Does Vintage Perfume Sell? [Full Report & Values]

I grew up hearing that perfumes go bad after a year. Not sure where that misinformation came from, but it’s categorically wrong. While they may mellow a bit and get darker (so long as they’re kept out of direct sunlight and heat), they retain their original scent for longer than a year, usually for many years.

Vintage perfume lovers have created a robust market for the perfumes they love (that retailers have retired, much to the followers chagrin).

Table of Contents

Do Perfumes Go Bad?
Is There a Market for Vintage/Used Perfume?
Etsy Examples of Vintage Perfumes That Have Sold
Ebay Examples of Vintage Perfumes That Have Sold
Is There a Market for Avon Bottles?
Is There a Market for Newer Perfumes?
Do Empty Perfume Bottles Sell?
What About Perfume-Adjacent Items? Do They Sell?
Where to Sell Perfume Whether Filled or Empty?
What Perfumes & Bottles Have Failed to Sell?
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Do Perfumes Go Bad?

While perfumes can go bad, often they do not. Why is that? Well so long as it’s kept out of direct sunlight and out of extremely high temperatures, most perfumes, particularly vintage examples, will retain much of their original scent.

Because vintage perfumes (think pre-2000) contain natural ingredients that are now prohibited, the older examples offer a reliable “original” scent not available with the newer ones. Though the top notes have sometimes dissipated, the stronger base notes often remain, providing a satisfying experience for vintage perfume lovers.

Is There a Market for Vintage/Used Perfume?

Many resellers ask whether there’s a market for vintage and used perfume. The answer is absolutely yes!

I’ve been selling vintage (and even newer) perfumes for over a decade now, and the success rate hasn’t changed. The market for these perfumes is extremely strong. Why? The perfume industry often changes scent formulas and frequently discontinues brands it deems lacking in popularity.

People fall in love with original formulas and in fact, desire brands no longer available, thus creating a lively market for those perfumes.

I always do a quick google and/or ebay search to see the price others are listing similar items for and to see what price any have actually sold for. Since I typically choose to only sell items online for $25-30 or more, I want to only pick up those that will resell at that level or above.

Note: I do sometimes pick up lightweight and/or unbreakable items like fabric, books, jewelry, and ephemera that I then list for less than $25.

Etsy Examples of Vintage/Used/ Perfume That Have Sold

This antique bottle of L’Aimant by Coty (.6 oz) in its original box sold for $33 in 2021.

An almost empty bottle of Guerlain’s L’eure Bleu sold in 2013 for $18.

This tiny .073 oz. bottle of Evening in Paris perfume by Bourjois sold for $22 in 2025. Don’t miss the deep dive I took into this wildly popular perfume: Evening in Paris: The Perfume That Took the World by Storm

Ebay Examples of Vintage/Used/New Perfume That Have Sold

A brand new, old stock bottle of vintage 1980’s Cinnabar (1.7 oz.) by Estee Lauder sold for $48 in 2020.

While vacationing near Pittsburgh, I came across three rarer perfumes priced at $5 each; I picked them all up. One of them, this bottle of Eve of Roma, sold for $92 in 2022.

A 1.2 oz. bottle of partially filled Chanel No 5 sold on eBay for $8 in 2017. It was the first bottle of perfume I ever sold and looking back, I priced it way too low.

I believe now-a-days it would sell for $25-35. So pick it up whenever you come across it for a reasonable price. Chanel No. 5 is one of the world’s most famous and favorite scents of all time!

Is There a Market for Avon Bottles?

Who hasn’t seen tables full of old Avon bottles at flea markets or garage sales? Back in the day ladies scooped them up from the women who traveled house to house selling their wares.

The sheer number of [mostly] adorable bottles and jars that sold cannot be fully comprehended. Thousands upon thousands of these cheerful collectibles, which came in every possible shape and size, decorated ladies and girl’s vanities and shelves throughout the 1960’s and 70’s.

Unfortunately, the values for these Avon bottles hangs out at around $1-5, or less. A quick search of eBay’s sold listings supports this truth. Just yesterday, I saw a sold listing for 16 boxed bottles for $32, including shipping!

This milk glass owl jar by Avon sold for $5 from my antique booth. I will pick up items like this, particularly animal shapes, for 50￠ to a dollar because I know they’ll sell pretty quickly.

Here’s one exception to the $1-$5 rule: this red plaid avon bottle shaped like a thermos. With the popularity of thermos bottles still running pretty high, this makes a wonderful compliment to any collection. I’ve sold this twice on Etsy for $19.

Is There a Market for Newer Perfumes?

Wondering if there’s a market for newer perfumes as well? Yes! But since Etsy only allows sales of vintage or antique perfume, I sell new bottles on eBay.

Any, modern perfumes, that are unused and still in their unopened box, will sell. The sales price depends on the desireability and availability of the scent. Typically they sell for slightly less than their retail value, i.e., prices set on Amazon or at Ulta.

