Perfume's despatched, we're told (5)
I believe the answer is:
scent
'perfume's' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'despatched we're told' is the wordplay.
'despatched' becomes 'sent' (to despatch is to send off).
'we're told' shows a homophone (sound like).
'sent' is a homophone of 'SCENT'.
(Other definitions for scent that I've seen before include "Distinctive odour" , "Trail" , "Animal smell" , "Track; aroma" , "Bouquet" .)