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Why sample?

post #1 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:38am
Thread Starter 
People always say, don't blind buy bottles, always sample.

But here is my issue with that. Lets say I want to sample something that my local stores don't carry. I have to purchase online... Usually for your average designer it's like $3-5 for a small vial. But then you have to pay shipping which is usually $5-6. And then you talk yourself into buying a bunch more samples that you don't need to "make the shipping worth it"... So you end up being out anywhere between $8 to $15 for a few ml of samples.

Instead, you could just buy the full bottle, get all excited with anticipation, open the box like its Christmas morning, sniff it. And if you really hate it, just sell it at near full price, and depends on how much you paid for it, you may be out a few bucks to shipping. In the end, you probably waste more money sampling than you do buying/selling full bottles.

Though if you are too lazy to sell bottles you don't like, then yea go ahead and sample. But sampling is just soooo uneconomical IMO. Especially if the full bottles you buy is under $40 and you are paying up to $10 just to sample it.

I don't know if anyone else share this sentiment.

I will say this though. I have purchased samples of creeds and other expensive fragrances when I know I don't plan on buying fb of them. And when there is some free shipping deal. I just can't bring myself to buy samples online under normal circumstances, just to sample before I buy.
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post #2 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:53am
I dont agree.
Not all people will go through the effort of trying to sell their bottles if they blind buy and end up not liking it.
Plus, we all know most people low ball you for your brand new fragrance that you may have just sprayed once or twice.
So its not really a matter of losing a few bucks, you might end up losing half of what you paid for the bottle with shipping charges etc.. its just pain in the butt. I made that mistake once and never I again will I buy a fragrance without at least trying it out a couple of wears. Do you live in the states? if you do, you can sample from these sites and pay only $3 for shipping. Thats what I pay at least. most designer fragrances are $2.50. I m not sure what your shipping would be if you live outside u.s though

www.decantshop.com
www.surrendertochance.com
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post #3 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:57am
It is entirely dependent on what kind of person you are. If you are willing to drop the cash on a full bottle and hope for the best, more power to you. But, the way I look at it, I'd rather get a bunch of wearings from a sample and then see if I want a full bottle to have for the rest of my collecting days.

I agree that there is some form of excitement from blind buying, but I rarely do it (unless the price is unbeatable). Plus, you can get a bunch of samples for not that much money. I remember I got 4 or 5 samples of Amouage (2mL) a while back for $20.
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post #4 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:58am
Purchasing a full bottle and purchasing samples are sunk costs. You will not get that specific amount of money back unless returns are accepted. Shipping costs for a full bottle compared to a few samples is much more expensive due to weight. I agree with you to an extent, I would much rather purchase a full bottle under $40 than buy a sample of it. But for the most part sampling is much more economical if you're looking to acquire niche or expensive designer bottles because you generally won't get your full amount of money back for the bottle you sell.

Why would someone buy a full bottle from you compared to a reputable shop that sells fragrances for the same price? That's why you have to sell it at a lower cost thus losing your original sunk cost.
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post #5 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:59am
You said spend 8 to 15 for samples and I assume postage is 8. That's around $25.

If the perfume bottle costs that much and you're comfortable blind buying that perfume dollar amont, then yes don't sample.

Keep in mind that people sometimes already have an arsenal of 50 to 150 full perfume bottles. So sampling is a must and not only for th sake or money but at that point, that perfume may never be used again because it wasn't nice (to the person who bought it). Another thing is some perfumes cost $300 for 50ml.
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post #6 of 54
3/4/13 at 10:06am
I'd really only advocate sampling for the more expensive fragrances as there you'll save yourself money in the end, in my opinion. I sampled 9 different by Kilian scents and only liked 2/3, and then finally bought just one but now I know what to avoid in the future from the line so I won't be tempted when I look at it again.
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post #7 of 54
3/4/13 at 10:17am
Totally disagree with you. My lack of interest in e-bay has absolutely nothing to do with laziness. And I certainly wouldn't take a risk there on perfumes that are inexpensive (your under $40 example) and readily available. Sampling can help tremendously with the learning process- not merely the acquiring of bottles but true understanding of perfume appreciation.
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post #8 of 54
3/4/13 at 10:38am
I hardly buy samples. There are boards where you can systematically look up for someone offering a vial of the fragrance you are curious about. And then you can swap, using the samples you have amassed. It then just costs the postage.

