Dino
** DISCLAIMER: I posted this way back in 2011. A bunch of this may be out of date. But some may still be useful. Do with it what you will.
** UPDATE 2022: This post still seems to be useful so I’ve reposted all the images in much higher resolution in case you need to zoom in.
Ok, you you’ve been onto Ebay and got yourself a really cheap bottle of the fantastic Chanel Coco Mademoiselle perfume… only it doesn’t quite ring true. Maybe the smell isn’t quite what you were expecting, maybe the colour rang some alarm bells, or maybe the box seemed a bit clumsy. Either way, you’re online savvy and it couldn’t happen to your, right?
Well, it happened to me, so in my usual, slightly over-the-top way, I’ll explain how it happened, what I noticed and what I did next…
How it happened.
It was Christmas and the wife dropped the usual hints about her perfume running out. Straight onto Google. “100ml Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum”… £150? You’re having a laugh! Ebay… £55. Cool. 97% positive feedback? Cool. Of course I look up why it wasn’t 100% (because I’m online savvy) and it turns out it was a broken bottle. Cool, it happens I guess. There were positive review for the Coco Mademoiselle perfume, so looks like the seller has a list of satisfied customers. I place my order, it arrives. Christmas morning… the doubts start. “I’m not sure about the colour”. Ok, perfume goes into quarantine and I start the Columbo routine.
Now, it’s still Christmas so I go online again with (less bravado this time) and order some more perfume from Boots for £85. Can’t go wrong with Boots. It arrives so now I have the chance to do some comparisons.
The real one:
Take a good, long, hard stare at these two images. They are the actual ones from Chanel. When I look at them I wistfully notice all the legit features, just as they should be. Here’s what I’m seeing…
- Frosted cap
- Clean, crisp angles on top and bottle
- Logo precisely centred to top cap
- Bright white spray nozzle opening / hole
- Bottle glass has uniform, straight thickness
- Bottom of bottle glass has uniform, gentle arch upwards
- Gold printed border on front of bottle is precisely aligned around the frosted panel
- Liquid colour is pink (with no yellow tint)
- The gold printing on the box is solid and has no pits or flakiness
- The moulding mark on the bottle bottom is aligned to the bottle edges (not angled)
- The strength of the perfume cent lasts for hours, not minutes
- It’s probably sold through a recognisable retailer (in the UK, Boots, Sephora, The Perfume Shop etc.)
- It’s price is broadly the same (within ~10%) as a high-street retailer would sell it
If yours looks like the following two images and you got it at a high street store, stop reading here, you’re good. If not, read on…
How to spot a fake:
There are a few good guides on the eBay site. However, these seem to differ in a few points with my experiences. Maybe it’s the US version versus the UK, maybe it an updated product and the counterfeiters have had time to do some changes. Whatever it is, I’ll just give you what I noticed.
The basic packaging:
Not so easy so far! They both look pretty similar. However, there are some overall differences and clues. The fake packaging had printing and fonts that were thicker and less ‘refined’ compared to the real one. The quality was less and there were some subtle mistakes, such as the ingredients. But on the whole, let’s face it, you wouldn’t know. The bottle is much easier to find fault with but when the box arrives in the post, you’re not going to open it before you gift wrap it are you! This is partially what the counterfeiters rely on.
The front:
Just a few subtle differences in the font sizes and positioning. Without a real box to compare, you wouldn’t know.
The Back:
Now the back is where it starts to get interesting. There are some pretty big differences in positioning and thickness of the lettering (thicker on the fake).
Ingredients:
The ingredients were the most obvious, with a spelling mistake, different line-breaks and completely different ingredients at times. That said, this is a really easy thing to fix so I assume this won’t be so obvious in later fakes.
The Top:
The scanner didn’t really do justice to the gold (which was pretty similar on both) but did manage to show the lower quality of the logo and embossing on the fake.
The base:
Again, the base was where it got a bit more obvious, but only when you have one to compare to. Fonts were different and the embossed numbers (just visible on both) were in different locations. However, on other online guides, they were both embossed just above the 116.520. The real one I have was embossed just below the barcode. Also, for those more observant / more geeky among you, the barcode is actually different. Not sure if this is an internal Chanel thing though, so may be a red herring.
Opening the box:
Very subtle but the flaps inside the real box were sharper then the more rounded fake.
There is a subtle indent on either side of the real box lid flap too.
The colour and smell:
Now we’re getting somewhere. If you’ve had Coco Mademoiselle before, you’ll know it’s pink. The fake was yellow / brown in colour. That was the first real alarm bell. The second one was, as you’d expect, the smell. This was Eau de Parfum, i.e. the strong stuff and it just didn’t stack up. It smelt slightly of Coco Mademoiselle but didn’t last. Eau de Parfum is supposed to last for up to 8 hours. The fake lasted for about a minute or two. They’d obviously been clever to use diluted Coco Mademoiselle to confuse the less vigilant among us.
The thick bottle:
The biggest giveaway on the bottle itself is the thick base and (relatively) rougher construction. Again, without a real bottle to compare to, you wouldn’t know but it’s so obvious when you see it. Remember, Chanel is all about sophistication and delicacy, not chunky bottles and dubious printing.
The bottle base:
Managed to scan these on my flatbed scanner and the result clearly shows the differences. Besides the fact the fake one has a clumsy glass moulding mark compared to the refined line around the real one, the text is different. Other online guides suggest the fake can be picked off with a finger nail but this was printed on pretty solidly.
The Stopper:
Other online guides suggest these are obvious to spot as they are made of plastic. My fake seemed to be made of glass. However, there were a few things in common with other guides. The Coco Chanel double-C logo was not very centred on the fake. It was very slightly off on the real one though. The fake stopper was a little lop-sided and had less crisp edges and corners. Hard to see in the photo but the square top part was slightly angled compared to the bottom part. There was also a very subtle difference on the round plastic band above the white and gold ring. The real one had small indented dots around the underside of it (just visible).
Other guides also mention the top not fitting well or coming off when the bottle is held by the stopper alone. Mine seemed pretty secure and led to a few “maybe it’s not a fake?” moments. However, when the real one arrived, the real stopper went on with a definite ‘click’.
Stopper from beneath:
Notice the sharp, 45º angles on the real stopper and the mish-mash of angles on the fake. It seems my bottle is a particularly poor copy. Also note the subtle alignment marks around the inside of the logo / ring. On the fake, they are pretty crude.
Spray nozzle:
There are two things to note on the spray nozzle, the colour and the shape of the part inside the bottle. Some fake bottle have black nozzle inserts (the small hole that the perfume squirts out of), my fake was white… but compared to the real one was actually a more of a transparent white. The part inside the bottle (the pump) was much larger and protruded into the bottle on the fake (as seen in the photo above). Likewise, the tube that draws up the perfume is noticeably more visible on the fake – the real one is more transparent. Curiously, the real bottle squirted about twice as much perfume as the fake.
Gold printing:
The gold overprinting was much cleaner and sharper on the real one. I’ve tried to get the light to show up the step in the printing where the gold is printed over the frosted logo. On the real one, the gold is exactly to the edge of the logo. In the fake, the gold covers the ridge on the outside of the logo, creating a step. Minor point but seemed in keeping with the theme of lower quality printing.
A quick test:
So, with all your new-found knowledge, what do you make of this… I’ve literally just done a search on Ebay and found this from a Polish seller…
Check out that super thick bottle… the stopper is twisted but the logo is in the middle… and the pump sticks down into the bottle a long way. Now you can see why most listings don’t show the actual bottle, or show a stock Chanel product shot. If in doubt, ask the seller to send a photo of the bottle, as you’ll get a much better idea from it than you would from the box. I reported this one, of course.
Here are some more (probably) fakes I found on the web. Click them for a description of why I think they are fake.
So what to do:
Firstly, I reported it to Ebay. Just log in, go to the Resolution Centre then select “I received an item that does not match the seller’s description”. Select the item from the list, click “Continue” and follow the instructions. The listing was taken down pretty quickly so nobody else could be duped.
I then sent a message to the seller saying it was a fake (but doing it nicely), asking them for their response. Nothing arrived. I repeated the process the next day mentioning that I need to start a claim but was aware that leaving “FAKE” on their feedback would be rather devastating for their Ebay history. No response.
I noted that one of the other buyers had already posted feedback on Ebay that they had a fake too. So I posted my feedback too. Hoping this could only help warn others. The other buyer contacted me too and we compared experiences. Again, hopefully solidarity and sharing of ‘evidence’ would only help our cases. Assuming the other satisfied buyers are real, I feel sorry for them and hope that Ebay contacts them now that the item has been uncovered as a fake. I hope so.
I had paid with Paypal so I then went over to Paypal and started a dispute claim. Like Ebay, go to the Resolution Centre and click “Dispute Transaction”. Then click “Item Dispute” (as the other one is about someone stealing your money). Then click the “Find Transaction ID” button and click the Transaction ID of the item in the popup window that arrives. Then just follow the process. You’re essentially saying that the product was “significantly different from the seller’s description”. Sounds vague but that also covers counterfeiting. Paypal will then freeze the seller’s money in relation to this item send the seller the details and give you both a channel to discuss the issue. If they agree to refund, great. If they don’t… then you can officially escalate it to a Paypal Dispute and Paypal will look at the evidence and decide one way or another. I’m still in this process but I can’t think how they can not repay the money to the buyer. I guess the process also covers people who received a green shirt from a seller and they will probably accept it with a bit of a discount. With my case involving fake goods, it becomes a legal issue.
Don’t return the item!
When the seller did reply, they said they would be happy to refund, just send the item back first. It made 100% sense to me NOT to do this as they would probably just sell it to someone else less vigilant. I contacted the government’s Consumer Direct site and asked them. They confirmed this would actually be illegal. Here was their response:
__________________________
Based on the information you have provided, the key legal points in response to your enquiry are as follows:
Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, any goods sold need to be as described, which in your case would apply as the goods being counterfeit would effectively constitute a product misdescription. This obligation is binding on private sellers as well as traders. Under the above law, if you are deemed to be still within a reasonable timeframe from purchase, you would be able to reject the goods for a full refund. Such a timeframe is not specified in law, and would differ on a case by case basis, with the decision ultimately resting with a judge in a Small Claims Court.
Additional to the above, as the sale of counterfeit goods is also a criminal offense, the seller is not able to insist on the goods being returned due to the fact the goods may then be sold again, as you have correctly surmised. I would therefore send the seller a recorded delivery letter making reference to this and the above legal position. Go on to state that you are requiring a full refund, allowing them a reasonable timeframe to respond in (e.g, 14 days).
Trading Standards would also not get involved in dispute within a private sale. In this instance, it may be worth making a formal complaint to both Ebay and Paypal at their addresses below. However, you should be informed that this does not guarantee to get all your money back.
eBay
eBay U.K.
