This post is a heads up as to some of the things that have been going down on Ebay lately. I wanted to kind of point out some of the ,uh, shadier practices I've seen developing in regards to sellers of vintage aftershaves/colognes. This also serves as a guide to the newbie buyer of vintage scents that doesn't want to be taken to the cleaners.
1. Refilling a vintage bottle with newer stock.
"What to do? I found Grandpa Herman's forty year old bottle of Old Spice under the sink, but it's almost empty and I want to make as much money as I can off of it. I was thinking of re-filling it with new Old Spice and selling it on Ebay. No one will be able to tell the difference, right?"
The above is an actual paraphrased question I recently came across on Yahoo Answers. Sadly, this happens more often than you would think. Over the last several years, I have purchased refilled containers of Brut, Old Spice, Russian Leather (refilled with English Leather) and Old Spice Leather refilled half way with Skin Bracer. There's been more, but those are the ones I got stuck with because I couldn't "prove" they had been re-filled.
This rarely happens with established sellers of vintage scents, but it does happen. Usually the problem lies with casual sellers either not thinking there would be anything wrong with diluting the old stuff, or not caring. Very rarely a seller may happen upon a bottle that was owned by another family member, and that family member for whatever reason refilled the bottle for his own reasons.
The only surefire way to avoid this dilemma would be to only purchase factory sealed bottles. This is impossible for some brands, however so it's best to just keep your eyes open and really weigh the possibilities before you pay too much for something you'll get stuck with. About 50% of the time the seller will make good on the deal and give you a partial or full refund; the other 50% of the time it goes to Paypal and the buyer ends up eating the loss.
Another thing to watch out for at the same time is a fragrance that has been diluted with water or alcohol. It's less common than what I've described above, but it does happen.
2. Bottle less full than described.
If the buyer sells a partially used bottle, than make sure you can see from the pics how much is actually missing. If not, it helps to use a curve while gauging the seller's estimate; if the seller claims the bottle is 95 % full, subtract another 5% and this is what the actual content is, more than likely. If the seller claims it is 60% full, subtract an even 10% as most likely it's about half empty.
3. Bottle shipped poorly.
Read the sellers feedback carefully. Were his other vintage glassware auctions packaged well, or does everyone complain about how he duct-taped the bottle into a few paper towels and then shipped it in an envelope?
4. Fragrance has "turned", faded, or evaporated.
This is probably the most common problem I've run into. 9 times out of 10 a seller won't divulge this important bit of info, and it really pays to read between the lines. If there's no mention of the scent, that doesn't automatically mean the stuff is bad. But if the seller says something like "Doesn't appear to have gone stale, but I have no sense of smell" he may be trying to get over on you.
The best ways to avoid this problem is to avoid samples, testers, "Barber shop gifts", and old store stock. The reason? More exposure to UV sunlight. The best way to ensure a cologne or AS is still fresh is to buy the bottle that's still in the gift set that dad threw in the closet twenty years ago- cool, dark, and unused. Take a good look at the label. If it appears faded, chances are so's the formula. This rule applies doubly to clear glass bottles. Tinted glass can handle more sunlight exposure than the standard glass.
5. NEVER EVER buy a bottle that has a generic photo attached.
The bottles on most BIN products are usually represented by a generic product shot pulled from somewhere else on the web. Not a problem if you're getting a currently produced bottle, but a BIG problem when you think that you're getting that big bottle of vintage Shulton Old Spice in the glass bottle and end up receiving a plastic bottle of P&G crap. This goes for all online vendors as well- if you see an older styled bottle in the ad, make sure you receive verification in print that what you get will be the bottle shown.
6. Avoid plastic when possible.
In the early eighties, the cosmetics industry started favoring plastic over glass due to costs. Some of the vintage stuff you run into will therefore be in plastic- and there's really no guarantee that the stuff will still be good until you get it home. Even if the seller opened up the bottle and took a whiff and verified that the formula was fresh- his aeration of the essence could cause all kinds of crazy things to happen by the time it arrives in your mailbox.