If you are so eager to blind buy, then purchase a bottle here in the market place section, from someone who couldn't resist and is now left with his unloved bottle.
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post #9 of 54
3/4/13 at 11:00am
I'm in the camp that I don't want to mess with selling my failed blind buys. I actually give them away to friends rather than go through the hassle. I have friends that love Craigslist/ebay, but even they admit to the hassles that can come up. More power to them, but that's not me.

I also give away my samples that I don't finish (usually feminine scents, so they go to lady friends). I much prefer sampling. Out of maybe 300 frags I've sampled in the last 1.5 years, I've only found maybe a dozen that have struck me as worth my money to get a full bottle. I usually just use up the samples. In the end, I've also broadened my experiences with the other 288 frags.

In a way, I'd turn it around and say going with blind buys is the lazy route. My sampling process/notetaking takes effort.

I also don't play the lottery, so...
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post #10 of 54
3/4/13 at 11:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PerfumedLady View Post

...Sampling can help tremendously with the learning process- not merely the acquiring of bottles but true understanding of perfume appreciation.

Good point, PL.
Sampling for its own sake is helpful in establishing reference points; familiarising oneself with genres / notes / accords / perfumers; broadening one's olfactory palette.
.
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post #11 of 54
3/4/13 at 11:45am
The problem is that when you go to resell the bottle, you will have to pay shipping costs and you'll say yourself, I could have sampled anyway.
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post #12 of 54
3/4/13 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtheory8 View Post

People always say, don't blind buy bottles, always sample.

But here is my issue with that. Lets say I want to sample something that my local stores don't carry. I have to purchase online... Usually for your average designer it's like $3-5 for a small vial. But then you have to pay shipping which is usually $5-6. And then you talk yourself into buying a bunch more samples that you don't need to "make the shipping worth it"... So you end up being out anywhere between $8 to $15 for a few ml of samples.

Instead, you could just buy the full bottle, get all excited with anticipation, open the box like its Christmas morning, sniff it. And if you really hate it, just sell it at near full price, and depends on how much you paid for it, you may be out a few bucks to shipping. In the end, you probably waste more money sampling than you do buying/selling full bottles.

Though if you are too lazy to sell bottles you don't like, then yea go ahead and sample. But sampling is just soooo uneconomical IMO. Especially if the full bottles you buy is under $40 and you are paying up to $10 just to sample it.

I don't know if anyone else share this sentiment.

I will say this though. I have purchased samples of creeds and other expensive fragrances when I know I don't plan on buying fb of them. And when there is some free shipping deal. I just can't bring myself to buy samples online under normal circumstances, just to sample before I buy.

I totally understand your point and have felt the same way. I am just so impatient I rather just buy the bottle and return it if I don't like it. I used FragranceX and they take it back no questions ask and cover shipping. I have started to try to have more patients and do samples. There are just some bottles I can not afford right now so I pick up samples. So I do understand both sides to the argument.
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post #13 of 54
3/4/13 at 12:09pm
Of niche stuff it's nice to get a range of samples from a house, so you can really get into their style and sometimes I have found stuff that I like even more than the frag I was interested in the first place.

Nothing better than getting a range of wacky samples and getting a few good wears from each to discover what they're all about, how they progress etc. Even if you'd never buy a FB, and not even like a frag much, it's all a beautiful experience.
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post #14 of 54
3/4/13 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
So I want to blindbuy Midnight in Paris EDT for ~$32
A 2ml sample for $8 shipped. If I buy a bottle and don't like it, I can sell it close to what I pay for it, and it does not cost $8 to ship it. So lets say I sell the bottle for a $2 loss and I pay $6 in shipping, I'm out $8 that way also.

But, if I do like the sample, I have to spend another $32 in buying the bottle, after spending $8 on the sample. So basically here are the four scenarios:

Costs:
Buy Sample, Like it: $40
Buy Sample, Dont Like it: $8
Buy Bottle, Like it: $32
Buy Bottle, Don't like it: $8

so bottom line? the average cost of buying sample no matter what is more than buying the bottle.
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post #15 of 54
3/4/13 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtheory8 View Post

So I want to blindbuy Midnight in Paris EDT for ~$32
A 2ml sample for $8 shipped. If I buy a bottle and don't like it, I can sell it close to what I pay for it, and it does not cost $8 to ship it. So lets say I sell the bottle for a $2 loss and I pay $6 in shipping, I'm out $8 that way also.

