Perfume samples are offered by perfumers in order to tempt consumers into buying the whole full sized product. With the margins on perfume being so great perfumers can easily afford to give away massive amounts of free perfume, which costs them relatively little and make a healthy profit even if they are only able to convert a tiny fraction of people into paying customers.
They are often supplied in magazines or via the perfumers online site along with a new perfume range. The magazine quality samples (the ones which are impregnated card) are normally faded and not a great representation of the perfume. Go with a sachet or mini vial if you can. You can also go to the large department store and try out the sample at the concession. Also freebie sites can be a good bet. A good article on this is wikiHow
They are a great way for you to save money by trying before you buy. It's really unfortunate when you end up with a whole bottle of perfume you dislike. Although there are now online communities which specialise in swapping fragrances. So if you keep swapping you'll eventually end up with a perfume you like.
