• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives

The swapmeet (episode 5) & splitmeet (episode 2) follow-up

Posted by Robin on 29 November 2014 51 Comments

orchid-thirds

Upcoming: we'll hold another freebiemeet in January, a splitmeet in February, and the next swapmeet will be in March.

So, for those of you who participated in the 5th swapmeet, or the 2nd splitmeet, how did it go? Feel free to tell us what you got, and whether or not you loved it.

Note: top image is Orchid in Thirds [cropped] by timsackton at flickr; some rights reserved.

Filed Under: poll
Tagged With: splitmeet, swapping

Advertisement


51 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. morgana says:
    29 November 2014 at 12:33 pm

    Unfortunately, the swapmeet was not happy for me this time — sent my bottle but my partner disappeared. It will be better next time; I still have so many good past experiences that this one cannot ruin it.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      29 November 2014 at 12:35 pm

      Seriously, you got swap lifted??? I am SO sorry. If you will send me the user name of your partner, I will make sure they do not participate again.

      Log in to Reply
      • Robin says:
        29 November 2014 at 12:35 pm

        robin at nstperfume dot com

        Log in to Reply
    • nozknoz says:
      30 November 2014 at 1:29 pm

      Same here. Of course, it’s also possible that something happened to her, such as an accident or illness… I guess I’d prefer to think there was one bad apple. Will e-mail Robin.

      Log in to Reply
  2. allgirlmafia says:
    29 November 2014 at 1:25 pm

    This was my first swapmeet andI had an overwhelmingly wonderful experience. I swapped miniatures and samples from my collection as well as some non fragrance items like teas, soaps, chocolates and such. In return I was gifted some very beautiful quality fragrance samples and decants.

    I had exchanges with several different swappers. Each was gracious and generous and sent the items we agreed on along with additional gifts and handwritten notes. One swapper simply sent my requested decant as a gift and asked for nothing in return, she also included makeup and some other lovely fragrances I was so delighted to recieve.

    There are new loves as well, thru these generous ladies I have found that I never want to be without Santal Carmin. Donna Karan and L’Artisan are two houses I will likely begin to purchase from regularly. Malle has exceptional silliage. Cuir Beluga is just as lovely and thick and comforting as the name suggests, Timbuktu delights as it is one of the few perfumes that actually ‘takes’ me somewhere. I feel like we are traveling thru the development. Rochas Femme is simply everything I thought it would be and I’m on the prowl for a bottle of vintage. Cuir de Lancome is a rich fine leather and makes me want to put on a silk blouse to wear it. Chanel 19 was the girl on the wall- I can’t believe I didn’t dance with her sooner, Jo Malone Orange Blossom showed me that I DO like cologne. a lot. I initially thought Versilla Vintage Boise del Forte smelled masculine, then as the hours progressed I was taken by waves and waves of forest and it is utterly beautiful. I can’t mention all of them but I am so very thankful. I could not have asked for a better experience.

    Log in to Reply
    • allgirlmafia says:
      29 November 2014 at 10:36 pm

      Just to specify,I had excellent exchanges with the NST users-
      Connie
      Hajusuui
      Poodle
      HeatherF
      Sapphire
      CH
      LaraHart
      Sllat
      CobraRose
      Nemo
      Kelly

      Log in to Reply
      • C.H. says:
        29 November 2014 at 11:52 pm

        Thanks allgirlmafia–both for our swap, which was such a wonderful treat, and for this helpful info on your good experiences! Great to hear.

        Log in to Reply
      • sllat says:
        30 November 2014 at 9:28 am

        My thanks go out to you as well, allgirlmafia! Your package was extra generous and I really enjoyed the non-perfume items as well (tea, chocolate, soap). So glad you had a great experience. I find exchanges with my NST pen-pals to be such a lift. Discovering new fragrances is amazing, but I also marvel at the generosity of others willing to hand pack and send thoughtful care packages to a strangers! Creating the packages is such fun for me too and why not increase our collective wealth of experience just by recycling samples?

        Log in to Reply
      • poodle says:
        30 November 2014 at 1:44 pm

        I enjoyed swapping with you too. A girl can never have too much perfume, tea, or chocolate.

        Log in to Reply
      • Connie says:
        30 November 2014 at 6:08 pm

        Allgirlmafia, you are a wonderful and generous swap partner and I couldn’t be happier about our swaps. Thanks again!

