Quality/Price ratio

Yes, a large initial investment is daunting, but I also look at how much it costs to wear. With Puredistance M, I use less than .1 mL per application, I've been dabbing from a sample vial, usually 4-5 "dabs" per wear, and it's looking like I can get about 20 wears out of a 1 mL sample. If you go in on a split or buy the samples you're looking at about $6 per mL, so the cost to wear M is really not so bad. Same with a 1 mL sample of Homage Attar I recently got. I spent $31 on the sample but it's looking like I can wear it a few dozen times or so. Also Aventus, I spent $1.75 per mL, but the potency is so great I only apply a tiny amount so IMO Aventus isn't more expensive to wear than many designer scents that cost half as much.

I was lucky enough to purchase powerhouses which smell like niche, yet are sold very affordable for several reasons (economic downturn of their houses, large stocks to be liquidated, not so fashionable and thus less sought after etc.)

One should live slightly above thier means to strike a balance between self satisfaction and maintaining a healthy economic status.

One should do whatever one thinks is economically sound and feasible.

lol@americans living anywhere near their means

In perfumery, there is really not much of a quality to price ratio - or at least it's been heavily distorted into an unrecognizable shape over time. For instance, most old designer scents are far higher quality than modern niche.

Well put SoS. Your level head and excellent taste don't surprise me anymore.

I'm lucky that I have a few bucks put away to the extent that I can splurge this hobby as much as I want. I'm such a snob however, that I believe my taste completely transcends price. My bottles range from $9-$330. Most are under $75 though. (I'll rarely spend more than $60 blind.) The satisfaction I get from my collection is easily worth the dough I've dropped. Also, I agree with Luca Turin who says it's one of the most affordable luxuries. Even the $330 bottle is only about 50 cents per spray, so yeah it might cost me two bucks to wear it out one night, but I don't think twice spending FIVE TIMES that amount on ONE DRINK at a local bar that gives me way less satisfaction than the hours of heavenly wafts from the frag.

Akahina, at the risk of generalizing, there are lots of smoke in the industry. This means you will find overpriced (as well in underpriced) blends.

As far as I can tell, IMHO, I learned this from this hobby:

1. Trust your nose: low-quality materials feel offensive to the nose. In my particular case, notes tend to be itchy or tingling to my nosetrils. I know this from smelling good and bad-quality versions of different oils.

2. This translates into the blends. If it does not feel "natural", disregard it no matter how expensive or cheap it is.

3. Some clues can work as distractors: hype here in Base Notes, packaging, pricing policy, claims, distribution, etc. Focus in the blend, or try to.

4. Me and me alone is responsible for the money wasted in rubbish, so caveat emptor.

5. Niche claims quality as its main attribute. Fine, now, diluted iso e super or cetalox, do they justifiy the price? Not in my case (I'd rather say it would be an irrational act of my part).

6. Disregard fragrance snobs and their hype.

7. Enjoy what you like best and don't pay any attention to the ones under falling in # 6.

I do agree with you: I don't justify USD 600 on perfume. I'd rather spend that amount of money in order to save for something much more valuable.

Of course, consumers are free to dispose of their money the way they see fit. But in these terms, I'd rather be part of the offer rather than the demand.

I'm exactly the same way. Is there any better way to be, though?

And I too put money aside to afford the expensive bottles I want. This is one of the few things in life I try not to over-rationalize. If I love it, and I can afford it - or even if I can't afford it but I love it so much that I'm willing to go without small luxuries for a few weeks/months to save for it - I'll buy it. I paid roughly 10x the cost of my Ungaro II for my Reflection Man. Do I love it 10x more? No. Is it 10x better, in regards to quality or composition? No. It may even be worse (if such objectivity really exists in art).

The more I get into this the more I realize how little the perfume community (myself definitely included) actually knows about perfume, the level of quality of ingredients, and the complexity or difficulty in a particular composition. Instead, it seems that preference is weighted to certain notes (incense, rose, labdanum, etc) and compositional styles (eg: heavy orientals, classic french compositions ala Guerlain). If the whole experience was translated into the world of music, Basenotes would be like a universal "Forum for music lovers" but then 90% of the people would only be talking about classical (or insert snob-worthy music genre of your choice) and dismiss so many other songs simply because they weren't classical, without taking into account the merits of the song in question in relation to its genre. I try to avoid that problem and review things as objectively as I can without prejudice but of course there is always the element of subjectivity with taste and it can't - and even if it could, probably shouldn't - be ignored.

I've realized something in the consumer market. Some times there will be items that will be overpriced in comparison to other similar items in the market. Mainly for two reasons. In no particular order, firstly because the creator wants to help those with a little more extra cash be a bit more unique than others with a lot of cash and secondly because the item may be of slightly higher quality.
Think about Hermes for example. Quality and craftsmanship is not much better than say Gucci or Louis Vuitton but their prices for any given item are always 30% to 50% higher than their counterpart in say Armani or Dior. Is the Hermes 30% to 50% better than the Gucci? Usually no but it provides the buyer with a sense of uniqueness.

The sought-after Hermes Birkin handbag is a case in point. Great for mentioning this, Hedonist. It's the thought of owning something that is luxe.

Exaaaaactlyy lol.
Every time I go abroad I have at least 5 friends asking me to bring back one for their wives and I never find it in stock. You need to either wait a year or so or be a return customer to advance in line.
I personally dont find it so appealing. There are many other bags which I think are nicer and for half the price but in reality I know what it is priced the way it is and I can appreciate that.

you can find great scents at any price so just look at what you can afford, or buy in smaller quantities. 2mls often goes a long way especially with dab bottles. I have hardly finished any samples in the past year

+1 ...

This is one of several reasons Caron has become my favourite house. Their compositions are among the best things out there - yet they are not charging exorbitantly for them, nor inflating them through hyperbolic advertising. The honesty of their overall strategy sits very well with me.