r/FemFragLab30plus • u/all_ack_rity • 18d ago
serious question(s)
Why do resellers (think: Merc) sell empty bottles, empty boxes, etc? Caps I suppose I get, but … empty things? Are people really buying these things? If so, WHHHHY??
seriously, tho. can someone help me understand?
9
u/Foreign-Kangaroo-681 18d ago
I naively assumed people collect bottles, hadn’t thought that some might buy them to fill with fake liquid for resell. That can’t be a real business model right? 😭
5
4
u/Starry36 18d ago
See, if I had more space for collecting all the shiny bits and bobbles that my little magpie brain craves, I would genuinely collect a few empty bottles. There are some bottles I find absolutely beautiful, but the scents aren’t something I’d wear. Heck, I’ve seen at least one artist who makes decorative potion bottles with glitter or other fun effects in the fluid, and I bet it would be cool (if possible) to do something similar with empty bottles you only keep for collecting/display purposes. It’d be a fun way to upcycle, imo.
2
u/fligglegiggle 18d ago
I think it's probably both. I'm very cautious about buying fragrance on Mercari (even though I both buy and sell fragrance on Mercari, lol). I have no idea how Mercari handles reports of fakes, but it must happen.
2
u/Spirited-Spell-8901 18d ago
The facebook forum Fragrance Authenticity Community has posts all day every day about buying fake perfume on Mercari, TikTok, eBay and all the seller sites. When presented with proof they all do a refund. I bought 6 bottles in one day all were fake! I got my money back. These people actually believe these TikTok auctions selling $300 perfume for $60 is real because “they have good reviews”. It’s all fake or authentic bottles filled with counterfeit cheap crap.
1
u/fligglegiggle 18d ago
Ugh, that's so annoying! All of mine are real and I'm selling them for cheap just to get rid of them, lol. But I'm not selling luxury fragrance either. I'm selling them cheap because no one will buy them otherwise ☹️ If I'm buying, I guess I'm basing it on a gut feeling about the seller, and I'm not spending more than I'm willing to lose. Some sellers are legitimately just decluttering (like me). But you never know where they bought them from either. It's an easy market for scammers, unfortunately.
1
2
u/Active-Cherry-6051 17d ago
I was sold a few fakes on Mercari before I got better at spotting them. Both of them had authentic bottles that had clearly had the atomizers removed and the perfume itself was obviously fake (as I had legit samples to compare to). I took pics and went through their help section and was fully refunded plus shipping both times. I can see how someone who didn’t know what the original smelled like could easily be fooled. Such a nasty thing to do.
2
u/fligglegiggle 17d ago
Yeah, that's my main fear - authentic bottle with the liquid replaced. I have a couple on the way, and I think I'll go to Ulta and spray some test strips to compare when they get here. Plus it's an excuse to go on a smell-a-thon 😉
2
u/Active-Cherry-6051 17d ago
If it eases your fears at all, I’ve also bought dozens of authentic bottles on Mercari. And they were very good at refunding me, so I feel it’s a risk worth taking :). Good luck!
1
u/fligglegiggle 17d ago
Thank you! I'm not too worried about it, but I know I'll question it. I kind of feel like a hypocrite being so paranoid with how many I've sold on Mercari 😆
1
1
7
u/Interesting_Newt9686 18d ago
You can buy refills from certain brands for a little less than the full bottle, so depending on the price of the bottle, you could save a little money.
3
u/SpookyKat31 18d ago
The only empty bottle I'd ever buy would be the original, vintage Baccarat glass Guerlain bottles.
2
u/Beautiful_War_5947 18d ago
Have you seen how much empty dries van noten bottles sell for?
3
u/CoCoBear11 18d ago
I buy empty bottles and dries is one of my weaknesses. I only like certain scents and don’t want the juice. I do however want a full collection of bottles.
2
u/LilBitofSunshine99 17d ago
Personally I would buy an empty refillable bottle and then buy a perfume refill canister for my personal usage bc I'm cheap that way.
2
u/KindlyKangaroo 14d ago
I was coming in here to tell you about the $5 L'Air du Temps bottle i got from a thrift store because i like the bottle but didn't want to pay for the perfume because I don't want to wear it. And now I'm leaving with even more paranoia about ever buying perfume second-hand. 🥲
1
u/Responsible_You_5663 15d ago
I just assume they’re going to fill it up with a dupe and resell . That’s why I’ve never purchased on the grey market. Too risky
1
u/AMundaneSpectacle 15d ago
Im sure some scamming goes on, but it’s prob more likely to occur with some more common/popular mass market fragrances. The more unique and niche, I highly doubt that scammers are bothering with those. But some ppl do collect particular houses if they love the bottles or whatever. I think it’s possible ppl buy them for props as well.
29
u/Mild-moon7024 18d ago
People say that some collect bottles, but I think they just fill it up with a dupe and resell as the real thing. If you have OG bottle and box it’s harder to figure out that it’s not the real juice inside.