Tips for buying vintage scents and for eBay in general 

or: "Do your own damn research"

I've been an eBayer longer than most, around 17 years or so. I've bought a ton and sold a bit. Whatever my current obsession is, you can bet that I have some saved searches and I think I can pass along some  advice. There have been a lot of improvements, but what I've used as my guidelines are still working for me. I've actually read vintage perfume "experts" say not to buy on eBay. That's crazy stupid. They probably don't want you bidding against them. 

Don't spend more than you can afford to lose. As in you get shit for product, it's fake, it was misrepresented, it never gets to you, whatever. I believe that Paypal and eBay both have some better safeguards for buyers than they used to, but I haven't put it to the test in years. When I did, I lost out and got zip returned to me. Hence, I do not buy large screen state of the art electronic anything on eBay. Not worth the hassle when there are so many other sources for that type of thing. 

Check out the options other than eBay. Is what you are looking for still in production? Is it discontinued only recently? Try Amazon and see what the prices are there. Do a Google search and see what pops up. I do this even for old time vintage scents. eBay is not the only game in town, it is the BIGGEST. Sometimes that works in your favor, sometimes not. I have found some kick ass vintage perfume sources ala Google or by links at perfume blogs. Quirky Finds is one I can highly recommend. I hate to, because I think of her as my secret source that I want no one else to peruse and possibly buy what I want. But that is my human nature selfishness that I have been put on this earth to rise above. Fact is, if you have a good source, you want it to succeed or it won't be there long! And anyone can make a mistake, but a specialized source that will be around is more likely to be accurate in their assessment of an item. I have found bottles of a scent for $40 and less that were ALL going for $100+ on eBay at that time. Which brings up...

Be patient. Anyone that knows me, knows how ironic that is, coming from me. But, I'm also CHEAP. And to be cheap, sometimes you have to be patient. Do a search on eBay for your precious, then go to advanced search. There will be some fine tuning that you may or may not want to do. Make sure you check the box to save the search and get emails. I have so many that I frequently reach my limit and have to cull them. Eventually there will be an auction with bad timing (holidays can be your best auction friend) and you will get something that noone else noticed. Use Gixen or another eBay sniper. I tried Goofbay and lost several auctions that I was sitting, watching my bid NOT appear and they went ridiculously low too. Ibid wasn't much better. One great feature of eBay sniping agents: you can change your mind. You can retract a bid on eBay, but reserve it for the really serious mistakes and only once in a while. So far, I think Gixen is wonderful. I did see one time that they tried to bid and couldn't get through to eBay, they tried, it wasn't their fault.I did go ahead and pay a whopping $6 for their deluxe double server and it has paid off. Continue to search on Google and elsewhere. If you want something in demand at a reasonable price, you are going to have to spend some time on it. Probably. I've waltzed into some marvelous deals instantly. It helps if you've researched enough to know that it is marvelous and to snap it up if it is an instant buy. I usually read my search emails at 6:30 a.m. because that is when I get up during the week. Sometimes they are already gone, baby!

Do your own damn research. OK, this is a pet peeve of mine. Over the years and obsessions, I have been attached to many discussion board forums. Do NOT go to one and ask a question if you haven't at least tried to figure it out for yourself. What date is this bottle from? can be a question that you pay an expert to tell you and even then you probably don't know if the answer is correct. Look up old advertisements, uhh, eBay has tons of them for perfumes. If you see your bottle in a 1947 ad and a different bottle in a 1950 ad, you have a pretty good idea. Google it. Sorry if I sound like a broken record. (If you don't know why we use the phrase "broken record" you are young and savvy enough to Google that too.) There are some perfume history sites that can be very helpful. Tack on the word review to your search to get vintage perfume blogs that can be an amazing resource. Do NOT go to a perfume forum and ask where to get a bottle of vintage perfume. The answer is eBay. If you don't trust eBay, too bad for you. If you are at a forum  for opinions, please go for them happily and with my blessing.

