EBAY flooded with Bon Bons?

[Possum-Pie]

Anyone else noticed that for the past month EBAY has been flooded with Bond No. 9 Bon Bon samples? I don't mean 2 or 3 sample lots-- but 40 or 50 sample BOXES!! My suspicious mind thinks that Bond must have had a truck stolen or something for people to be selling boxes full of these at less than retail price. I just saw a mix/match box of 50 for $75 buy-it-now. Ordering From Bond, 50 samples would be $125. This means you could get a whole bottle's worth of samples for $75!!. Something fishy...

[hedonist222]

Maybe that ended up with excess stock from a recently shutdown boutique.

[Possum-Pie]

Maybe that ended up with excess stock from a recently shutdown boutique.

I haven't heard that they closed any Bond boutique...I googled it without results...that would make sense though.

[unregistered]

Interesting lawsuit with them right now:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012...stomers-racism

Former employees accuse owner of racism, employer accuses fired employees of thievery. Connection?

"Robledo said when she and Widmann finally complained about the racism in February, Rahme fired them and accused them of stealing $25,000 worth of stock. They deny the accusation.""

[hedonist222]

I haven't heard that they closed any Bond boutique...I googled it without results...that would make sense though.

maybe internationally.

[Possum-Pie]

maybe internationally.

Maybe, but some detective work shows they are mailing them from New Jersey.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

It would be interesting to know if the stolen merch was bon-bon sets. If so, then it would be worth Bond's while to track down the source. If an investigation pointed toward the former employees, I imagine the suit would go away. OTOH, if it points elsewhere, it would provide an opportunity to mend fences. Entirely possible that the leak of the merch was somebody other than the fired employees. That would explain a lot about why this whole thing blew up.

There were a couple of trucks of fragrance hijacked over a year ago that I heard about. Not sure if there was any Bond on them, though I was told some of the other brands.

And Bonbons have to be ridiculously easy to counterfeit, too. Do we even know if they're real?

Ah, the drama of EvilBay.

[PalmBeach]

And Bonbons have to be ridiculously easy to counterfeit, too. Do we even know if they're real?

Incredibly easy. Like you, wonder if they are legit.

[noirdrakkar]

It is much better (economically and overall) to buy 60 samples of Bond no.9 (bn9) fragrances rather than buying 1 full 3.4 oz bottle of a bn9 fragrance!

Bn9 bottles cost $200+ for 100ml/3.4 oz. $150, is the very least, but that's on the grey market.

Bn9 sells 6 samples for $15. Each of those samples are 1.7 ml.

You can pay $150 for 60 1.7ml samples or you can pay $150+ for a grey market bottle in some cases.

60 x 1.7 = 102 ml if you spend $150 on 10 sample packages. So, compared to virtually every bottle in the house, you get MORE juice for LESS money.

So for example, I could end up getting:
17ml of New Haarlem, 17ml of Wall Street, 17ml of Chez Bond, 17ml of Bleecker Street,
8.5ml of Cooper Square, 8.5ml of Riverside Drive, and 6 other 1.7ml samples. 102ml of juice total.

You could get 17ml of 6 different fragrances or you can

Okay, the only real con I see about this idea is that you only like 1 or 2 offerings from the Bond house. But if you like multiple offerings from this house, it's well worth it. Oh, and if you like owning full-sized bottles rather than samples (but wouldn't the idea of an ash tray full of bon bons next to your collection look pleasing too?)

Other than that, let's look at all of the positives:

1. You don't have to drop $150+ all at once. You can pay at your own pace. You could even go half way and get 51ml for $75. It costs $130 for a 50ml bottle at Bn9.

2. You get a greater variety. Instead of getting one fragrance, you get at least 6+ different fragrances: more variety for a seasoned collector.

3. If you are a serious collector, chances are that you'll never (or at least for a really really long time) finish a full bottle, but you will make great use out of samples.

4. You can buy samples of really expensive fragrances such as NY Oud and Signature, and instead of $3/2ml (compared to a $2/1ml single-bottle price) you could potentially pay $1/1ml.

5. Atomizers are more transportable, easier to trade, can pass through airports for vacations, and make it easier to reapply.

Do I have a good theory here? Or was this already addressed and deflated?

[Awakening950]

Half the joy of the fragrance obsession is owning a bottle that sits in the rest of my collection. I really don't want my collection to consist of a bunch of little vials and atomizers. That's just me though.'

[noirdrakkar]

Half the joy of the fragrance obsession is owning a bottle that sits in the rest of my collection. I really don't want my collection to consist of a bunch of little vials and atomizers. That's just me though.'

