How do you approach expensive buys?

I’m not really used to really expensive fragrances. I have some fragrances but the most expensive one is probably 100$/€

Now on my holidays I’ve smelled some really, REALLY nice fragrances. At least, the sprays on paper were really nice and sometimes sprayed on my body, also nice.

But for me at least, it’s quite a step to buy such thing. How do you approach this?

Do you buy impulsively? Do you sleep a night on it? Ask to spray it on a couple of times by the perfumery? Sometimes it’s too far away to go back regularly.
 How many times do you go back before they don’t believe that you’re going to buy anymore? Or do you just hunt for those little decants (not always available)?

Sorry for all my questions:-) 

Oh one more question. Do you have an absolute max price for yourself? I.e. you don’t buy bottles more expensive than 250€?

Since I'm the first to reply, I'd suggest two things to make sure we are comparing apples to apples in this discussion:

1. Think of the price you paid vs. retail price. If you bought a perfume costing $500 retail price but bought it at a discounter for $250 or a bottle without a box on ebay for $200, it's the price you paid we are discussing even though you are a good bargain hunter!

2. If my most expensive perfume is $300 for 100 ml and your's is $250 for 50 ml, you obviously have a higher spending limit. Let's talk about price for 100 ml quantities. 

i'd say unfortunately, there is:

Expensive perfumes that is overkill in terms of price, due to natural and rare ingredients. But they lack blending and overall perfume structure.

And on the other side, we have companies such as Roja, taking 1000$+ for PDLN line, and i would not say that it is something beyond special, but. The presentation is superb.

I'd say, if you get into houses such as rouge perfumery, or hendley, we'll see a spectrum of 70-160$ perfumes +-30$.

Get more sleep, and don't burn your money. Sample first

I've yet to want anything actually prohibitively expensive! but I'd buy through a discounter, if possible. definitely would think real hard about it and get a sample or test multiple times.

For me personally, I look at decants first. Since I have a decent sized collection, I'm often looking for scent profiles I do not have. If I find one I love, I'll look for full bottles on discounters before I ever buy from a retailer or the brand website. There are some brands that are difficult to find on discounters and decant websites (Chanel, LV, HJ, etc.). My spending limit is $500 per fragrance (which I have yet to spend) unless it is really really freaking good and one of a kind! Example, Isola Blu Parfum is like $495 full price but Basso is about $325 full price. You can find Basso on discounters for around $220ish. These scent profiles are too similar too go with the more expensive Isola Blu Parfum

Buying discovery kits by the brand (not decants by third parties) could be a way to go. You can test them properly. Some of these can be quite affordable. (For example, I can see a Penhaligon’s scent library (10x2) for AUD76 at a local department store. Even I can buy that. And you can get plenty of wear from 20ml.) Better yet, wait for them to be on sale.

Going back to ask for samples multiple times may be difficult, depending on the perfumery. Where I live, some perfumeries are very generous and some aren't. ( By the way: when I decide to buy a perfume of which I got more samples from one particular shop, I ofcourse will buy the perfume there and won't look for lower prices elseware - out of decency). 

I never decide on a perfume when just smelling it in a shop! There are too many scents lingering there and those scents will influence the way you perceive a perfume. 

There are online and fysical shops that sell samples like others have stated. Absolutely the best way to decide on a perfume I think. 

Completely agree @Ringtale , when you go out testing a couple of times in the shop, it’s only decent to ultimately buy it there. With an exception for Douglas and Ici Paris perhaps 😛

Same! And I am lucky enough to have some nice niche shops and a very decent department store in my neighborhood. I also discovered a very nice Italian shop where you can buy online and had a nice time chatting online with the owner.

And I don't shop from Sephora, Nocibé, Douglas or Ici Paris (I am very close from the Belgian border), unsafe environment to smell properly a perfume, sometimes more expensive than the brand website itself, salespersons who know nothing about the products and refuse to give even one sampler.

Save up. When I'm considering sampling a perfume, of course I check the description, notes, etc. but one other thing is it's availability and price at discounters (or the house's website if not available at discounters). If it's over roughly $300 for 100 ml, I won't bother.  There are so many fragrances under that I am waiting to try. Perhaps, once I've become more experienced and tried a whole lot more, I'll move to the more expensive ones. In that case, if it turns out very good, I'd buy a larger decant rather than a full bottle. 

As an aside, regarding full bottle availability - I always check that before ordering samples. Some places only ship within the EU or, if they do ship to the USA, charge $50 for shipping. If I can't find a full bottle source with reasonable shipping after googling for 5 or 10 minutes, I don't bother.

Hi @Ceesie and @EvitaVilla, 

Where I live Ici Paris is very kind and generous in giving samples so I would buy there if I decide on a scent through one of their samples. Douglas is a totaly different thing...often unkind and not very generous in giving samples. And you're right EvitaVilla, they often know nothing about perfumes (or about make-up for that matter ) But I've heard it can differ where you live and where the shop is located. My niece experiences it the other way around where she lives. 

Anything over $150 is expensive to me and has to be a slam dunk for me in some way. I can't just love it, it has to be versatile/wearable, has to fill a niche not occupied in my collection, and has to perform moderately well after being tested IRL several times. I have to sell things or save up for a long time for something that expensive so If it's not truly worth the hustle, I'll just get a decant. 

That’s a great way to look at it! I’m having this love/hate relationship with Dior Sauvage Elixir , I really like it a lot having tested it several times. But is it versatile? Will I wear it at every opportunity? No. And no. So it’s a really expensive thing to buy.

I’m based in the U.S., where there are lots of decanters. It’s unusual not to be able to find a decant of a scent unless it is very niche. My rule is: buy a decant sample (1 ml), then if I like it I’ll get a travel spray size decant (5 or 10 ml). Only after I have used up the travel size will I consider a full bottle. But for some very expensive fragrances—I’m looking at you BR 540—I only buy the decant travel sprays. It’s like buying a bottle on the installment plan, lol.