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Blind Buys: What's Your Satisfaction Rate?

post #1 of 23
4/23/08 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 
I am not someone who does 'blind buys' of fragrance (I opt for decants and samples to test new scents), but I am curious about the satiisfaction rate for persons who from time to time "blind buy".

The question is limited to fragrance you buy for yourself.

Success to me means you like what you bought, make (or made) use of it and are satisfied with your purchase.

SO:

How many fragrance blind buys have you made?

How many of the blind buys were satisfactory to you?
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post #2 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:07am
I'm one of the worst compulsive blind buyer.. as far as satisfaction rate goes.... it's atleast 50/50.. so if I've made 10 blind buys, I do like 5 of them at the very least.
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post #3 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:31am
At least 90% so I've either been lucky or I have a great "6th sense".
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post #4 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigrushka View Post

At least 90% so I've either been lucky or I have a great "6th sense".

Maybe both...

I've gotten a hold on myself about my this weakness.... or atleast am trying to.
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post #5 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:38am
So far with some still to try I am 9 out of 10.
I don't think I'm lucky. I have put to good use the fragrance directory and the input from other members. One recent blind buy was Van Cleef and Arpels. Which came about from my first SotW compilation then taking a look at the reviews and thinking this sounds nice.
So if as tigrushka says it's a "sixth sense" it is definitely in the key of Basenotes.
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post #6 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:41am
Out of all tha' blind buys I've made, I've only had one "stinker". I do really research, before I make tha' purchase tho'... guess I've been really lucky!
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post #7 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:42am
I blind bought B*Men, Rykiel, CK Crave (mini), John Varvatos (mini), Hugo Energise (okay, so Thrax gave that one away), and Thierry Mugler Cologne. I just thought they were "okay", it was the John Varvatos and the TM Cologne that made me go "wow". So I'm not very good with the blind buys. Even the semi-blind buys weren't so hot (Le Male, Burberry Touch, Lacoste PH). I just decided that if I haven't worn it and/or I can't remember what it smells like, it doesn't belong in my wardrobe (yet).
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post #8 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:48am
I tend to order a lot of samples from Luckyscent, Sephora and Perfumed Court. I would say that almost all of them are "okay" so in some sense I would be a decent blind buyer.

BUT

Out of the 100+ samples I have got over the past year probably only 8 were so wonderful I absolutely HAD to have them. I have done, maybe 4 straight blind buys of cheap stuff at TJ Maxx, and none blew me away and one was nasty.

So ... my opinion is that you can blind buy and have a shelf full of "okay" fragrances and a couple of bad ones, or you can do your "blind buys" as samples and make sure you get the ones that are the "very best" to you.

So ... I suppose my success rate would have been 8% making 92% of the money wasted if my goal is to have the best wardrobe possible!
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post #9 of 23
4/23/08 at 9:54am
The majority of the fragrances in my wardrobe were blind buys, and I have been happy with almost all of them. They were bought unsniffed, but after much research via Basenotes and other sources. I think lucked played a part in it, though clearly it wasn't all blind luck

As I proceed now to explore more in-depth rather simply skimming off the top across the board, I find an increasing need to sample first. It's easy to be happy with something when it is your first in a category. It's not so easy to be happy with something when it may be your third or fourth.
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post #10 of 23
4/23/08 at 10:28am
I'm 0 for 1. So 0%.

I was ready to buy Creed's MI blind (actually bought it on eBay) but before the transaction cleared I found out that it's probably fake, so the seller and I mutually decided to cancel the transaction. Same thing goes for GIT.

I ordered some samples, and if I like MI and GIT and buy bottles, I will consider my hit rate 66% (2/3).
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post #11 of 23
4/23/08 at 10:36am
blind buys are always exciting to me! i rarely despise any perfume. the only one that i hate is Cool water..juts "hate" that linear note in it...other than that, its very difficult for me to hate a perfume...so i must say the suprise level may go up or down but never disappointed. more so now coz i get a goood idea about a cologne here in basenotes and i know what to expect.

so of my recent purchase of 12 colognes, i wasnt disappointed wiht any..bcoz most of them are classics and are appreciated here in BN...
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post #12 of 23
4/23/08 at 10:39am
Although I've now made a habit of ordering bundles of samples before I order big bottles, I still resort to blind-buys sometimes, especially when getting a sample is tricky.

But there's a world of difference between a completely impulsive blind-buy and a well-informed one. Basenotes is a great resource for that. Also, once you get a feel for the style of particular houses or perfumers, it's easier to anticipate what's coming. Knowing your likes and dislikes helps as well. Having said that, however, it's better to buy a fragrance about which you know little in its background but have smelled for yourself, than to buy something blind even if well-informed.
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post #13 of 23
4/23/08 at 11:14am
Rose 31 - Does it count as a blind buy if you got 80mls of it for free?
CdG 2 - In a swap!
Bandit Light Pour Homme - Pretty cheap.
Coriolan - Yum.

4/4 Success rate, i'm on a rooooool.
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post #14 of 23
4/23/08 at 11:17am
1 of 2. I hate my Coriolan (I've kept it for the bottle), but like my Saint Charles Bay Rum w/ a Twist.
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post #15 of 23
4/23/08 at 11:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by studdg View Post

1 of 2. I hate my Coriolan (I've kept it for the bottle), but like my Saint Charles Bay Rum w/ a Twist.

of lemon?
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post #16 of 23
4/23/08 at 11:23am
Well, I blind bought Dali, which I rate 4/5 stars, a mini of Antidote (okay, so this is really a glorified sample) which has become my #1, and L'Anarchiste (got it used for cheap) which is my #2. :P

I also blind bought Azzaro Vist and bought B*Men after one sniff and they are some of my least used frags. Oh, I also blind bought Ungaro II and that is on the chopping block. It's a quality frag, just not for me.

