The Truth About Buying Discontinued Perfume

Most people aren't aware that perfumes and colognes, like fashions, have a season. There are always exceptions – Chanel #5 being an archetypal example – but most perfumes have a run of two to three years, before the designer or the company that makes them alters them. This provides an opportunity to get the previous formulation now called a discontinued perfume at a fraction of the original price.

Discontinued fragrances are a growing market segment in this day and age of buying everything for cheap on the internet. Whether you're looking for gift ideas, something special for yourself, or something else entirely, buying discount fragrances gives you the chance to buy something distinctive, something unique, at a reasonable price.

The key is to do research on what fragrances are going to be discontinued and discounted. Most of the major brands have discontinued colognes and perfumes. You can readily find discontinued dkny, discontinued dior or elizabeth arden discontinued fragrances. Even victoria's secret perfumes and bath and body works discontinued fragrances can be found at a huge discount if you look hard enough. They are not that rare.

However, before you commit to buying a discontinued scent, do some due diligence, and spend the time to go to the resale shops, the local perfumery or lingerie store, and "take a whiff" and check the stinging capacity – make sure it's a scent you like before committing to buying it. Don't be afraid to hold onto a parfum that's no longer in production or fashion for a while – like all things in fashion, discontinued parfumes come back into style over time. You may find that the parfume you stock up on now will be the hot, in thing in three to four years. (Make sure the bottles seal well to preserve your investment).

Discontinued designer perfumes are a great buy, for gifts (Mother's Day, Valentines's day, birthdays), even for non-traditional holidays.  What's the best way to celebrate, say, Halloween for adults?  A romantic (and spooky themed) gift exchange can be an excellent opportunity to give an effective gift that's appreciated profusely by the recipient.  Even Father's Day is a good time to find discontinued men's cologne or after shave.
 
Another truth about buying discontinued perfumes is that many of the batches are unpopular "scent-alikes" – other perfume manufacturers run an analysis of the current hot scent and try to replicate it – or get something that smells just enough like it to, well, pass the sniff test.  If the scent-alike doesn't meet with market success, these manufacturers are stuck with large lots and need to liquidate – which means that if you find one that you like, you can often get a lifetime supply for cheap.

Unfortunately, a lot of the major brand-name perfumes are evergreens – they will stay on the shelves and in the marketplace effectively forever; since they're consumables and somewhat perishable, and there's a lot of investment in brand identity, the manufacturers are not likely to discontinue them.  You can try to buy from wholesale sources or when there are sample sales.  What usually goes on discount and in the discontinued perfume trade are the "secondary" lines for a given manufacturer – the experimental or seasonal perfumes, or the failed attempts to establish a new brand without cannibalizing sales of an existing one.

Regardless of what you're buying perfume for, apart from a major name brand, evergreen, on-label perfume (like Chanel No. 5), you can find a discontinued perfume version that will meet your needs.