But, if I do like the sample, I have to spend another $32 in buying the bottle, after spending $8 on the sample. So basically here are the four scenarios:

Costs:
Buy Sample, Like it: $40
Buy Sample, Dont Like it: $8
Buy Bottle, Like it: $32
Buy Bottle, Don't like it: $8

so bottom line? the average cost of buying sample no matter what is more than buying the bottle.

Yes, but that's based on buying one sample. The calculations change quite a bit if you're buying a few and discovering what you do like and what you don't.
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post #16 of 54
3/4/13 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtheory8 View Post

so bottom line? the average cost of buying sample no matter what is more than buying the bottle.

Really? Sure that may work for a $32 bottle, but wouldn't you agree that when considering buying a $300 bottle it makes sense to spend a few bucks on a sample?
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post #17 of 54
3/4/13 at 1:00pm
It could be argued that the opportunity cost of offering the unwanted frag, processing the sale, and packing/shipping. Would be larger than that of buying samples.
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post #18 of 54
3/4/13 at 1:17pm
Buying a whole bottle of Niche is stupid imo especially stuff thats over $200. If it's a designer then I understand.
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post #19 of 54
3/4/13 at 1:23pm
It's a personal preference. Some buy samples. I would never. I only buy large bottles. Simple as that.
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post #20 of 54
3/4/13 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JiveHippo View Post

Really? Sure that may work for a $32 bottle, but wouldn't you agree that when considering buying a $300 bottle it makes sense to spend a few bucks on a sample?

yes, if the bottle I'm buying is $100+ then I will probably buy a sample just because the ml/$ is not nearly as bad as a cheaper designer bottle.
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post #21 of 54
3/4/13 at 1:55pm
There are a lot of variables here. For instance, here in Chicago, there isn't much that can't be sampled designer or niche. So if its available to you, just go visit a shop.

Then you have to take into consideration the price of the bottle. If its $50 and under, i agree with the OP statement. But anything more expensive, you really should sample before you buy. Especially once you get past the $100 mark.
Last samples i got were some Amouage stuff, because they were a bit difficult to find at the time.

I always give the bottle away if i don't like it anymore.

Having said that, i think i would rather sample than do decants. I know theres a lot of folks that love buying decants, but i can't get into it. Its not like its cheap, and you're stuck without the real bottle.
I guess this is good if you just want a little taste. Which is not something i'm into, because if i like something, i want it all!
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post #22 of 54
3/4/13 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aphexacid View Post

There are a lot of variables here. For instance, here in Chicago, there isn't much that can't be sampled designer or niche. So if its available to you, just go visit a shop.

The same can be said for NY. But, having a sample means you get a lot more time with one specific scent than you would sampling a few per day in sephora/Nordstrom/Macy's, etc. And, in respect to NY, you're also adding in traveling 'fees', which just went up.
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post #23 of 54
3/4/13 at 2:25pm
i love samples because I am a collector of scents, there is no possible way I can buy every scent I want, but I'll be dam if I can't own 10MLs of everything.
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post #24 of 54
3/4/13 at 2:39pm
I love samples, so I have them for curiosity and then use them to swap or play games with. I don't actually want too many more FB's otherwise I would need a huge museum...lol. Time is the other thing. I wouldn't have time to keep selling them on.

Having said that, I will accept any frag, in any shape, in any form, or any size. I just want to know them, even if I loathe them.
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post #25 of 54
3/4/13 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtheory8 View Post

So I want to blindbuy Midnight in Paris EDT for ~$32
A 2ml sample for $8 shipped. If I buy a bottle and don't like it, I can sell it close to what I pay for it, and it does not cost $8 to ship it. So lets say I sell the bottle for a $2 loss and I pay $6 in shipping, I'm out $8 that way also.

2 points:

1. Nobody buys from you or eBay just to save $2 not when it's worthwhile to low ball. So that's a huge unrealistic assumption on your part.

2. Nobody buys ONE sample at a time. Most will shortlist a number of fragrances to try before ordering online. So that's another flaw in your argument.

You seem to get excited over blindbuys and I totally get that. Perhaps that's where you should have focused your argument on.
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post #26 of 54
3/4/13 at 9:44pm
I will always sample.

