Are you a seller who wants to list vintage perfumes but doesn't know where to start? I have been collecting vintage perfumes for many years and have also sold them on ebay for several years. I will discuss several things people look for things people look for when buying vintage perfumes and what a seller should add to their item descriptions.

If you are a seller, please read the following tips:

• Please bear in mind that your buyer is interested in how old the perfume is. If it dates to the 1920s, 1960s or even the 1990s, please make mention of it in your description. Many perfume bottles have been redeveloped throughout the years and knowing which year your bottle dates from may help in someone's quest for a particular bottle.If it is Victorian, please be sure it is an antique and not a reproduction, or those newly made light weight, thin glass perfume bottles from Egypt. If you are unsure,you can ask me, I have added a perfume identification and appraisal service on ebay.

• Who was the manufacturer? For instance, if Coty manufactured your perfume Emeraude, then make mention of it. Or if Guerlain made your bottle of Shalimar tell your buyer. Sometimes, perfumes can have the same names, but different makers. Your buyer may be looking up that particular maker in a search. Some collectors only want to buy certain perfume bottles from particular perfume houses.

• Is your perfume bottle an atomizer? An atomizer is a perfume that has the squeeze ball! If your perfume has one, be sure to mention if your perfume is an atomizer, because some people are looking for atomizers. Look at the base of your atomizer for any manufacturer's signatures or labels. Some atomizer manufacturers are highly collectible like Devilbiss,Volupte, Aristo, Irice, Apollo, Marcel Franck. Be sure to mention if your piece is marked if your piece is acid-stamped, especially if it says Czecho-Slovakia, Baccarat, Lalique, Cristal Nancy, Cristal Romesnil or France.                                                  

• The overall condition, is there any chips, scratches, fleabites, stains, or cracks? Chips along the mouth of the bottle or on the base of the stopper?  If your bottle has been gilded, is there any wear to the gilding?  Is dauber end  snapped off the stopper?  If your stopper is frozen in place, be sure to mention that when listing. Some buyers prefer if you do not disturb it, plus it will help when it comes time to ship the bottle.

• Make sure the stopper and the base go together. Every now and then, I see a base paired with a stopper for a different perfume. Sometimes you will find numbers scratched into the base of the bottle and on the bottom of the stopper, these are not manufacturer's markings, they are merely a way to tell that the stopper was ground to an exact fit for its particular bottle at the factory. These numbers are generally found on French crystal pieces.

• The size of the bottle, please make mention how tall the bottle is and the width. Some bottles may look big/small on the computer, but a buyer may be disappointed in how big/small it may be in person.

• The condition of the label is important as this adds or decreases the value of your bottle. For instance, is there any wear, fading, smudges, chipping? Is it a gold or silver foil label? Is it a metal label?  Is the label missing or on the base? Is there no label present. Is there enameled lettering on the bottle instead of a label? Does this have wear? Labels help add value to your bottle, the best condition the better.

• The contents, or what we call the "juice". Many people wish to own bottles that still contain their original scents and haven't been opened. Perfumes generally sell higher if they are sealed. If your perfume is sealed, but looks like it has some missing, its most likely due to evaporation. Even if there is just a little amount, please let your buyers know. I usually give a percentage, like there is 20% of perfume left in the bottle. If your bottle is 7-10 years old or older, please tell your buyers, as the perfume will no longer be fresh in most cases. Most bottles look beautiful with their juice inside, and I feel it completes the presentation.

• Is there perfume residue inside? Perfume residue can be cleaned out by filling a dropper with a cleaning agent such as denture cleaners, bleach, ammonia, liquid bathroom cleansers, liquid dish soap or denatured alcohol. Be sure to keep any moisture away from the labels!

• Is the original box present? If so, what condition is it in? Boxes are a definite help in selling vintage perfumes and add value. Collectors like to display them together, be sure to include it in your pictures.

• Was the perfume bottle manufactured by a famous company like Lalique, Baccarat, Julian Viard, St. Louis, Val St. Lambert, Steuben, Tiffany, Daum Nancy, Galle, or Devilbiss, or Czecho-Slovakia? Collectors are looking for these. Some commercial perfume bottles were manufactured by Lalique, Baccarat and Cristal Romesnil, so be sure to look for their marks on the bottom of your bottle.If your bottle is marked on the bottom, include a picture of it for your buyers.

• When taking pictures of commercial or colored glass perfume bottles, it is best to have a plain white background, this will show the true color of the glass, the juice, and any other important aspects. If you have a plain, clear glass bottle, shoot it with a black background and convert the photo to grayscale or black and white. It will show all the details in the glass beautifully! Be sure to take closeups of the label and any markings or special details on your bottle. Be sure to include a picture of the box if it is present. Buyers hesitate to bid on a fuzzy, blurry or picture that is too dark.

• Stoppers and caps. If you have a ground glass stopper, make sure the stopper and the base go together. On fine French crystal bottles, numbers will be incised onto the base and the bottom of the stopper, this was done at the factory to show that the stopper was specifically ground to fit the base. The numbers should match! If your glass stopper has a plastic base, be sure to mention this in your listing as this helps to determine the age of  the bottle. If your stopper isnt glass, mention if your cap is metal, plastic, Bakelite, celluloid, cork, etc.

• Is this perfume bottle shown in any books you may have on perfume? If so, quote the book, author, page its on, and the book value. Remember, book values are only a guide, but many collectors would like to know if the bottle has any value, or they can look it up in their own books.

• Be sure to pick up some of the great books devoted to vintage perfumes. My favorites are Commercial Perfume Bottles by Jacquelyne Jones-North. The Monsen & BaerPerfume Bottle Auction Catalogs, and others. You can find many of them on ebay. Looking to join a collectors club then you definitely should check out the International Perfume Bottle Association on the internet at perfume bottles.org.

• Packing and shipping perfume bottles is easy, be sure to wrap the stopper separate from the bottle to avoid breakage. I use styrofoam packing peanuts and small bubble-wrap to pack bottles. If the perfume bottle has juice in it, I usually put the stopper in place and then melt some beeswax around the edges of the stopper and mouth of the bottle (while it is in place) so that it will stay in place the juice will not escape during shipment. Just be careful you do not get any excess wax on the rest of the bottle or on the label! You can do this trick if your stopper is frozen too, just in case.Your buyer can scrape away any beeswax and wipe away any residue off with a soft cloth. I would email the buyer before shipment to see if they want the bottle sealed with the wax. Some might want just tape over the stopper. Do not get any tape on the label or gilding. I usually get a piece of paper big enough to cover the label, then put a piece of tape over that paper so that it does not touch the label. Please do not use newspaper as it is not a good cushion for the glass. I have recieved some broken bottles in the mail because the seller used newspaper.Some buyers want their perfumes double boxed.  Insure the package and get delivery confirmation. If the bottle is over $150 get signature confirmation. You never know what will happen when the box leaves your hands at the post office.

Feel free to email me for details or any questions. I also have a perfume identification and appraisal service here on ebay, click on my ME page for info. Please see my site at www .freewebs. com/cleopatrasboudoir

If you have any questions, please contact me. I have written over 200 guides on vintage perfumes, check them out too!

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