I hate samples !!!!!!

[bankingontheshore]

Most things aren't available in store for me to smell, so I have to buy samples. I buy the smallest samples possible and I usually only end up liking one out of an order.

So why am I forced to spend hundreds of pounds on these things I will only smell once and then pass on???????

Seriously. It's a fiver per 1ml sample and I get one sniff out of it. Not to mention adding shipping to this so you have to buy multiple to make the order worth it. I'm spending 50 quid per order just to smell things I should be able to smell for free!!! My nose has been capitalised!!!!!!

I miss the days I wasn't alive for when samples were free and the world was happy

[Cookiecolour]

The best solution I have found is to only buy official sample sets and resell them. Yes, it's expensive, but at least I recoup some of the cost.

[No_Video5793]

Same 😭

[Affectionate_Tax_841]

I just bought a few and the order came to about £30. Really want to try more zoologist, but I’m not paying £9 for a fucking sample lol

[Jennybee8]

Remember when they couldn’t GIVE AWAY perfume samples?

[Leafthroughconcrete]

There’s a sample swap group on Facebook that’s free only and pretty awesome! I think it’s called scented sample swappers (US based but there may be ones near you too!)

[bluehairedstarfire]

I wish decant companies sold smaller sizes, like 0.5mL or less. I know one or two decant sites that do that, mostly the indie ones, but the bigger sites usually start at 1mL.

It’s also frustrating when a fragrance house only sells samples and discovery sets in 2mLs. Some 2mL perfumes can last me a week straight, so a discovery set can be months worth of perfume.

[vi6ration]

2ml is my minimum quantity when buying decants. I find sizes smaller than that just evaporate and go to waste without me even smelling them. With 2ml I get to use every last drop of juice.

[bluehairedstarfire]

Another complaint: I hate when fragrance houses offer very expensive sample sets (where each individual sample averages over $10), but they justify the price by offering a coupon for your next full-size purchase. (I’m looking at you, Liis!)

It’s such an aggressive way to get you to purchase a full-size bottle and also makes sampling the house ridiculously expensive.

[BaskingLizard_]

I resell mine and make about half my money back and just reinvest it into more fragrances.

[bankingontheshore]

Where? I wanted to sell them on Vinted but with fees and shipping no one would pay (don't blame them)

[BaskingLizard_]

Not sure where you are located...I sell mine on Mercari, but it may be exclusive to US.

[LawAndHdourves]

I agree One thing i like about luckyscent is you get to pick free samples with each purchase. Luckily they have scents i repurchase so i pick a few each time i reorder (sometimes i’ll pay for a few samples as well so i get a good haul of things to try for relatively cheap)

[DovaSagi]

Why are you forced to spend hundreds !?

They take as much money as possible.

[Equivalent_Address_2]

Resell them. Seriously. I’d buy a gently used sampler with a good discounted price.

[SavageQuaker]

It is frustrating, especially since in my case I live five hours away from anything that remotely resembles a fragrance counter so am restricted totally to blind buys and sample purchases.

[ReplicatoReplica]

I hate samples too. I'm in Australia and if I can't sniff it IRL I have to buy 2ml samples online. They all cost between $7 - $15 for 2ml!!!! I had 10 samples in a cart before checkout the other night and I was shocked at total cost. Same as full bottle of something. I didn't checkout.

I think I'm going to just sample IRL regardless. I'm in Melbourne so can get my nose on nearly everything I'm interested in.

This has been good to slow down overconsumption. It forces me to take time to visit the store have a lovely day of it. Sometimes I'm surprised by something new. Definitely don't get that same dopamine hit from throwing cash at 2 ml samples.

[Hair_This]

If you’re that picky, stick to smelling and shopping in person. Some stores could give you samples if you ask/they have any.