The main reason I sample is because I DON'T like most of what I'm sampling. And I only need 1 ml to feel I have sampled adequately. I don't buy extras. Many deals on ebay have free shipping...even for one carded samples. Even luckyscent.com has free shipping if you subscribe to their monthly newsletter and have their monthly code.
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post #27 of 54
3/5/13 at 12:57am
When I'm buying a fragrance off of an individual second-hand, even if that fragrance is near brand new and 99.9% full, I still expect a pretty big discount in price (at least $20). That's just how it is. Again, what would be the point of going through the trouble to buy off of someone else when I can go to a store? Besides, finding someone who wants to buy your bottle in the first place isn't all that easy, which is another reason why the price must be lowered.
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post #28 of 54
3/5/13 at 2:06am
90% of my paid samples came from Aedes & MinNy. That's 7 samples for $20 shipped and 5 for $17 shipped. I get others for free from in stores and also emailing companies; some from STC, Luckyscent & eBay. Then I sample swap my leftovers to get samples that aren't easily accessible to me. If you're smart about it you won't be spending a lot.

And you never know how your blind buys stack up against other fragrances out there. How does A compare to B, C, D, E, F...Z fragrances? You'll never know until you try them. By sampling you can be sure you've chosen your favorites.

In the long run you save a ton of time and hassle by sampling.
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post #29 of 54
3/5/13 at 5:47am
Some of your points make sense. Even if the numbers don't tally completely, but here's my take.

For someone new to fragrance with no real frame of reference and a vast world to explore one of the best ways to get a firm foothold on that vast world is to sample simply because you can examine so many more fragrances than if you purchased full bottles. You could spray at stores instead, but this can be problematic in that there are many things they may not offer, and you will have SAs trying to sell to you based on their own agenda and the olfactory noise of a perfume department generally means you can only make one good skin sample per visit (spray it on, leave and see where it goes)

For someone who has been buying for a while chances are they have something of a collection already. In many cases this might amount to hundreds or thousands of bottles. They may already own every inexpensive fragrance they want. Some have a jaded olfactory palette and can only enjoy or appreciate things that are truly sensational to them.

I for one rarely, in fact almost never, sample. However I collect somewhat obsessively and buy things I wish to own for various reasons regardless of whether or not I'm going to get a lot of wear out of them. Though generally given enough time I 'come around,' and learn to appreciate almost anything, to find a place for it.
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post #30 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:00am
This assumes you will like most of what is well-reviewed, and that you don't have any weird personal issues of skin chemistry or just plain disliking certain things A LOT.

I spent about $200 on samples last year. (Maybe more. I don't like to think about it.) Out of all of those, I liked only one thing enough to buy a bottle. I outright hated most of them, and was severely allergic/reactive to half a dozen.

$200 would have bought me, what, a bottle and a half, maybe? And then I'd have to deal with the stupid Canadian fragrance shipping regulations if I wanted to sell my failures? Sign me up!

Yeah, sampling is most definitely not a waste of either time or money for me, although I could maybe spend some of that cash on a day trip to Toronto and sample in person. Even then, though, I wouldn't buy something on the basis of a single spray in a shop. I need to live with something for a few wears before I know I like it.

Honestly, the idea that anyone could blind buy -- or give -- a perfume with any expectation that it will be liked unsniffed is absolutely bizarre to me.
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post #31 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:23am
Why sample?

Because it is an option.
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post #32 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:26am
I understand where you are coming from - I have blind bought over 30 bottles over the past year. It's kind of fun, and sometimes, especially for the cheaper stuff, just not worth the hassle of sampling first. However, if I can readily get a sample and if the bottle is fairly expensive, I will try to get a sample first.

So, IMO, it really comes down to the price of a full bottle, and the availablility of samples, as well as how safe I think a blind-buy will be (notes, reviews, etc)... and my mood at the moment.
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post #33 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:28am
I understand your point, but don't agree.

When it comes to niche fragrances, why would you EVER risk blind-buying a $185 bottle of something that you are not sure you will like? I never blind buy and STILL end of with fragrances that I don't like after a while. In that case, I just give the ones I don't like to my Dad.

Plus, if you order from Luckyscent, they will send you a few samples per bottle THAT YOU REQUEST!