        Log in to Reply
  3. meredifay says:
    29 November 2014 at 2:29 pm

    I really don’t have much to swap, but I am thinking ahead to the splitmeet. I think I want to obtain a variety of Iris’s, and splits might be the best way to do that!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Hera says:
    29 November 2014 at 4:13 pm

    I have had several swaps and they all went really well. I have got Madonna Truth and Dare which is hard to get now in Montreal, Kenzo flower and so on. I was very happy, I am looking forward swapping or splitting . Thanks for organizing.

    Log in to Reply
    • Vanie says:
      30 November 2014 at 11:44 pm

      Hera,

      I have worn the Au The Rouge you sent me loads! I’m so happy that you made me discover it.

      Thanks again for swapping!

      Log in to Reply
  5. adanst says:
    29 November 2014 at 5:51 pm

    I am afraid I had a similar experience as Morgana. I promptly sent my bottle but my partner has disappeared. Hmmm, I wonder if we had the same partner.
    Robin, I will email you as well, if you do not mind.
    Many thanks however for hosting the swap. It was my first unsuccessful one but I will continue to partcipate, choosing more carefuly next time around.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      29 November 2014 at 6:31 pm

      Please do!

      Log in to Reply
      • Robin says:
        29 November 2014 at 6:31 pm

        And adding, sorry again and can’t believe this happened twice. Unless I’ve forgotten we’ve had very little problem to date.

        Log in to Reply
  6. foxbins says:
    29 November 2014 at 6:37 pm

    I hosted a split for FM Eau de Magnolia that went off without a hitch–people paid promptly, Malle shipped quickly and I sent everything out as soon as it was received. I’d do it again if there is something I want that others do also.

    I also made some great swaps during the swapmeet. My neglected bottles of Heure Exquise, Kalemat, Cabaret, Parfum Sacre, and 10 ml of Songes found new homes and in return I got Amarige Mimosa, Bois de Paradis, Cinema, Sacrebleu Intense, and Shanghai Lily, all received promptly and greatly appreciated. Just a note to those I swapped with–I felt badly that I didn’t include extras in the packages, but I had just moved house and had not opened the box with my sample vials. I’ll do better next time!

    My experiences were wonderful and I’ll be doing swaps and splits again. Thanks for the opportunity, Robin–I’ve made many new perfume friends.

    Log in to Reply
  7. silvrolive says:
    29 November 2014 at 7:12 pm

    I had a wonderful experience with the swapmeet this time around. Both of the swaps went well and I have great samples and a bottle of Parfum Sacre that I keep coming back to as the weather has turned cold and the days darker. Thanks for setting it up Robin!

    Log in to Reply
  8. missionista says:
    29 November 2014 at 7:22 pm

    I had only two swaps this time, and they were both great–good communication, quick shipping, lovely people to deal with. Am I allowed to give their usernames here?

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      29 November 2014 at 7:44 pm

      Yes…generally you can name names unless you’ve got complaints, for the simple reason that we have no way to “adjudicate” claims and I don’t want people publicly shamed.

      Log in to Reply
  9. C.H. says:
    29 November 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Oh gosh, it’s terrible to hear folks got swaplifted. Hate to have such a nice thing turn bad like that; all of mine have been great this round, five done and one swap still in progress but it’s with someone I “know” (on the internet anyhow 🙂 ) and we’re in touch so it’s no problem.

    I’m wondering about how the logistics of avoiding this in the future would work. I take it, since neither morgana nor adanst had posted lists, that it must have been someone who advertised bottles on the swap page and then never sent them? So at least that won’t happen again. But there wouldn’t stop them from emailing those who post lists, right? That was striking to me this round–unlike previously, I was mainly contacted by people who weren’t visibly participating in the swap. I wonder if there’s any sense in doing it more like the splitmeet, where inquirers post one comment of interest then follow up by email? For transparency? Curious whether others think that would help, or just produce chaos in the comments.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      29 November 2014 at 8:37 pm

      The splitmeet doesn’t require actual negotiation, that’s why I set it up so that you had to comment to buy. With the swapmeet, it could create terrible congestion in the comments. Not sure if anything can be done — this is someone who has had a user account here for years.

      But also think if you’re listing items for swap, there is nothing wrong with turning down deals from people you don’t know or feel comfortable with…nobody should feel forced to swap, even if an item off their wishlist is offered.

