Alright so last month I looked at my perfume shelf and realized holy smokes, I have way too many. Full bottles, barely-used decants, sample vials spilling out everywhere. Felt kinda guilty letting expensive juice just sit there gathering dust, you know? Plus, my credit card bill was staring me down like a hungry wolf. So I figured, why not try selling some?
Step 1: The Great Perfume Roundup
First things first. I dumped everything perfume-related onto my bed. And I mean everything. Made a gigantic mess. Found stuff I forgot I even bought! Took me like three hours just to sort them all out. Separated the full bottles from the partials, the niche stuff from the designer stuff, and those tiny sample vials I somehow ended up with hundreds of. Felt like a weird perfume detective. Wrote it all down on a legal pad – messy handwriting, coffee stains included. Real professional.
Step 2: Hunting for Selling Spots
Okay, now where the heck do I actually sell these? Knew folks used some online spots. Time for some digging. Here’s what I checked out:
- General Online Garage Sale Sites: You know the big ones everyone uses for old furniture and electronics. Sorted by “Beauty & Health” or whatever they call it. Took ages scrolling! Saw a ton of other perfumes listed. Prices were… hit or miss. Some cheap, some crazy high. Lots of lowball offers flying around, I bet.
- The Fragrance Fan Hangout: Remembered this dedicated forum people are always talking about. Found it after searching a bit. Definitely feels more like a serious hobbyist crowd over there. Saw brands I’d never even heard of! Rules seemed stricter though – gotta be careful posting. Didn’t jump in yet.
- The Social Media Swap Shops: Checked out some groups focused just on perfume selling/trading. Rules were pinned everywhere. Pay attention or boom, you’re kicked out. Seems active, people posting pics and prices constantly. Definitely potential.
Step 3: Picking My First Guinea Pig
Didn’t wanna risk my super expensive niche bottle right away. Chose a designer one I only sprayed like five times. Wasn’t my vibe. Figured it was a safe test. Took a million pictures in different light trying to make it look nice without looking deceptive! Found the original box in another drawer – felt like winning the lottery. Box was a bit dusty, but hey.
Step 4: Testing the Waters
Put my test bottle up on one of those big garage sale sites first. Pricing was tricky. Looked at similar listings, saw what they were asking. Knocked off a fair chunk since mine wasn’t brand new. Set up payment through the site because not trusting randos with my bank details! Shoved the bottle back in its box, found some old packing peanuts, crammed it all into a reused Amazon box. Felt kinda janky, but it worked. Dropped it at the post office. Fingers crossed.
Step 5: What Actually Happened & What Now?
My test bottle actually sold! Within a week. Got paid, nothing exploded. Felt like a win. Learned some stuff: pictures gotta be clear and honest, replying quick helps, cheap shipping matters to folks, and yeah, expect some lowballers. Didn’t try the forum or swap groups yet – that feels like the next level. More stuff to figure out over there, I think.
Bottom line? It’s totally possible to sell perfumes sitting around. Made nearly $300! But it ain’t magic money. Takes time sorting, cleaning, researching prices, taking decent pics, packing carefully, dealing with people, figuring out shipping costs. Sometimes it feels tedious. Still exploring the other spots, figuring out how to price the niche stuff. Feels like I just scratched the surface, honestly. Truckload of debt isn’t gone, but hey, every bit helps, right?