As far as selling bottles that you don't like, is it really legal for "civilians" to send certain amounts of liquid in the mail? I know everyone does it, but not me. Not worth the risk.
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post #34 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:33am
I tend to only sample if a full bottle is more than £30 ($45) and if I can get a reasonable priced sample. I have never blind bought any niche. I have bought samples of Musc Ravaguer, Chergui. LDDM, most of the Tom Ford Private blends, most Creeds, 2 x Tauer's and a few more. Of the approx 30 samples I have bought, I will probably only ever end up buying or have already bought about 10, so it has paid me to sample first. I have bought lots of <£30 full bottle blind buys that I didn't like, but have only lost at most 1/3 net on reselling.
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post #35 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:57am
Surely the only answer to the original question is.... Why not sample?

I get most of my samples on eBay for £1-2 sometimes £3-5 if more niche. Why not. There has been many a bottle I fancied blind buying but decided to sample first and was very glad I did. Has saved me a good deal of money for scents I know I like.
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post #36 of 54
3/5/13 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lionheart View Post

As far as selling bottles that you don't like, is it really legal for "civilians" to send certain amounts of liquid in the mail? I know everyone does it, but not me. Not worth the risk.

Yes. You just have to declare that it is fragrance inside, and it must go ground. And I believe that they are now requiring that each bottle be shipped individually.
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post #37 of 54
3/5/13 at 8:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtheory8 View Post

And if you really hate it, just sell it at near full price, and depends on how much you paid for it, you may be out a few bucks to shipping.

Not likely. You will be out shipping and an additional 25%. That is about $20 minimum on a bottle you don't like. The $10 (high-end) for sampling makes sense if you plan on building a collection. Believe me, there are a few under $40 bottles I wish I hadn't bought.
Now I sample and am happy with cycling my sample collection. Once I find something awesome, then I buy it.
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post #38 of 54
3/5/13 at 9:33am
I just put in an order for Slumberhouse samples because I wanted to.

So, because I want to.
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post #39 of 54
3/5/13 at 9:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by juanderer View Post

I just put in an order for Slumberhouse samples because I wanted to.

So, because I want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeUG-9Lv04s
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post #40 of 54
3/5/13 at 4:05pm
Looking over my list I probably have over 200 samples from Luckyscent, TPC and other places....30-40 of them were stuff I wanted a bottle just because of the notes, review i read/watch or something. But decided that samples would be a better choose don't want to spend $100+ in stinky stuff I would never wear. But still sometimes I can't resist the temptation got into some splits of stuff that sounded delicious going by the notes, but turn out to be stinky shit...Cafe Rose comes to mind...
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post #41 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:19pm
Too lazy, or my time is too valuable, to spend time trying to resell a full bottle. Full bottles of what I'm interested in are often quite expensive. TBH, i at most I only need a 5-10ml decant because I may grow sick of it, even if I like it at first. I'm not just interested in one particular scent that I want a full bottle of - I want to try so many different scents, so I often spend over $100 on a haul of samples. Some of what I want to sample isn't available in my country, so it could be even more expensive to try and get it shipped here.

Then again, there is something thrilling about a blind purchase of a full bottle.
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post #42 of 54
3/5/13 at 6:34pm
I agree, Ill go sample in store when I can and buy then. If not ill order online.
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post #43 of 54
3/6/13 at 1:51pm
Earlier today I received my order from Luckyscent...MFK Lumiere Noire Pour Homme! Ahh beautiful.

And also got some samples. I might have found my next few bottles I will be buying.

Frapin Speakeasy didn't like the top notes, but once it on you for an hour or so. GOD!
and
The Vegabond Prince Enchanted Forest Smells nothing like the forest, but need to retest it tomorrow since it might have gotten mix a bit with a sample of Infidel that I also got.
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post #44 of 54
3/6/13 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

This assumes you will like most of what is well-reviewed, and that you don't have any weird personal issues of skin chemistry or just plain disliking certain things A LOT.

I spent about $200 on samples last year. (Maybe more. I don't like to think about it.) Out of all of those, I liked only one thing enough to buy a bottle. I outright hated most of them, and was severely allergic/reactive to half a dozen.

$200 would have bought me, what, a bottle and a half, maybe? And then I'd have to deal with the stupid Canadian fragrance shipping regulations if I wanted to sell my failures? Sign me up!