P.O. Box 700
Richmond Upon Thames
TW9 1YR
PAYPAL (UK) LIMITED
WHITTAKER HOUSE
WHITTAKER AVENUE
RICHMOND
SURREY
TW9 1EH
However, if the seller is in fact a trader, we can refer the details to their local Trading Standards department for their attention on the matter. Please provide us with your full address details and those of the seller if this is the case.
__________________________
I also contacted Chanel directly and asked if they wanted the bottle for reference or should I destroy it. They sent a very sweet note back saying to destroy it.
The seller still hasn’t contacted me to confirm whether they are happy to refund the money so I’ll have to wait until a reasonable period has passed before I can automatically escalate the dispute on Paypal. This seems to be 14 days. However, checking their Ebay details, I notice they come up as “No longer a registered user”. Uh oh…
In the interest of getting this post out there so it can hopefully be useful to somebody, I’ll update it with the next instalment when it happens.
UPDATE:
Do the seller went quiet. I escalated the dispute with PayPal and they game me 14 days until they would decide. I received an email yesterday, here’s an excerpt:
——————————-
You can get a refund
——————————-
We’ve looked into case # and decided in your favour.
This means you can get your money back providing you:
1. Return the item to [name withheld] by 11/01/2011 in the same condition as received. Please use a trackable postal service that enables us to track online and verify delivery to the seller’s address.
__________________________
So this was Friday night on the 8th. The 11th was the next Tuesday. I had 3 working days to get it to the seller… but I was off to LA the following day. I thought this timeframe was a little unreasonable, however, as you may have read above, I was NOT going to send the item back to the seller under any circumstances.
I phoned PayPal, struggled through their horrendous automated system and 10 minutes of mad ‘Flight of the bumble bee’ waiting music (not a clever way to relax customers). The customer services person explained that I had to send it back… I disagreed. They held firm. I explained a bit more. They then seemed to get it and explained that ‘the system’ puts fakes in the same category as ‘not as described’ and that she would amend the case. Now I simply needed to get proof it was fake and send confirmation within 10 days. I mentioned I would be in LA from tomorrow morning and I wouldn’t be back in time, so could I have an extension to the time.
The conversation went something like this:
Me: Given your system has already made a bit of a wrong decision, and now we’re on the right track after being sensible over the phone, can I also ask for a little longer to respond.
PayPal: Sorry, the terms state 10 days.
Me: So, let me get this right. If I don’t send it back in 10 days, you will give my money to a known counterfeiter?
PayPal: Yes
Me: Ok, Hmmm. So you’re happy to use your terms and conditions to guaranteed a known counterfeiter receives fake goods?
PayPal: Sorry. That’s what the terms and conditions are for.
Me: Wow. So did you read the blog I wrote, with all the evidence? And Ebay have deactivated the seller’s account for selling fake items.
PayPal: No.
Me: Ok. Hmmm. Could you possibly just read that? I’ll hold.
PayPay: [holding music]
PayPal: Ok, I see what you mean. Ok. In that case, we’ll send you a legal document to sign. Just send it back stating that you’ve destroyed the goods and we’ll release your money. You have 3 days.
Me: Ok, thank you for getting there eventually. Thank you for your time.
So here’s what I did…
And I hope this post has been useful.
Cheers for this. I purchased a fake bottle too and this page has helped me to identify the fact. I’ve contacted others who bought from my seller and have passed the link on to them as well.
Awesome! I think you just reinvented ‘over the top’ :D. Did you get the refund in the end?
Hey, love your dissection of fake v authentic – i also classify myself as a savvy ebayer however i have also been stung – looks very very auth however the fragrance lasts only 2-3 minutes!!!
Even though i purchased back in Nov for Christmas I am now about to email the shonky seller, from Bulgaria or somewhere similar to give them a piece of my mind..
Hi, this has been very helpful as I have been looking (with hesitation) on Ebay. One item I noticed ended suddenly because the poor lady that posted it didn’t even know that her Chanel she received as a gift was not the real thing. She actually mailed me back telling me this,luckily she was honest. In saying this I have searched Ebay and I think they are all fake mostly using pics off the net to advertise their sale (Australia), the overseas ones mostly use the actual product they are selling, and with your tips, they are defiantly FAKE. Thank you for posting this information and good luck.
Hi,
Excellent explanation of how they can con us – My wife just bought what is now confirmed as a fake bottle on Ebay.
I have used this article to alert the seller about him selling me a fake.
He denies knowing they are fakes and say’s he gets them from a reliable drop shipper – I doubt if Chanel distribute their exclusive products in this way and he should know better.
Keep up the good work!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Delortae Agency™, Delortae Agency™. Delortae Agency™ said: How to spot fake Chanel Coco Mademoiselle | Dino #uk #business #news #counterfeit #DelortaeAgency http://ow.ly/3Rxsb […]
Hi,
enjoyed your informative blog, I just received my shipment from Bulgaria? it took 60 days to get here, I had already received my refund from PayPal, because they couldn’t track it? but upon receipt I highly suspected the same thing, that it was “too good to be true” I’m going to take it into a local high end department store to compare will update you on the outcome! thanks again…..
Thanks for all the great comments. I kinda figured it may be useful. It’d be really interesting to know if there are any other differences with fakes from different sources. Feel free to send some reference and I’ll try to add them to this guide. I do wonder where the main sources are…
I live in Australia and bought Coco Mademoiselle off ebay and received it yesterday. I was dubious before I bought it and asked the seller to confirm that it was definitely genuine, the response was ‘not a fake’. The EDP is the correct pink colour but the ingredients on the back of the box and the positioning are consistent with the fake and the glass lid is not perfect. Perhaps the seller thinks it is genuine. I am going to a department store to compare theirs to mine and see what I come up with. If it truly proves to be fake (which I think it is) I will take it further.
The thickness of the glass bottom of the bottle is the big giveaway. If it’s thin, it seems that’s 80% looking like it’s real. And aparently there are subtle differences in printing from various production runs, so subtle changes may be innocent.
But well done for taking it into a store. Would love to know how it went and either way, what the differences or similarities were that decided it.
Great blog! Just received Coco 100ml which I bought really cheap from Ebay and everything looked ok but the smell just doesn’t keep. That’s my favourite perfum and so know it quite well but didn’t want to spend too much again but looks I got myself a fake.
Even my husband agreed that its not strong at all. Colour is pink but box is fake and stopper looks cheap, but definitely going tomorrow morning to Boots and getting real one to compare. Thank you!!
Hi, I just found your blog through the very lovely Janice at Really friendly kid.
What a fab post. I bought some Chanel shoes on ebay a couple of years ago and they were in different sizes. Ebay don’t make it easy for consumers who are actually in the right to get their money back in situations like this.
Where designer goods and ebay are concerned – if the prize is too good to be true then it is probably a fake.
Thank you so much for posting this! I was immediately skeptical when I opened the box and the cap did not fit properly (it was loose and looked poorly made). I then noticed that although the perfume smelled authentic, it did not last. I did a good search on fake/counterfeit Coco Mademoiselle and saw your blog right away. This further confirmed that I was duped, and received a fake bottle of Coco Mademoiselle. Just to be sure I went to the department store to compare – and yes, I was definitely duped!
I contacted the seller right away, stating I know this is a fake, sent him a link to your blog, and told him I also took my own photos of the fake and genuine bottles and boxes for comparison. I also stated that I would be destroying the fake, and will not be returning it to him for resale. To my surprise (and delight!) in less than an hour he sent me a full refund!!! He didn’t even try to argue with me or wait for PayPal to escalate the claim. He definitely knew he was busted, but unfortunately he still has at least a dozen more bottles of “Coco Mademoisells” for sale on eBay. And even more unfortunate: there have already been dozens of people who purchased it before me and have left great positive feedback – clearly they think they have an authentic, genuine bottle and can’t tell it’s a fake. I’ll have to see if I can report the seller and notify eBay of this scammer.
Once again, thank you for posting this! It was extremely informative and helpful!
That’s great news you got your money back so easily. You should definitely report it to EBay as they will suspend the user’s account to stop them selling more. I also wonder if the other ‘sucessful’ purchases with great feedback are not just part of the setup? But it also sounds a little too elaborate for these guys.
Either way, great to know the post helped!
Great posting! Just started a dispute with ebay 2 days ago for Coco. Seller is now accusing me of switching his ‘real’ bottle with a fake!! asking me to prove it….how the hell can I. I just keep replying to his emails as ‘I would like a refund thankyou’ Fingers crossed ebay will help, if not its off to Paypal in 2 weeks
Thanks for this…I got some for xmas…..and the colour was not right….Your psoting has confirmed my Ebay fake….!!!!!
Excellent bit of detective work…..thanks for the tips they have confirmed my suspicions, I too have a fake bottle of Chanel. Like you said, my first concern was the colour, then my partner noticed that after applying the perfume, the smell would be gone after about 10 minutes and anyone who knows Chanel well, knows you can smell it a mile off and that it lasts all day. I bought mine as a gift for my partner at Christmas and so I’m not expecting any refund at this stage, however I will ensure I make ebay aware. Cheers
Cheers very helpful…just made an offer on some from Poland….wont bother now. I thought there are lot for sale on Ebay from Poland and Bulgaria. Probably funding underworld crime I assume!!
you’re so stupid! what you want for $30?
go to the mall and buy an authentic mademoiselle for $110… you are a cheap bastard who expects a great genuine perfume for 30 bucks! you’re really stupid!!!
Excellent reply. Thank you so much.
So, I’m assuming maths isn’t one of your strong points (along with tact, respect, comprehension, spelling and punctuation), so I’ve done it for you below.
If, in the high-class perfume outlet I assume you frequent, Coco Madmoiselle did indeed cost $110, the equivalent on EBay would have been $71 plus delivery. Seems reasonable, no? I should also point out that given the exchange rate, I paid the equivalent of $85. Stating the obvious (seeing as it’s you), that’s nearly three times your $30 ‘cheap bastard’ threshold.
I hope this helps. Do feel free to send another of your highly entertaining and informative comments. I’m sure everyone here finds them useful too.
Thanks so much for this, I was considering buying some Coco Mademoiselle from eBay…now I’ve decided it’s simply not worth the bother! I’ll save up and buy the real thing from a department store 🙂 Sometimes you just have to cough up the cash to get the real deal!
And to the people who say “you’re stupid for expecting to get real perfume for half the price,” well, that’s kind of the point of eBay. You can find plenty of legitmate items for less than their actual value.
I just got caught with fake Coco Chanel on eBay. First, just let me support you in your response to Sorra! I also wasn’t looking for a ‘giveaway’ and paid £57.99 ($87?): yes, looking for a discount, but only that provided by a seller with no staff/shop/lease/business rates to pay for.
I found your site straight away and used it in its entirety & have just got a full refund from eBay: so thanks for that.
Just one thing. I followed you advice and after a couple of days opened a case in the eBay resolution centre. I then went to Paypal & did the same there. Not sure if I did something wrong at this point but after a day or so I got an email from Paypal to say they had ‘closed’ my case. It appears that I had a ‘claim’ running in two locations and that wasn’t allowed. Not really sure what that meant: I didn’t really have a ‘claim’ running at that time, I had merely opened a case in the resolution centres. Anyway, make of that what you will.
