I suck at blind buys

[notspendingamillion]

I was boppin around on the ol' interweb and was seriously considering blind buying Guerlain Songe dun Bois d'Ete. I've been unable to find a sample for a while. As I was thinking about it, I thought, "Self, how do you logically think this is going to go?" So, I went in to my wardrobe and looked for blind buys. Turns out I have blind bought:

DHI
Burberry London
Club de Nuit
L'Instant EDT
Tres Nuit
Guerlain Lui
L'Homme Ideal Cologne

I only still have the Ideal Cologne, and that is simply because it is too cheap to sell. My hit rate is 0%. I decided I would not risk it.

[HouseOfPhlegethon]

I used to have a 50/50 rate with blind buys. I've ended up selling off nearly all that were "not favorites". I don't blind buy anymore. I won't buy unless I sample first, these days. Unless, that is, it is a miniature of about 5ml. Then, I'll take a risk for such a small amount, that won't break my bank, so to speak.

[decraew]

Blind buying is... not the smartest thing to do really. At least buy a sample first !!


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[Brooks Otterlake]

I've had good success with blind buys (of the autumn faves listed in my signature, 80% were blind buys or swaps).

[Danny Mitchell]

I've pretty much stopped blind buys completely unless I know it's a lock, which is rare. But TJ Maxx blind buys are pretty much a 'never again'.

[hednic]

My hit rate is 0%. I decided I would not risk it.

In this case - wise decision.

[Buysblind]

Songe has the potential to be an utterly disastrous blind buy. I do not recommend it.


My advice with blind buys is go with the stuff that smells pleasant. The safe stuff...fresh fragrances with notes you know you like. It gets dicey when you go into experimental niche territory, Exclusives, and old classics.

[freewheelingvagabond]

I think blind-buying was much easier 7-8 years ago.

[Buysblind]

I think blind-buying was much easier 7-8 years ago.

Agreed.

[Scarce]

I like gambling so I enjoy blind buys. My hit rate is considerably more than 0% and considerably less than 100%. Overall, ahead.

[Renaissance_Man]

:

DHI
Burberry London
Club de Nuit
L'Instant EDT
Tres Nuit
Guerlain Lui
L'Homme Ideal Cologne

LOL I think this is a great list actually!
I enjoy blind buys occasionally depending on price and lack of samples. More expensive stuff less frequently although I still do some. I’m lucky most of the time. Reading reviews (reading between the lines) and looking at the notes helps me.

[Diamondflame]

Perusing reviews from trusted noses, my blindbuy hit rate is actually pretty solid - a 9 out of 10. But I stay clear of cheapies and clones.

[Jack103]

I'm the opposite, almost 90-95% of my frags are blind buys that turn out to be loves. My last blind buy was Aqua Quorum, an incredible fresh fougere. Perhaps it's just a matter of doing your research. I read extensively about a frag before I decide to blind buy it.

[Joe Kilroy]

I love the title of this OP. Something very modest about it.

[Zizzy]

I used to have a 50/50 rate with blind buys. I've ended up selling off nearly all that were "not favorites". I don't blind buy anymore. I won't buy unless I sample first, these days. Unless, that is, it is a miniature of about 5ml. Then, I'll take a risk for such a small amount, that won't break my bank, so to speak.

My thoughts exactly! But I just did two blind buys for 300 EUR, was a really sweet deal, retail prices are around 600 EUR

[deltasun]

I rarely do it any more. I usually blind buy less expensive fragrances, but I did take a bit of a hit recently but was able to sell it to recover most of my money. I'm definitely more into sampling first, but sometimes it's just not feasible.

[deltasun]

Oh, Songe is not a good one to blind buy, btw.

I actually have a sample and was convinced just a couple of days ago that I'm purchasing a full bottle. I wore my sample again one last time, and decided against it...strongly. It somehow gave me a cadaver-like vibe. I know, weird.

So sometimes, even with sampling, my initial impression had changed.

[jabar]

Research, research, research. Also having an open mind/nose helps. Very few blind buys of mine have been outright failures.

Also, don't fall into brand buying before having experience with its releases. My best example of this is Xerjoff: I bought several full bottles across their range before ever trying any, and only Nio really did it for me.

[dougczar]

Personally, I am not a huge fan of sampling first. At least not for myself. Not the way I did it.


I purchased hundreds of samples every year - since they were only $4 - $10, what's the risk? I found that I had no filter when it came to sampling - I would buy samples of things that were all over the place - hoping to find that special thing. Most were try it and never try it again. Money wasted.

So, basically, my advice would be : Just because you are "just sampling" - make your choices somewhat carefully. $5 isn't much, but when you do that all the time, it adds up to more than some bottles of carefully chosen blind buys.

I have had my share of blind-buy misses, but I found I was more careful with bottle blind-buys than samples...


ml of Good Scent
_______________

$$$


This ratio was higher with blind-bought bottles than with samples for me. So, just chose your samples wisely - at least more carefully than I did.

