Traveling Fragrance Sample Box

wscottb7862 has it; insomb is next to receive it


List update
29 wscottb7862 (12/27/13) - box in hand 10/07
30 insomb (12/28/13)
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)

Hey wscottb7862, I apologize if you have already moved past this point, but not seeing an update, I'm going to give some generalizations.

At the 1 month point, and preferably around the 3 week mark, we like to get a sense that things will be moving along soon. In this case, so that we can get Mr. insomb salivating with anticipation.


What is less important than an update is waiting to know your favorites or worst ones or what your wife liked. Those are all greatto find out, but I think it going to be hard to top AndroiDad75's head-spinning review post on 10/03/14, lol. Great if you do, but not worth slowing down the smelling and sniffing and wallowing operations.


You did ask for some suggestions on 10/07 - I apologize for not sending you some.


First, if it is really crazy for you to finish soon, like shipping out in the upcoming weekend, I can put you back at the end of the list for another round later on. Double your pleasure.


Second, before you get the box or as quickly as possible after you see how these are packed and how many, you should figure out what you can add. And that may actually be very little. Not everybody has a lot of samples or samplers or decants or can do decants. The box won't suffer a couple times here and there if somebody can't add tons more that make it hard to wade through in a timely manner.


Third, the box should not be a dumping ground to rid oneself of stuff if it isn't going to really add value if the box is pretty full. When things get lean in the box, sure, we want more stuff. But no set rules. If you like something, nobody is going to know that you didn't leave it for the next guy, but on the other hand, that is someone that won't have the opportunity to sample it.


Fourth, generally, do what seems right. Don't toss in a couple of cheapo-samples and make off with with a handful of expensive ones. You could but the next guy may never have an opportunity to come across that no longer available sample. But also don't feel guilty if something is intriguing and you need more time to figure it out and want it. Do what seems right.


Fifth, do your best with labels. We've had issues with them running, fading, falling off. Not everyone owes a label-maker or have spare empty sample bottles to decant off to. Worst case, put a sample in its own little baggie that is marked with a Sharpie number and name and put a number on a vial with a Sharpie.


Sixth, this is a great and long running package deal - for the price of what I have paid for a single sample off eb@y, I had access to go nuts with a whole box of stuff for a couple of weeks. Everybody has participating in making it so, and that is what is most important. Enjoy it while you can, but make sure the next guy can count on it also.


Seventh, I am a big-arsed windbag. Sorry! No real and true code, just sort-of "guidelines".

Jeez, Zombeezy where were you at last month with all the guidelines!! Sent the Box on this morning.. Tracking # is with Insomb..who I've been pm'ing along the way or at the end anyways,
As is my luck I just typed up this big long post... and this box popped up about leaving the page and I was stuck, lost the post so.. In a nut shell ..
It was a great experience, I din't really find anything that I just HAD to have.. I've pretty much taken to Guerlain Vetiver and Creed Aventus... My wife thinks that anybody that has more than one cologne is nuts..so I couldn't get anything more out of her than, "I like what you have"
I enjoyed quite a bit..Polo Double Black, which I took i think 2ml of and Ralph Lauren Purple Label, which I took 2ml's also of and a couple shaving creams..
I added:
Penhaligon Blenheim Bouqet 10ml's or so
Penhaligons Sartorial 10ml's or so
tom Ford tobacco Vanille 9ml's or so
Guerlain Vetiver 3 ml's
Chanel Bleu de Chanel 3ml's
Shaving Soap samples free to whoever
Arko
Le Pimeade? not sure of spelling
LaToja
Simply 7
and a few others..
Enjoy y'all it's a fragrant wonderland!!

Nice additions Scott!!!

AndroiDad75 said:

Nice additions Scott!!!

Click to expand...

Thanks Rob, just a little something I had laying around, thought I'd dump some cast-a-ways off

wsottb7862 - Appreciate the update, and glad you enjoyed the experience. Sorry you lost your post though! Over the years, I've learned to always type text into notepad and paste - lost way too many long and good write-ups due to a timeout or other issue, so has been a habit that has stuck with me.

Yeah, my wife doesn't like any of my fragrances these days, but I wear what I want to work and its usually gone by the time I get home anyway.

List update
30 insomb (12/28/13) - on the way 11/18
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)

I know the list is long, and it looks as if you haven't been accepting additional people to participate, but is there any possibility of adding my name to this list? Thanks.

Sure. I'm not the list or box originator, but I've been continuing to add people and keep this moving forward in absence of continued inputs from temjeito or Maxman who I recall helped out for a bit.


List update
30 insomb (12/28/13) - on the way 11/18
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)
42 PGHChris (11/19/14)

It arrived.

Went with Barrister and Mann Rose Otto, followed by the Lilac Vegetal and Amouage JubilationXXV. More than 30 days worth of trial. Looks great! I appreciated that there's some shaving stuff in here as well and will add some more with frags so we can keep that going.

I have no idea what a couple things are, aftershave or cologne. Something that says, 20. What is that? Good variety. Couple empties, honestly I think we should just leave them in there if we can smell them. I smelled the Dominca Bay Rum, while I'm sad it's gone, I can smell enough to know I should get some.

