What UNVERIFIED means
It's a label, not a verdict.
Every bottle someone lists on Sniffy goes through a first pass before it's live: our AI scan checks that the photos are real photos of a real bottle, compares the label and bottle against what the genuine one should look like, and the seller is asked for a batch code (recommended, not mandatory). Those bottles show up on the Table as ✓ VERIFIED.
But deals change shape while people talk. Someone declines your trade and says "what about my Layton instead?" — a bottle they never listed. When that bottle is added to the Table, it's marked UNVERIFIED: it skipped the photo and AI checks, and nobody has seen a batch code for it yet.
Sniffy does not inspect the bottle before it ships. An unverified bottle stays unverified all the way to your door — unless you do the checking below, and the other person shows it clearly in their boxing video (on by default for every trade — don't let them switch it off on a trade with an unverified bottle).
This is normal and happens all the time. It just means the homework is now yours.
The Table is the deal — and the paper trail
Talk above it. Put the terms on it. Shake when it's right.
The Table is the one card at the bottom of every thread where the actual terms live: your side, their side, the bottles, the cash, the samples thrown in. Anyone can edit it, only the other person can shake on it, and every version stays in the thread as a chip. That record is what the Sniffy team reads if there's ever a dispute — so make sure what you agreed to is actually on the Table, not just in the chat.
- If they promised "90% full, with box" — get it written on the Table line, not only in a message.
- Ask your questions before you shake. After the shake, the Table becomes the progress rail and the terms lock.
- Unverified bottles show the amber tag right on the Table. If you don't see it, the bottle came from one of their listings and already passed the checks.
Your due-diligence checklist
Five minutes of asking saves weeks of arguing.
Get lots of pictures. More than feels normal.
Front, back, bottom, the label up close, the cap, the sprayer, the box, the fill against a light. Close-ups of anything you'd want to compare. Photos you asked for in the chat are also your evidence if it goes wrong, and the Protection Vault only pays out if you have them. Ask for a photo with today's date and their username on a piece of paper next to it — a scammer with saved internet pictures can't do that. Tap the small shield next to the + in any chat to send these asks in one tap.
Always look under the atomizer
This is the one people skip and the one that catches the most fakes. Ask them to pop the cap and shoot a sharp close-up of the collar where the sprayer meets the glass. On a genuine bottle it's clean, even and tight. Glue, gaps, a crooked collar or a sloppy fit are reasons to ask more questions before you shake.
Get the batch code
It's usually printed or etched on the bottom of the bottle, sometimes under the sprayer collar or inside the cap, and again on the box. Look it up on a batch-code checker to confirm the production date and that the format matches that house. A code that doesn't decode, or a "bottle" with no code at all, is a reason to slow down.
Ask for the receipt or the box
Not everyone keeps them, and that's fine. But a receipt from a real retailer, or the original box with a batch code that matches the bottle, goes a long way.
Check fill level and condition
Ask for a photo against a light. "90%" should look like 90%. Ask about storage (heat and sunlight ruin juice), whether it's been decanted from, and whether the cap and sprayer work.
Compare the label
Fonts, spacing, logo, and the color of the juice are where fakes slip. Compare against a known-real photo of the same bottle. If anything looks off, ask — a real owner won't mind.
Look at who you're dealing with
Open their profile: Trust Score, completed trades, reviews, how long they've been here. Zero history isn't a dealbreaker, but it's a reason to lean harder on videos and deposits.
Ask for a quick video
Thirty seconds, one take: label, batch code, a spray. Videos open right inside the app. If someone won't film a bottle they're about to ship you, that tells you something.
Do the research
Know what the real one looks like before you judge theirs.
🔍 Compare to the real thing
Pull up the brand's own product photos and the bottle's page on Fragrantica. Go side by side with their photos: fonts, spacing, logo, cap shape, juice color, the box.
🗣 Scour Reddit
Search the bottle name plus "fake vs real". Collectors post side-by-sides and the exact tells for popular bottles, plus batch codes they've seen on fakes. Still unsure? Post the photos on r/colognecheck, especially the one under the atomizer.
