Three Years In: The Story Behind Afford Aromas
Every big brand starts somewhere. Ours started with a handful of boxes and a tiny amount of stock in the corner of my bedroom.
Three years on, we've shipped thousands of orders, built out a full website, and I've left my full-time job to do this properly. Here's how we got here — the real version, not the polished highlight reel.
June 2023: The Trial Run
Afford Aromas launched on eBay, with a small amount of stock, as my side hustle. No fancy setup, no investment, just desperate to find something that actually worked In truth I knew nothing about perfume, but one thing became clear very early on. Which was just how much designer brands overcharge their customers and provide very little in terms of service.
Growing Fast: TikTok Shop and Our First Website
By August, we'd expanded onto TikTok Shop, which opened us up to a completely new audience and started growing things faster than eBay alone ever could. A month later, our first proper website went live — our first real home online, rather than relying entirely on marketplaces.
Then came December. We sold out of nearly all our stock three weeks before Christmas. That was the first real sign this wasn't just a hobby anymore — there was genuine demand, and we were scrambling to keep up with it.
2024: Running the Business From My Bedroom
This is the bit that doesn't usually make it into a highlight reel, but it's the most honest part of the story: Since launch Afford Aromas was run out of my bedroom. One side became a full workspace and storage area — shelves of stock where a wardrobe used to be, boxes stacked by the bed, sat on the floor packing orders.
In May, we more than doubled our fragrance collection by partnering with additional suppliers, giving customers way more choice. By September, demand meant that "workspace" had properly taken over the room. And after selling out early the Christmas before, we made sure to stock up heavily ahead of peak season in November — determined not to let customers down twice.
2025–2026: Taking the Leap
January 2025 marked a genuine milestone — Afford Aromas moved out of my bedroom and into a proper dedicated office and storage space. More room for stock, more room for orders, more room to actually grow.
For over two years, I'd been building this business alongside a full-time retail job — evenings, early mornings, whatever time I could find. In January 2026, I made the decision to leave that job behind and focus on Afford Aromas entirely. It was the leap the whole three years had been building toward.
In March, we started attending local markets, giving customers the chance to discover our fragrances in person and see the value for themselves — a bit of retail therapy in reverse, from someone who used to work behind that till.
June 2026: The Next Chapter
In June, we launched a brand new website, built completely from the ground up around one question — what actually adds value for our customers?
That's where every feature came from. Multibuy deals with our best prices built right in, because we know you're not just after one bottle. Quick-glance product tags so you can see fragrance notes and details instantly, without digging through paragraphs. Smart inspired-by search, so if you already know the designer scent you love, you can find your Afford Aromas match in seconds. And a site that works properly whether you're browsing on your phone or your laptop.
Nothing on that site was there to look nice for the sake of it. It was there to save you time, save you money, and make finding your next scent as easy as it should be.
August 2026: Where We're At Now
We haven't slowed down since. We've added collections to the homepage so you can browse whole ranges — like Attar & Co and Majestic — at a glance instead of hunting for them. We've launched new product ranges that raise the bar again on quality and value. And this blog you're reading right now is our latest addition, a proper space to share the story behind the brand and what's coming next.
Behind the scenes, we're gearing up for Christmas demand — determined to have you covered this year, whatever it takes. We're also working on something we're genuinely excited about: The Inner Circle, a loyalty and rewards system for our customers. It's still coming together, but we'll be sharing more as it takes shape.
None of this happens without you. To everyone who's ordered from us, told a friend, or given us a shot when you could've gone anywhere else — thank you. Our customer base keeps growing because of you, and we don't take that for granted.
From all of us at Afford Aromas — thank you for being part of the first three years. Here's to the future.