The rule
One sentence, no exceptions.
Sniffy is a marketplace for collectors to buy, sell and swap fragrances they already own. Sellers list bottles from their own shelves — bought from a retailer, a boutique, an airport, or a previous owner. Anything that is not the real product from the real house is not permitted here, cannot be listed, and cannot be shipped through Sniffy.
This policy applies to every listing, every trade and every decant on the platform, and it applies equally to sellers, buyers and traders. It is enforced by automated screening at upload, by our team, and by the community.
What is prohibited
These listings are removed and the account is actioned.
- Counterfeit goods. Any product made to pass as a brand's fragrance without that brand's authorisation.
- Imitation products sold under a designer name. Scent-alike and “smells like” compositions may not be listed using another house's product name, bottle image or branding.
- Refilled, topped-up or tampered bottles. A genuine bottle refilled with something else is not a genuine bottle.
- Relabelled or repackaged bottles, including bottles with the batch code removed, sanded, covered or altered.
- Stock photos, retailer photos, images taken from the internet, and AI-generated images. If you cannot photograph the bottle yourself, you cannot list it.
- Anything the seller does not physically own and hold at the time of listing.
- Testers and samples misrepresented as retail bottles, or any listing where the format is not stated honestly.
Scent-alike and house-brand fragrances from brands that make their own are welcome on Sniffy, listed under their own brand and their own name. What is never allowed is presenting one product as another.
What every seller has to do
Required before a listing can go live.
Photograph your own bottle
Every listing needs at least one original photo of the exact bottle being sold, taken by the seller. Screening rejects stock imagery and AI-generated images.
Show the batch code
Sellers are prompted to photograph the base of the bottle where the batch code is printed. Buyers can look that code up independently against the house's own records before they commit.
Show under the atomizer
Pop the cap and photograph the sprayer from above and the tube below it. This is the detail that most often exposes a product that is not what it claims to be.
Describe it honestly
Fill level, box, cap, batch, where it was bought, and any flaw. A trade or sale can be reversed for anything materially different from the description.
Stand behind it
Sellers can attach a refundable Sniffy Bond to a listing. Trade honestly and it comes back; lose a dispute and it is forfeited.
How we screen
Four layers, before and after the sale.
At upload
Every cover photo is screened automatically. The check rejects AI-generated images and images that are not a real bottle, then compares cap, bottle shape and label against what the genuine fragrance should look like and flags anything inconsistent. A strong signal, not a certificate.
Batch codes
Batch photos are requested on every listing and shown to buyers, who can verify them independently before any money moves.
Trust scores
Every member carries a public score built from completed trades, reviews and verification, so buyers can see exactly who they are dealing with.
Video evidence
Sellers film the bottle being packed and buyers film it being opened. Those videos are what disputes are decided on.
Enforcement
What happens when a listing breaks this policy.
- The listing is removed immediately, whether it was reported by a buyer or caught by screening.
- Any money still held is returned to the buyer in full. Funds are held until the buyer confirms the item, so nothing is released on a listing under review.
- The seller receives a strike. Three strikes is a permanent ban, and a confirmed counterfeit is grounds for immediate permanent removal at the first offence.
- Any Sniffy Bond attached to the listing is forfeited.
- Banned sellers may not open another account. Attempts to do so are removed.
Late shipping earns a warning. Selling something that is not what it claims to be does not. It is the one thing that ends an account outright, because a marketplace where you cannot trust the bottle is worth nothing to anyone.
If you are the buyer
You are covered before you ever have to argue about it.
Payment is held securely and only released after you confirm the bottle, or automatically after the 48-hour inspection window if you raise nothing.
You have a full inspection window from delivery to check the bottle, the batch code and the atomizer before anything is released.
Open a dispute from the chat. Photos, videos and batch evidence go to our team and a panel of experienced community jurors, who issue a binding decision.
Where a confirmed fraud leaves a buyer out of pocket and the held funds alone are not enough, the Protection Fund can step in at Sniffy's discretion. It is a backstop, not an insurance product.
Report a listing
Anyone can, including people who are not buying.
Every listing and every profile on Sniffy carries a report control. Choose “not authentic as described”, add what you noticed — a wrong cap, a missing batch code, a sprayer that does not match — and it goes to our team. Reports on active orders freeze the funds while we look.
Brand owners and their representatives can reach us directly at our contact page to have infringing listings removed. We action verified rights-holder reports on receipt.
See something wrong?
Tell us and we will pull it. It takes one tap from the listing, or one message from the contact page.
Frequently asked
The questions buyers ask before their first order.
Does Sniffy allow imitation or counterfeit fragrances?
No. Only genuine products made by the brand named in the listing may be sold, swapped or decanted on Sniffy. Counterfeit and imitation goods are prohibited, removed on sight, and result in a permanent ban.
How do you check that a bottle is genuine?
Every cover photo is screened automatically at upload against what the real fragrance should look like, AI-generated and stock images are rejected outright, sellers are prompted to photograph the batch code and the area under the atomizer, and buyers get a 48-hour inspection window after delivery before any money is released.
What happens if I receive a bottle that is not what it claims to be?
Open a dispute from the trade chat within the inspection window. Funds stay held, your photos and unboxing video go to our team and a juror panel, and a confirmed case means a full refund to you plus removal and a ban for the seller.
Can I sell a decant or a partial bottle?
Yes, as long as it came out of a genuine bottle you own and the fill level, size and batch are stated exactly. Decants are labelled as decants and are never presented as sealed retail bottles.
Can I sell a scent-alike or a house-brand fragrance?
Yes, listed under its own brand and its own product name. What is not allowed is listing it under another house's name, bottle image or branding.
I represent a brand and found an infringing listing.
Contact us and we will remove it. Verified rights-holder reports are actioned on receipt, and the seller is removed from the platform.
Related: how Sniffy works · buyer protection policy · the strike system · terms of service.