How fragrance wholesale works for independent UK retailers

Who actually sells fragrance wholesale in the UK?

There are three kinds of supplier, and it helps to know which one you are talking to.

• The brand owners and their authorised distributors. Coty, Puig, L'Oréal Luxe, Estée Lauder and the other houses sell through a selective network: department stores, the big chemists, the national perfumery chains and a handful of authorised wholesalers. Opening an account there usually means a trading history, a minimum first order in the thousands, and a shop that fits their idea of where the brand belongs. Most independents never get past the first email.
• Independent wholesalers — what we are. We buy genuine stock from UK distributors, hold it in our own warehouse and sell it to retailers of any size. The product is the same bottle in the same box; the difference is who is allowed to sell it to you and on what terms.
• Marketplace "wholesalers" and overseas sellers. The cheapest quotes are usually here, and so are the testers, the decoded bottles and the fakes. Our guide to genuine stock covers how to tell.

Why an independent wholesaler can sell to you when the brand won't

Once a genuine product has been put on the market in the UK or Europe by the brand, it can be bought and sold on — that is how every discount perfumery, every pharmacy chain and every online retailer selling below the recommended price gets its stock. The brands police who their own distributors supply, which is why authorised accounts are hard to open; they do not control what happens to a bottle after it has been sold. We are open about what we are: an independent wholesaler, not affiliated with or authorised by any brand. The names on this site identify the products we supply, nothing more.

What the stock actually is

Every line we list is the brand's own product, boxed, in the retail packaging it left the factory in, with the batch code on the box and on the bottle. We buy from established UK distributors and we can say where each line came from. We do not sell testers (they are marked "not for sale" for a reason), we do not sell decoded stock, and if a deal only makes sense because the batch code has been removed, we don't do the deal.

How buying from us works, step by step

1. Apply for a trade account. Two minutes on the application form: your trading name, how you sell, a contact, an address. No documents to upload.
2. We approve it, usually within one working day, and email you.
3. Log in and the prices appear on every product — trade prices, ex VAT, the same for everyone.
4. Add what you want and confirm the order. There is no minimum. Nothing is charged at that point.
5. We check the stock and send your invoice. You pay by bank transfer.
6. Dispatched from Hayes, tracked, usually the same working day if paid by early afternoon — or you collect.

What it costs

Trade prices are shown once you're approved, so we won't quote them here, but the shape is simple: the price per bottle, ex VAT, plus delivery. Delivery is free on UK orders over £100 ex VAT and £4.95 below that; collection from our warehouse is free. VAT at the standard rate goes on the invoice, which shows our VAT number so you can reclaim it if you're registered. There are no handling fees, no account fees and no minimum order. Our guide to orders and margins works through the numbers.

Who buys from us

Independent perfumeries and gift shops, pharmacies, salons and barbers adding a fragrance shelf, market and event traders, and online sellers who need stock they can list with confidence. What they have in common is that they want to order a box rather than a pallet, and they want to know what they're getting.

Where to start

Have a look at the brands — 38 of them, 82 lines in stock as we write this — or go straight to men's and women's fragrance. Then apply. If you'd rather ask a question first, email us.