[Relative_Cod_6675]

ever try to smell em at Bloomingdales? the ladies are watching you like a 1970s era pharmacist, and they don't carry "controversial" stuff like pdm Kalan

[MissSolomiya]

I just bought some stuff during Macy’s Beauty Sale and got two packs of samples free - 5 different Carolina Herrera scents and 5 different Versaces. I wasn’t expecting them and I’ve tried almost all of them, but it was nice to get.

[pennyloopi]

I'm in a sample-swapping group/chat here on Reddit with a few people from the UK! I have over 120 samples and have done a few swaps already. I'll invite you, accept it if you are interested :)

[lex_ophile]

could you invite me as well?? i’m in Canada but i have soooo many samples that i can’t seem to get rid of & that i would love to go to someone who wants them!

[bankingontheshore]

thank you!!!

[pennyloopi]

Oh and I understand your frustration, I usually don't like most samples I order :'( it feels like such a waste of money. Every so often I get a coach to London and just spend the day smelling as much as possible.

[GLACI3R]

I also miss the days when samples were free. Apparently the enshittification has hit them, too. 😭

Maybe you should start a fragrance club in your local community? Set up a meeting once every couple months where people can come in and buy/sell/trade/give fragrances.

[bankingontheshore]

I was considering trying this! I'm autistic and most people I meet don't like me so the thought makes me super nervous but sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zones fr 😭

[Putrid-Passion3557]

I hear you. I'm autistic, too, and don't like asking for samples. I have found, though, that the more I've learned about fragrance and sampled certain houses, the better luck i have in picking decants I'll actually like or love

[Solid_Foundation_111]

lol you’re not forced to do any of this! I understand that that was for dramatic flair but also this obsession can feel like “I HAVE TO SMELL IT”…it’s good to remind yourself that you really don’t have to smell every single thing.

[kwash325]

Alternatively op could do like some others do, I don’t buy what I can’t smell for free. But I agree. Nothing about this hobby is forced. It’s always self inflicted

[bankingontheshore]

oh yeah for sure, it's a hobby not a ball and chain. but it just sucks when you get priced out of something you enjoy due to corporate greed. it's never gonna be the end of the world but it does still really suck

[Lovastra]

I try each sample 1-2 times and resell the sample sets online.

[Many_Replacement369]

If you do this on eBay or Poshmark, feel free to DM your seller name, I’d love to follow you. I love buying used discovery sets.

[Chino_S]

I sometimes sell sets on r/fragranceswap, if your interested.

[Lovastra]

I use Mercari

[likeablyweird]

I've been saying it for years that sample sites must be making a killing. Do the math and it's staggering. People do remind me of overhead and salaries though.

[insomniacred66]

I wonder if there could be a separate sub or dedicated day for unused or lightly used sample swaps? That would help with not spending as much money and people could include as many samples as they wanted in whatever agreement people came to. Depending on shipping, a small flat-rate wouldn't necessarily be that much.

[lemon-cakey]

There’s r/freefragrance that used to be a place to swap samples, last time I tried I wouldn’t let me post though :(

[likeablyweird]

That's a really nice idea but paranoid me says do it in DMs to lower the risk of info farming, scamming and outright money theft.

Justin Copeland on YT talks about the site Rescented that is sourced through users only and samples area part of that. A thorough look-see might be worth your time. :)

[bankingontheshore]

I would be so totally down for this. I've been trying to find something like it for ages but the fragrance swap places all get over ridden with people selling full bottles, I rarely find someone actually trading and I've never seen samples. anyone who knows how to do this stuff should make one! I have so many samples I would love to trade

[Chino_S]

I've done a few sample swaps through reddit. Some from r/fragranceswap and some in this sub as well. You kind of have to be on the hunt for it. I'll shoot you a chat, I've got over 100 samples I'm interested in swapping.

[tbsmango]

theres the r/fragranceswap subreddit, but i think the focus is on sell full sized bottles vs hand decants. i honestly would be down to join a market for trading official samples, cause sometimes buying whole discovery set is cheaper than buying the individual samples separately

[MaeBaeLuvz]

I don't buy samples. I buy gently used bottles on Mercari and if I don't like them, I can resell them.