Like glass, tinted plastic can handle more UV abuse than clear. The plastic that houses Brut 33 is a very good example; it was a very thick polymer and was tinted very darkly. I've yet to receive a bottle of Brut 33 that has turned.
When you get it, assume it hasn't been opened in twenty or thirty years. Give it a good shake, and open the cap ever so slightly until the cap is about half way off. Give it a good half hour to an hour before you fully remove the cap. A sudden, violent intake of oxygen could cause the fragrance to decompose and evaporate rather quickly.
7. Old Spice Lime: How come I can't find a fresh bottle?
There is nary a tougher fragrance to find that hasn't turned than Old Spice blends in clear glass. I get more Emails on these than any other aftershave.
Besides the EO's that are prone to decomposition, the clear glass that was used on these bottles are the major culprit. There is a way to tell from the pics what you may be getting, though, and it helps to know what time frame you're referencing.
Lime blends:
The very earliest bottles of Lime (64 and up) were also called "Wild Lime" on some of the labels/boxes. Color wise, they're the same as the following:
Wild Lime/ Fresh Lime: (60's) Very yellowish green, almost the hue of anti-freeze. Here's a late sixties bottle owned by fellow member DanOK:
Lime (70's): The Lime was slightly recolored in the early/mid 70's and was a deep, vibrant green color. Slightly darker than before, but absolutely no hint of brown whatsoever. Here's a decent example, though the lighting is a bit off:
Fresh Lime (80's): The Fresh Lime has the propensity to age worse than any of the other previous Limes, which is even more frustrating due to the fact that it's the most recent of the lime blends.
The color was the same deep green as before, but slightly more opaque. If you see a Fresh Lime bottle that is too light, it has faded. If it's too brown, it has turned.
Good:
If you see one any darker or browner than that, stay away.
Faded:
Once a Fresh Lime bottle gets that light, all of the essence has turned.
8. The Tester Bottle Scam
From what I've gathered, recently a large batch of vintage display bottles have come up for auction. These all apparently came from the same set, but were snatched up early by several sellers who are now trying to "flip" them for profit, often at the expense of the buyer who has no idea what they're buying.
Here's an example, a recent bottle of Lentheric Aftershave I won. This is how it was pictured in the listing:
Here's what I found when I opened the bottle:
A glass capped display bottle full of colored water.
Nowhere in the ad did it mention that it was a display, and even more misleadingly was written up as if the scent was still good and not faded. This was part of the aforementioned collection. This seller is no longer registered at Ebay, nor will I ever see a refund.
9. The old empty box or bottle trick.
It still happens. You go to bid on that vintage bottle of Old Spice or Brut and end up getting an empty bottle or empty box and no bottle. You go back and re-read the ad very carefully and find WAAAAY down at the bottom you purchased that empty bottle fair and square. Sometimes no mention is made as to whether the bottle is empty, sometimes it's well hidden in the description.
A good example is an auction last year where I "won" a vintage giftset of Old Spice Burly and Bounty. In the picture there was the gift box and two full bottles of aftershave and cologne. When I got the package, the box was empty. The same seller had relisted both bottles for sale. CAREFULLY re-reading the ad, here's what I picked up on:
Item: Old Spice Burley and Bounty Christmas gift set
[Pic shows the box including the two bottles]
This is an auction for the Box pictured above. It holds two bottles of Old Spice aftershave that are Burley (aftershave) and Bounty (cologne). Bottles are still full.
Yep, I should have probably picked up on it, but this one slipped through my net. Guess who was out forty dollars for a cardboard box? Needless to say, this seller is no longer on Ebay but I have seen her pop up on other auction sites.
10. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Just use common sense. If there's a bottle of something that normally sells for 100.00, and the BIN price is only 5.00, something's fishy. Read that ad carefully, and if you do indeed end up getting burned down the road file a Paypal claim. You may not get satisfaction, but you will be more protected than you would be with a check or money order payment.
The collecting of vintage aftershaves and colognes is a hobby that has exploded over the last few years. Instead of tossing out Gramp's old bottle of Aqua Velva, people are putting it on Ebay where any number of aficionados are willing to snap it up. CYA, and you'll find this to be an enjoyable and fulfilling acquisitional disorder.