Thank you for this excellent posting. I bet many people still get caught out this way! I am planning to buy a lady-friend of mine Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDP for her Birthday, (I asked her about her personal choice of perfume first of course…and I have experienced the aroma of that on her and it is just magical and subtle……just lovely…..)
After reading and seeing the comparative evidence between fake and authentic, I will surely not be caught out! I am kind of a perfectionist and especially with things like perfume, jewellery, etc for a lady, you only want to get her the best right?
I must also compliment you on your scanned pictures of the products as I was able to detect all the diffrences as you explain it, except maybe for the little indentations on the plastic ring of the stopper(probably due to my own PC screen resolution!)….but there is enough to be able to spot a fake after having read and seen your posting.
You have gone through a lot of trouble doing this and I have learned through this that, as a consumer, you have the right to get what you pay for.
As for the comment of Sorra, it’s a sorry kind of reply….
Thank you, my girlfriend will get the authentic one for sure!
Thanks for such a nice reply. I’m really glad you’re doing the right thing, both by the perfume and your girlfriend. Best of luck with both! She clearly has good taste. 🙂
A man after my own heart,if there is one thing I hate more than being scammed I haven’t found it yet!
All sellers passing of fakes should meet the same fate as your fake bottle did Dino!
Keep spreading the word and keep up the good work!
Beware of http://www.essence store.co.uk, Bulgarian based criminal organisation catching out thousands a day!
Hi, I had the same problem with Calvin Klein Euphoria, was told to send the item back – which I did, surprise surprise….they never recieved it (I sent it signed for but not tracked) so I never got my money back….the rip off seller got my money and the perfume back to re-sell…..so much for ‘Buyers Protection’ !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi all, just to warn you there is a website called essence store who are supposed to be based in the seychelles but are actually based in bulgaria. They are selling fake Chanel so dont be duped. I paid for mine by credit card but natwest will not refund until I get an independent report on headed paper stating it is a fake. Does anyone know where I would obtain such a report without it costing me an arm and a leg. Good blog by the way
Thanks for the info. I thought that i was going mad. the fake is quite a good one so I thought that there must be something wrong with my sense of smell, The confirmation that is is a fake was the ingredients on the back of the box and the stopper, The seller is insisting that it is real and not being very helpful, Just proves that you get what you pay for, I will go to a proper reatailer in future
Ive recieved perfume today from Bulgaria its smells the same,box and writing on the back all look legit? However the spray nozzle is copper colour and not gold? You can see it where it finishes? The seller says hes got proof that its real i really do think that its a really good fake?
I bought the same perfume from an Ebay seller a week ago. As soon as I received it I knew it was fake. Everything you outlined in your blog was what I received! And now the seller is refusing to pay insisting the item she/he sent me was a gift from one of her/his boy friends and there’s no way it could be fake!!! I don’t think this seller has ever seen a genuine Chanel perfume!! Anyway, I have opened a case and hopefuly will get my money back. Thank you so much for your blog. Its so detailed and no one can argue on it. Brilliant 🙂
Thank you – You have just saved me buying what is probably a fake bottle of Coco, but I also think you have changed the way PayPal view this type of issue – I recently bought some shoes (ok not perfume!) and they were ‘not as described’ ie one part of one shoe only had been so badly stretched they were unwearable, but of course this did not show in the photo. When I contacted the seller she accused me of being a liar, and told me to escalate it, I would not get my money back. Escalate I did, and PayPal awarded me a full refund. The seller then demanded the shoes back, but I contacted eBay who confirmed that I did not have to return the goods. So it seems that the tables have turned, now if the goods are not as described, they don’t have to go back. Sadly I kept getting abusive mails, but I did get my money. Hopefully all you have done has made eBay & PayPal think differently about how the customer is treated! Thank you!
Thanks for the comment. I’d be happy to know Ebay and Paypal are actually recognising the loophole at last, or at least how vague their process is. Counterfeited goods must be a massive problem for them at the moment, especially as people are looking for a ‘bargain’ in these tough times. Will watch with interest…
Mate, you should be sent 100 bottles of real chanel perfume. I was a click away from buying a £65 100ml bottle on ebay for the Mrs Xmas pressie – a price at which you could reasonably think you’ve got a deal but not so cheap as to put you off.
If you look at the auctions on ebay it is clear that they’re run by the same people as they all end around the same time, and run to the same £ rate on the bidding thing, no doubt bidding each others goods up and running some clever feedback scam with multiple paypal accounts.
boots.com it is I think!
No worries. I’m just about to do the same this year (as the hint wasn’t so subtle this year… “I’d like fome more Coco Mademoiselle for Christmas please”). Will also go straight to Boots again but I’ve just had a quick scan of Ebay and it’s quite a minefield still. There seem to be 4 types. Obviously fake, boxed so you can’t tell, stock product shot so you can’t tell, and probably real. “Maybe 1 out of 4” isn’t a good set of odds to start with.
Hope the present goes down well. It is cracking stuff!
This information is fantastic! So accurate and detailed. I almost bought a fake under the impression it was real, but this site saved me.
Thankyou so much
Hi, Ive just dragged through your encounter with avid intrest. Ive checked just about every item on ebay and others. The result. I will buy from a shop! But i do thank you for your time and effort to alert me and others of theses fakes. Im SURE thewife would have picked it up right away.
Thanks again
Phil
Hi Ive just read your blog. You are like a terrier with a bone, I was going to buy some Madmoiselle from ebay, but I have now decided to go to a shop and buy some. Thanks for the heads up
Regards Jez
Very useful and detailed information, thank you for taking the time and effort in providing it for myself and others who have fallen victim to fradulent sellers and their fake goods. Just about to start my long drawn out corrispondance with the seller and ebay. Don’t think i’ll get much joy from the seller(rs1601521) who has probably done a runner after receiving 5 neg feedbacks for the same or similar items, but I suppose we have to jump through the hoops for ebay to aquire a successful outcome. Thanks again for the help regarding the process with ebay.
best regards.
drew.
Thanks for all the posts I had already started bidding for some Chanel Coco bur after reading all the blogs I will definately go to Boots .com
Thanks & Regards
Thank you so much for your VERY informative website. A co-worker of mine told me today how she bought a bottle off of Ebay and the color looked “off”. She googled “coco mademoiselle knockoff” and your website came right up. After looking at it for a few minutes, she confirmed that her’s was indeed a fake. Sadly, I now think that my own is a fake. The scent lasts, but seems different somehow. And the color of my perfume is golden yellow, not the pretty rose color. Its too late to return, since i bought it over a year ago. But you have opened my eyes a little bigger and I’ll be double checking everything before I make another purchase off Ebay. THANK YOU!!!
Hi, thank you for this blog. You have obviously spent a lot of time and effort to enlighten others, for which I think is extremely admirable. God bless you! I came extremely close to buying a 100ml Coco Madmoiselle for the wife and will not bother now, peace of mind has to win hands down, and lets face it, why fund these corrupt individuals that have so much to learn in life. Kind regards Beowulf.
I was conned with fake coco last year and tried to get my money back with eBay and then paypal but all the hassle it was put me off taking it further, but I learned my lesson, never from eBay again, I admire you for all your info and time etc it must have took you, a good message to other genuine eBay users, thankyou, princessmeganlilly!
Hi, your blog is just great, so informative & helpful – I only wish I’d read it before I purchased though!!
The perfume wasn’t ridiculously cheap so though it may be the real deal, it was £50. I have to say when it arrived it looked just perfect, really not many discrepancys when I was looking at your blog for the comparisons. But the smell, I knew there was something off about it, it was gone after about 10 mins & just didn’t seem like the right smell, I didn’t have a bottle at the time to compare it to so I brought it to a high-end store today that sells Chanel.
The lady behind the counter said it was probably the best fake she’s ever seen – everything was so similar. She got a ‘real’ bottle & put them side by side, my bottle looked rose coloured to me – until it was beside the real one – it was a shade more yellowish from the rose & the smell – a dead giveaway, my fake smelled disgusting against the real one. The nozzle was a shade grey & not white & the base was much thicker & more curved than the real but everything else was so similar.
Anyway I followed your advice, mailed the seller, ebay & paypal, I stated that I wanted a full refund – gave alot more detail than I’ve done above re the product & said that I won’t be out of pocket any further by sending it back so that the seller can sell it onto someone else. My only problem is – why should they believe me if I don’t send it back? Ebay /Paypal could think I’m looking for a quick buck, the seller has sold 52 items (from what I can see in his history it’s mostly perfume – Coco Madmoiselle) and has all positive reviews!!!!!!! Praising his product!! So either they don’t know they have a fake or else he thought he was selling the real thing or maybe he did have some real ones??? I don’t know. Most that bought from him seem to be good buyers too so I’m afraid I won’t really have a leg to stand on if I don’t send the perfume back (although I know you state above that it’s illegal to send it back). but it is 100% counterfeit, absolutely no doubt whatsoever. I’m not sure what to do from here but I suppose I’ll just have to wait & see what he says back to me! I seriously doubt he’ll say ‘that’s grand, here’s ur money back & keep my fake perfume’!! All I want is my money back so I can put that towards the real deal – no more ebay perfume for me!!!
Blog is just super, thanks again for taking the time to share it with everyone!!
Hhi ther. Thanks for the kind compliments. When I spoke to EBay, they wanted me to get the perfum authenticated at a perfume counter or similar. Now, if it was me working in a perfume shop, not quit sure what I’d do. Would input my name to it? Would it be policy to charge? Don’t know. The other option I got was to prove it was destroyed. I think it takes a signed statement from a responsible person. So I guess that’s a public official.
Either way, lodging a complaint with EBay is definitely the start of the right process. If it’s genuinely a fake, then that’s what the process is there for. My seller had good feedback. It too one person to post a negative review for the pack of cards to come down pretty quickly.
So just go through the process. Open up a dialogue. If they play dumb, escallate it and see where it goes. If it goes wonky, phone EBay and speak to a real person. You’re in the right so trust the process and don’t give up.
Good luck!
Hi,
what a great blog,it definitely saved me from buying a fake,i literally looked at hundreds of listings on ebay with stock photos and after reading this asked the sellers for scans or photos of the back and bottom of the box,i was surprised a little that not one seller sent them,of the very few that showed pics of the back of the box in their listing of the actual item they were as your pics of the fake above with the ingredients,again to my surprise these bottles were only marked down 15-20% on the RRP.
Again thanks.
this is real bullshit. You know why. I have a real bottle bought in a perfume store in the Netherlands. My spray has the colour grey, and not white. And this site says that a grey spray is fake. And beneath the bottle the last line is underlined. But my bottle is exact the same as the ‘fake bottle’. So I don’t know where you got this information. But i’m not sure it’s correct.
Out of interest, what store was it?
