For most people, buying a perfume means visiting their favorite department store and picking up their choice of perfumes over the counter. Few people are aware that it is possible to get perfumes at wholesale rates. To purchase goods from a real wholesaler means that you need to have a "Certificate Of Resale," generally available from your State Department of Revenue; it can cost anywhere between five to twenty dollars. Some states do not require that you have this kind of certification.

A proper wholesaler is typically next in line of distribution to the manufacturer. Wholesalers buy in large quantities and are therefore able to pass on their savings. Buying from a wholesaler may mean that you have to purchase stock of a minimum purchase price, which could be anything from $100 to $1,000.

To find out where you can pick up wholesale perfumes, you should check dedicated trade publications. Such trade information can also be found through directory information from the National Association of Wholesale Distributors or the Encyclopedia of Associations that lists over 100,000 different nonprofit American organizations.

Surplus dealers who buy large quantities of hard-to-sell items offer these to purchasers at below-wholesale prices. Usually a "Certificate of Resale" is not required to buy products from these dealers. However, you have to do your homework well, as most dealers will require that you buy in bulk.

Many wholesale distributors have online sites where you can pick and choose what you want in the comfort of your home and yet pay a reasonable price for it. However, do take note of the fact that although wholesale rates are as much as 50% lower than normal retail rates, there are some products that will never make it to the surplus or wholesale market, including some designer perfumes for instance. And you could be taken advantage of and not end up getting what you thought you were buying. So shop wholesale - but with caution.