Do you ever blind buy? Or do you always test first?

Ah thank goodness I didn’t buy it, it’s recommended by so many influencers!

What’s it like then?

@Ceesie To me, it had that musty old man smell… mixed with smoke and leather. I was not a fan at all. 

At the start of my fragrance journey, I'd often find something I really want to try based on the notes, but couldn't find a sample/decant of anywhere, so I'd blind buy it if it was cheap. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of my blind buys did not work out for me at all (the exceptions being a couple of Serge Lutens, which I still wear a lot).

I've learnt my lesson and now have some rules: I won't blind buy, everything has to be a sample, and even if I love the sample I won't buy a full bottle unless I use up the sample first (which takes a surprisingly long time). I've also learnt that the advertised notes aren't actually that useful for determining if I'm going to like something. Often it smells like nothing like I expected based on the notes. So rather than blind buying just because I think the notes sound great, these days I search my favorite decant website first to see if I can get a sample, and narrow down my selections based on that. I've realised I enjoy exploring a wide variety of scents more than having big bottles of one or two, anyway, so almost my entire collection is now samples/decants.

I blind bought Pardon and it was very good. 

My very first blind purchase was a Rasasi Darej, unfortunately I didn't like the scent so I quickly got rid of it.

I used to blind buy. Ended up giving them away. But when I blind buy its because of the bottle most of the time. I managed to stop myself this time though. I was going to blind buy the "Elle Anniversary | XerJoff" because the bottle is so pink and gorgeous. But i did a deep dive on the reviews and ppl said it didnt have much longevity so I held back my urgers. I did blind buy the Ishq Special but it was cheaper on souk and i have tried the original anfas ishq. The special is 30% stronger so I figure it cant be thattttt different.

yes, I occasionally blind buy. I used to do it more, but now I do it much, much less. I'm really particular and would much rather sample, though in many cases it's not possible. still, I'm happier to skip a reckless blind buy now than I may have been a year or two ago. 

Blind buying is a gamble—sometimes you strike gold, other times it’s a pricey mistake. It can be exciting, especially with well-reviewed fragrances that align with your taste, but testing first is always the safer bet.

Still a newbie in this lovely fragrance world, I don't own many nor tested so many references.
I did a blind buy of Floranilla. It was an outrageous success, I fucking love it and thanks to it, I became really passionate about complex, out of bounds and/or niche fragrance. It's the only "expensive" blind buys.
Other are inexpensive and were relatively safe, except for Bois Intense, I didn't know what to expect from this one but I really like it.

I almost did a blind buy of Divine Vanille, I was confident to love it. Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum also got my attention, yet a bit unsure about this one.
Then I kept my reason and bought the discovery set, all the 10 fragrances from Essential Parfums. It's inexpensive for 24€ which is nice.
So, from the 10, there is one in particular I can't stand and will never buy.
And you know which one? Divine Vanille. Yep, the one I was the most confident to blind buy...
Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum is great though, but gives me headaches.
I ended up buying Fig Infusion, fell in love. Didn't thought I would.

I know I will do it again, there's the excitement of mystery... however, with a lot of caution, except for inexpensive fragrances.

I have just done a blind buy on Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes Eau de Parfum. Was £25 so not a massive risk financially. Worn it a couple of times and please with the outcome so far. Had done a bit of reading up on it before buying and it seems fairly popular on here so thought for that price it was a safe enough gamble.

I think most of us here will agree than blind buying $200+ fragrance is never a good idea. I'd buy a sample every single time.

However, if we talk about cheaper fragrances, then I've blind bought pretty much all of them. Still, I'm eager to expand my collection and try all that I can, so unless you're like me, sampling before buying is always the way to go

I used to blind buy a lot before the existence of decants. As a result, I accumulated lots of bottles. Nowadays, with the popularity of perfumes resulting in reviews on social media and online sites offering samples, that blind-buying habit has died down. However, I do make an exception for perfumes that have all my favourite notes with no reviews in sight and no samples, and usually, that turns out to be a successful blind buy.

