are appearing in the shops and it won't be long before perfume sales skyrocket. But where will you be buying your perfume?

A friend of mine is smitten with Coco by Chanel. But Chanel is Chanel, whether you buy it at Smith & Caughey's or online from a perfume discounter.

Only the price and the fussing by a sales assistant are different.

I did a quick search online this week to compare prices.

A 100ml Coco eau de parfum bottle starts at $164, including postage, at Fishpond.co.nz, and strawberryNET.co.nz/beautynet.co.nz is not far behind.

There are many online sellers, with names such as Fragrancesandcosmetics.co.nz, Pharmacydirect.co.nz, ozcosmetics.co.nz, Smells.co.nz.

I prefer to buy from retail brands I know - be they online or high street.

My friend used to shop through StrawberryNET, but has returned to the Farmers fold for the discounts with that store's club card and to support New Zealand retail.

There is always a risk of getting a fake when you buy through an unknown website.

That's one of the reasons I'd never buy perfumes at a weekend market, pop-up store, or from private sellers on Trade Me.

It's very easy to buy a bulk lot of fakes through the internet from China and flog them off - although it's against Trade Me's rules.

If the bottom dollar is what counts to you, then shop around. As well as websites, there are other cheap outlets, which sometimes have good prices.

The Warehouse sells perfume cheaper than the upmarket counters. And you can sometimes pick up a bargain at Postie Plus.

I've eaten humble pie this week after having always been suspicious that the importer's clearance sales at the North Harbour Stadium and ASB Showgrounds looked dodgy.

I did some research and discovered that the company behind these sales is Big Bucket Deals, owned by The Warehouse. I will be checking out these sales the next time.

The Warehouse has been busy in the perfume space. As well as selling parallel imported perfume through Big Bucket, in store and via its Red Alert online-only deals, it has recently started ilovebeauty.co.nz.

This week, that site had Yves Saint Laurent Paris Eau de Toilette 75ml at $95.99 including free postage (over $75). That price just pipped other local online suppliers.

Finally, another way to save money includes dropping your snobbery and buying cheaper brands, such as Avon or the Body Shop. Sometimes they're smell-alikes for more expensive brands.

More deals

• Calvin Klein four-piece mini set for women or men EDP gift set, $49 at Postie Plus.

• Beyonce Mrs Carter World Tour Limited Edition Perfume, $35 at The Warehouse

• Triple your Farmers Club points on fine fragrance until October 28 at Farmers.

• 20 per cent off all celebrity perfumes on special until October 22 at The Warehouse

• $59 for Calvin Klein Eternity 100ml EDP or $70 for Burberry Brit 100ml EDP at GrabOne.co.nz today and tomorrow.