      Log in to Reply
      • Robin says:
        29 November 2014 at 8:38 pm

        And adding…also think it’s fine to announce in your original comment that you’ll only swap with other people with user accounts, although in this case, wouldn’t have helped.

        Log in to Reply
        • C.H. says:
          29 November 2014 at 9:31 pm

          Yes good points, transparency wasn’t the issue here anyway. Gosh that’s really too bad :/

          Log in to Reply
    • katrina says:
      29 November 2014 at 10:01 pm

      Just to chime in – I had my very first swap, and it was with C.H., who is just lovely. Thanks again!!

      Log in to Reply
      • C.H. says:
        29 November 2014 at 11:45 pm

        Oh, so nice of you to mention it–I was so delighted with our swap too! Azemour in particular has been a huge hit–may need a bottle! Thank you so much, let’s do it again sometime!

        Log in to Reply
  10. allgirlmafia says:
    29 November 2014 at 9:51 pm

    I would happily swap again with any of the women I made arrangements with, perhaps like Missionista suggested we should in our reviews make it a point to name the users we’ve had really great dealings with. Anyone looking to swap/split in the future could go back and see the people who swap regularly and without problem and then choose their partners accordingly

    Of course not to publically shame, perhaps the usernname of swaplifters could be emailed to you as you suggested earlier. Just a thought.

    Log in to Reply
  11. Undina says:
    30 November 2014 at 1:42 am

    I’ve never got a response from the person I tried contacting – even though I offered something from their wish list. It wasn’t the end of the world but surely would have been nicer if I had got a polite one line note saying that the person wasn’t interested or had swapped the item already.

    Log in to Reply
  12. sllat says:
    30 November 2014 at 9:45 am

    I had four successful swaps and I always look forward to the swap and freebie meets. Thank you for hosting! Thank you to everyone with whom I’ve exchanged this most recent time or previously. In the past my experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. Some people are more generous than others, faster to ship or better at communicating, but I figure, even if a trade goes totally awry, it always feels good to do the right thing on the sending end, craft a careful package and send it out in good faith. The worst thing that could happen is you end up with less “stuff.”

    Log in to Reply
  13. Gail says:
    30 November 2014 at 1:07 pm

    This was my first swap and it was a wonderful experience. Thank you Hera; I’m loving the Guerlain; and thank you for the samples as well. I look forward to swapping again next time.

    Log in to Reply
    • Hera says:
      30 November 2014 at 6:54 pm

      I am happy you are loving it. Thank you for the Truth or Dare and I hope we can swap again.

      Log in to Reply
  14. poodle says:
    30 November 2014 at 2:00 pm

    I swapped with at least 6 people and all went well. Some I’d swapped with before, some I hadn’t. I got a lot of wonderful stuff. I had one swap fall through early in the game but that benefitted someone else who had asked about the same item on my list. So, no complaints from me this time. I’m sorry to hear some folks got swap-lifted.

    Log in to Reply
  15. Robin says:
    30 November 2014 at 2:55 pm

    So, to summarize…looks like several people (or more, maybe I have not heard from everyone) did not receive their end, but all were swapping with the same person, and as I said above, it’s someone who has had a user account here for years and has participated in swaps here in the past. I’m hoping she is ok, and sorry that this worked out this way.

    Log in to Reply
    • nozknoz says:
      30 November 2014 at 3:44 pm

      On one level, this is very reassuring about the character of our perfume community. On another, now I’m worried about our missing community member. I hope we hear from her again before too long.

      Life is uncertain – wear your best perfume first!

      Log in to Reply
    • hajusuuri says:
      30 November 2014 at 7:06 pm

      Robin, I was also swap-lifted and just sent you an email with the person’s screenname. I also hope she is OK. I saw a comment from her in another blog so I know that on Nov. 25, she had a way to communicate via the internet.

      Log in to Reply
      • Robin says:
        30 November 2014 at 8:12 pm

        Same person! Thanks for letting me know.

        Log in to Reply
      • nozknoz says:
        1 December 2014 at 10:06 am

        The plot thickens…

        Log in to Reply
  16. CobraRose says:
    30 November 2014 at 5:36 pm

    It went wonderfully! Not only did I get lovely fragrance, but excellent extras as well. This is the best swap/sell/freebie place I know!

    Log in to Reply
  17. Connie says:
    30 November 2014 at 6:10 pm

    I swapped with 6 lovely ladies. All of them were wonderful and very generous! I agree about the character of people on here (mentioned above) … top notch!

    Thank you all so much!