Yeah, sampling is most definitely not a waste of either time or money for me, although I could maybe spend some of that cash on a day trip to Toronto and sample in person. Even then, though, I wouldn't buy something on the basis of a single spray in a shop. I need to live with something for a few wears before I know I like it.

Honestly, the idea that anyone could blind buy -- or give -- a perfume with any expectation that it will be liked unsniffed is absolutely bizarre to me.

By contrast, I spent about the same amount as my TOTAL spend on scent in the last year. I can't afford any more than that and by definition that means that niche fragrances are totally out of my league and I'll be very lucky to even be able to afford a sample.

I pick up half used bottles of things I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford, which is sort of like sampling. A 100ml bottle of D&G with a little used will cost me less than half of a full and sealed bottle and I regularly pick up scents to try blind (after researching) for £10 ($15) or less.

If you have the money to spend that's grand. I don't, so I do things my own way.

Then again, most of my clothes cost less than £5 too. My favourite top was £1.95 including postage.
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post #45 of 54
3/6/13 at 4:49pm
You think I don't research? That failure list is WITH research. Loads of research. Every review I can find, before a scent goes on my sample list. And even at ten or fifteen pounds (which is double that in C$) I'd still be wasting more money than I do on samples... I've tried D&G, in the shop, and it is most certainly Not My Thing. (Heck, if I could stand any of the fragrances commonly found in stores, I'd be WEARING them and not messing around with overpriced niche stuff at all.)

I can't really afford it either. That's why I'd like to find just one ****ing thing that I love.... but Slumberhouse Sova (my single buy) isn't it; it's just somehow not something I can wear every day, and the thing that I'd really like (Norma Kamali Incense) isn't available to me for any amount of money.

I've found this a very embittering process, honestly. (Like, couldn't the people who claimed Lush Breath of God was a nice incense frag have added "if you can get through the top and middle, which resemble the most disgusting plug-in melon-scented air freshener you ever encountered in your life"?) Both reviews and note lists, in the end, have been only partly useful to me, and I'm basically firing expensive shotgun blasts in a rough general direction in the mostly-dark.
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post #46 of 54
3/6/13 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dailey View Post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeUG-9Lv04s

Holy crap that was awful, and I only got about 15 seconds in.
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post #47 of 54
3/7/13 at 12:01pm
This. This, this and this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

You think I don't research? That failure list is WITH research. Loads of research. Every review I can find, before a scent goes on my sample list. And even at ten or fifteen pounds (which is double that in C$) I'd still be wasting more money than I do on samples... I've tried D&G, in the shop, and it is most certainly Not My Thing. (Heck, if I could stand any of the fragrances commonly found in stores, I'd be WEARING them and not messing around with overpriced niche stuff at all.)

Exactly - and that is why I spent years wearing only the few fragrances I could bear (if any at all) before I discovered niche, which can be best described as a long, slippery slope. I don't really want to tote up the damage from sampling but yes, I'm not proud to say that my failure rate is fairly significant despite all the research: notes that I hadn't realised I liked or disliked, notes that don't quite behave the way they should on my skin, fragrances that wreak havoc on my sinuses... every time I try a new fragrance I learn something about what works for me and what doesn't.

As an international customer, it has often proven more cost effective (and much less risky) to ship samples than bottles. And I dread to think of the time and expense it would have taken to get my money back selling all the bottles that didn't work out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

Both reviews and note lists, in the end, have been only partly useful to me, and I'm basically firing expensive shotgun blasts in a rough general direction in the mostly-dark.

Again, yes - this reminds me of how I went chasing off after the "mostly dark" and eventually learnt that reviews are subjective and note lists don't always tell me how prominent the note actually is, or how it's going to work on my skin - and that I'm just going to have to smell it and live with it before I decide whether to pull the trigger.
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post #48 of 54
3/7/13 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

...

I can't really afford it either. That's why I'd like to find just one ****ing thing that I love.... but Slumberhouse Sova (my single buy) isn't it; it's just somehow not something I can wear every day, and the thing that I'd really like (Norma Kamali Incense) isn't available to me for any amount of money.

...

I have no idea if they ship to Canada. And I am not sure what any amount exactly means, but here you go: http://www.thewellnesscafe.com/
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post #49 of 54
3/7/13 at 2:02pm
OMGWHAT YOU DIVINE PERSON THANK YOU!

Oh, I hope they ship to Canada.