In this category, realize that a lot of auctions are misnamed. I see a LOT of auctions that say vintage, but are in the current production bottle. They say discontinued and they are wrong. Oy vay. They probably are making an honest mistake. Even my beloved Quirkify has at least one bottle that the heading says vintage and it ain't. Then again, it may be in with the new scents and they don't realize they picked up an old rarity. Not so often, but it happens. Sellers also mispell, Goofbay and some others have a mispelled auction search. Sometimes I just play around with the spelling on eBay's search engine, and it has paid off me too. 

Think about it. You have a noodle, use it. Chanel is the most counterfeited perfume house in the world and has been for longer than my mother has been alive. And she's old.  Just because it is vintage doesn't make it genuine. And vintage bottles are frequently refillable, which makes their contents suspicious. You should be suspicious of Chanel and other high dollar scents. there are sites for spotting fake Chanels and they will scare you to death. Guess what they frequently use in the fake scent? Urine. Isn't that nice? I don't like paying full retail anything, but I have gotten to the point where I don't trust much o'nothing with the Chanel name unless it is from a certifiable Chanel dealer. Sephora here I come. Obviously, that is not going to get me a vintage scent though. So...look at the color of the scent. Old or new, if it is a different hue than the others in that same category, it is probably fake. The only reason I say probably is that it may have been properly stored and closer to the original color if it is vintage. But vintage scents usually started off with more color than the watery looking things you buy today. If it looks like water with piss in it, it may be, with a little bit of scent thrown in to fool you. If they only show one fuzzy picture that is suspicious right there. They should be showing you the bottom of the bottle, the top and anything else to verify it. If it looks like it was put together by a kindergartner in China, it may well have been. Longevity can also be a good clue with Chanel scents, most are notoriously long lived, even the vintage. Not so with fakes as I read it. That can be not as apt with other brands, many vintage are authentically fleeting. Hello...My Sin, for instance. 

On the other hand, if it is an auction for a popular drug store vintage and they are starting it off at $1.99, why would they go to the trouble of a fake product? It was probably Aunt Tilly's and she is now with the angels. The main reason for counterfeit is profit and that is usually in the more expensive and rarer items. Sometimes the bottles themselves help prevent faking. People may take the top off a Guerlain bottle and fill it with something, but they aren't as likely to have made a fake bottle too. And even the bottles empty are expensive, so why bother with peeing it? I'm sure it happens, it just isn't as common. If it ships from Asia, be cautious. Even 100% top sellers are not necessarily legit. People either don't know they've been conned or they don't/won't admit. I admit I have bought some questionable scents, although none that I know are fake. And yes, I have sold them again. On eBay, in fact. But here is the difference between a honest seller and one that may or may not be. One says "I only sell authentic 100% genuine products". The other says, I don't know. I bought this used and it may not be what it says it is. It may not smell the way it is supposed to, I don't have a comparison to judge it by. I have no problem with saying that or with someone who says it. A wrapped, sealed ancient vintage item can be trusted more easily also, unless it looks like it was done by that kindergartner. They sell wrapped sealed Chanel fakes, but I bet most of the sealed Lanvins are just fine. Especially since they usually sell at affordable prices. Unless it is one of the two rare Lanvins that I am hunting. 

Don't get caught up in an auction competition frenzy. This one is so basic that I almost forgot it. But especially if you are new to eBay, then it really needs to be mentioned. You've read this far, you know to do your research. Know what the going rate is, what is a good deal and what you are willing to pay. Even today, I occasionally forget this and it is pretty ingrained in me. When the bids start flying, it is easy to think "Oh no, you don't!" A bidding war usually ends in the "winner" paying a price that is over the going rate. It is not a victory if you have paid $60 for something that you could have paid $40 for an instant buy and gotten free shipping to boot. I'm notoriously forgetful when I want something. That is why I end up with three bottles of the same thing and then don't like it much. (All the research in the world isn't useful when you forget it). That is where Gixen is indispensible. Decide what that is worth to you and then stick to it. And if it is available in another auction or site for less, don't go over that amount. When I have a trusted source, I may be willing to pay more for that reliability, but even then I need a limit. And using Gixen, I have to remember one thing...I may win every single auction. Budget accordingly. I'm still working on that one.