Perfume Testers

Let's face it: perfume can be outrageously expensive. If you're an adventurous person who likes to try out many different scents, wear different types of scents with different outfits, and change scents with the season, then it can really break the bank.

But there's a secret for getting perfume at a discount that many people don't know about: perfume testers. So, what are perfume testers?

Perfume testers are the same as the bottles of perfume that department stores put out -- you know, the ones labeled "tester" -- so you can spritz yourself to your heart's content as you walk through the perfume department. Manufacturers actually make bottles of most of their perfumes specifically to be used as testers. These bottles differ from regular perfumes only in that they have less packaging, and sometimes are missing some of the fancy adornments that regular perfume bottles might have. Other than that, they are the same.

So, you might be envisioning thieves swiping half-empty bottles of perfume from Macy's, then selling them on the street. That's not how it works at all: perfume testers are full bottles of perfume and can be sold -- and bought -- perfectly legally and ethically.

If you want the full scoop on perfume testers, one perfume Web site offers a primer on testers. But the bottom line is that perfume companies make more testers than can be used by department stores and boutiques that sell perfume, so they allow perfume retailers, often online companies, to pay for the rights to sell these testers to the public. Because the testers lack fancy packaging -- they sometimes just come in a plain white box, for example -- the retailers get these perfume testers at a steep discount, and that savings is passed on to you.

As you can see, buying perfume testers is a legitimate way to buy real perfumes, not fakes or knockoffs, at value prices. If you buy a lot of perfume, the savings can really add up.

But, there are a few things you should know about perfume testers too:

• Not every business claiming to sell perfume testers will always be legit. There are plenty of scammers out there, so make sure that when you buy perfume testers you are buying from a legitimate company. There are plenty of ethical businesses out there that sell perfume testers, so you don't want to fall prey to someone selling fakes or selling testers illegally.
• Not every perfume comes in a tester. Before you spend hours and hours scouring the internet for your favorite perfume in a tester version, you should know that not every perfume comes in a tester version. Many do, but it is possible that the one you're looking for might not. If you can't find what you're looking for, contact a retailer who sells testers and ask about it. They probably will be able to tell you whether or not that perfume comes in a tester.
• Your perfume might be missing the cap. When sold retail, most perfumes with spray tops have some sort of fancy little cap that makes the bottle look nicer when it's sitting on your dresser. Some tester perfumes do not have that little cap. So, if that's important to you, contact the company that sells the testers to ask how your perfume will look when it arrives.

Photo credits --

Purple bottle photo: lissalou66 Flickr Creative Commons