The main issue with the bottle is the thick base. Something doesn’t sound quite right, but more than happy to be corrected on any point. I’d be interested in a few photos of your bottle if you have a moment.
Hi Dino, just a quick note to let you know that I had a successful resolution with ebay. I presented them with as much information and details as I could by email and twice by phone. They informed me each time to wait the appropriate number of days and escalate the case on a certain date.
When that date arrived they issued me with a refund without me having to escalate the case or contact them again, happy days.
Thanks once again for your helpful site.
I have just finished reporting an item to ebay which, by going by the photos of back of the box, is another fake bottle.
Will watch to see the outcome.
regards.
drew.
Hello,
I just bought a bottle of Mademoiselle 100ml EDP,I asked the seller for photos of the back and bottom of the box and of different angles of the bottle,the seller sent the pics of the box but wouldn’t open the sealed box which was fair enough.The pics seemed to confirm authenticity,i now have just two niggly little doubts and they are that the embossed number on the bottom of box is just above the number and not below the barcode and in the listing it was selling as an unwanted gift but now the seller has just listed another bottle identical to the one i bought,the seller has 100% feedback of over 850 and half those as a seller with no perfume sales,any input Dino?
Hi Dino, I bought it in ‘Douglas’ it’s a perfume store in the Netherlands. I hope they do not sell fake perfume, but I’m sure they don’t sell fake ones. Sure, I want to take some pictures for you, if you give me your email I can email it to you. Maybe I can take some pictures tomorrow.
Hello
I got a bottle of what I’m almost sure is a fake 212 MEN, Why do I think it’s fake? Because the box says 212 MEN NYC instead of just 212 MEN.
This is my first bottle of this perfume so I don’t have one to compare. I didn’t bought this from ebay, bought it from what I thought was a reputable online store (drugstore).
So I send them an email about this issue and their answer was they have to check with their vendor (Fragancenet) as they don’t carry the merchandise in their warehouse. Also said I can return the merchandise but I don’t want to, I don’t feel that is right.
Oh, I can’t wait for Laura to send you the photos to compare them 🙂
I’m from Serbia, and there are lots of guys here selling fake perfumes for >50e euros, claiming they are genuine. I bought two of them last year and then I stumbled upon your post. Thanks for opening my eyes.
If you need photos of fake Hugo Boss In Motion White and Moschino Forever perfumes I’ll send them to you gladly 🙂
I think it would be great idea if you could extend this comparison to other perfumes as well.
Cheers!
tipid info…
[…]Dino 2.0 » Blog Archive » How to spot fake Chanel Coco Mademoiselle[…]…
This posting was awesome, and I appreciate your research on this. I just received a counterfeit bottle from ebay (I should have known not to buy perfume from ebay..) and after all that you went through, am deciding to just suck it up and learn from experience and not go through the process of dealing with ebay and paypal. Thank you for this!!
Hi, thank you for this – super helpful. Going through the same scenario and all your tips are true & helpful – only difference is that I have Coco Chanel (well actually it smells like something you’d avoid, however it was sold as Coco).
I hope it resolves itself. Losing the will to love already but going to see it through because I hate this in principle. Thank you for the great tips and advice
site worth…
[…]Dino 2.0 » Blog Archive » How to spot fake Chanel Coco Mademoiselle[…]…
Thanks. You just spare me from buying a fake. I was about to do it…..
really sad to find out my cheapo ex boyfriend has bought me a fake one! knew something about it wasn’t right!
Thank you for the great,helpful information!I bought from Hungary 2Chanel Coco M.perfumes now,I hope they will be not fake ones.Do you anything about seller fragrancebg from Bulgaria?I purchased for her.
That’s also interesting on Ebay when someone selling 100ml perfume,but on the picture that shows just 50ml…What is the truth then?
There are interesting things.I hate counterfeiters…
hi,I also purchased a fake perfume on ebay, only it was “Dior” 100ml, I left a negative feedback stating it was fake, it was just so obvious much worse than yours in photos! I also contacted ebay and the seller, he responded and did not deny it was fake and asked me to send it back for a full refund. However ebay did not really respond, and about 4 weeks later I checked the same seller was still selling same perfumes and had a 100% feedback?! So I contacted ebay once again asking why the feedback I left was removed and the seller is still selling fake perfumes, because I thought its all about sharing your experiences and being honest? On what they responded, that they can’t share this information with me and they had reasons for doing so…. What to think about ebay now???
Hi, I’ve just bought online Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDP 100 ML for just over 50 $ on the polish ebay – allegro.pl and I due to your guide it’s… authentic -> http://img20.allegroimg.pl/photos/oryginal/21/54/68/49/2154684924_2
What’s more interesting, there is also seller on ebay who offers authentic (in his opinion) and fake due to your photos, for 110 $ -> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chanel-Coco-Mademoiselle-100ml-3-4-Oz-EDP-new-box-and-sealed-/110826591571?pt=fragrance&hash=item19cdc79553
To be honest – I’m really confused.. 50 $ for genuine and 110 $ for fake?
Hi Dino,I got the Chanel perfume now.May I send you some picture to show it?May I ask your email address to send pictures,if I don’t bother you?!I think that is smart fake from Bulgaria,the wrapping seems like the real one,that was in foil wrapped no mistake,that gold colour seems already a little different,when I opened it that was a little bit spilled out,at an another point is different on box yet-lid flap isn’t slammed.The smell feels a little bit different.The Coco Chanel double-C logo is not very centred. I’m really puzzled.I bought 2 of them.To use it like this,or try to refund,if she will deny or not refund what can I do?Thank you very much for you help!Judy
FANTASTIC SITE.
question, do you have more on eg. chance etc.
also i have an original, reputable store bought, the ‘fake’ i bought yes had the spelling incorrect, but the sequence of ingrediants was in different order. and mine is in different order to your ‘real’ in the demonstration. made in france. why is that.
thanks victoria
I got a fake one too. And it’s orange in color! The smell is horrible too!
Oh Nooo. I have just won 2 items from an English seller, for both Coco Madamoiselle and Chanel de bleu costing £104 and now panicking. Wish I had read the above before purchasing. I have emailed the seller requesting he send pics of both items before I pay and that he confirms in writing that both items are GENUINE and made by Chanel and where he got them from. I expect I will have to go through the process of purchasing them to infact determine their authenticity. Thank you by the way for the most descriptive and really helpful explanation and details of the fake item you purchased. Your pictures and exact details are brilliant and most helpful. Well done you for your perseverance. Alas I bet a lot of people have been caught out by the scams tho. Me possibly!! But I will fight back – with your help. Thanks
Shirley
Thanks for the thanks! Fingers crossed they turn out to be ‘just’ a bargain, and nothing more. I always like to think that most people are naturally trustworthy. Good luck!
Re the above – seller never sent pics and due to my constant requests for confirmation of authenticity, he actually insisted we cancel both transactions!! Phew – £104 plus postage saved. I have however informed Ebay of the potential fakes – tee hee.
P.s. Loving the Duke with the Termi’s by the way. My 600 has a stumpy can with the baffler out. Sounds rather naughty!
Hmmm, dodged a bullet there. Well done!
Glad you like the duke exhaust video 🙂 My tinnitus has just about gone now. 🙂
Hi,
Received an 100ml Chanel Coco today advertised as genuine on eBay. Paid £48 for it. I had read your excellent article prior to buying the perfume, but life’s all about risk so I blindly bought it. I was delighted to find upon unwrapping it the box was exactly the same as your description of the genuine article. The colour of the perfume was right, and the bottle was perfectly formed and oozed quality. All logo’s were symmetrical and centred perfectly.
I was delighted to confidently present my Wife with her favourite perfume when she got home from work. To my utter dismay she immediately discovered that the stopper, or cap, was plastic. She was unsure whether her previous bottle had a glass stopper or not. She had a quick squirt and confirmed that the perfume smelled gorgeous and just like her old one. Ten hours later the smell is still going strong. She is unconcerned whether the perfume is fake or not.
I have checked with Chanel who have confirmed that they never use plastic stoppers. The only other slight cause for concern for me was a very small speck of red sediment floating in the perfume. I would not imagine that the genuine article would have this.
So, apart from the plastic stopper, and red speck, this is according to my wife as good as the genuine article, but £40 cheaper. It really is a fantastic copy, and would fool anyone on a photo.
Call me picky, but I do not relish the prospect of cuddling my gorgeous wife after she has sprayed urine, paint thinners, rat poison, and god knows what on her pulse points!
I therefore contacted the seller who was quite convincing that he was shocked by my revelations. I can sympathise because I bet even quality control at Chanel would be hard pressed to tell the difference between my sealed box and theirs. The seller has initially offered a refund, so fingers crossed I won’t have to wait too long for it.
If you think you’ve received a counterfeit, you should still return it to the seller. I have sold a couple of perfumes on eBay. They were perfumes I purchased directly from Macy’s but no longer used so I was clearing inventory. One of the items, someone tried to say was a fake because it wasn’t lasting more than two hours. They also tried to refuse to send it back. I know it was a real perfume, but it’s so arrogant to say it’s a fake and refuse to return the product back “because you are protecting other people”. It also comes off as you as a buyer being a scam artist and there are truly many scam artist buyers. Just return the item and get your money back. If it is an honest seller and they don’t know the source and thought it was real, they won’t sell it again. In any case if there is enough complaints, their profile will be removed. In my case, my product was real and I could have at least gifted it to my niece without the headache. I reported the buyer as clearly they were the scammer, and I got my money back. You as a buyer will be lumped in the same category of scammers if you refuse to return an item you no longer want.
Thanks for you comment. Let’s be clear, if the buyer doesn’t send the item back or prove that it’s fake, you (the seller) keep the money… unless you decided to refund the cost without first receiving the item back. Which is a bit of a mistake on your part, especially in such a contested transaction. That’s Ebay policy. Conversely, if it’s proved to be a fake, you have no right in law to receive the item back. You either knowingly sold a fake or were duped yourself. You can try and go after your supplier for a refund or chalk it up to experience. Harsh but fairly straight forward. If it wasn’t fake, Ebay will sort it out, like they did in your case. The aggrieved party will always feel annoyed at the other party but all buyers who suspect (or say) they have a fake item are not being “arrogant”, nor should they send it back if they genuinely suspect it to be fake. It’s then up to the buyer to go out of their way (“to do their public duty”) to prove it’s a fake. This takes time and effort for little gain except their original money back and the satisfaction that they’ve saved another person going through the same process. While this is happening, you have their money, so all good.
Anyhoo, glad to hear you got the money back, (again). As with everything on the internet, nuance is a much-underused quality.
Hi Dino, thanks for this excellent and very informative post! You just prevented me from making the mistake and buying one on ebay, instead i just ordered a real one on douglas.com. I just noticed one more difference- don’t you think that the tube inside the perfume (I hope that’s the real word for it in english) should go to the right and not to the left (as in your pictures above)? At least that’s what i noticed is on all genuine 100ml CMs, but perhaps it only depends on the production line/date… What do you think?