Thanks everybody, will update soon

Thanks for the update insomb. It is both frustrating and fun to have some items that we are clueless on, lol.

List update
30 insomb (12/28/13) - playing with contents
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)
42 PGHChris (11/19/14)

I would like to throw my hat in the ring. Thanks!

Can do.

List update
30 insomb (12/28/13) - playing with contents
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)
42 PGHChris (11/19/14)
43 jdawgl (11/22/14)

Can I get in on this, please?

Can do again.

List update
30 insomb (12/28/13) - playing with contents
31 mastershake (1/01/14)
32 moostashio (1/09/14)
33 kbull719 (5/12/14)
34 LBussy (5/23/14) "if the SO is into it, it makes it a whole lot easier"
35 mrlandpirate (5/24/14) Personna Grata
36 dfoulk (7/7/14)
37 USMCKoontz (7/17/14)
38 Joe I (7/18/14)
39 jmurphy (7/18/14) - dead last is better than being dead
40 smoothie72 (7/25/14) - can't get enough
41 SkepticalWalrus (10/07/14)
42 PGHChris (11/19/14)
43 jdawgl (11/22/14)
44 eventi (11/23/14)

Guys, I really appreciate being on the list and don't want to come off as complaining but is there any way we can keep each person's turn at two weeks as it was in the original post. I haven't looked at how long each person has had the box but it seems like this thing is moving really slow. So if it's a month a person then I'll see this 7 months from now and the last person on the list will be 15 months older when they have their turn.

A secondary idea might be to split the box into two boxes. That way you could get the first box for two weeks then the second for two more. Since there are so many to try and you can only really use one a day it might make sense to consider this. I know I'd gladly pay the extra amount in shipping to have this move more quickly.

Just a thought.

Well, those are good thoughts dfoulk, would like to solicit others feedback on this.

As you can see by the dates I've included in each list update from when each person asked to be on the list, we are currently at the 11 month mark for insomb, not 15 months. But, yes, it would be nice not to have to wait that long to receive the box.

I can tell you this - I turned it around pretty darn fast on my turn, and it was not easy at all. There is too much for one box to go through easily in two weeks, so there is some merit in suggesting a box split.

But the other side of the coin is this - reality. You can't control when it comes in, and everybody has family and jobs. Some are in the military, some are on travel. It may get mailed on a Saturday (probably most typical) and you get it on a Tuesday and may not have much chance to crack it open until the weekend. Then you realize how difficult this is going to be, lol.

We have had some pass when notified their turn was up. Perhaps if it isn't a good time to receive, just ask to be bumped down one or two names or more if that works better for you.

Also, when you receive the box, reach out to the next in line soon to let them know expectations. Don't want to have a delay when a box is ready to ship because we can't get hold of the next in line.

The part that can be controlled is getting your "giveaways" ready in advance of receiving the box..

Weigh in guys on this, please.

I think two boxes solves one issue and potentially creates another. While for me flat rate shipping is about as easy as falling off a log, I know some folks are challenged by having to get one box done up, to the post office, and mailed.

Maybe it's as simple as just a gentle reminder each time the rest of us are expecting ~2 week turnaround?

In other pass around boxes I've been involved with most people adhered to the guidelines and planned accordingly. Sure every once in a while someone took longer than they were supposed to because something came up at work or an unexpected illness, but it wasn't that common. Some also passed it along before the deadline.

It's really not difficult to go to the post office and people who are opposed to going I suspect wouldn't generally sign up for pass around boxes knowing that it would necessitate this. Sure it's an extra hassle but it would be really nice to keep this moving forward.

I haven't done a spreadsheet to figure the average number of days each person has held the box but I suspect that it's a good bit higher than two weeks.

The two boxes thing solves two problems: first it allows you an overall month of having the samples instead of the original two weeks. Second it solves the potential problem of the box getting lost or going missing as you'd send one on before getting the next one. At least if one box went missing it wouldn't be a total loss as there would be another box to build upon keeping the pass around alive.

The negatives are added postal expense of I think about $5 for which you'd get to have 2 additional weeks with the second box. Also, the extra trip to the post office which I don't think is that big of a deal for anyone of us that get involved with this type of thing. I've been there three times in the last week sending things out to other people here.

Sure we can try to keep people motivated to adhere to the two week time frame. I'm good with that if it keeps things moving. If we are successful in doing so then know that they will have to get through all of the samples in 2 weeks as opposed to half for two weeks and the other half for the next two weeks. Sure maybe people are just being lax about it without reminders, but maybe the time needed is part of the reason people are keeping it longer.

If it's split then two people can be enjoying the samples at the same time as opposed to them just sitting in someone's bathroom. You'd also have reviews coming in twice as fast which would keep this thread interesting and moving forward.

Just some thoughts to do with as you please. Please do share your thoughts and concerns as well.

I'm in favor of the 2 boxes.

I gave my concern. The only other concern would be that people on the list didn't sign up for it that way. I don't have strong feelings either way but I'd support the idea so long as nobody that's been waiting will mind.