Perfume is a flammable liquid before it is a luxury. That one classification explains most of what can go wrong between a decant seller's bench and your door, and most of what a careful seller does to stop it happening.
Why a perfume parcel is not an ordinary parcel
Fragrance concentrate is classified UN1266 under international transport rules: flammable liquid. It cannot be dropped into the post like a paperback. Air transport in particular sets out how much may travel, in what packaging, and declared in what way. None of that makes shipping perfume difficult. It makes it specialised, which is a different problem, and one plenty of sellers solve by ignoring it.
What actually gets a parcel stopped
Three things, roughly in order of how often they happen. A shipment declared as something it is not — the one that ends in a destroyed parcel rather than a delayed one. Packaging or labelling that does not meet the carrier's dangerous-goods requirements. And unpaid duties, which is not a seizure at all: the parcel simply waits until somebody pays a bill they were not expecting.
The two bills people confuse
Shipping is what you pay a carrier to move the box. Duties and import taxes are what your own country charges to let it in. They are separate, and the second is where most unhappy decant stories come from — a courier message asking for money before release, occasionally more than the decant cost in the first place.
We ship DDP, delivered duties paid: customs duties and import taxes are settled before the parcel leaves, so nothing is owed when it arrives. The mechanics are in how DDP shipping works.
How ours travel
By DHL Express, to over 220 countries, handled in accordance with DHL Dangerous Goods requirements including the applicable IATA standards for air transport and ADR for road where relevant. Orders are processed Monday to Friday, usually within two business days and up to five in peak periods. A tracking number reaches you by email at dispatch; allow up to 48 hours for it to activate, or 72 over a weekend.
Common questions
Will I be asked to pay anything on delivery? No. Duties and import taxes are covered before the parcel ships, so the price at checkout is the final price wherever you are.
Can perfume legally travel by air at all? Yes, when it is declared, packed and labelled to the applicable standards. The rules exist to make it possible under conditions, not to prevent it.
What happens if a parcel is delayed in customs? Clearance times vary by destination and sit outside any seller's control. Your tracking will show where it is, and if it stalls, send us the order number and we will chase it with the carrier. Choosing who you buy from in the first place is covered in how to tell if a decant seller is legitimate.
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