WOW, just wow. Thank you so much. I just purchased one for $150 and its fake. :S She complained of the scent not lasting at all as it should and to my disappointment just confirmed it thanks to your blog.
I brought a coco Chanel for eBay and knew straight away it was fake by the smell got refunded straight away no problem he knew he was in the wrong. More fool me I then went on to buy coco mademoiselle from a eBayer with 600 positive feedback and thought its must be real and was not that cheap at £50 so went for it…item arrived box was real but inside was not labeling was with black writing and to one side of bottle, stopper was plastic and poorly made the cc was off side, and underneath was a sticker that matched your fake version..took it to boots and checked it along side real one and sales assistant said it was a good fake. Contacted seller she said she checked her stock and they were all ok and wants item back so to get second opinion and then will refund me…what should I do..should I send it back or just leave it..
Depends if you don’t mind losing your £50 and whether you want to make a small strike against this kind of thing. Whatever you do, I wouldn’t send it back as it will just be used to hoodwink someone else. Sounds like a fairly well trodden path… sell fake stuff, if customer doesn’t notice… great! If they do notice, ask for it back, maybe give them a refund… go to step one. I’d certainly recommend going via Ebay / Paypal to get a refund AND not send it back. I did it mostly as a moral crusade but interestingly, the citizen’s advice bureau said it was verging on illegal to send forged goods back to someone suspecting of selling forged goods. Dunno, moral dilema time… 🙂
Hi Dino,
I received a bootle of Mademoiselle today, purchased it on eBay for a gift. The box looks authentic to me, but there is a Keira Knightly slip on the box, not sure if a genuine supposed to have it. After reading your post, I`m eager to know what`s inside. I emailed a seller with a question where did she get it from and if I can return it in open condition. The seller didn`t say the source of the item (sells a lot of them for about $65), but said I can send it back within 14 days and that it was authentic. Should I open it? 🙂 I like this fragrance myself, but stopped buying it in the States, as Made in USA wasnt the same as Made in France. Now it looks like they sell Made in France in the States.
Well, I was so tempted to open the perfectly looking box, so I opened it. It is so FAKE and stinks, I can`t even stand it! Good thing I opened it and didn`t give as a gift, that would have been a disaster.
When I opened the box, it immediately had the smell of men`s cheap fragrance. The glass bottle had uneven spots, the cup (made of glass though!) didn`t have a smooth fit, the bottle was thick on the bottom, the clear label on the bottom was almost invisible, the white line looked like just been painted and not even, the inside cardboard is on the opposite side from the outside one.
Ugh, it stinks so bad!!
It`s me again:-)
The reason I opened my box was because I was very thrilled to see Made in France sign, as for many years I`ve seen only Made in USA in the States (there is a factory in NJ, Chance smells the same, but Mademoiselle has different notes), I guess there is some kind of regulation like similar rules applied to exporting fragrances to EU from the US which prohibits to sell other than Made in USA in the US. Anyways, I see fake bottles have “Made in France” signs-they have mastered the boxes, but missed this out. The Saks Fifth Avenue website even has info that it Made in USA. I personally purchased authentic Mademoiselle from Sephora, and it was made in USA. So, that`s another red flag on how to spot a fake Chanel in USA. I`m going to call Chanel corporate office in the US after Memorial day and ask them a couple of questions.
Great additional info. Thanks Kat!
Just received a bottle I bought from eBay. Based on your excellent review the bottle itself looks completely real but the box is totally fake. Off lettering, the flaps are different, wrong ingredients. But bottle has all the right markings. Not sure what to do now : /
The stats on the seller is this is not a person who sells tons and tons of stuff. Its a person who uses ebay on occasion to buy and sell things, They have a feedback score of 100% consisting on a couple hundred transactions. Not a brand newby selling 10 bottles of this and not a powerseller who sells garbage just bc they have high volume. I’m really torn. Thoughts?
Thanks for the advice. You have saved me money and hassle! Will deffo be buying from the high street now!
Superb Article with a great amount of detailing. Hope to use your detailing so i can distinguish fake from original when buying from online websites. Pity that websites like eBay are home for such fraudsters.
Unbelievably, if you and the seller are both in the U.S., paypal REQUIRES you to send the counterfeit back to the seller even though it’s illegal to sent counterfeit goods. Crazy! It’s easier if the seller isn’t in the U.S.
Yeah, it’s the same in the UK between UK sellers / buyers I think. I had a very ‘robust’ chat with them and they were insistant that I had to send it back for a refund. I assume it’s still the same in the UK but they backed down after I asked to speak to a manager etc. It is bonkers though. Worth persevering with though.
Brill! Thank you! So impressed at your ability to go through all that without tearing your head off! (I’ll go buy from Boots!)
on hols in istanbul and randomly thought i’d buy a bottle of this stuff. fake ofcourse but for £2 i thought it was no big deal if it turned up to just be water or something.
strange thing is, it is exactly the same as the ‘real’ perfume you have photos of up there. colour, box, smell. it lasts. go figure! i think they’ve upped their game.
Wow. Really? Hard to know what to do in that case. You know what they say, if it smells like Chanel , looks like Chanel and taste like Chanel, maybe it’s Chanel? And if the rash hasn’t appeared yet, you lucked out! 🙂
What an eye opening information! Thanks Dino! ! I recently purchased a bottle of Chanel Jersey on ebay, paid, but then seller cancelled the transaction saying the item ‘got damaged’. Luckily he refunded my money. But still I smell something fishy here. Does anybody know what game they are playing with this kind of transaction? But I’m glad it was cancelled, after reading this article, I am sure it must have been a fake perfume!
Thank you soooo much Dino! I also purchased one from eBay for 80 € and I was surprised that the scent lasted for like 1-2 minutes. Thank your analysis I found out that my bottle of Coco Mademoiselle is also a fake one. I contacted the seller, now I’m waiting to get my money back.
Greetings from Germany
EXCELLENT………THANX…….I’LL MAKE SURE THIS DOES THE ROUNDS IN FRANCE AS WELL
GLAD I COULD HELP! I ASSUME I HAVE TO SHOUT IN CAPITALS TOO SO THAT YOU CAN HEAR THIS OVER IN FRANCE! 🙂
Hi Dino, recently I bought one from ebay too with a UK ebayer (I’m in the UK too). It was listed as 100% genuine and I asked he to guarantee one more time the authenticity after reading your blog and before payment. Finally he sent me an obviously fake one, even worse made as yours. I contacted the seller for refund, but this guy wanted the return. And the ebay case has been opened as misdescription and counterfeit product. What should I do then? Just wait to ebay make the final decision and maybe or maybe not get refund? Kind regards.
yeah, I’d just wait. As far as I remember, you open a case, try and make contact to resolve it, if you still disagree you can choose to say it’s going nowhere, then Ebay will adjudicate. If it’s pretty obviously fraud (which it sounds like) they’ll ask you to return it. Obviously the problem here is a ‘fake’ is also covered by the same “Not as described” category as a pair of blue shies that were advertised as red. I.e. send them back and get a refund. Only in the case of fake goods, it’s not advised (by the UK Trading Standards) to send the goods back. They need to be confiscated and destroyed. Ebat will not really read the case and default to ‘send it back please!’. You then need to stand your ground. They will then ask you to prove you destroyed it / it’s a fake. And then hopefully give you your money back… and hopefully suspend the seller’s account too.
Unfortunately, it’s just a box ticking process shepherded by people (Ebay) who don’t really read the detail and aren’t as focussed on the desired (and correct) outcome as you will be. Hang in there though, as everything is in your favour, you just need to hold their hand through the process.
Good luck!
Wow awesome , to see if its real or not, just got my perfume from eBay and it Fake as Fake can be ;( I know it by the smelling but after looking on this page I know 1001% it’s FAKE. And it is coco Chanel mademoiselle, .!!!!!!
UPDATE of my case: Opened a case in customer support of ebay immediately after received the fake product. Then the seller was keeping repond my words until left a return address without city name or his name. Of cause I found the name of the guy who got the payment via PayPal, I found the city with the post code. But it’s not my duty at all. 8 days after my last message for asking the name and city, the seller didn’t reply anymore. So the case has been escalated to the customer support without more waiting. 5 mins later, the case solved and I got the full refund.
I have to say Many Thanks, Dino. Your guide to spot the fake and experience are very very helpful. I will destroy the fake one not as you since I don’t hold a gun. But it will be holde for 14 more days for the Citizen Advisor’s probable investigation then be destroyed.
This is very interesting, I bought two Coco Madmoiselles at Las Vegas Mall. My sister’s is pink and smell doesn’t stayy longer than 2 min., mine is yellow and stays even the day after I sptrayed. So what could this be? The malks are also selling fake???
Comprei um coco chanel começo desse ano e vim usar ele agora, só que não fixa na pele. É falsificado né??
To desesperada
🙁
Very informative and so cool..especially destroying the fake coco was super cool 🙂 thanks
Hi. Very informative and extremely entertaining. I’m sticking to Body Shop! but my sister likes Chanel Coco Mad. and I found someone selling “taster” 2ml (I think) bottles – that’s probably all my sister’s getting in the way of perfume. Appalling how good these fakes can be isn’t it. Also the ones that SAY they are Chanel and indicate somewhere in the small print that they are “an alternative” and are, actually, watered down “smell alikes” with a 10 second quick burst of scent.
Brilliant! well done for giving them what for!! Nervous as just bought a bottle of Coco EDP and will wait to see if it’s real or not!!
If it isn’t I will do as you have done! Nic : )))
Hello! I recently had bought a fake Coco Mademoiselle from an Ebayer. I don’t even know why I was bidding on it in the first place. Once I found out that I won, I started feeling unsure if I even won a genuine one. So the day after, I contacted the seller asking if the perfume I bought was 100% authentic. His response was that ALL of his items were authentic and that he only sells authentic perfumes. Seemed like an honest response…
Once I received it I just knew off the bat something was wrong. The fake bottle of perfume I got wasn’t even full, it looked used…. It was a clear yellow color and it smelt awful! I contacted the seller immediately and he gave me a full refund and also noted that he buys from a wholesaler and cannot tell which items are fake or not and that he did not mean to send me a defective bottle. Which seems to me is false because he also requested that I do not leave him negative feedback. It’s terrible, because if there were more people leaving negative feedback I would not even have the thought of purchasing it…people need to know that it is risky to buy from some sellers on Ebay. Luckily, I did not have to return this disgusting item.
Thank you so much for this amazing post. I was able to confirm 1000% that I was received a fake. I’m not even going to bother purchasing another perfume off of Ebay again! Honestly what’s the point? If you save up for the real bottle of a scent you adore, it feels a million times better. Thanks again 🙂
Hi there. Just a little one to say many thanks for the lengths you have gone to to expose this fraudulent selling behaviour which is becoming more & more familiar & frequent every day.
I have been on the verge of making a purchase from e-bay several times over the last 24hrs for a bottle of my beautiful partners fave perfume.