But the one good thing about Bonds are that the bon bons are aesthetically pleasing. I would rather have an ashtray of 50+ vials wrapped in different colors than a cheesy star-shaped bottle with NYC on it.

Also, having small atomizers means traveling with the fragrance as well as re-applying is much easier.

[fit&frag'd]

I've thought about this too, actually. Does Bond allow you to do that, though (buy that many sample packs)? Only problem I have is I've only really found 3 of their frags I'd personally consider FB worthy at retail (or grey market). I like several, but only 2 enough to purchase.

[noirdrakkar]

I've thought about this too, actually. Does Bond allow you to do that, though (buy that many sample packs)? Only problem I have is I've only really found 3 of their frags I'd personally consider FB worthy at retail (or grey market). I like several, but only 2 enough to purchase.

Well not all at once. But you can order 1 sample-pack per week. What are they going to do? Say no and refuse your money?

Also, if you only find 3 of their frags buy-worthy, you can get 17ml of 3 of them, covering half your 102ml. Then, the ones you just-like (but wouldn't buy a full bottle), you can get less juice of.

[Awakening950]

Aren't you forgetting shipping costs?

[noirdrakkar]

No. I didn't pay any shipping. It's included.

[Nersh]

Well not all at once. But you can order 1 sample-pack per week. What are they going to do? Say no and refuse your money?

Also, if you only find 3 of their frags buy-worthy, you can get 17ml of 3 of them, covering half your 102ml. Then, the ones you just-like (but wouldn't buy a full bottle), you can get less juice of.

[tracerbullet]

Problem with Bond is what fit said...Bond lacks across the board quality.

[noirdrakkar]

Problem with Bond is what fit said...Bond lacks across the board quality.

Yeah, this proposition is only good if you really like more than 2 of their fragrances, as I said.

The common criticism of Bond is that they have a lot of interesting fragrances, but most aren't bottle-worthy? Well this 60-sample solution fixes the problem,.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

Do you mean to tell us that those star-shaped samples aren't samples? Oh, my. I prefer to leave a bowl of them out for guests on the yacht. They seem so much smaller than my Guerlains. Are you sure they're not samples?

Or by samples, do you mean those horrid little vials? Are you suggesting that we un.... wrap....

Oh, my. I feel ill.

[noirdrakkar]

Do you mean to tell us that those star-shaped samples aren't samples? Oh, my. I prefer to leave a bowl of them out for guests on the yacht. They seem so much smaller than my Guerlains. Are you sure they're not samples?

Or by samples, do you mean those horrid little vials? Are you suggesting that we un.... wrap....

Oh, my. I feel ill.

you are too funny.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

you are too funny.

Thanks! I couldn't resist!

[PalmBeach]

LOL! Sometimes I think you have too much time on you hands.

[Nersh]

LOL! Sometimes I think you have too much time on you hands.

We are talking about NoirDrakker here correct ? lol

[JiveHippo]

I don't think Bond would allow you to do that, and it seems awfully impractical anyways.

[noirdrakkar]

I don't think Bond would allow you to do that, and it seems awfully impractical anyways.

Bond only allows you to buy one set of samples at a time, but they don't have a limit per customer.

Moreover, based on all of the positive points I listed, how on god's green earth is it impractical?

[Shiny Beast]

To circumnavigate any sort of "you can't do that" type BS, you can tell them you're a personal shopper and you've got a client list to shop for. Let them say no to that.

[noirdrakkar]

thanks, great idea shiny

[JiveHippo]

You honestly can't see how it would be more practical to just buy a full bottle of the scent you like? What if you want to wear Chez Bond 10 days in a row? Unless you're getting a new sample in the mail everyday continually replenishing your supply you can't. Those samples are meant to help you discover a scent that you like enough to purchase a full bottle. Once they notice that you've making a new sample order everyday of exactly the same samples they're going to put the kibosh on it. Furthermore I don't want to waste my time decanting sample vials every morning, and going through the checkout process everyday. But you try it out, let us know how it goes.

[Redneck Perfumisto]

Samples can get stolen. Bottle can get stolen.
Samples can be crushed. Bottle can be crushed.
Samples won't break in an earthquake if they fall to the floor, but bottle will.

Point goes to samples!

[noirdrakkar]

You honestly can't see how it would be more practical to just buy a full bottle of the scent you like? What if you want to wear Chez Bond 10 days in a row? Unless you're getting a new sample in the mail everyday continually replenishing your supply you can't. Those samples are meant to help you discover a scent that you like enough to purchase a full bottle. Once they notice that you've making a new sample order everyday of exactly the same samples they're going to put the kibosh on it. Furthermore I don't want to waste my time decanting sample vials every morning, and going through the checkout process everyday. But you try it out, let us know how it goes.

