Risk by channel
| Channel | Risk | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Official boutique or brand site | Minimal | Expensive, and stock is uneven by country |
| Large marketplace, authorized seller | Low | Check the seller rating |
| Parallel import (grey market) | Medium | Often real juice. Storage on the way is a lottery |
| A “super price” on Avito, Telegram, or a no-name listing | High | Fakes cluster on the hits |
Before you pay
- The batch code matches the brand’s format. Check Basenotes or Fragrantica.
- Cap, type, and bottle weight match an official photo.
- The seller can say where the bottle came from.
- A price that is far too low is a warning. Santal 33 at €32 is not an original.
A decant as insurance
A decant from a seller with a record costs less than a wrong bottle. If the decant is off, you lose €5 to €16. You do not lose €210.
Concentrations and storage
Compare like with like. An EDT, an EDP, and an extrait of the same name are often different formulas, and a “deal” on the wrong concentration is a common fake tell. Heat in transit ruins citrus and aldehydes first. Ask how the bottle was stored. A real bottle kept on a sunny shelf can smell worse than a careful decant.
Decant8’s position
We do not publish a “100 percent way to spot a fake”. Counterfeiters catch up. We recommend channels with a record, and we say plainly when parallel import is acceptable and when it is not.