However; Having just read your blog, I will be heading down to one of the major retailers to make my purchase.
Thank you for all of the information you have provided which has been very well received by many it seems.
You have definitely saved me from a disappointing & embaresing moment on Christmas morning and the hassle that follows trying to get the payment refunded.
There is a famous saying; if it sounds too good to be true ……. It probably is!
Many thanks again for sound info and great reference material; here’s wishing you a very merry Christmas to you & yours.
Best Regards & be happy 😉
Hi
Cant believe I have just noticed your informative blog on the subject of Coco Mademoiselle. Unfortunately for me I have already bought a bottle from Ebay and my seller is based in Romania!! The bottle looks more authentic than yours but when I sprayed it for my Christrmas party I had to borrow some off my friend because the smell lasted no more than 10 minutes. I have worn this beautiful perfume for years and spent a lot of money on it but it is worth it….silly me bought a bottle off Ebay thinking it would be genuine…I am so disappointed and I have immediately sent a message to the seller and to paypal/ebay to try and get a refund….there is a bigger smell of coco coming from coats in my wardrobe than from the bottle I have purchased. So cheap and nasty ….will not be fooled again……Best regards and Happy Christmas x
Glad to be of help. Especially at Christmas! I’ve found that shopping around at well-known stores often turns up a deal that is only £10 off the EBay prices anyway. Boots seem to do well in the UK still. Santa may well have been there on my behalf this year already… ahem…
Hi, i was for the last 3-4 days looking for the chanel coco mademoiselle, eau de parfum to buy it for my sister abroad as surprise gift , because she talked to me about it on the skype , so found few that i had to bid on , i wasn’t sure , why they were much cheaper ? And most of them were to bid on ? maybe , if the price was high , people buy this perfume from a trusted retailler, so i did bid on two , and thanks God i didn’t win the bid twice , Im extremely proud of you and of women who stand for what is right no matter what , as soon as i read all the informations you put giving your time and all the hard time you have been through , i stopped looking for this CHANEL COCO MOIDEMOISELLE , after all why the trouble , its only a perfume ? And beleive me , there are more than you can think of a beautiful perfumes that match the delicacy of a beautiful , delicate woman , will never thannk you enough , you saved me precious time , and money , Latifa , from Algeria.
Congratulations ! I didn’t both any perfume from e Bay, but this is the proof i should never buy ! so it’s good to know . very good job, u should continue doing it with other perfumes too! Merry Chrstmas and all the best for the next year !
M from Romania.
Husband gave me a bottle of Coco Mademoislle today xmas day , he thought he,d done so well as its the only one i wear , needless to say i pointed out its a fake as soon as id opened it , and it reeks awfull slight hint of coco clearly a fake, and yes he bought it via ebay i contacted seller and ebay resolution center , seller promised full refund he says he didnt know its a fake he bought it for his wife months ago but she doesnt wear this one he,d brought wrong one in error , hence listing on ebay as of yet no refund into paypal btu opened case with ebay , found this site when looking for advice great site 🙂 Dawne…
What a shame. Still, it’s the thought that counts on Christmas Day. 🙂 Really hope you get it sorted and good luck!
Thank you! i love this parfume and have 2 bottles of them:) when i saw this post i went to check. Unfortunately i had only 1 packed, but lucky me-it was original one))) Thank you very much once again!
Thanks for the info! it was absolutely helpful.
The FBI should hire you for their “Chanel Coco Mademoiselle” counterfeit department.
Great blog Dino !
Thanx so much for posting …
Dziękuję z Polski…
now in hands off fraud squad 🙂
both myself and my wife bought chanel prrfume fo xmas from different seller one is coco the other mademoiselle. on inspection they are both obvious fakes. went to a well known store with a chanel franchise. the manageress looked at both and agreed that they were fake but could not put it in writing. it seems to me that we are running round in circles . i have opened disputes with both ebay and paypal and have just had an answer deciding against us. both are calling us liars and accepting cheats and liars as all right. i am not going to give up but would like if possible some advice as o where
to go next. we are losing faith and are both pensioners
So of I have this right, you’ve lodged a claim with EBay and Paypal. They should then put you in a holding pattern allowing you to resolve it with the buyer via email (or via eBay). This assumes you agree to a solution. Clearly this can’t happen in the case of fake goods as you’re clearly not going to send the goods back as it is essentially sending knowingly counterfeit goods to a suspected criminal. So eBay will then ask for proof it’s actually counterfeit. I can imagine a legit shop wouldn’t want to get involved, there’s nothing in it for them. This seems to be where the process breaks down for you. At this point, I phoned EBay up and mentioned the problem sending goods back to the seller and that it was essentially unlawful. They then (when pushed) agreed to refund the money if I could prove I’d destroyed the perfume. Obviously, I went a bit OTT and shot it on video but I assume there are other ways. Could you take it into a local police station and ask for a proof note? Maybe phone your local Trading Standards and ask how you can have it destroyed with proof. Even emailing them and being able to quote the reply will be good ammunition. You are right after all! If it was me, I’d definitely phone EBay and ask for advice on ways you can destroy it that wont rely on shopkeepers or other people being put out.
Don’t give up though, it’s just the EBay process that’s a bit generic and relies on you being a bit creative. Do let me know if you get stuck though. I’ll see if I can suggest anything else.
paypal and ebay do not settle disputes from buyers but do from cheating sellers
Hello, there. Once I was browsing Google for something related to perfums and came across a Chinese site offering a box of about 24 pieces of fake Voyage d’Hermes for something like US$ 40,00. They said it was first rate fake and almost impossible to spot the difference from real to fake ones, and of courrse I thought of all frangrances I had bought from Brazilian Mercado Livre, something like free market or free comerce in English. But, because of the price, i always return to them waiting to be successful. So far, although sometimes I think it is a fake, the scent lasts until next day very noticeable, but close to the skin. Unfortunately, last month I got a fake bottle of burbery Brit for Men and it was from a on-line shop that gives a receipt and pay taxes and do son. My question, not to you personally, of course, but to everyone who buys on line is what to do in this case? because the company says it is real, I know it is not. But they only take the goods back if you haven’t opne it, without openning you don’t know it I a fake or not. And when I remember that Chinese site, well I think real companies might being doing business with them.Perhaps paying the highest price is the right thing to do? So far I have lost the equivalent of US$ 100. What can we do?
hi dino, great information on here, all my checks on 100ml bottle of mademoiselle seem to suggest my bottle is authentic except there is nothing on the bottom of the bottle what does this suggest FAKE i do hope not. i lokk forward to your reply and thanks for the great information
regards carole
your article is very enlighting!!the thing is that the box is ok but the bottle makes me suspicious.My aunt brought to me the fragrance from Bulgaria a month ago from a department store.
my husband bought me a 100ml bottle of coco chanel mademmesille straight away i thought it was dodgie [fake] i told him right away but as to not hurt his feelings i put some on it smelt fine but it didnt last as long as it should im angry that my hubby was conned on this perfumed as he usually buys me a small bottle but decided to treat me for christmas as it is my favourite perfume plz can you tell me what im to do about this
thank you so much helped me to identify a fake got my money back, you did a great job thanks again.
Thank you!! I was just looking at ebay for more since mine is almost out. Thought I could get it at a reduced price. I decided to google it and I saw this about fakes. Crazy that I was watching some and considering getting it soon. So glad I saw this first and saved myself a world of hurt. I wish there was a way to tell all the people buying them. Ebay should shut them down. It is so lame they don’t stop the problem at the source to avoid more complaints and unhappy customers! This is not ok. Ebay- start taking some responsibility help the victims not the perpetrators there should be monitoring by your staff to shut the scammers down how can you side with them? At least I found this blog so I wasn’t one of the unlucky ones. Thanks again for looking out and giving everyone the resource to know the difference. Thank you!!!!
That was a great help. Thanks for that. You’ve just saved me from buying a fake bottle of perfume.x
Hi Dino
I just wanted to send my thanks to you.
I love this scent so much, but can’t afford to keep splashing out £92 for a bottle – (I have champagne tastes on a lemonade budget lol) I thought I would go on Ebay, but after reading your article, I certainly wont be doing that now.
It just goes to show, in life YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. If we want quality, sadly we have to pay the price for it.
I have resolved to ask for Boots vouchers for my birthday, so I can save up and be sure of the real deal.
Thank you for taking the time to go into so much detail with your article, it really does make it clear what to avoid.
Chanel should applaud you and send your wife some free Coco M!
Hi there and thank you very much for your guide! It is so helpful. 🙂
Two weeks ago I bought my Coco Mademoiselle EDP on ebay. The lady seller listed it as “not my style” fragrance, she did not use much, so the bottle was ( and still is) pretty full. I followed your guide and I asked the seller to e-mail me the photos of the bottle and the box ( including the flaps, hehehe). She agreed. So my EDP is real. I paid $125 for 100ml instead of $200 at the shops. Thanks again for helping me and the others. 🙂 and thanks God that not all ebay sellers are crooks.
Thank you so much for posting this! I just opened a package with a fake bottle I had purchased of Ebay. Immediately I knew it was off, the color, the scent, the box appeared to be resealed cheaply. Mine was a poor fake to say the least. I have just opened a case with Ebay. I too am sending this link to all the poor folks who have purchased this item from this individual so that they are informed. Btw sorra is probably one of the scammers peddling the fake crap.
I just want to say thank you very much!!!
I was thinking of purchase one from ebay, but back to House of fraser or Boots then!
thanks,
xxx
BRILLIANT.
Many thanks for this brilliant information. I love Chanel perfume and regularly look on the pages of Ebay for a bargain. I always feel uneasy that they may be fake, especially the ones from abroad, although you can’t be too careful with UK sellers either. Its difficult also to tell from the pictures as they could be standard Chanel photos. That said, I have yet to make a purchase!
Thanks again.
Hello Dino!
Thank you very much for this informative Blog… My ex-boyfriend (and now my husband) always bought me this Coco Chanel madamoiselle while he were stay in Belgium. And after marriage, he stay with me in Indonesia. Well, you know, in here there’s so much fake items, and i hvnt meet the authentic Coco Chanel store in here. But I hv found one seller who sell Coco M. for about $100, she said it’s genuine. I’m kinda doubt it, so while i was googling i found your blog.
I send her this address to make sure she sells the real perfume.
Well, she didnt say anything, she said she cant sell to me if i dont believe her.
Now, im craving for this perfume but i dont know where to find it.
Hi there, I just purchased a bottle of coco mademoiselle on ebay and cam across this article when trying to figure out how authentic it was, this is by far the best thing on the web for authenticating it yourself! From everything you’ve said mine seems to be genuine, but I just had one concern that I hoped you could possibly shed some light on! The box is sealed, and was bought as a present so I don’t want to open it, but i noticed when examining it closely that there are very faint numbers about 4mm in height running round the box. My box is a 50ml so smaller than yours, but they are running round the box horizontally at the same height as the ‘CHANEL’ on the front. Looking at the box normally you would never have noticed them, but on closer inspection they are definitely there. I was wondering if you could shed any light on this?
