It’s natural to see some prices on FragranceX and think it must be too good to be true.
Plenty of people new to the fragrance community wonder “is FragranceX legit”, and how they can possibly be so cheap.
How do they do it?
Is it magic?
Do they have an inside man at the Illuminati?
As someone who has bought about a hundred colognes through them over the years, I can confirm FragranceX is one of the best places to buy cologne I’ve been able to find online.
Read on and see for yourself 😎.
Is FragranceX Legit?
Trustpilot is my go-to source to verify if an online source is legit. They offer thousands of uncensored reviews from customers of just about every company out there.
The first thing to note is that FragranceX is confirmed as a verified company on there. Anyone can start a website, so this extra step of security is super important. With so many scams out there, I basically never buy through a company that hasn’t verified their identity.
Don’t Just Take My Word For It
Now onto the reviews. As you can see, FragranceX is doing a great job of satisfying its customers.
They rank as “excellent”, averaging 4.4 stars out of 5 across 19,562 reviews at the time of writing.
They also respond to 94% of negative reviews, which shows they take resolving any complaints pretty seriously.
(In my experience, their customer service team is pretty “on it”, so I’ve never felt compelled to write a negative review even on the rare occasion that there has been a minor issue with my order).
Here’s what a few of their other customers had to say:
I ordered D&G The One Edp. It was affordable, delivered quickly with a tracking number and it was most importantly AUTHENTIC. This site is the real deal, looking forward to purchasing more fragrances.
Trust Pilot User Ronney Reyes, 5*
Shopping was a blast. I discovered everything I was looking for simply by entering it in. I was even given the option of being placed on a waiting list for things that were out of stock. In addition, a plethora of vouchers were made available to me to choose from. I saved a lot of money. All of the perfumes I wanted to sample had star ratings, which made my decision easy. Best of all, the costs are reasonable, and I can experiment with various perfumes whenever I choose. They also always include my favorite. I come here more often than anywhere else to look for amazing options.
Trustpilot User Anishka Dubey, 5*
I’ve bought a few aftershaves for myself from here on multiple occasions and I would 100% recommend purchasing from this company. All the fragrances are authentic and can be a lot cheaper than other competitor companies if you look at the right time. You can find yourself buying shelf bottles which will come in a blank box with no lid on the aftershave and which is completely fine as these bottles are from £20 below the standard price and the longevity and scent is unhindered so just keep your eye out for them if you want to build a cheap little aftershave collection!
Trustpilot User JGS, 5*
FragranceX Coupons and Offers
For even better value, make sure you take advantage of the regular promotions FragranceX runs.
You can get 15% off all orders just for signing up to their email list.
Keep your eyes on your inbox, and you’ll regularly receive emails with more discount codes and alerts for pretty crazy flash sales.
By stacking the benefits of FragranceX’s low prices, discount codes, and sales promotions, you can make incredible savings.
Why is FragranceX so Cheap?
The reason FragranceX can offer such cheap colognes is that they’re incredibly smart about how they buy them in the first place.
They use “grey market” techniques to get their colognes for way less than the usual wholesale price. Grey market might sound a bit sketchy, but it’s all totally legal – they’re just techniques we regular citizens don’t have access to.
So, how does FragranceX do it? Well, there are a few ways:
Testers
When companies produce colognes, they tend to make two main variants. The first is “retail”. These are your standard bottles of cologne available for customer purchase in-store.
The second type (and the one that FragranceX is interested in) is called “testers”. These are for stores to display, or offer to potential customers to try.
They contain exactly the same ingredients and are 100% authentic.
IMPORTANT: Testers are NOT necessarily colognes that have BEEN tested. If you buy a “tester” cologne, your bottle should be just as full as if you’d bought a retail bottle. Tester just refers to the intended use of the cologne, not its life experiences!
The only real differences are purely cosmetic. For example, while a retail bottle may be pretty minimalistic, a tester bottle design could include a description of the note profile or some brand history.
Because they’re designed for use on the shop floor rather than to be sold directly, tester colognes usually come with no caps and in plain packaging (which helps save on costs).
For example, here’s a 100ml bottle of Montblanc Explorer sold direct through Montblanc…
Compare that with the FragranceX price. By ordering a tester, you’re able to get the same cologne for roughly half the price!
They Buy Cologne at Scale
Most people can only afford to buy a couple of bottles of high-end cologne at a time – if they’re lucky. Companies like FragranceX have the cash to buy LOADS of cologne, which puts them in a better position to negotiate prices with their supplier.
That’s part of the reason Fragrance X is so keen to offer discounts to its customers. It wants to move its stock quickly, keep cash flowing, and make space in the warehouse for the next delivery.