🤖 Ask AI to dig
Ask Claude or ChatGPT what an authentic bottle of that exact fragrance looks like: batch code format and where it's printed, the atomizer and collar, label details, and the most common fakes. The due-diligence panel in every chat has a ready-made prompt you can copy.
🔢 Run the batch code
Batch-code checkers like CheckFresh and CheckCosmetic decode the production date for most houses. The code should decode, match the box, and make sense for how old they say the bottle is.
Do this for every bottle, including any extra bottle added on the Table that was never listed. Compare their close-ups with known-real ones: under the atomizer, the batch code, the label, the cap.
Reddit threads, AI answers and batch-code sites can all be wrong or out of date. Use them to know what to ask about, then lean on photos, videos and deposits.
Videos and deposits are your refund
If it goes south, these are the only things Sniffy can act on.
📦 Boxing video (seller)
One continuous take: label, batch code, and fill up close — then wrapping and sealing the box. It's on by default for trades and can be required on any sale, and the label won't generate until it's uploaded. It's the seller's proof they shipped what was on the Table.
🎬 Unboxing video (buyer)
One continuous take from sealed package to bottle in hand. Either side can ask for one, and it's the strongest evidence you can bring to a dispute — without it, it's your word against theirs. Open any dispute within your 48-hour inspection window.
🛡 Deposits (trades)
On a trade, each side pays a refundable deposit (as little as 10% of your bottle's value) plus a $5 trade fee and a prepaid insured label at its real price (or their own label); the deposit comes back once both bottles arrive and check out. You can raise your deposit to match your bottle's value (as much as you want) — do it on any trade involving an unverified bottle or a new trader. It's what gets forfeited if someone ghosts.
🔒 Escrow (cash)
On a sale, Sniffy holds the full payment until you confirm receipt (or the 48-hour inspection window passes). Nothing is released to the seller while you're checking the bottle.
Trade with videos on and deposits set, and a bad bottle is a dispute the team can actually decide from evidence. Skip them, and there is very little anyone can do — the money has already moved, and it's your word against theirs.
Sellers can require boxing or unboxing videos on their listings, and either side can ask for them on the Table before they shake. Ask. It's expected here.
The Protection Vault: only if you did all of it
Money Sniffy sets aside for members who did everything right and still got burned.
Did every step on this page (questions in chat, your own research, lots of photos including under the atomizer and the batch code, payment in the app, any extra bottles checked, boxing and unboxing videos, the atomizer shown in the unboxing video, reported inside the window) and it still went wrong? The Vault can cover you up to the full amount, at Sniffy's discretion. Skipped any of it? The most you can get is the other side's deposit and/or them not being paid.
Red flags
Any one of these, slow down. Two, walk away.
- They want to finish the deal off Sniffy — Venmo, Zelle, PayPal friends & family, "just text me." Sniffy trades are paid in-app only — messages arranging those payments are blocked — and deals paid outside the app aren't protected at all and never qualify for the Protection Vault.
- They won't send a fresh photo or a short video of the exact bottle.
- No batch code, a code that doesn't decode, or a code that doesn't match the box.
- The price is far under what that bottle goes for everywhere else.
- Pressure to shake right now, or the terms in chat don't match what's on the Table.
- They push back on a boxing video or on setting a deposit.
Not sure about something? Tap the ? in any thread and ask Jenny, or reach the team — before you shake, not after.
What Sniffy can't promise
Read this once. It's the honest version.
- Sniffy is not an authenticator. We never physically handle or inspect a bottle. Our AI photo check on listings is a strong signal, not a guarantee that a bottle is genuine.
- Unverified means unverified. A bottle added on the Table that was never listed skipped every check, and stays that way unless you do the homework.
- You're responsible for your own due diligence before you shake. Nothing on this page is a promise that following it catches every fake.
- Outside research can be wrong. Reddit, AI tools and batch-code sites are not affiliated with Sniffy and we can't vouch for them.
- Your protection lives on Sniffy. Boxing and unboxing videos, deposits, escrow and the 48-hour inspection window are what a dispute is decided on. Deals paid off Sniffy aren't protected at all.
- The Protection Vault is discretionary and limited to its balance. It only pays when every requirement was met. It's not insurance.