ETA: I ordered one. There's my fragrance budget till, oh, 2014. The end of 2014. Happy birthday to me! (It is my birthday, very shortly.) Graphite, seriously, thank you. (Now to cross my fingers that I don't get an email from a sales associate saying there was a rush on them and they're sold out already.)
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post #50 of 54
3/8/13 at 1:25am
Pleasure!

Hope all works out fine.
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post #51 of 54
3/8/13 at 11:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graphite View Post

And I am not sure what any amount exactly means....


That slid in just under the wire. I think if it had been over the magic $500 barrier, I would have cried but let it go. But I'd already rather prepared myself to pay something ridiculous for it if by some miraculous chance a bottle showed up on eBay.

I also just worked it out, and it's quite a bit less per mL than the Slumberhouse Sova I bought. Do I rationalise too hard? Perhaps.
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post #52 of 54
3/9/13 at 6:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

You think I don't research? That failure list is WITH research. Loads of research. Every review I can find, before a scent goes on my sample list. And even at ten or fifteen pounds (which is double that in C$) I'd still be wasting more money than I do on samples... I've tried D&G, in the shop, and it is most certainly Not My Thing. (Heck, if I could stand any of the fragrances commonly found in stores, I'd be WEARING them and not messing around with overpriced niche stuff at all.)

I can't really afford it either. That's why I'd like to find just one ****ing thing that I love.... but Slumberhouse Sova (my single buy) isn't it; it's just somehow not something I can wear every day, and the thing that I'd really like (Norma Kamali Incense) isn't available to me for any amount of money.

I've found this a very embittering process, honestly. (Like, couldn't the people who claimed Lush Breath of God was a nice incense frag have added "if you can get through the top and middle, which resemble the most disgusting plug-in melon-scented air freshener you ever encountered in your life"?) Both reviews and note lists, in the end, have been only partly useful to me, and I'm basically firing expensive shotgun blasts in a rough general direction in the mostly-dark.

If you can afford $200 for samples then you're working with a completely different budget to me. To me that's a month and a half's mortgage, or a month's electricity, gas and water added together.

I don't have the money to buy samples and THEN buy fragrance. I have the money to buy a few very low priced items and when I see them at low price there is no capacity to buy a sample first, so you either buy them to try them or you don't. Even with research many things are bought blind, and that's because if you can get a part used bottle for the same price as a sample, then you buy the part used bottle and sample that. Yes, it results in bottles that get disliked, but I've tested it and know for certain that I don't like it.

Experiencing scent is a journey and it's quite clear that my journey is different to yours for all sorts of reasons. I'm not sure that even if I could buy one perfect scent I would wear it every day. I like being able to smell of O de Lancome on a warm day or Mitsouko for an evening out, and there is no single scent that could replace the enjoyment I get from the variety that I have tried and use regularly.

I would love to have the money to indulge myself with niche scents, but unless I win the lottery or some unknown aunt leaves me a mint in her will it's not going to happen, so I will have to satisfy myself with Guerlain, Chanel and Givenchy at budget prices.
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post #53 of 54
3/10/13 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfmedusa View Post

If you can afford $200 for samples then you're working with a completely different budget to me. To me that's a month and a half's mortgage, or a month's electricity, gas and water added together.

I don't have the money to buy samples and THEN buy fragrance. I have the money to buy a few very low priced items and when I see them at low price there is no capacity to buy a sample first, so you either buy them to try them or you don't.

When my budget was that limited I mostly just didn't wear fragrance. I can't do that. I can have no expectation that a fragrance will smell anything like what anyone else reports on my skin; it will almost certainly smell different, and probably worse, and it very well may "rot" and smell spoiled. And/or I'll be allergic to it and get headaches, clogged sinuses, or an asthma attack.

Twenty-five dollars wasted on something I am simply unable to wear might not be as much as a hundred, but it's just as thrown away. I found it very frustrating, then and now, that other people seemed to be able to just pick up a popular perfume and happily wear it, but I. Cannot.
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post #54 of 54
3/14/13 at 6:27pm
Ordered a 340 dollar carnal flower and it came with a bunch of niche samples. I m glad they sent them otherwise i would have blind bought a couple of those. now that I know what they smell like, i wont spend the money. Lyric man was one of those that I was going to invest in. thats why you should sample. saves money and time
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