Still, 100ml of juice is 100ml of juice. Chances are I won't want to wear the same fragrance 10 times in a row, considering all of the fragrances I have. A 100ml bottle would easily last me at least 6 years. So, 17 ml, wouldn't last me a month. And let's say I do use up all of it in a short period of time, my Bleecker/Riverside/Haarlem samples would still easily justify the purchase.

No matter what way you look at it , better value for the money.

[mesaboogie]

I have my 1 bottle of New Haarlem by Bond No 9, which is all the Bond I need. I paid a very meager amount for the 100ml, even compared to grey market bottles. If you actually like Bond no 9 then you may have a good idea. Especially if you change it from an ashtray to a quality wooden box to house your bon bons

[noirdrakkar]

who says it isn't a quality ash tray

[cameron]

There are only 3-4 Bonds worth owning IMO and I want more than sample vials of those 3-4.

[lionheart]

I think this idea makes a lot of sense. If any of the Bonds were my "holy grails," I would, of course, want full bottles. However, none of the bonds are my holy grails, so having several samples makes sense to me. Thanks!

[Bigsly]

I'll take the samples, since I can reuse the vials! LOL.

[dreamer81]

Sounds good as long as you are from USA. If you are International customer you better do not do business with Bond no.9 at all. From their website:

"International Shipping

Bondno9.com ships international via PayPal. Flat rate shipping costs are $150.00 USD and are subject to change based on quantity orders. "

I guess that they send it with personal helicopter directly to your place.

[CaliDude]

Sounds good as long as you are from USA. If you are International customer you better do not do business with Bond no.9 at all. From their website:

"International Shipping

Bondno9.com ships international via PayPal. Flat rate shipping costs are $150.00 USD and are subject to change based on quantity orders. "

I guess that they send it with personal helicopter directly to your place.

$150!?!?! Holy s***!!! That's insane.

[hednic]

I think it's just a matter of personal preference. For me, I would always opt for a bottle rather than a multitude of samples regardless of cost. However, I don't see it ever happening for me with this House.

[psychoskip]

I can only stand 1-2 of the Bond frags out of their entire line.

Also, stop being so cheap and just buy the bottle. Jeez.

[Nersh]

I think it's just a matter of personal preference. For me, I would always opt for a bottle rather than a multitude of samples regardless of cost. However, I don't see it ever happening for me with this House.

Bingo.++++1

[SculptureOfSoul]

This is also true for many of the Amouage scents and their official samples - especially the Opus line, which is definitely cheaper per ml in sample form than in the bottle.

[noirdrakkar]

I can only stand 1-2 of the Bond frags out of their entire line.

Also, stop being so cheap and just buy the bottle. Jeez.

Cheap? 60 samples is not cheap.

[Fraghead]

Whilst I can see this being a relatively good idea if you're on a budget, to me, being a collector isn't about using all of the juice in the bottle, it's about having the bottle and being able to use it if the mood so takes you. I've used the analogy before, but a stamp collector doesn't collect stamps in order to send out letters. Same difference. That, to me is the difference between someone who collects fragrances and someone who buys fragrances to use (every drop of).

[Diamondflame]

Frankly, some of us had already figured this 'samples-vs-splits/decants-vs-full bottles value for $' argument out a loooong time ago. The final decision is personal & it's not always about cost per ml. Thing with Bond No.9 is, I'd never buy a single drop of their fragrance in protest against their bullying tactics and questionable business practices. Bottles or samples, I ain't buying.

[döfä91]

Never tried any of Bond nr. 9 fragrances... I might well like some of them, no doubt of it, but the price tag is ridiculous imo.

[Possum-Pie]

I have a post on another board about this...There are a lot of Bon Bon's for sale now on EBAY. I HATE Bond no. 9 EXCEPT New York Amber. I bought 60 Bon Bon's on EBAY for $99 Free shipping. That is a full bottle's worth. I keep 3 or 4 spritzers with my day-to-day frags, the rest in the box in a drawer. If you follow my posts here, you know how cheap I am. Anyway, they are genuine, and don't take up as much room as a bottle, are wrapped to protect against light, can be carried in my pocket, and cost HALF what a bottle cost. BTW, I buy your arguments about liking to have the bottle... EXCEPT where Bond is concerned. Come on... they are the ugliest things around!!!

[noirdrakkar]

Frankly, some of us had already figured this 'samples-vs-splits/decants-vs-full bottles value for $' argument out a loooong time ago. The final decision is personal & it's not always about cost per ml. Thing with Bond No.9 is, I'd never buy a single drop of their fragrance in protest against their bullying tactics and questionable business practices. Bottles or samples, I ain't buying.