Older Stock
The same principle applies to older stock. It’s not a good look for boutique houses to have a mishmash of different bottle designs in stock. In the world of designer fragrance, it would be unthinkably messy and unprofessional.
Instead, last year’s colognes are sold off to third-party retailers for resale. While some colognes do vary from batch to batch, most of them are almost exactly the same year-on-year.
They Make Deals Around the World
Colognes can have wildly different prices depending on the country they are sold in. For example, a company may choose to set a lower price in a country with a low average income. Similarly, they may be forced to up rates in countries with high taxes on fragrances.
If you’re buying cologne at a scale of thousands of bottles at a time, even changes in the value of the currency itself can make a big difference.
So, don’t be surprised if you receive tester products inscribed in foreign languages. It doesn’t mean they’re fake, they’ve just traveled a long way!
Damaged Packaging/ Unboxed
When you buy a cologne in-store, you expect it to look pristine. It’s all part of the luxury experience.
However, online discount cologne retailers benefit front the fact that most of their customers just want the fragrance. They don’t really care about the box, they’re just going to throw it away anyway.
Because of this, FragranceX happily offers “damaged box” and “unboxed” colognes in exchange for an even greater discount.
The damaged box colognes are usually just a little wrinkled or may have a small hole, while unboxed colognes are shipped in an entirely unrelated, plain new box.
The colognes themselves are perfectly fine, and buying in this way would only ever be an issue for someone who cares about the box.
Usually, the original boxes became damaged during shipping or as part of a previous customer return.
Gift Wrap
If you’re buying a cologne as a gift, a damaged box isn’t going to cut it.
Fortunately, FragranceX offers a gift wrap service for a couple of bucks a box. Your cologne will arrive in a neat white gift box, tied with a ribbon and stuffed with red tissue paper.
It makes it feel as though some real thought and effort has gone into your purchase – probably even more than if you’d had it delivered in an original, unblemished box!
Fewer Expenses than Conventional Stores
Online retailers benefit from the fact that their operating costs are incredibly low compared to traditional retailers.
A boutique cologne store in a fancy part of town has to spend obscene amounts of money on rent and interior design to maintain the brand image. As a reseller, Fragrance X can act as the invisible middle man and trade on the clout that other brands have already built.
Their primary costs are the maintenance of their website and warehouse, which don’t amount to much by comparison.
FragranceX Shipping – How Good is It?
How Long Does FragranceX Take to Ship?
Standard US delivery on FragranceX products is between 2-5 business days. Express 2nd day delivery and next day air delivery are also available for an additional fee.
They also offer worldwide shipping within 4 -12 days, so you can enjoy their excellent deals wherever you are.
See the table below for details:
| Option | Postal Time | Ships Via | Tracking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Ground (USA) | 2 – 5 Business Days | UPS, FedEx, or Postal Service | 🗸 |
| 2nd Day Express (USA) | 2 – 3 Business Days | 2nd Day Express | 🗸 |
| Next Day Air | 1 – 2 Business Days | Next Day Air | 🗸 |
| Canada | 3 – 10 Business Days | Postal Service | 🗸 |
| Worldwide Standard Shipping | 4 – 12 Business Days | DHL, FedEx, or USPS Express | 🗸 |
| Worldwide Premium Shipping | 3 – 7 Business Days | FedEx, UPS, or DHL | 🗸 |
Where Does FragranceX Ship From?
FragranceX operates from a huge temperature and humidity-controlled warehouse in New York.
Their lean, cologne shipping machine is far cheaper per sq foot than a fancy city center retail store, and these low overheads help them price their colognes so competitively.
FragranceX Free Shipping Offer
FragranceX offers free shipping on orders over $69 (stop it), but keep your eyes open. There’s almost always a free shipping code available onsite or through your emails that removes the minimum order value – so you can get free shipping even if you’re just buying something small.
Refund and Return Guarantee
All FragranceX orders benefit from a 30-day return policy for any reason. They understand that buying cologne online can be a little hit and miss, so they accept returns that have been tested provided they’re not “excessively used”.
You’re well within your rights to try out your cologne and send it back if it misses the mark.
There is a small charge to cover the cost of shipping unless the refund is on account of a technical fault with the product – in which case, it’s completely free.
Refunds will be credited within a month, and I’ve never had to chase any of the 4 – 5 refunds I’ve claimed.
FragranceX is Legit – 7Gents Certified
Hopefully, I’ve been able to explain how FragranceX is able to offer deals that feel too good to be true.
If you’re still unsure of anything, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer any questions.
Check out these links for more recommendations on how to buy cologne online without needing to remortgage your home :).
- Here I cover the best places to buy cologne – budget options, samples, and premium customer service
- Check back here for next week’s review of FragranceNet
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