Glad it was helpful! 🙂 Hard to say really but I guess it’s a different box size and it’s a year or so on, so may well be a legitimate change to the design. Seems a bit strange that it runs across the box, but may be a security thing. Not really seen that before. Wasn’t on the larger size I bought (again!) this Christmas. 🙂 I guess if you’re nervous, you can remove the plastic and have a look. Nobody really ‘expects’ it to be there, especially if it’s came from a friend and you’ve confirmed it’s legit.
Thankyou very much for this post…just stumbled across this by accident as viewing bottles of Chanel similar to the size bottle I am ‘watching’ on ebay auction. Decided now NOT to bid on the bottle that i’ve been watching that is very cheap and appears to be a good deal. I didn’t realise that there were so many fake’s being sold. (Was to be a long needed treat to myself….tired hardworking mum of three!!). Going to be sensible as I could not bear (or afford!) to be dissapointed and buy a smaller bottle when can afford from boots instead. xx
Thanks for this guide! It has been really helpful. One of the things I also check is the ‘serial number’ usually found on the base of the bottle or the box(sometimes the back of the box). In all cases. the serial number on the box must match the number on the bottle.
This can be used to confirm the production date of the perfume and it’s authenticity by verifying it against the cosmetics database (checkcosmetic dot net.)
For example, I checked the number of the real Chanel mademoiselle featured in the photo in your post, against this database and found this particular bottle was produced in July 2010.
I guess the only issue with this check is that sometimes I have found sellers to claim that they can’t find the serial number on the sealed box. I’m not sure how true that claim is(i.e. whether there are any brands that do that)
From the beginning I suspected my Chanel was fake, but after reading this, I have no doubt. Now I mainly use it as a room spray. Thanks for your post, it was very helpful.
Hi Dino, I wanted you to know that I added your link to my helpful Chanel Perfume Bottles website, I use this site to help people determine whether their Chanel perfume is real or fake, also have a section on dating Chanel bottles and other useful info. http://www.chanelperfumebottles.blogspot.com
Feel free to add any comments.
I found your article very informative.
Unfortunately I have a different issue in that I have just inadvertently sold a fake Coco on ebay IN ERROR! The bottle was given to me by someone I know (I was supposed to be using it myself) but I decided to resell as I have so many other perfumes already. I had no reason not to believe it was genuine.
Clearly the buyer knows what is what and as soon as they emailed me I have sorted out a full refund.
I understand the response from Trading Standards but I would be pretty annoyed if the buyer did not return the item to me. It would leave me largely out of pocket due to ebay fees and the fact I have had to fork out to refund two lots of postage.
I would have no intention of trying to resell as I am not dishonest and quite frankly can’t go through all the worry and stress again! but I would at least like it back to be able to use it myself (even if it is not thr real thing!) I would also like to see it so I can compare the points you have noted to ensure what the buyer says is correct and that I could not get conned again in the future.
That’s a tough one. There’ll always be some innocent cases (like yourself) trapped in the same net as the normal counterfeiters. I can only talk in generalist terms but I’d suggest in 99.9% of the cases, it IS sold as a knowing counterfeit, so ‘on average’, the best advice would still be not to send it back if someone sells you a fake.
I guess the law’s tough like that for a reason to protect the poor person who ends up with it, not the person that sold it and has the money already. I got caught i the opposite end, which is worse, I had a fake which I had to destroy AND no money to show for it. 🙂
Hope you get it sorted though, would be interested to know if you spot any of the same differences.
Hello Dino,
I’m writing to you today on behalf of my supervisor to ask for permission to reproduce the above images. He is writing an article on anti-counterfeiting and brand protection. He is interested in including some accurate side by side comparisons of real vs. fake consumer goods. Please email me back with your decision or if you have any questions. Thanks.
Dino,
I stumbled across your website as I was trying to learn the fakes vs the real ones myself as I was baffled at the extremely low prices for such an exquisite product! I know Chanel doesn’t wholesale and only go through authorized retailers.
Sadly, it makes it very difficult for an individual seller like me trying to sell her extra bottles from years of collecting due to being mixed up with all the fraudulent ones! I also notice they don’t show pictures of the backs and bottom of their products. It shocks me that people bid/buy on items with stock photos alone. Also, how would someone have access to so much product so cheaply? Cos you can’t. Thanks for bringing attention to this!
Oh and authentic perfumes sold in US are marked Made in USA, not France. I don’t know about duty free.
I wish I would have found this article sooner.
I received my bottle in the mail today. I was very excited about the quick ship rate and slight discount I received. With no initial doubts about the product quality or authenticity, I opened it up.
I examined the bottle, smelled it, looked a bit closer at the packaging, looked up the sellers profile and re-read all of the seller’s positive feedback, and then for about 10 more minutes, I continued to try and convince myself that it was real. Smells good, bottle is a bit cheaper than I had expected but maybe it is just me paying too much attention to detail. Maybe I’m crazy.
Turns out I’m not. The lesson I’ve learned today: trust your gut and do your research prior to buying online. My fake is an identical match to the one you received. Seeing the poor quality side by side with the real thing really makes me wonder why I ever doubted my instincts.
I appreciate your thorough description of the real vs fake products and for the detailed explanation of your refund experience. And as terrible as it is that this is going on, I’m selfishly relieved that I’m not the only one who has been dooped. Because I am now wise to the scam, I will be exercising caution in the future!
Thanks again!
I have been duped myself on Ebay and although vigilant and asking seller beforehand still proved fruitless!……As I have always kept my original packaging, bottle ect from ones purchased from Debenhams prior to Ebay I have had them to compare and have myself discovered all of your points, the only thing I am confused about is the colour, some fakes are like pee being frank and smell like vingegar lol and are either too golden yellow or too pale,……I am confused with the statement you make about it being pink as usually my Debenhams ones are more of a beige yellowy rose sort of colour like your pics, and the smell is fine as they are genuine. However this week I bought one off ebay and the box before I opened it was ringing alarm bells, despite being cellophane sealed and having a hologram ‘original’ sticker on the front (which is what won my trust over), the box on arrival had the usual signs, ingredients in wrong order and some missing ect, the writing thicker than the original,……so I opened carefully, and the liquid was very very pink which was nothing like the colour of my originals!…….and the smell was well didn’t smell of anything really and didn’t last 2 minutes. I did not know you are not meant to return,……..it’s a tricky one as some sellers would argue it was bought as a present they did not know, they will refund on return ect, so that part of your blog is interesting and good to know.
I have also discovered another sign of fakes on the outer packaging,…on the back you have the two words ‘chanel’, under that you have the coco logo and ‘coco’,………………Now under that again and above the barcode you should have ‘92200 NEUILLY SUR SEINE’. In my experience the fakes do not have this,…………and your pictures confirm this too. This is something I have come to discover and now look for. But this week was duped only due to seeing a front picture and the ‘hologram original’ sticker won me over,……….now I know this is just another way to try and dupe people. I will wait for the sales in future! or just pay the full amount and be done with it. Even bottles on Ebay that have been part used could be fakes,………I think it’s a cycle where people have bought it, realised then try to sell on themselves,……..something I would not risk as I value my feedback and it’s disappointing when you receive it.
I would suggest if someone has purchased this off ebay and then read this blog after becoming suspiscious, to lay out all the facts of the comparison on here to the seller,…….that way they don’t have a leg to stand on.
I hope the fact that ‘92200 NEUILLY SUR SEINE’ (underlined) can also help people identify,…….if this is not on the back of the box under the coco logo then it’s not a genuine coco mademoiselle chanel.
Maybe fraudsters have read this blog and made their dodgy goods pink instead of yellow! as the one I received was so pink this week it made me laugh! then frustration kicked in!…………my originals have been a sort of beigy, yellowy rose mix of colour like your pics. Not bright pink!
Maybe you could add the sur seine bit to your blog as another tell tale sign by just seeing the box 🙂
Oh I’ve just remembered another one,……..I have found that on most fakes (I’ve been lumbered with 3 over time gained a learning process though lol),……….I have found the tube veers the wrong way on most fakes,…………my originals it veers down to the right corner of bottom of bottle,. a lot of fakes it veers to the left corner,……this is a major tell tale sign to me when looking on Ebay and if I see this I avoid.
so new points to add to this blog : look for 92200 NEUILLY SUR SEINE under coco logo and above barcode on back of box and it’s underlined.
Also tube veering to bottom right on genuine 100ml bottles.
The hologram ‘original’ sticker on front seems to be latest rage! and I have just got duped with one of these.
I think most bought in from spain, Bulgaria duty free are dodgy, I would avoid. some people leave good feedback because they don’t want to receive bad feedback,……….I would request genuine pictures of the item and box all over,…….if they refuse, then something is wrong if they do and any of the fake signs are there then you know to avoid.
Thanks for this blog, it’s backed everything I have discovered myself and I hope my additions are helpful to people 🙂
Exactly what happened to me for 71 euros… on ebay.
Of course the seller had 96,7% posiive feedbacks, of course the only negative one was because a trousers was not as said, of course “his wife” had received the perfume for Xmas or Birthday and didn’t like it etc.
Thanks for all your precise work, it helps a lot!
Thanks to have taken the time to give us all your comparative details!
Hi there, thanks so much for your post. I have purchased a fake coco mademoiselle as well, I thought it was a a fake as the color was not the same as the sold at the store and it did’t last. It was one year ago so I don’t think ebay is going to help me but I’ll do my best. Thanks from Spain. Aurora
[…] I have to be assured I’m getting the real brand, not a fake. Did you know there are lots of fake Chanel products for sale on-line? By getting favorite brand fragrances and skin products at Dillard’s, I don’t have to […]
hello dino, im facing a similar case right now. paid £70 for chanel coco noir. (which I though it was a baragain to receive at least 25% off store price)…
but instead of real CHANEL, I receive a Fake COco noir.
simply because, the smell doesnot even last for a minute. the box was flimsy. the gold was not even GOLD , it is YELLOW.
the lettering were peeled off. no barcode. the lid of the perfume is not evenly polished–look like a sand paper though.
I open a case in paypal, They ask me to proof it is fake by submitting a written submission from unbias 3rd party stating that it is fake. vendor/retailer?
HOW CAN I GET THAT!!!
am im going to loose those £70? aargghhh.
looks like they are helping the counterfeiter. no wonder there is no stop to fake goods.
I called ebay, they are not helping me… and contacted paypal, they cant do anything either unless I submit the prove they needed.
btw, another reason why I know it is a fake coco noir because:
1) I got for my self a coco noir before, when they first released it in December 2012.. but when it finished, I had to find a new bottle, so really thought that I could get a bargain on ebay. but receive a fake instead.
(…I still have my old coco noir bottle and the box though)
2) the date code at the back of the fake coco noir is backdated to april 2011.
while coco noir was released in October 2012.
isn’t it strange.
