Vintage Perfume Bottles

Today's post is provided by Amy Kagey, our resident vintage perfume bottle expert on the eBay Mom's Facebook Group. Amy keeps us informed and always shares her great finds with the group. Here is Amy's advice:

It is always a good idea to look for perfume and even empty perfume bottles at garage sales, thrift stores and estate sales for resale purposes. Many people collect vintage perfumes and others are simply looking for their favorite perfume that has been discontinued. Other times, buyers are searching Ebay for designer fragrances so they can get a lower price.

I will usually purchase perfumes that aren't completely full, also, if they are collectible or sought after.

I look for:

1. Current designer brands (Chanel, Burberry, Armani, Dolce & Gabanna....)

2. Discontinued fragrances (Almost any discontinued perfume has a disappointed fan somewhere. Some older Mary Kay does well in this category.)

3. Older perfume bottles are very collectible, even if they are empty. These tend to be bottles from higher-end fragrances. Look for heavy, well-made bottles, unusual designs or figural bottles and anything marked France. Some very collectible bottles were made by Lalique, Tiffany, Baccarat, and Steuben.

I'm often asked about Avon bottles. Avon made many hundreds of styles of bottles, most labeled as collectible. I have found that most don't bring much money on Ebay at all. The exception to this are the newer high-end fragrances that Avon has been producing recently and some fragrances that were discontinued.

I have found perfumes to resell at garage sales, estate sales (check the bathrooms and dresser tops), thrift stores, auctions, and overstock stores. There is a great market out there for collectors and just people searching for their discontinued favorites. I hope this article will help you in your Ebay travels!

Thanks so much for sharing this information with us, Amy! Visit Amy's blog at Collectibles Online Sales, and her eBay store called Collectibilities.

Are you knowledgeable about a particular eBay niche, collectible, or vintage item? Submit your guest post for consideration to me at ebaycoach @ yahoo. My readers and I would love to hear from you!