A Good Choice for Fragrances of All Kinds
Fragrances.com
Every once in a while, something ungodly happens and I have to shop for fragrances somewhere else besides my beloved Scentiments.com.
I recently made a purchase at Fragrances.com that went all right except I paid a bit too much for the item I bought but I'm spoiled by the low prices at Scentiments.
The Site
Fragrance.com sells, as the name implies, fragrances for both men and women. They sell perfumes, colognes, trail sizes, gift sets, and some clearance items. Many brand names are represented on the site, often in a variety of sizes.
Selection
There is a vast amount of fragrances sold on the site. Most decent to good brand names are represented.
Navigation
I am not in love with the look or navigation of this site. It is pretty simple and the photos and descriptions are small and sparse.
You can choose to click on the letter of the perfume or cologne you are looking for or do a search. You can also browse by category: perfumes, colognes, trial sizes, gift sets, and best sellers.
This site is one that is better used when you know what you want rather than when you are searching for something new or for a gift. The descriptions are very minimal and you don't get a real feel for the notes and scents of the fragrances. I went looking for Issey Miyake for Men and found it under I. The description is really nothing like the scent and, if I hadn't known exactly what I wanted, I probably would have passed it by based on the description.
Once you find what you want, you click to add to your cart. When your shopping is complete, you head to the check out. Shipping in the US is free for orders over $79.00 so you don't have to stress the shipping unless your purchase is under that amount. If it is, shipping is a reasonable $4.95 to $6.50 depending on your order total.
If you are a returning customer and have a user name and password, you key that in. If not, you fill out the usual personal info and give a major credit card number. You can also opt to pay with paypal if you want. Those outside the US must use paypal to pay for their purchases.
You get an order number at checkout and an email with your details immediately. When the order ships, you get another email with a tracking number you can use to track your order on the site.
Orders arrive in a three to seven business days unless you have upgraded (for a fee) to a faster shipping method.
The orders arrive carefully packaged in boxes with a copy of your invoice.
Navigation is simple. I just think the site is a bit too simplistic in its representations of high end perfumes and colognes and the descriptions are not at all detailed or even really that accurate.
My Experience
Not much to it. Scentiments was out of the Issey Miyake for Men my son NEEDED immediately so I went to Fragrances.com for it. The price was about $8.00 higher than at Scentiments but still much less expensive than other fragrance sites. Some of their prices, though, are much higher like Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, which is my favorite scent. I checked their prices and they were $12 more than at Scentiments for the same size bottle. That starts to get into hurtful territory.
Because my order wasn't over $79.00, I paid $6.50 shipping. I hated that but didn't want to spend more just to get free shipping (I have been known to do that way too often on websites.).
I got my emails as described above and the order arrived in about a week (a weekend was in there obviously). The cologne seemed fresh and smelled great. I certainly do not question whether it is authentic or not like I have in the past with some fragrance retailers.
This was a painless experience. The only pain was that the price was higher than I usually pay for the same thing. Still, a quick check of several fragrance sites tells me that fragrance.com is more reasonable than most out there and therefore is my second choice for fragrances (although I will always comparison shop first).
As an aside, Fragrances.com rebottles original fragrances into trial size bottles or vials for those who want to test the scent before committing to purchasing a full size bottle. The cost and sizes vary but it's a novel idea for those who can't get to a store to test out the scents or who just want a small amount of a fragrance (especially if it is expensive).
Shipping and Returns
As I mentioned above, shipping is free for orders over $79.00 and ranges from $4.95 to $6.50 for orders under that amount. You can opt for expedited shipping for fee as well.
It took some searching but I found the return policy under the "Contact Us" link. You have to get authorization to return an item by calling or emailing the company within 10 days from the date of your invoice. Items must be returned within 15 days of invoice. You can get a full refund — shipping charges included — if the item is incorrect or defective. If the item is correct and you want to return it, you may, but you will not be refunded shipping charges. That's very typical of all returns policies.
Contact Info
If you need help or have questions or problems, you can email dknippel@fragrances.com.
For orders, you can call their toll free number at 1-866-739-1364.
You can also call (803)739-1364 (non-toll free number) or fax (803)739-1364.
Conclusion
This is a good site with a couple small drawbacks. I don't like their skimpy descriptions and little tiny photos and some of their prices are higher than at similar sites.
But, despite the above, my experience was fine. I got my order in good shape in a timely fashion. The price wasn't very inflated but was higher than at my #1 fragrance retailer (but they are very hard to beat). The packaging was fine and the fragrance was fresh and smelled great.
I'm rating this site 4 stars. It is less expensive than many other fragrance sites and has decent shipping rates and free shipping over $79.00 which is very easy to achieve when shopping for designer fragrances. I like the trial size opportunity as well in case I want to test something without sinking a ton of money onto a bottle of a fragrance I may end up not liking.
I'll go back to this site again, not as my first choice, but as a back up when needed.
Recommended:
Yes
