The online perfume market in Australia is competitive, which is great for the consumer as it brings them fantastic savings over prices one would normally pay in traditional brick and mortar stores. But with all things in today's world, whilst there are positives to buying online, there can also be negatives. In this guide, we will present information to you, in order to help you make an informed decision if you should buy your fragrances on eBay. The guide will cover various aspects of buying which one should consider before deciding to purchase from any fragrance seller or business.

How do I know I am buying an authentic fragrance on eBay?
* View the sellers feedback from previous customers. Repeated negative comments relating to product authenticity or non delivery is a sure sign to shop eleswhere.
* How long has the seller been selling on ebay? What else, if anything are they selling on ebay?  A seller who sells a bit of this and that with a few fragrances thrown in for good measure may not be a good place to buy genuine designer fragrances.
* If the price sounds too good to be true (eg: Chanel EDP 100ml for less than AUD$150.00 - definitely stay clear)
* Does the ebay seller guarantee authenticity and  / or offer money back guarantee? 
* Past experiences have shown sellers of fragrances on ebay who only offer multiple listings for up to a dozen different fragrances have been fly by nighters selling cheap knock offs and fakes.

Is the fragrance seller legitimate?
If a seller is a power seller, or is listing many fragrances, this indicates they are operating as a business. As such, they should have an ABN, and they most certainly should be registered for, and collecting, GST. The sad fact of the matter is, many sellers on eBay are not registered for GST, and do not pay income tax on their eBay derived income.

Take for example, a seller who admitted to a reporter of The Australian newspaper in 2007 that they were a GST dodger. That article can be found searching Google for "Vendors vexed as eBay dobs in its GST dodgers". Our own research indicated they turned over at least $300,000 that year on eBay, not $60,000 as they claimed.

If a seller is registered for GST, which most should be, if the purchase is over $55 in total, they should be providing a tax invoice with the purchase. Most of these sellers do not provide an invoice, and a few we have seen do not meet the requirements of a tax invoice, indicating they are tax dodgers.
If such a seller refuses to follow the laws of this land, how can one expect them to be selling authentic fragrances.