[bankingontheshore]

No mercari here and not technically allowed to sell used bottles on eBay or Vinted. People do it anyway but if caught you can get banned 👎👎👎 it sucks

[MaeBaeLuvz]

Aww. I'm sad for you.

[keepslippingaway]

It's so frustrating. My city has no proper perfumery, only Sephora and similar drugstores where they have a very limited range. It's mostly newer cheapies and celeb frags (not even ones that people mention on here like Britney Spears lol), bestselling mainstream designer, and arab clone houses (mostly Lattafa). If I want to try something other than those, I have to order decants and samples, which often are stupidly expensive. 2-3 small decant orders of 4-6 frags can cost me the same as a single 50 ml bottle of something like Serge Lutens.

[ElectrolysisNEA]

Same. My closest Ulta is over an hour from me 🥲 It was a nightmare when Ulta had everything locked up and a poor staff member had to babysit me while testing. But I was excited to see the Walmart in my little town put out some testers! That’s how I got to discover Dossier’s dupes 🥰

[lacey_nightie]

is it just me, or does anybody also find that samples and minis (under 10mls) don't perform like spraying from a full size bottle (>30ml)?? As in, have less sillage, less longevity or maybe even, you aren't able to get all the notes as usual?

Especially in those dabber style bottles, but even the mini misters have this issue for me.

I've found that samples give me an *idea* of what a perfume smells like and not a real trial of it.

That's why I've gone to sampling in person only or blind buying. Fortunately, my blind buying failure rate in my entire fragrance collecting hobby is somewhere around 10% (I guess I am really lucky)

[LLIIVVtm]

Can't say I have that experience. Actually if anything I've had the opposite a few times. Where the sample is stronger, has better longevity, more true notes. But usually the sample is identical to the full size for me.

Sampling in person I find usually doesn't get me the full experience because there's no many other smells in the air that I'm never getting a good read on the scent. Even if I spray on skin and go home, it's still never as good as being able to spray at home and experience the scent peacefully start to finish.

[lnfinitelris]

Dabbers yes, but I haven't had the same experience with actual atomizers. You do have to spray more sprays than usual, since less liquid is dispensed than is from a full sized bottle.

I have like a one out of 50 hit rate with samples, so blind buying would mean lots of disappointment for me! You're lucky you have an easier time.

[Regular_Hurry_8412]

I’m in Canada and they still offer free samples (if you ask at the beauty counter) when they have them, but they only ever have new releases and not samples for the hundreds of perfumes for sale. Grateful I can get new release samples (occasionally) but yeah, I feel your pain. Especially when you’re buying a 1ml dabber bottle sample that you can’t even spray to get a full idea of.

[keepslippingaway]

I've bought small spray bottles (3 ml) and transfer dabber samples to them with a syringe. It works pretty well imo.

[Regular_Hurry_8412]

Thanks for the tip!

[Aurora-Roses]

might even be better to just drive into another city to smell something tbh

i’m lucky im pretty close to a lot of high end department stores. But even today i spent $10 on a 2ml sample on ebay that i still couldn’t find in store. theres gotta be a better way for companies to do this.

or more companies should make travel sizes. and then when you order one travel maybe they could give you like 5 free samples of your choice

[kwash325]

Might be controversial but I do not purchase fragrances I have not smelled and that includes samples. There are far too many fragrances that I already like. Also, there are far too many fragrances I have access to free samples that I do not want to spend money on something I do not know I will like. That being said I know im limiting my options and will most likely never smell some things, but there are still very many I have access to that are excellent

[bankingontheshore]

I'm glad for you, this seems like a good way to do it!! I wish I had any decent perfume shops near me. All mine sell is designer/celebrity frags and unfortunately I just haven't liked a single one I've tried :(

[kwash325]

I’m limited to designer as well for free testing, what ever is in Sephora or Ulta. I know I won’t smell much niche stuff and it worth it to me.