Thank you very much. I wanted yo buy but i change my mind. Thanks for your information.
Is it possible that the box is real and the bottle is a fake?
Hi, just had the same thing happen to me. I bought a bottle for my girlfriends birthday, she spotted it straight away – she used to work for Chanel. So I’ve followed your advice – reported the item, started a resolution thingy and emailed the seller. I tried contacting her first off but she wanted me to return it. She’s only offered the refund now I’ve started a resolution with her. She was probably waiting to see if I actually did anything about it, hedging her bets I guess. Thanks for putting this info up, I found it really useful. cheers. Ivi
Hi! Thank you for all your detailed info so helpful.
VINTAGE FAKE ‘CALECHE’ PURE PARFUM 30ML
I have just started a resolution having received fake perfume in authentic bottle and box. I even have a reference number on the bottle which I have
checked out (1985)…..it seems the latest scam is to refill fake juice into an original bottle and hey presto! The seller wont refund as I opened the box and removed the seals ( what seals ??) The perfume is filled to the brim and is
a horrible orange/yellow colour….there is no smell, by the time you have lifted
your wrist to your nose…it has evaporated! Lord knows what’s in it!
As far as I am concerned the seller has committed a crime in defrauding me –
I will keep the bottle as evidence; whatever happened to my consumer rights
ebay seems to make their own rules these days….
all the best Moni
Hi Just read your blog and found it very interesting. However I have put a bid on a bottle of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and am now very worried it may be fake. The seller is private and says she has 2 and is getting rid of one. I have looked at the photos and it looks the right pinky colour and shape of bottle looks right. I have asked if it is etched on the bottom or is there a sticker and could she do a photo. She said it is etched but the camera won’t pick it up. Its difficult to tell by photos and am now regretting putting a bid on : (
I have a photo I would love for you to look at , im getting ready to buy this and want to know if it is real. Please email asap! Thanks!
This is still happening unfortunately. I consider myself pretty savvy over whether and what to buy on the interweb but one night without researching properly first I made a quick buy on eBay to save £30 off Boots.com’s price for Coco Mademoiselle 100ml. I received it promptly, in the Keira Knightley card sleeve that’s been mentioned above, and it was the very poor resolution print of this that made me look at the actual box closely, then I thought the printing on that was poor and the layout questionable. So I looked online, finding this piece. I had to quickly buy a real one from Boots (which I already knew had the best price other than eBay, Doh!) in time for the lady’s birthday, and so I was then able to make direct comparisons, which confirmed various differences. There have been some ‘corrections’ made to the box since Dino’s 2011 example but it still has most of the same issues and one glaring new one – on the front of the box the word VAPORISATEUR is spaced a bit like VAPORISATE UR. Now knowing that, looking back at the listing, this can actually be discerned in the listing images, which also show the Keira Knightley card sleeve. The seller in Northern Ireland has sold lots of these in a short time so would appear to have bought in bulk which sure as hell wasn’t from Chanel. Surprisingly there is nothing but positive feedback, except on one male fragrance a couple of years ago where a brief caustic exchange of feedback and responses ensued.
I am now going through the dispute resolution process, noting all that Dino so kindly posted here. I hope my addition will help someone else.
this page has just helped me identify a fake coco l, knew it was to good to be true … thanks so muck , was just about to send it back but will try another route ..
Hi Dino,
Just bought 100mL EDF Coco Madmoiselle from the Fragrance Shop Online. I hope mine is genuine as it was just under £100. I believe the box has changed in some way. The date stamp is on base with the barcode scanner and also the barcode number.
The back of the box does not contain the barcode or serial number no more. I do hope this is redesigned packaging I have emailed Chanel after sales service direct for advice. The top gold logo appears perfect viewed with a 3x magnifying glass, and looks like the genuine box.
I cannot open the box yet as this is a gift but hope chanel come back to me as ingredients are also printed in a different order, on what I hope is new packaging.
Hello,
Just got a 200ml bottle,Chanel Mademoiselle,of EBay.
Everything looks genuine,except for the bottom of the bootle,wich is slightly thicker on the LHS.whats the next step to verify?is there a special code?
Pls help.thanx
I just got swindled myself. Bought a coco mademoiselle and my sister told me it was a fake. My mum fortunately had one to compare too.going through the process as i type.
I think this article is now out of date as I’m sitting with a genuine bottle of Coco Mademoiselle, purchased from Boots and there are several differences from your real Coco Mademoiselle: the ingredients are listed differently, with LINALOOL being the 4th ingredient listed after AQUA(WATER) then LIMONE-NE…also the text/barcode etc on the bottom of the box is laid out completely differently.
I think it might be an idea to make it clear that this article can no longer be relied on in identifying a fake Coco Chanel 100ml EDP as the packaging now has some significant differences in 2016. An ebay seller selling a perfectly legitimate item could be accused of selling a fake if someone went off these guidelines.
What I think is worth mentioning is that every Chanel fragrance will have a 4 digit batch code impressed into the carboard of the base of the box. It’s quite hard to see and you have to tilt in the light to see it (it’s also etched lightly onto the bottle – also quite hard to see). You can check out these batch codes for brands like Chanel on a website called checkcosmetic dot net and they will tell you when your product was manufactured and if out of date etc. A fake perfume will most likely not have these batch codes.
Dino hi,
Please must the ingredients be the exact same with what u posted as the original. I am about to purchase a 100ml bottle, it passed every other specification but slight difference in the ingredients. Pls help
My husband gifted me a Chanel Mademoiselle perfume, which he bought over Internet. Not sure if he bought it on Ebay. I haven’t opened the box yet. However, I did go through the packaging and didn’t find anything different. But one glaring mistake in the Ingredients list is: the spelling of color Blue is spelled with an extra space between letters L and U. So, it’s spelled this way: Bl ue
Strange! No brand house will afford to make such a mistake. Also, other glaring issue was the bullets that separate each ingredient are unevenly placed. Some bullets are in the center of two words, however, others are more closer to the beginning of the next word.
I guess, the best place, to buy perfume is in reputed departmental stores like Macy’s, Nordstorm, Bloomingdale, etc. We get lured with some discount on Internet. Though, I still believe, that if you want to run behind the discount and buy something that is cheaper, better you buy something less branded that fits your pocket.
I was wondering why the 2 bottles you compared had exactly the same numbers on them, wouldnt they be different since one was real from Coco and one was fake from ebay, i dont understand how all the numbers are exactly the same, thanks for the videos thou very enjoyable LOL
The bottom line is, if you want to bet a genuine product – buy it from a genuine retailer. Things that seem too good to be true usually are.
Hi. Just bought a coco mademoiselle on ebay, 100ml. Will check it on arrival
Thank you so much for posting this!!
I too was duped. I was able to get my money back. But now I know exactly what to look for.
No problem at all. Is a shame it’s still happening all theses years later, but I guess it always will. Glad you managed to solve yours though.
You are amazing.
Sometimes my partner makes me feel like I’m a bit of a loon when I get the bit in my teeth in situations like this with PP, EBay or any giant corp. it can be a laborious process (& yes I am very familiar with that FOTBB hold music) you have to be persistent and you have to believe in what you’re doing. But unless people like you and I go through this headache hardworking people continue to get ripped off. With persistence the legal system does prevail.
Hi I have just returned from Tunisia, where I bought a bottle of Mademoiselle, with “authentic security tags & labels”. Thanks to your post I now know it’s fake and I’m gutted. I can’t return it or get my money back. So I will have to chalk it up to experience. (although another week in Tunisia would be nice).
It’s now 2019 and your post is still helping people. So thank you. Xx
Just got new one and in comparing all your points (smell seemed too strong so it got me thinking ), in some points my OLD one is a fake and on some points my NEW one was a fake so I cant tell apples to apples on this!!!
Very useful, thank you!
I am so glad you posted this.
I read it in its entirety before I purchased anything.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into this.
I just bought this perfume on ebay, it came today. I immediately had questions on it being a fake or authentic. The box, absolutely goes with your guide to show a fake! Then this gets interesting, the perfume itself is more like the real in your guide here?! They are upping their game I’d say. The reason I say this is, I am almost positive this is fake…or i really wouldnt go this far to check into it, etc. The different issues with mine are ALL of the markers on the box are what you’ve shown as the fakes. The bottle, its color is pink, the bottle shape is as you’ve shown as real. The cap seems to match up with the Chanel logo and the print on the bottom looks the same as the real. The nozzle looks more like the authentic, and then heres where its confusing…The gold around the front is as shown with the authentic however it’s a THIN layer of gold and there are 2 areas its messed up (as in it had been snagged onto something and moved the sticker?) But I recieved this item packaged IN PLASTIC it was perfectly packaged. So, it just straight up came that way. I’ve got pics of mine for reference so that other buyers can beware. The biggest indicator NOW seems to be they improve the fakes to have their bottle almost identical with a few flaws but the box, it’s exactly as you show as a fake down to every single aspect except the chunky lettering wasnt so thick on mine. The ingredients list was as your fake was pictured. The flaps when opening are rounded etc its crazy. I’m not sure now what to do because I spend a decent amount here but, I know it was a good deal compared to others and the seller didnt actually say it was authentic she said BNIB sealed etc. But of course she didnt advertise as a replica.
Wow its June 2021 n I just bought like 30 bottles of fake it seem as someone told me due to the current covit 19 duty free is not selling hence they selling it cheap n it’s good time to buy them.. Got me self over 10 bottles Joe malone n 15 bottle chanel n some other brands.. Realising its fake n yes this write up n details to look into helps alot.. Sad this happened.. guess this will go on n they getting better at doing fake it seem
You did a great deal of research for this article BRAVO!!! You saved me from spending money on a fake. BRAVO good work!!!
I don’t care how old this post is, it is invaluable!!! I also purchased a 100ml bottle of Coco Madamoiselle online, this time from a reputable company, something about the packaging didn’t seem right. I already own another bottle that I haven’t yet opened, (I know, lucky me). I checked your post and the ingredients on the back of the new one do not sync with the other box, (which I bought at duty free). I’m going to send a picture of the packaging with the ingredients to Chanel, before I open it, just to check. Thank you so much.
Hi Dino. Thank you for your really useful and VERY detailed post about fake Chanel. I’m just about to purchase a bottle from eBay but am hesitant . Please could you check something on your real bottle- the white Chanel label goung round the neck of the sellers bottle lid is not continuous – it has an overlapping joint at the back – can this be fake ? The bottle neck label on My Chanel at home from boots is continuous with no joint . But mine is not madamemoiselle and the sellers is Madamoiselle -Should they all be the same ? I’d love to know if it’s fake . Thank you Dino
Hey Shazia, honestly, not sure. If all the other clues check out as being legit, then it’s leaning towards “probably ok” but certainly not guaranteed. As a rule of thumb, perfume companies of the likes of Chanel, Dior, Paco Rabanne have impeccable design and manufacturing quality assurance, so anything that looks a bit “wonky” is usually a reason to have your suspicion radar set to high.