[hellbentforleather]

Lucky Scents has saved me a lot of money. There samples are spendy but it's, ultimately, more cost-effective than even buying $20- $30 decants.

[sjg3839]

Haven't done it in years. Sampling is the way to go.

[Bonnette]

I think blind-buying was much easier 7-8 years ago.

Agree completely with this. I've had great luck with blind buys in the past, but disappointing reformulations have pretty much cured me of blind buying current fragrances.

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

I stopped blind buying when I realized that no list of notes could tell me whether or not I'd like a fragrance. They list vetiver, but they never mention which kind. They list grapefruit, but they never tell you what they're using to create a grapefruit note. Don't even get me started on musk. What a ridiculous note musk is. There are so many kinds, ranging from squeaky clean to animalic, and so many in-between.

And even if I'll enjoy a fragrance, will I really enjoy it so much that I need a few hundred wears-worth of it when I already own more scents than I have time to wear during a month? Probably not.

Lucky Scents has saved me a lot of money. There samples are spendy but it's, ultimately, more cost-effective than even buying $20- $30 decants.

Absolutely!

I can't even imagine how much money I've saved over the years by buying samples first. There have been so many times where I thought a scent would be a home run for me... but, no ...and that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Sometimes, it's more of a lack of enthusiasm that makes it obvious I don't need a bottle because I'd always reach for something else instead.

Luckyscent is fantastic. Decantshop has been great for me too. Twistedlily. Surrender to Chance. I've sampled so much through the years. The Perfumed Court is also an option, though their shipping times are awful and their customer service is worse, so they're my last resort.

[maksidrom]

These days only do blind buys when a fragrance is considerably discounted and I've read or heard multiple positive feedback from sources I tend to agree with.
There have been some duds, but at the same there have been a lot of incredible wins recently such as Miller Harris La Fumee, Zegna Acqua di Neroli and MAC Shadescents.
16-17 years ago when internet fragrance forums were in infancy I blind bought from scentiments the likes of KenzoAir, Insense and Calvin (I still regret pulling the plug a couple times on Coriolan for like $20 just because I couldn't find ANY info at the time of purchase and then it was gone). Heck, I remember shopping in TJ Maxx or Marshalls 12 years ago and thinking "gosh, I wish there was a way to read some reviews or opinions on the spot before I decide on this". Some of my my most memorable purchases are blind buys because you least expect to fall in love with one of them.

[incense+heliotrope]

I sample first. The few blind buys I've made in the past have not worked out.
Mostly I enjoy the samples I choose; sometimes repeat sampling instead of buying FBs, as it is more economical for the amount I'll use of a frag that is not for everyday wearing.

[RedRaider430]

Haven't done it in years. Sampling is the way to go.

+1....THIS almost all the time, for me, too. The only time I might make an exception is when the thing I'm thinking about is pretty cheap. OR....if it's a classic and very hard to find fragrance (like Patou Pour Homme Prive). I actually blind bought that one....reasoning that if I didn't like it, I could easily sell it.

I learned a long time ago that I don't even like the majority of things I sample, and of the ones I like, I actually buy even fewer. So blind buying (for me) is not smart.

So I think you've made a wise decision, notspendingamillion.

[Darjeeling]

Yeah, Songe (Bois Mysterieux (spelling) as it is currently released) is not a good blind buy, even if one is a fan of dry woody scents. There’s the added risk of the price.

I generally do ok on blind buys, but there have definitely been some misses, even for things that should Theoretically have been a bullseye for my tastes.

[PStoller]

So far, my blind buy percentage has been excellent. But, I'm buying almost all vintage, and reading up carefully on them first. I will definitely lean on samples and discovery kits for current frags, especially as my interest is primarily in the pricey artisan segment.

[jkonick]

I've only had one outright blind buy failure out of probably 30-35 blind buys total, which was Lalique Hommage a l'Homme Voyageur. It was toward the beginning of my collecting, and my thought process was "oh, it's a vetiver from Lalique, and I enjoy Encre Noire, so must be similar." I know some people do see a similarity there, but to me HaHV completely different and nasty. Looking back, I should've known that cardamom, among other notes, wouldn't work for me.

Now I read lots of reviews here and elsewhere, look up posts here, etc, to get an idea of how a fragrance will be. Of course, there's always an element of surprise when something arrives, because the composition and amounts of ingredients have an effect that can't be discerned simply by looking at a list of notes, but generally speaking I know the ballpark of what I'll be getting, and am usually pleased.

My winning streak might be tested Monday though, as I have Aoud Cuir d'Arabie arriving blind, and the reviews I've read are... interesting to say the least. But I think it'll be a winner. I hope anyway!

[Diamond Joe]

My hit rate is 0%. I decided I would not risk it.

Sounds to me like you're due! nobody can go 0-for-the season. You have nowhere to go but up!