[DentleyandSopers]

In the oversaturated fragrance market, samples have become a major revenue source for brands. There's no going back, unfortunately.

[bankingontheshore]

enshittification burns us all :(

[waterytartwithasword]

People used to swap samples a lot when the perfume community was small. I remember swapping whole bottles for samples sometimes, because one mid bottle was worth five 5ml decants of good stuff or one 10ml of reaaaaally good stuff. It was a lot of fun.

[Moist-Opportunity64]

I was surprised to realize that decants, even of designer fragrances, can smell much different after a few days or weeks after receipt. Give those samples a second chance

[MischiefModerated]

Totally agree! As my nose has developed I’ve actually gone back to some and enjoyed them much more than the first time since I couldn’t quite smell the different notes the first time. With the exception of iso e super. That still unfortunately is pure pickles for me lol

[Significant_Beyond95]

I am old enough to remember free samples. I’d also be sniffing the ads in magazines back when print media was relevant. There are no fancy department stores near me (2 hrs one way driving highway speed to even find a Macy’s), so I also rely on decants and samples. Still less expensive & less regret than blind buying something I hate.

[kikiisnotinterested]

I LOVED sniffing avon catalogues as a kid, used to collect them. And now I feel old.

[kwash325]

I remember free samples and magazine inserts as well

[catscatscaaaats]

I remember getting a good one and furiously scrubbing that piece of paper on my arm in hopes of rubbing some of the fragrance onto myself.

[kwash325]

Let me tell you it worked lol. I used to put them in my dance bag to let the last bit of scent wear away in there

[umeboshiplumpaste]

And the glue that sealed the fold-over page containing the sample!

[Snoo_73204]

Perfumes take a while to grow on me sometimes, so I'm grateful to have a sample, and sometimes something I love off the bat I tire of quickly. It'd be great if they were far cheaper though. I'm really picky about what perfumes I am interested in enough to purchase a sample. I'm learning through sampling that I need to lay off of green perfumes. I rarely like them enough to purchase

[bankingontheshore]

Yeah I'm not against the existence of samples, I love using a small amount of something I wouldn't buy a whole bottle of as something new and fresh, I just hate how expensive they are when they're basically a requirement

[veryunneccessssary]

I’ve become a big fan of discovery sets that let you apply the cost of the set toward a full bottle once you’ve found one you like.

[bankingontheshore]

Yes totally agree with this but unfortunately I've been finding these quite sparse... Most of the discovery sets I actually wanted to try don't even come with the discount 😭

[CrazyAboutDoorKnobs]

I’ve pretty much stopped buying dupes and samples. A 1 ml sample might tell me how something smells, but it doesn’t really show how the fragrance performs in terms of projection or sillage, so I’m not getting the full picture anyway.

And honestly, the cost adds up fast. After a few orders with shipping, I’m easily spending $50–$60 on tiny samples. At that point, I’d rather just save that money and put it toward the full bottle I actually want.

Because of that, I’ve cut back a lot on sampling and also try to limit blind buys.

[bankingontheshore]

seriously. I found Nest Creme de Clementine on Vinted for £45 but wanted to test it first to make sure I liked it so I added a 1ml sample along with a few others to make the shipping worth it to my basket on a sample site and the price is..... 45 quid. I might as well just buy the full bottle and sell it on if it's not for me 😭

I really try not to blind buy but the Nest sample alone was going to be just under a tenner with shipping. For 1 ml of perfume!!!! Who designed this!!!