What kind of bullying tactics do they use?

I have a post on another board about this...There are a lot of Bon Bon's for sale now on EBAY. I HATE Bond no. 9 EXCEPT New York Amber. I bought 60 Bon Bon's on EBAY for $99 Free shipping. That is a full bottle's worth. I keep 3 or 4 spritzers with my day-to-day frags, the rest in the box in a drawer. If you follow my posts here, you know how cheap I am. Anyway, they are genuine, and don't take up as much room as a bottle, are wrapped to protect against light, can be carried in my pocket, and cost HALF what a bottle cost. BTW, I buy your arguments about liking to have the bottle... EXCEPT where Bond is concerned. Come on... they are the ugliest things around!!!

Exactly. Bon bons are much better looking

[socalwoman]

When buying samples from Bond, you can order an assortment only, not a bunch of samples of the same scent.

[noirdrakkar]

When buying samples from Bond, you can order an assortment only, not a bunch of samples of the same scent.

Please read more carefully. I did not suggest to ask bond to buy 6 copies of Wall Street at once. But rather you make ten separate orders of assortments. 10 separate orders.

[psychoskip]

Please read more carefully. I did not suggest to ask bond to buy 6 copies of Wall Street at once. But rather you make ten separate orders of assortments. 10 separate orders.

Sigh,

If you like it, buy the bottle. If you want to run around with 60 1ml sample bottles, awesome. Just don't get frustrated when people don't understand your logic. I would much rather pay a premium to own a bottle.

[Birdboy48]

If I were a mathematics teacher, I'd be loving the frag/math crossover here.

"I must compliment your work Jimmy, but you forgot to factor in the price of the ashtray...."

[Possum-Pie]

Sigh,

If you like it, buy the bottle. If you want to run around with 60 1ml sample bottles, awesome. Just don't get frustrated when people don't understand your logic. I would much rather pay a premium to own a bottle.

Not to stir things up, but 1. Bond bottles are ugly. 2. They are NOT worth the $100 you save buying the bon bons, and 3. most of us store our bottles elsewhere and decant smaller amounts into atomizers anyway, it isn't that much trouble. I don't get why everyone is actling like saving money is uncool.

[psychoskip]

Not to stir things up, but 1. Bond bottles are ugly. 2. They are NOT worth the $100 you save buying the bon bons, and 3. most of us store our bottles elsewhere and decant smaller amounts into atomizers anyway, it isn't that much trouble. I don't get why everyone is actling like saving money is uncool.

Ugly bottles for an ugly scent!

[socalwoman]

Please read more carefully. I did not suggest to ask bond to buy 6 copies of Wall Street at once. But rather you make ten separate orders of assortments. 10 separate orders.

So you want 17 ml each of six different scents from Bond No 9?

[noirdrakkar]

So you want 17 ml each of six different scents from Bond No 9?

Of course, that's what I was saying.

Because I know I'll never use 100ml of any of their scents. But I do like the variety of the Bond house.

A good fragrance collection has two kinds of fragrances:

Core scents - which are the set of fragrances you wear most of the time
Off scents - the fragrances you wear every once in a while to spice things up

I don't think any of the Bond scents are core scents, at least in my opinion, so buying a full bottle doesn't make sense to me.
But there are a lot of interesting fragrances from the line which would make great off-scents, lets say on a day you want to be unique.

So, I keep my Creeds, YSL's, Chanels as my cores. Then my Bonds as my off-scents.

[NenMaster]

Sounds good to me, if i was in the US, id get 17ml of a few.

*checks uk ebay*

[socalwoman]

A good fragrance collection has two kinds of fragrances:

Core scents - which are the set of fragrances you wear most of the time
Off scents - the fragrances you wear every once in a while to spice things up

I wish I had known this before I started collecting.

[PalmBeach]

I wish I had known this before I started collecting.

Me too.

[psychoskip]

Of course, that's what I was saying.

Because I know I'll never use 100ml of any of their scents. But I do like the variety of the Bond house.

A good fragrance collection has two kinds of fragrances:

Core scents - which are the set of fragrances you wear most of the time
Off scents - the fragrances you wear every once in a while to spice things up

I don't think any of the Bond scents are core scents, at least in my opinion, so buying a full bottle doesn't make sense to me.
But there are a lot of interesting fragrances from the line which would make great off-scents, lets say on a day you want to be unique.

So, I keep my Creeds, YSL's, Chanels as my cores. Then my Bonds as my off-scents.

I've been doing it wrong

[noirdrakkar]

rarely do i get 3 people agreeing with me in a row? is this sarcasm? lol