Finding the Best Total Price on perfumeprices
Published on 15.10.2026
The lowest listed price is not always the best price
You find a fragrance and the first number you see looks tempting. Before you order, it pays to do a proper perfume price comparison rather than judging by that first figure alone, since shipping costs, taxes, and different bottle sizes can change the picture quickly. On perfumeprices you get several comparison values to work with, and this article walks through how to use them together.
This is purely about comparing prices, in other words how to fairly weigh up offers from different countries and in different bottle sizes.
Why your country is the starting point
The same fragrance can cost a different amount depending on the country. Part of the reason is that value-added tax rates differ between countries, and shops adjust their prices accordingly. That is why it makes sense to select your country, or the country you plan to order from, on perfumeprices first, since the price shown always relates to that selection. A price from a different country is only partly comparable without that context.
Look at the total price, not just the item price
The item price on its own says little about what you actually end up paying. Only once shipping is added does the real total price appear. Say a bottle costs 70 euros and shipping from that particular shop costs 6 euros, the total price comes to 76 euros. Another shop offers the same fragrance for 74 euros but charges 9 euros for shipping, which comes to 83 euros total. At first glance the second offer looks cheaper, but the first one actually is. That is why perfumeprices shows the total price including shipping, so you do not have to work out that comparison yourself.
Factor in the estimated import tax for shops outside the EU
If you order from a shop outside the EU, there is an additional item to factor in. If you are ordering from within the EU, note that since July 2021 EU import VAT generally applies to goods from non-EU countries starting from the first euro of value, the earlier exemption threshold no longer exists. The tax rate follows the standard VAT rate of the destination country, for example 19 percent in Germany or 20 percent in Austria, these are just examples and not a complete list of every country's rate. On top of the import tax, customs duty can also apply depending on the value of the goods and their country of origin, and this cannot always be stated as a fixed figure in advance.
Say a bottle from a non-EU shop costs 60 euros plus 8 euros shipping, that is 68 euros in goods value plus shipping. At an assumed tax rate of 19 percent, an estimated import tax of around 13 euros would be added, bringing the estimated total to about 81 euros. On listings like this, perfumeprices shows an estimated import tax alongside the price, so this cost does not come as a surprise only after you order. It is worth keeping in mind that this is an estimate, the actual amount also depends on the shipping carrier used and how the shipment is processed, and any customs duty is not always fully captured in it.
The UK is no longer part of the EU since Brexit
One point that is easy to overlook: the UK has not been part of the EU or the EU single market since Brexit in 2021. For buyers ordering from within the EU, orders from the UK are generally subject to the same import rules as orders from any other non-EU country, even if a shop still feels "European" at first glance.
Use price per milliliter as a fair comparison
The same fragrance is often sold in several bottle sizes, and a larger bottle usually looks more expensive at first glance, even though it can actually be cheaper per milliliter. Say a 50 ml bottle costs 65 euros and a 100 ml bottle of the same fragrance costs 95 euros. The price per milliliter works out to 1.30 euros for the small bottle and 0.95 euros for the large one. Someone who uses a lot of a given fragrance comes out ahead with the larger bottle in this example, while someone who reaches for it rarely pays less overall with the small bottle. That is why perfumeprices shows price per milliliter alongside the total price, so you can compare different bottle sizes fairly.
Check which countries a shop actually ships to
Not every shop ships to every country. One reason is that perfume contains alcohol and is often treated as hazardous material for shipping purposes, since it counts as a flammable liquid. Because of this, some shops do not ship certain products to every country, or require particular shipping methods for them. Before settling on an offer, it is worth checking whether that shop actually ships to your country at all, otherwise the lowest total price does not help much.
The comparison tools on perfumeprices at a glance
In short, the comparison function on perfumeprices brings these points together in one place:
- Country: sets which market's prices and tax rates apply
- Total price: item price plus shipping, so you do not have to calculate it yourself
- Estimated import tax: shown additionally for shops outside the EU
- Price per milliliter: makes different bottle sizes fairly comparable
- Shipping information: helps you judge whether a shop actually delivers to your country
Looking at these points together, instead of letting the first visible item price guide your decision, gives you a far more reliable picture of which offer is actually the cheapest once everything is added up.