Two frags I had tested and then bought, early into this adventure, Passion for Men and Body Kouros, are my two lowest rated frags.

So it's been all over the map for me, but overall I must say I've gotten lucky.

I think when it comes to blind buys, it's really best to go with a highly controversial scent, since nobody seems lukewarm about them.. they either love them or hate them. At least you've got a good chance of loving it. Blind buying a subtle, inoffensive, or relatively unspoken of frag is far riskier - sure, the chance you'll hate it is slim but really, what's worse than a mediocre frag?
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post #17 of 23
4/23/08 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by baudilus View Post

of lemon?

Lime actually. I'm being serious.
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post #18 of 23
4/24/08 at 9:56am
Thread Starter 
I was surprised to see so many people reporting high success rates. IF I did blind-buying, I probably would only be about 25% successful. Then again, I probably have to sample 15 to 20 scents before I find one I really want (so 5 to 7% of those tested) a full size bottle of.
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post #19 of 23
4/24/08 at 10:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigrushka View Post

At least 90% so I've either been lucky or I have a great "6th sense".

Same goes for me. I've had great experiences with blind buys-- and I find that it's more exciting to buy a bottle of something blind and find that I love it than to sample first. The only thing I've ever bought blind, that was expensive but left me underwhelmed was Ambre Sultan (I know, I gave it 5 stars in my drobe, but as time has gone on I find it just isn't something I like very much).

This is not counting cheap blind buys from places like Marshalls/TJ MAXX. Those don't really count. I have a bit of a lesser success rate there, but most of the time it's still favorable (and I've hit the jackpot a few times). The only things I've bought blind and cheap that were terrible were Moschino Friends Men (godawful like Brut done with bitter orange) and Celine Fever Pour Homme (isobutyl quinoline mess).
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post #20 of 23
4/24/08 at 10:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scentsitivity View Post

I was surprised to see so many people reporting high success rates. IF I did blind-buying, I probably would only be about 25% successful. Then again, I probably have to sample 15 to 20 scents before I find one I really want (so 5 to 7% of those tested) a full size bottle of.

Through sampling, I have found I can make my wardrobe so much better than if I buy based upon other people's reviews.

I think the vetiver in Guerlain, Labo's Vetiver are both "okay" but absolutley love it in FM French Lover, Yatagan, Axe Proximity and also Chanel Sycomore - this is something that is completely subjective and cannot be captured in a review. If I had just gone out and blind bought Guerlain, I would be "satisfied" but would not think that I would achieve the level of satisfaction had I not sampled the whole range and bought Yatagan and contemplating Sycomore and/or French Lover.

The Wardrobe currently listed was primarily done before extensive sampling. When we can update it - I will put in the frags I tried and bought bottles - I feel there has been a shift for the better in it. At least I have started to develop tastes and matching frags to those tastes!

Also, I think buying lots and lots of samples allows your nose to develop quite rapidly, and you will understand house styles and fragrance styles, as well as composition a lot better than if you have not. This is the real benefit of sampling - you will educate yourself more - at least thats how it worked out for me!

I found over the last 6-9 months or so, my nose has got better, and I have a much finer appreciation of fragrances, tastes and smells - though by no means am I even beyond the first base camp of this mountain!
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post #21 of 23
4/24/08 at 11:05am
I always buy scents blindly as it's exciting and intriguing, but not only because of that, it's also because the less famous brands are not available here, so I have to do this--buying them on the internet. Most of them are really satisfying, perhaps, I'm too easy going on scents. If I don't like what I buy, I just sell them right away. I would rate my Satisfaction Rate 9 out of 10.
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post #22 of 23
4/24/08 at 11:56am
As others have pointed out, one must distinguish between satisfied and blown away. With samples (chosen based on this site's reviews section) I have about a 10-20% blown away rate. I find another ~50% to be satisfactory.
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post #23 of 23
4/24/08 at 1:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigrushka View Post

At least 90% so I've either been lucky or I have a great "6th sense".

Quote:
Originally Posted by Somerville Metro Man View Post

So far with some still to try I am 9 out of 10.
I don't think I'm lucky. I have put to good use the fragrance directory and the input from other members. One recent blind buy was Van Cleef and Arpels. Which came about from my first SotW compilation then taking a look at the reviews and thinking this sounds nice.
So if as tigrushka says it's a "sixth sense" it is definitely in the key of Basenotes.


I completely agree.

Until recently, probably 85% of my purchases were blind-buys based upon the fragrance directory, forum discussions and my sense of what I was looking for. Rarely, have I been disappointed. Many times I have been blown away by unanticipated qualities in a fragrance that made it all the more special to me. My blind-buy success rate is well above 90%.

Lately, my pace of acquisition has slowed considerably. I think I have most of the normal bases well covered. I am looking to take my fragrance journey in a new direction - I am considering selecting a perfumeur and following his/her development from novice to master. I am going to take my time to research and plan this. Without question, this will also involve many blind buys. With careful forethought, I don't feel that blind buys are that much of a risk.
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