Buying Testers

[bigred90gt]

Does anyone know of any reason not to buy a "new, never sprayed" tester bottle of cologne from ebay, as opposed to a regular bottle? The tester is the same size, has a cap, but no box, and comes with a 1.7oz sample of the shower gel. I would think the juice itself would be fine (afterall, people are using it to try out the fragrance), and since it is all there it seems like a good deal.

the 3.4oz bottles of this cologne are going for around $40 - $50 depending on where you look. I can pick it up locally for $47. This particular ebay deal is $35 with free shipping, which as mentioned, also includes a small shower gel sample.

 

[Carlin]

I've bought testers before. Like you said, the only downside is no box.

 

[bigred90gt]

Sweet, thanks for the info. This is what I bought:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370298128453&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

There are 3 more available if anyone is interested in it. I have been wanting to sample it before buying, but everywhere I have seen it, no one has a tester bottle to try out. I figure if I dont like it, I can either re-list if on ebay, or offer it up here in the BST.

 

[WhosYerBob]

So far all the testers I've bought from online sources have been perfectly fine. I say go for it.

 

[kingfisher]

I think you'll like it. I'd be very surprised to find it on the B/S/T. It's a nice scent. Enjoy!

 

[john parker]

What has been said. Plus testers may not come with a cap. The only "downside" is if you are a collector of fragrances or are trying to sell to a collector of fragrances who want to collect original, boxed products.

 

[bigred90gt]

What has been said. Plus testers may not come with a cap. The only "downside" is if you are a collector of fragrances or are trying to sell to a collector of fragrances who want to collect original, boxed products.

If for some chance I dont like it, I dont care if a collector wants it, as long as SOMEBODY does. According to the auction, it does include the cap. Even if it didnt, it wouldnt matter. It is just going to sit on my bathroom counter.

 

[jakespoppy]

From several decants of various EdT's, this is one I liked enough to get a bottle. I think it is very likely you will like this one. You got a good deal on it, too.

 

[toucanlamp]

There's no difference at all. The only potential issue is that when you buy a tester you are buying grey market product. Testers aren't meant to be sold and so it isn't the brand's intention. So, there is a good chance that the bottle might be a couple years old and has been sitting in some 100 degree warehouse in Hong Kong all that time.

I've bought some testers and they are no different from what you get in the department store, but then I've bought ones in which I could definitely notice from the very beginning that the smell was off.

If you're only saving a little bit like that, I'd personally just buy the legit stuff. Whenver I've bought testers, the discounts were substantial, I'm talking 60-70% off normal retail price, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

 

[bigred90gt]

I got it yesterday, and tried it out. I'm not sure I like it yet. I may have to give it another go. If it still doesnt sit right with me, it'll be on the BST.

 

[Will P.C.]

I don't know if this holds any truth or not not, but a guy that I know who is very
educated in colognes, scents, etc. told me that some companies make the testers smell stronger than they actually do.

I have no idea how true this is. The guy seems to be a reliable source, but I have my reservations about this. He claims that about 10% of the fragrances out there do this. I know nothing about cologne and actually own a few testers myself and they are fine to me.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I don't know if this holds any truth or not not, but a guy that I know who is very
educated in colognes, scents, etc. told me that some companies make the testers smell stronger than they actually do.

I have no idea how true this is. The guy seems to be a reliable source, but I have my reservations about this. He claims that about 10% of the fragrances out there do this. I know nothing about cologne and actually own a few testers myself and they are fine to me.

I think that's an urban legend.

 

[bigred90gt]

I would think the tester would be the same juice as the real deal mccoy. If you wanted someone to know what the scent was like to entice them to buy it, I would think putting the real juice in the bottle would be the best way to go about it. Otherwise, you would have a bunch of pissed off customers and no repeat business.

 

[bigred90gt]

SON OF A *****!!!!!! I wore it again today, and it is starting to grow on me. The first time, I didnt particularly enjoy it. Today, I quite liked it. This was the 2nd time I have worn it.

I was carrying the bottle through the house, and dropped it on the kitchen floor (ceramic tiles). Needless to say, my entire house now smells like Givenchy Gentleman. My garage also smells like it, since I used the broom to sweep up the glass. Being that my wife does not particularly care for it, I'm sure she is loving the fact that her house now smells like it. Her and her sisters had just finished about 5 hours of baking cookies, and in an instant, the smell of fresh baked cookies was gone.

Even though I was starting to like it, I'm not sure I'm going to replace it. I'll find something else. Probably go back to my Joop Nightflight, and I'll probably pick up a bottle of John varvatos while I'm at it.

 

[jakespoppy]

I've seen John Varvatos at Marshall's and/or TJMaxx on West Gray, too. Don't know if it's there now or not, but it's worth checking. Too bad about the Givenchy Gentleman!

 

[Stormin]

That is way to bad. Got a sampler of the Tom Ford Private Line (Tobacco Vanille) today at the local shop. The brand's rep was in and more than happy to give away a bottle that he should have charged me about $20 for.

I think if I dropped it I would be terribly sad, and the house would REEK! (It would smell like my humidor and a spilled vanilla latte, which I would love for a few hours, but then grow to hate.)

 

[toucanlamp]

That is way to bad. Got a sampler of the Tom Ford Private Line (Tobacco Vanille) today at the local shop. The brand's rep was in and more than happy to give away a bottle that he should have charged me about $20 for.

I think if I dropped it I would be terribly sad, and the house would REEK! (It would smell like my humidor and a spilled vanilla latte, which I would love for a few hours, but then grow to hate.)

That's the worst possible thing that can happen. I remember reading a story on basenotes about some guy who dropped a bottle of cologne on the tiles and it broke near a heating vent and some went down into it, and even several years later, on cold winter days when the furnace really kicked in the smell would be very pronounced around that area. Essential oils are just insanely powerful scent-wise, if you look at the ratios of how much of an ingredient it takes to get a tiny little amount of essential oil, it makes sense.

 

[dwnwrdishvnwrd]

It is just going to sit on my bathroom counter.

You may not want to do that with any of your scents. Bathrooms are far too humid and hot during showers and it ruins the fragrance plus light is notorious for breaking down scent molecules and rendering your frags useless. Places that are cool, dry, and dark are your best bet.

 

[bigred90gt]

You may not want to do that with any of your scents. Bathrooms are far too humid and hot during showers and it ruins the fragrance plus light is notorious for breaking down scent molecules and rendering your frags useless. Places that are cool, dry, and dark are your best bet.

The light is on in my bathroom for a grand total of about 20 minutes a day. The rest of the day the light is off and the door is closed. I also shower with the bathroom door open. On top of that, I think maybe 1 or 2 bottles of cologne have lasted a year, the rest less. Of course, this was during times when I typically only had 1 or 2 different bottles.

Now that I am building up a stock, it may become an issue over time, as they should start to last longer.

 

[jakespoppy]

You may not want to do that with any of your scents. Bathrooms are far too humid and hot during showers and it ruins the fragrance plus light is notorious for breaking down scent molecules and rendering your frags useless. Places that are cool, dry, and dark are your best bet.

All of mine are now safely buried in the back yard. Now if I could just remember where I buried them......