Happy hunting!
1. Refilling a vintage bottle with newer stock.
"What to do? I found Grandpa Herman's forty year old bottle of Old Spice under the sink, but it's almost empty and I want to make as much money as I can off of it. I was thinking of re-filling it with new Old Spice and selling it on Ebay. No one will be able to tell the difference, right?"
The above is an actual paraphrased question I recently came across on Yahoo Answers. Sadly, this happens more often than you would think. Over the last several years, I have purchased refilled containers of Brut, Old Spice, Russian Leather (refilled with English Leather) and Old Spice Leather refilled half way with Skin Bracer. There's been more, but those are the ones I got stuck with because I couldn't "prove" they had been re-filled.
This rarely happens with established sellers of vintage scents, but it does happen. Usually the problem lies with casual sellers either not thinking there would be anything wrong with diluting the old stuff, or not caring. Very rarely a seller may happen upon a bottle that was owned by another family member, and that family member for whatever reason refilled the bottle for his own reasons.
The only surefire way to avoid this dilemma would be to only purchase factory sealed bottles. This is impossible for some brands, however so it's best to just keep your eyes open and really weigh the possibilities before you pay too much for something you'll get stuck with. About 50% of the time the seller will make good on the deal and give you a partial or full refund; the other 50% of the time it goes to Paypal and the buyer ends up eating the loss.
Another thing to watch out for at the same time is a fragrance that has been diluted with water or alcohol. It's less common than what I've described above, but it does happen.
2. Bottle less full than described.
If the buyer sells a partially used bottle, than make sure you can see from the pics how much is actually missing. If not, it helps to use a curve while gauging the seller's estimate; if the seller claims the bottle is 95 % full, subtract another 5% and this is what the actual content is, more than likely. If the seller claims it is 60% full, subtract an even 10% as most likely it's about half empty.
3. Bottle shipped poorly.
Read the sellers feedback carefully. Were his other vintage glassware auctions packaged well, or does everyone complain about how he duct-taped the bottle into a few paper towels and then shipped it in an envelope?
4. Fragrance has "turned", faded, or evaporated.
This is probably the most common problem I've run into. 9 times out of 10 a seller won't divulge this important bit of info, and it really pays to read between the lines. If there's no mention of the scent, that doesn't automatically mean the stuff is bad. But if the seller says something like "Doesn't appear to have gone stale, but I have no sense of smell" he may be trying to get over on you.
The best ways to avoid this problem is to avoid samples, testers, "Barber shop gifts", and old store stock. The reason? More exposure to UV sunlight. The best way to ensure a cologne or AS is still fresh is to buy the bottle that's still in the gift set that dad threw in the closet twenty years ago- cool, dark, and unused. Take a good look at the label. If it appears faded, chances are so's the formula. This rule applies doubly to clear glass bottles. Tinted glass can handle more sunlight exposure than the standard glass.
5. NEVER EVER buy a bottle that has a generic photo attached.
The bottles on most BIN products are usually represented by a generic product shot pulled from somewhere else on the web. Not a problem if you're getting a currently produced bottle, but a BIG problem when you think that you're getting that big bottle of vintage Shulton Old Spice in the glass bottle and end up receiving a plastic bottle of P&G crap. This goes for all online vendors as well- if you see an older styled bottle in the ad, make sure you receive verification in print that what you get will be the bottle shown.
6. Avoid plastic when possible.
In the early eighties, the cosmetics industry started favoring plastic over glass due to costs. Some of the vintage stuff you run into will therefore be in plastic- and there's really no guarantee that the stuff will still be good until you get it home. Even if the seller opened up the bottle and took a whiff and verified that the formula was fresh- his aeration of the essence could cause all kinds of crazy things to happen by the time it arrives in your mailbox.
Like glass, tinted plastic can handle more UV abuse than clear. The plastic that houses Brut 33 is a very good example; it was a very thick polymer and was tinted very darkly. I've yet to receive a bottle of Brut 33 that has turned.