As a rule, I never blind-buy. However, some brands are really hard to find where I live, so if I read a lot of positive reviews from people with similar tastes whom I trust and follow, I occasionally ask my friend overseas to get it for me. The latest purchase was Cuir de Venise based on @Musicandarts' review. And happy to say that it was everything he said and I Iove it.

I have made a couple blind buys when my research convinced me I'd really like certain fragrances but samples weren't available. Both times it worked out. 

Blind buying ) I don't think it's a good idea.

Actually, I don't think anyone would walk into a perfume shop and blindly choose a perfume without knowing what it smells like, whether they like it or not, or just spend money for the sake of spending it.
Testing it first allows you to evaluate how the fragrance smells on your skin and if it suits your taste. 
Now, buying samples or small bottles blindly may be fine, but picking up a Tom Ford Oud Wood, a Boss Bottled Oud, La Nuit de l'Homme, or the legendary Creed, I don't think so. 
It is essential to test perfume before buying.

I blind buy Loewe's fragrances. Their samples are hard to find here, and the test bottles are pretty much non-existent at the perfume shops unless you live in the capital... But based on what I already managed to accrue – I see their vision and (at least when it comes to masculine/unisex frags) can pretty confidently guess that I will like whatever comes in the mail.

Everything else? I buy decants, try them, say "ah well" and give the leftovers away. Thus far I didn't vibe with anything I've tried enough to at least keep the decants, so blind buying full bottles is completely out the question. 

But who knows what the future holds. The fragrance world is vast, perhaps the next big discovery about myself awaits right around the corner, lol. 

Sometimes blind bought, it feels like a gamble, and nothing compared to the rush one feels when doing so.

Sometimes I won, sometimes I loss.

In the end, I'd prefer to not blind buy, as it's always a struggle to try resell.

But I enjoyed every bit of it.

If its like $15 or under I might. I figure the worst that could happen is I dont like it and I either a) save it as a gift someone I think might like, or b) put it up for sale online. 

Anything over $30 or $40 I definitely test. I think with this hobby is important for me to maintain being intentional with my purchasing when I can.

$30 is my cutoff limit for blind buys. (The exception is if it's something vintage, like my bottles of Insensé Eau de Toilette and Joy Eau de Parfum ... something that I would value as a piece of history even if it happened that I didn't love the scent. But I did love the scent of both of those, happily).

But even for the cheap ones, I don't want to blind buy unless I know the perfume might have some value for me even if I don't like the scent. Either as a part of history or as a very pretty vanity ornament, lol.

Always test or buy some decants.

I've blind-bought several Middle Eastern perfumes in the past (armaf, afnan, french avenue, lattafa, rasassi), but it's always a hit or miss...😁

Its like a hobby for me, do a bit research and see whats the result. With blind buys I’m mostly buying on cheaper ones, maybe twice I bought blindly +150$ bottles due to limited availability. So far been lucky 😊 

When buying samples I’m much more lazy with doing research, maybe thats what makes blind buying interesting, like a little journey.

Those who seek excitement by blind buying I recommend to blind buy for your partner or a friend 😅 

I am still a blind buyer from time to time, but I've got my limits for spending on blind buys. I test as much as possible otherwise. even when it comes to blind buys, I think on them for a while. I did a couple of impulse buys recently, along with one I'd been thinking on and off about for a while. they're all great, so I won there, but I can't see myself doing that again for a while. I do prefer testing. 

i feel like i absolutely have to buy samples (no irl fragrance stores that are worth a damn) before blind buying something mostly bc i dont have like a high budget for fragrances. tho i did blind buy "Citrush (2025) | Boy Smells" and Varens Sweet - Coco Soleil as an early bday gift (tbf i got the travel size of citrush and coco soleil was only like 9 bucks and i figure it seems pretty normal)

I never blind buy. I want to. The itch is there. But I know better. On paper Spicebomb Extreme should have been a scent I love. I wanted it so bad but resisted. 

I did order a sample. I sprayed it on. I instinctively smelled my armpit because I thought I had BO or maybe forgot deodorant? No. It was Spicebomb Extreme. 

From that point on, I promised myself to never blind buy. 

No I'm too scared and a full bottle is such a commitment!!!!!