This 2 oz. bottle of Amazing Grace perfume by Philosophy sold on eBay for $25. The same bottle would sell at retail for about $30.

This bottle of Untold by Elizabeth Arden sold on Ebay in 2025 for $45.

Do Empty Perfume Bottle Sell?

You may wonder, do empty perfume bottles also sell? Yes! They do. The more beautifully designed the quicker they sell and for higher prices. Those by famous designers, like Lalique, make collectors swoon and open their wallets. Those, however, are few and far between for the average vintage sellers.

Pretty bottles, like this one with the lovely glass stopper, fall into the desireable category. It Sold for $13 on eBay in 2017. I think in 2026 it would bring $25-30.

The label reads “Dans les Nues,” which was introduced in the early 1900’s by J. Giraud Fils, a French perfume house.

Many perfume companies, like Lentheric, produce large display bottle (usually filled with colored water) for department stores. They are known as factices. This Lentheric 12 factice sold for $49.50 on ebay in 2017. Lentheric 12 was launched in 1967 but production ended in the mid-1970’s.

What About Perfume-Adjacent Items? Do They Sell?

Yes! Vintage and antique items like chatelaine and dresser bottles sell extremely well. I sell them regularly on Etsy with great success.

Chatelaine Bottles

During Victorian times (1870-1900), woman commonly wore light metal belts from which they could hang regularly used items, like scissors, pencils, and yes, perfume bottles. We know them as chatelaines.

This charming little chatelaine perfume bottle sold for $39.50 on Etsy in 2/26.

Dresser Bottles

Decorative dresser bottles would hold decanted perfume on one’s dresser or vanity. They come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. Often you could find them in the form of an atomizer allowing the scent to be sprayed.

Dresser bottles, like this antique aqua-opaline example, are extremely collectible sold on eBay for $60 in 2023.

Where to Sell Perfume Whether Filled or Empty?

Where to sell perfume and perfume bottles is not an easy question to answer. I have had great success selling them on both Etsy and eBay. Some sell better on one over the other, but it’s difficult to explain exactly why.

Let’s put it this way, it’s more of an art than a science.

As I’ve mentioned, I sell newer perfumes on eBay. I also tend to sell rarer perfumes there since the market is larger on ebay than on Etsy. Furthermore, if a perfume doesn’t sell on one platform, I’ll move it to the other and give it a try.

My advice: Be patient and test the market. First, try items out where you think they might do best. If it turns out your gut misled you, then try selling them elsewhere.

What Perfumes and Bottles Have Failed to Sell?

I have not found any particular rhyme or reason as to why some perfumes and perfume bottles have failed to sell. It may just be the wrong time, particularly if a scent is rare, meaning it wasn’t produced in large quantities. In those cases, I plan to hang on to them and try selling them at a later date.

I have not been able to find out any information about this Vive. I thought since it seems so rare that it would sell easily on eBay, but nope. I left it listed for over a year without even a single favorite.

So I moved it over to Etsy for two cycles (8 months) and once again, no interest. My thinking at the moment is to hang onto it for a bit and give it another try on eBay where I plan to list it initially for $90-100. I’ll lower it if necessary and see how it does.

I listed this sweet Je Reviens bottle by Worth on Etsy for two cycles (8 months). Its molded glass dauber/stopper makes it special and it’s in good condition. While a few people favorited it, it failed to sell in the $20-25 range.

Encased in attractive metal filigree, this bottle of Tiffany (not to be confused with Tiffany jewelry) is another perfume I’ve had trouble finding information about. Manufactured by Lou angel, it has failed to sell on either eBay or Etsy in the $35-50 range.

What’s My Signature Perfume?

Way back in the day when I worked full time as Counsel to the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committe, I wore a signature perfume. It took me a couple of months of testing perfumes at the Macy’s cosmetic counters to find one I loved, that I felt represented me.

That perfume was Red Door by Elizabeth Arden.

Fast forward a couple of decades to one day when I was shopping at a Red Hook antique store with my second kid: Grace. We got separated and I stumbled on a sample size of Red Door and removed the lid to take a whiff. It immediately brought back memories.

A few minutes later Grace found me, saying “Mom, I found this great perfume. It’s called Red Door and I’m gonna get it.” That experience warmed the cockles of my soul, as I suspect it would any mother’s.

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Final Thoughts

Fortunately, perfume lovers have created a large market for vintage, “used”, and new perfumes. It’s an area of reselling that many are unaware of so there’s a great deal of room for those of us “in the know” to make some good money. I encourage you to give it a try!

Keep in mind that I almost always have perfume or perfume-adjacent items for sale in both my Etsy shop and on Ebay.

Bye for now,

I’d so appreciate it if you’d pin this to your favorite Pinterest board!