Thanks to rampant counterfeiting, most buyers are naturally wary of discount brand name fragrance deals that are just too unrealistic to be factual. With poorly made imitations and copies all over the Internet and even at smaller retailers, it's hard to tell the real deals apart from the steals.

Instead of buying your favorite brand name fragrance from the seller with the lowest price, you should purchase from a retailer that you trust. To learn how to find great deals on perfumes without getting stuck with an imitation, keep reading.

Go to a Trusted Store

Your best bet for finding a discount brand name fragrance is to buy from a trusted, bricks-and-mortar retailer during one of their sales. Most perfume counter salespeople at major department stores are happy to fill you in on upcoming specials and sales or when a product is expected to drop in price. So, don't be afraid to ask.

With retailers like Sephora and Nordstrom's, you can actually sign up for email updates. That means you'll get an email every time the store has a major sale - meaning you can keep your eye out for great deals on your favorite brand name fragrance.

Reputable Online Dealers

There are thousands of online stores selling brand name perfume for cheap and yes, the majority of these aren't selling the real deal. However, there are a few that provide quality, authentic products and at a pretty good discount. Remember, these stores have a minimal amount of overhead when compared to traditional stores, so their prices can be way lower.

In the U.S., you can try a site like Perfume.Com, while ThePerfumeShop.com is more popular in the U.K. and Europe.

The Duty-Free Store

Most luxury goods, like perfume, have major import taxes placed on them. Those import taxes, or duties, drive up the prices at retail stores. That means perfume, like imported alcohol, is one of the few products you can often get at a great deal at the duty-free store. So, if you're heading out-of-country anytime soon, hold off to check out the perfume prices at the duty-free.

Avoid eBay

eBay is a great place to find amazing deals on a whole range of products, but unfortunately the site just isn't good enough at catching and stopping counterfeiters. In early July 2008, eBay was actually ordered to pay a multi-million dollar fine because of their failure to stop perfume counterfeits selling on the popular site.

Rather than take chances with a deal that's too good, go for a retailer that you trust. Remember, like sunglasses and purses, discount brand name fragrance perfume is counterfeited and copied en masse, meaning that a great deal is likely a fake. And unlike sunglasses and purses, a poorly copied perfume could leave you smelling bad and sporting a skin rash.

It's hard to resist buying the low price item simply because of the cost, but you certainly don't want to get stuck with a phoney product by doing so.