Cheap and smelly pressies
The web is cheapest
The internet is usually the cheapest option when purchasing aftershave, cologne, perfume and eau de toilette (for the differences see Wikipedia's definitions), as rather than expensive shop fronts with fancy displays, they can simply pile it high in warehouses and sell it cheap.
When comparing prices always note down the size of the bottle and exactly what you're buying, and don't confuse perfume, the more expensive, with the weaker eau de toilette, as you may just find it's a false economy.
Find the cheapest online
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Speedily compare the biggest retailers.
A nifty site, FragrancesCompared* will quickly check the prices of most of the big online retailers. Simply enter the perfume you’re looking for and it will list the cheapest including delivery. For a full belts and braces approach use comparison CheapPerfumeExpert as well, as it searches a few the other misses. You could also try searching shopbots, specialist web shopping comparison sites (read the Cheapest Online Shopping article). However, in the perfume market they underperform and aren’t as good as Fragrances Compared. Yet if you're stuck, it's worth a minute or two trying Kelkoo*, Price Runner* and Shopping.com* -
Check the ones they miss.
Also worth checking if you want to batter the price down further or can’t find your scent are So Special, Direct Cosmetics*, Inscent. - Cashback sites.
Once you've found the cheapest retailer for your scent, you may be able to get additional cashback by purchasing via a cashback site (again see the Top Cashback Sites article). - The US option.
A couple of large-scale US sites deliver to the UK and can be very competitive, especially with the pound so strong against the dollar, though you may need to pay import duty; factor in an additional 33% to cover delivery and charges. The main two to try are Strawberrynet* and Perfume Emporium*. For full info on the right way to pay and the delivery charges read Buying From The US
Most web perfume retailers offer free delivery, but ensure you allow for the time it'll take to be delivered. Depending on the website the time frame usually ranges from three to 10 working days after ordering.
Any special bargains go in the free weekly MoneySaving email
Unboxed is even cheaper
Some of the internet retailers, including FragranceDirect*, Rox-Perfumes and the Perfume Emporium*, sell testers and imported perfume/aftershave from other markets (grey imports) at an even cheaper price, but the main problem is they're often unboxed. While at first this may not seem like a good idea for a prezzie, here's my tip.
Tie a ribbon round it
Buy any unboxed scents then simply go to a card shop or stationers and buy a nice looking gift box for a pound or two and pack it in that, you could even tie a ribbon round. The money saved on buying the perfume should more than cover it. It'll also look as if you've made an extra special effort rather than an extra cheap effort!
Of course, not all cheap online perfume is what it appears to be, so it's always worth having a healthy degree of scepticism of little-known retailers, particularly if the price is too good to be true and there isn’t any feedback from site users. And use your common sense if you bump into street traders surrounded by a thronging crowd selling what appears to the genuine article at knock-down prices: if it’s that cheap, there’s usually a reason.
How to cut the cost on the high street & other tricks
While not usually quite the cutting edge price of the web, there are a few ways to slice the cost on the high street if you’ve left things to the last minute or can’t find the perfume you want online.
A few of the big retailers still sell smelly stuff at extremely competitive prices. This is especially true around Valentine's day and Christmas, where they use it to entice people into stores.
Generally the places to avoid are the shops where most people head to buy scents, such as department stores. As these are prime destinations for perfume buyers, they can keep the prices high knowing they'll always get custom. Instead head for such venues as Asda, which have very competitive pricing policies, although Superdrug and the other supermarkets aren't far behind. Specialist perfume shops like The Fragrance Store can shave a few quid off the price but won’t touch the online retailers for value. A few more tips to cut the cost:
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Boots triple points.
Perfumes tend to cost towards the higher end of the scale at Boots, except when it has a triple points promotion, where instead of the usual 4 points per pound you get 12. This can sometimes undercut the price of online retailers especially for newer or more expensive perfumes. For more info on the Boots Advantage Card read the Loyalty Schemes article.
Triple points weekends are included in the free weekly MoneySaving email
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Duty Free.
If you’re tripping abroad or someone you know is, it’s always worth checking out duty free which can sometimes (although not often) beat online retailers for newer and pricier perfumes. Use the World Duty Free site before you go to check prices. You can also get 10% money off vouchers; £5 when you spend £50, £10 off £100, £15 off £150, £20 off £200 and £25 off £250. Scout out extra gifts.
Particularly around Christmas and New Year, shops may offer extra gifts with the perfume so make sure you check the options before buying.
The equation is pretty simple; the cheapest online sellers, including delivery, are often half the cost of department stores for exactly the same perfume.
Perfume cost cutting |
||||
Scent |
Department Store |
Boots Triple Points |
Cheapest Online Retailer |
Saving |
Britney Spears |
£39 |
£34.30 |
£18.99 |
£20 |
Coco Mademoiselle |
£57 |
£50 |
£54.90 |
£6.84 |
Anais Anais |
£30 |
£26.40 |
£18.30 |
£11.60 |
Armani He |
£35 |
£30.80 |
£19 |
£16 |
Joop Homme EDT |
£50 (125ml) |
£44 |
£25 |
£25 |
| Prices last updated Dec '07. | ||||
All changes and updates will be in the free weekly email
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