    Log in to Reply
    • Nightingale says:
      30 November 2014 at 10:08 pm

      Hi Connie, waving to you from Seattle! I wrote in a post a few weeks back about my great experience with this swap. In the end I felt like I had been emailing with an old friend! Robin, thanks for the opportunity to participate in this fabulous event.

      Log in to Reply
  18. hajusuuri says:
    30 November 2014 at 9:06 pm

    I had a very good splitmeet and swapmeet experience with the exception of the one swaplifter, noted above. I will continue to participate in future splitmeets / swapmeets and of course, the freebiemeets.

    I would say that 85% of what I ended up getting via swaps were ones that were not on my Wish List but nevertheless plunged in because my curiosity was piqued with the offers! I have yet to go through the majority of what I got but one in particular was a happy accident – Tom Ford Amber Absolute is just divine and I am still on my search for more of the real thing, but most especially a FB of it (but I refuse to pay the eBay prices). If anyone comes across a FB and you don’t want it yourself, please please clue me in, pretty please?

    The splitmeet went very smoothly. EVERYONE was quick to send payment and all let me know when they received their package. I will ask that future splitees make sure that the address they provide me is correct as I have no way of verifying that it is correct. Someone in NYC ended up with a surprise Blanche Immortelle package; if s/he liked it, I’m happy that the package got misdirected. Were it not for the fact that I had enough juice left over to send another package out, the splitee would have spent $s for nothing.

    For those with whom I had swapped or splitted previously, you can contact me anytime if you see me raving (in a good way) about something I just got, wore or whatever. I am happy to discuss swaps, splits, and/or freebies privately but please let me know your NST username upon first contact.

    Log in to Reply
    • hajusuuri says:
      30 November 2014 at 9:51 pm

      Clarification – if we have never swapped, or if you have never participated in my splits or if you have never received a freebie from me, please include your NST username on first contact.

      Log in to Reply
    • Bear says:
      1 December 2014 at 12:03 am

      Hello hajusuuri!!
      I have participated in a split with hajusuuri twice, and both went very well. Hosting a split is like baking cookies, you realize how much work it is only after you have done it. Thanks!!!

      Log in to Reply
  19. sweetgrass says:
    1 December 2014 at 2:12 am

    I didn’t have as much stuff to swap this time around, but all of my swap experiences have been good. No complaints here.

    Log in to Reply
  20. Laurels says:
    2 December 2014 at 2:14 am

    I hadn’t planned to swap at all, but I thiught I’d just read through the posts, and then the very first one wanted something I had and had something I wanted, so….

    All my swap experiences were good-to-great, but one of my swapees was not so lucky, as there was major leakage of two items. She was very nice about it, but it’s driving me nuts wondering what went wrong. I thought I had a handle on proper shipping, but now I feel like it’s just dumb luck that everything else got to its destination intact. Is this just a thing that happens? What if I were to tape not just the area where you screw the bottle together, but also the spray orifice? What did I miss? (I know I’m late posting this, so I hope somebody out there subscribed to the comments.)

    Log in to Reply
  21. unseencenser says:
    2 December 2014 at 11:20 pm

    I just hope I didn’t forget to send someone something! I know they would bug me my email if I did, but I always feel like the worst splitter/swapper. I worry that secretly somewhere there’s a scorecard and I’m failing!

    Log in to Reply
  22. Misgina says:
    4 December 2014 at 11:40 am

    I did not get swap lifted, but someone claimed a split of Après l’OndĂ©e and never sent me their contact info or payment, so I still have a split of that hanging around.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      4 December 2014 at 11:53 am

      What a drag, sorry!

      Log in to Reply
    • meredifay says:
      5 December 2014 at 4:19 am

      I will take that split of Apres l’Ondee unless it is totally outside my budget! Email me at my user name above at Gmail dot com with details. I am in the US.

      Log in to Reply
  23. Sniffit says:
    7 December 2014 at 11:09 am

    I had a wonderful Swapmeet5 experience here, it was my first time on NST. My swap partners were communicative, patient and had great follow-through. I appreciate everything I received. Right now I am loving AG Un Matin d’Orage and Tambela Tea Olive. Robin, thanks for hosting this!

    Log in to Reply
    • Sniffit says:
      7 December 2014 at 1:18 pm

      I swapped with gardeniagirl, eswift83, sllat

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

3 July ~ damage poll
12 July ~ summer reading poll

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2025 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.