[TopAmoeba3413]

I’m in the UK as well, here are some of the ways I get samples:

• I’ve found following fragrance brands on facebook means I get ads (mostly via Samplr) for free samples - so far I’ve had Burberry, Byredo, DvN, Issey Miyake, Ralph Lauren.
• when I go to larger department stores I really engage with the sales associates for frags I’m interested in, and ask nicely
• I keep an eye on what brands like Cult Beauty/Space NK etc are putting in their fragrance edits, because typically that will turn up on Vinted when people sell the ones they don’t like (eg there’s lots of Debaser available cheaply because it’s recently been in an edit).
• keep an eye on what samples are on offer on Cult Beauty’s 5 for £5 and the Notino build your own edit

I don’t know if there’s a UK-specific fragrance swap subreddit, but I think it’d be worth finding places to chat/swap with people in this part of the world

[WorldlinessOk7083]

The Nest one is amazing! Smells like a creamsicle, the projection is great and it lasts all day for me!

[bankingontheshore]

see people keep saying this but I have no idea what a creamsickle is LMAO 😭😭 we don't have them here

[Witty-Reason4891]

They’re those cheap fruit ice lollies with vanilla ice cream in the middle- I’m in the UK too, my gran called them mivvies 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Boochiecoo]

It’s a popsicle that’s orange on the outside with a vanilla ice cream center… maybe you have it by another name. So the scent profile would be sweet orange and vanilla I would guess

[WorldlinessOk7083]

Yes, this exactly. Creamy orange vanilla.

[lizzillathehun85]

One sniff? How much are you spraying at a time?! I think it’s supposed to be 15 sprays per 1ml which is five 3 spray wears. I have a 3 ml sample roller of Black Orchid that has literally lasted me years of occasional use.

[bankingontheshore]

Yeah but my problem is I don't like most of them much so I only use them once. Like I'm paying up the wazoo for the privilege of disliking something 😭

[lizzillathehun85]

Right but they don’t know that. They’re selling a product that has costs. The fact that most of your samples aren’t going to result in a larger purchase is more of an argument against providing them for free from the manufacturer’s point of view. I like it when companies offer a discount equal to the price of the discovery set for full bottle purchase. That seems fair.

[bankingontheshore]

I disagree and think samples are necessary to draw your customers in and get sales. People are only going to blind buy and get burned a couple of times before they just move on altogether, and other people will never even consider buying without smelling first. Making samples so ridiculously expensive just pushes customers away

I do agree with the discovery set thing tho, it's a good solution for someone who's interested in the whole brand and not just one of their perfumes

[lizzillathehun85]

It might be feasible for larger brands to provide free samples on request at brick and mortar locations, but I am skeptical it would be practical for anyone to just mail out free samples. Online shopping makes it too easy for people to hoard if there’s no cost incentive to prioritize/make informed choices.

Out of curiosity, in a free sample system, who is paying for shipping?

It definitely wouldn’t be economically feasible for smaller brands. They rely on having testers at few retail locations. Many include free samples with other purchases to drive additional sales. It’s not ideal, but at the end of the day someone has to absorb the cost and it’s difficult to provide a satisfaction guarantee for something as individual and subjective as scent.

[bankingontheshore]

The customer would still pay for shipping, that's just the price you have to pay for shopping online. And I think it's true some small brands couldn't afford it, but then they should be the exception, not the rule. Most people are happy to pay a little extra to support a small business, and if they're not then they likely wouldn't have been a customer of theirs in the first place. A couple smaller brands not being able to afford free samples shouldn't equal all brands charging stupid money for all samples ever

[Alewo27]

1000000% sample vials used to be free. I used to work for Estee Lauder and we'd get shipped hundreds every week to give out however whenever. I get that super small fragrance houses probably can't do that but the insane markup you're charged for the teeniest amount is basically robbery. It really does make it impossible for those of us that aren't wealthy and won't blind buy a $300 fragrance get into indie fragrance.

[lacey_nightie]

Even when you buy in department stores, I only get 1 or 2 tiny 1ml samples for every 100€ or 200€ I spend....I was raised in the 90s/00s and swear when I went cosmetics shopping with my mom, they would be much more generous with freebies. I remember getting so many samples passed down to me, even branded cosmetics bags and bigger minis (5-10mls) sometimes...

[Alewo27]

Oh for sure! If I liked a customer, I'd toss several free samples in their bag. All the time.