When you get it, assume it hasn't been opened in twenty or thirty years. Give it a good shake, and open the cap ever so slightly until the cap is about half way off. Give it a good half hour to an hour before you fully remove the cap. A sudden, violent intake of oxygen could cause the fragrance to decompose and evaporate rather quickly.
7. Old Spice Lime: How come I can't find a fresh bottle?
There is nary a tougher fragrance to find that hasn't turned than Old Spice blends in clear glass. I get more Emails on these than any other aftershave.
Besides the EO's that are prone to decomposition, the clear glass that was used on these bottles are the major culprit. There is a way to tell from the pics what you may be getting, though, and it helps to know what time frame you're referencing.
Lime blends:
The very earliest bottles of Lime (64 and up) were also called "Wild Lime" on some of the labels/boxes. Color wise, they're the same as the following:
Wild Lime/ Fresh Lime: (60's) Very yellowish green, almost the hue of anti-freeze. Here's a late sixties bottle owned by fellow member DanOK:
Lime (70's): The Lime was slightly recolored in the early/mid 70's and was a deep, vibrant green color. Slightly darker than before, but absolutely no hint of brown whatsoever. Here's a decent example, though the lighting is a bit off:
Fresh Lime (80's): The Fresh Lime has the propensity to age worse than any of the other previous Limes, which is even more frustrating due to the fact that it's the most recent of the lime blends.
The color was the same deep green as before, but slightly more opaque. If you see a Fresh Lime bottle that is too light, it has faded. If it's too brown, it has turned.
Good:
If you see one any darker or browner than that, stay away.
Faded:
Once a Fresh Lime bottle gets that light, all of the essence has turned.
8. The Tester Bottle Scam
From what I've gathered, recently a large batch of vintage display bottles have come up for auction. These all apparently came from the same set, but were snatched up early by several sellers who are now trying to "flip" them for profit, often at the expense of the buyer who has no idea what they're buying.
Here's an example, a recent bottle of Lentheric Aftershave I won. This is how it was pictured in the listing:
Here's what I found when I opened the bottle:
A glass capped display bottle full of colored water.
Nowhere in the ad did it mention that it was a display, and even more misleadingly was written up as if the scent was still good and not faded. This was part of the aforementioned collection. This seller is no longer registered at Ebay, nor will I ever see a refund.
9. The old empty box or bottle trick.
It still happens. You go to bid on that vintage bottle of Old Spice or Brut and end up getting an empty bottle or empty box and no bottle. You go back and re-read the ad very carefully and find WAAAAY down at the bottom you purchased that empty bottle fair and square. Sometimes no mention is made as to whether the bottle is empty, sometimes it's well hidden in the description.
A good example is an auction last year where I "won" a vintage giftset of Old Spice Burly and Bounty. In the picture there was the gift box and two full bottles of aftershave and cologne. When I got the package, the box was empty. The same seller had relisted both bottles for sale. CAREFULLY re-reading the ad, here's what I picked up on:
Item: Old Spice Burley and Bounty Christmas gift set
[Pic shows the box including the two bottles]
This is an auction for the Box pictured above. It holds two bottles of Old Spice aftershave that are Burley (aftershave) and Bounty (cologne). Bottles are still full.
Yep, I should have probably picked up on it, but this one slipped through my net. Guess who was out forty dollars for a cardboard box? Needless to say, this seller is no longer on Ebay but I have seen her pop up on other auction sites.
10. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Just use common sense. If there's a bottle of something that normally sells for 100.00, and the BIN price is only 5.00, something's fishy. Read that ad carefully, and if you do indeed end up getting burned down the road file a Paypal claim. You may not get satisfaction, but you will be more protected than you would be with a check or money order payment.
The collecting of vintage aftershaves and colognes is a hobby that has exploded over the last few years. Instead of tossing out Gramp's old bottle of Aqua Velva, people are putting it on Ebay where any number of aficionados are willing to snap it up. CYA, and you'll find this to be an enjoyable and fulfilling acquisitional disorder.
Happy hunting!
