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Cheap Perfume

Swiftly find half price fragrances

Whether it's for Valentine's, Christmas, birthdays or anniversaries, perfume or aftershave is often a heaven-scent (sorry) easy gift idea. And, provided it's legit, Dior is Dior whether bought in Harrods, Asda or online; it's the price that counts. So don't be sniffy; follow this quick guide to getting smellies for less, including the one-click Mega Shopbot.

• The web's cheapest
• Use the MegaShopBot
• Unboxed is even better
• High Street Savings
• Size Of The Saving
• Other Articles/Discuss

The web's cheapest

The internet is usually the cheapest option when purchasing aftershave, cologne, perfume and eau de toilette (see the definitions of perfume), 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 most expensive, with the weaker eau de toilette, as you may just find it's a false economy. You'll find perfume lasts longer as, being stronger, you won't have to spray on as much.

Finding the cheapest

Navigating your way to the real bargains can be a minefield, so here are some tips.

• Speedily compare the biggest retailers.

  There are a number of specialist fragrance comparison services, as well as the normal shopping comparisons. The best of these is generally FragrancesCompared*(run by Fragrances Direct), just enter the perfume you're looking for and it will list the cheapest including delivery. The alternative is CheapPerfumeExpert which searches a few the othes might miss.

  To be even speedier, use the Megashopbot tool which allows you to search a range of comparison sites in just one click. See the Cheap Online Shopping guide for more info on shopping comparison sites.

• Check the ones they miss.

  Also worth checking, if you want to batter the price down further or can’t find your scent, are Direct Cosmetics*, So Special, Inscent, Smelliesdirect, Halfpriceperfumes (next bullet) and Perfume Republic.

• Slash the cost with codes, vouchers & sales
  
  Especially in the run up to Christmas retailers are well known to use sales, money off codes and vouchers to lure customers in. Where high street shops are often expensive, these deals mean they can sometimes beat the online retailers. So once you've done a comparison check the daily updated Shopping Vouchers & Sales lists to see if you can shave any more off.
  
  There's currently a special 10% off code for Halfpriceperfumes; just use the code hppxms10 at the online checkout before Tues 8 Dec. Full details in the Shopping Vouchers deals list.
  
  
• 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 (see the Top Cashback Sites article).

• The US option.

  A couple of large-scale US sites deliver to the UK and can be competitive, 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 3 to 10 working days after ordering.

Search all major retailers in one click.

Using the sites above, you can search a vast chunk of the web's fragrance sellers. Yet there's a quicker way, a special tool we've built called the Mega ShopBot.

Simply enter the name of the perfume you are after, click Compare and it will automatically scan the two big perfume comparisons, plus a selection of the other retailers, at once, ensuring that you can quickly find the very cheapest price. Click the image to give it a go.

Unboxed is even cheaper

Some of the internet retailers, including FragranceDirect* and the Perfume Emporium*, sell testers and imported perfume/aftershave from other markets (grey imports) at an even cheaper price. The main catch is they're often unboxed. While at first this may not seem like a good idea for a prezzie, it's easy to turn that around...

Tie a ribbon around it!

Buy any unboxed scent, 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 just tie a nice ribbon round it. 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 about 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.

High street cost cutting & 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 venues such 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:

• Boots extra points

  Perfumes tend to be pricey at Boots, except when it has a points promotion, where instead of the usual four points per pound, you get 12 or double. 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.
  

• Duty Free

  If you're going travelling, or someone you know is, it might be worth checking out your favourite fragrances in duty free, as they can sometimes (though not often) be cheaper than online. You can for example save 40% on Estee Lauder's Beautiful, paying £34.75 instead of £54.64 for 75ml.
  

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• 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. It is sometimes cheaper to buy a gift set rather than the fragrance on its own. Some stores like Superdrug even offer search tools for gifts within your budget.
  

The size of the saving

The equation is pretty simple; the cheapest online sellers, including delivery, are often half the cost of department stores for exactly the same perfume.

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