Buying Vintage Cookie Jars Safely on Ebay

Most of the cookie jars in my collection have be acquired through ebay. Yes, I have found a select few at a garage sale or antique shop, but I feel my best buys have been at the online auction. Hence the birth of cookiejarauctions.com.

An important aspect of purchasing vintage cookie jars online, or anywhere for that matter, is knowledge. Know what you are buying. There are many antique and vintage cookie jar reproductions and fakes on the market. Not that there is anything wrong with buying a reproduction as long as you are fully aware of that fact before you buy it, but your best defense against being fooled is information and finding information you can trust is key.

One of the first things I did when I started collecting was buy cookie jar price guides. These are a great resource, not only for estimates of going prices, but manufacturer information on a wide variety of specific jars. My favorite guide is Collectors Encyclopedia of Cookie Jars, Book III by Fred and Joyce Roerig. Although I have all of their books and recommend them highly, I favor this particular book as a resource for cookie jar reproductions.

When buying at auction it is important to check photos and descriptions of the vintage cookie jars closely for condition and originality. How is the description worded? What is it telling you and what is it leaving out? Does the seller offer a refund? If all your questions are not answered, contact the seller for answers until you are satisfied. If you are not satisfied, move on.

How many of those "rare" cookie jars have been sold recently? Probably one to many. If there are many "rare" cookie jars being auctioned they probably are fakes. If you are unsure about the one you are interested in or its from a seller that has many "rare" cookie jars, move on.

Check the sellers feedback. How much negative feedback does the seller have and what are the complaints? Are you comfortable buying from this seller? If your are not comfortable, move on.

Don't forget to add the shipping costs to the bottom line of your purchase. Some sellers inflate the shipping costs or charge handling fees. Before you buy the cookie jar, check USPS or UPS for standard shipping and insurance costs to make sure you are not being overcharged. If shipping is too high, move on.

I am not trying to take the fun out of collecting, but if you purchased something that was too expensive, or not what it claimed to be, the fun factor would be gone and you might not be too confident about your next purchase. But if you do your research, you will be more apt to make a wise purchase and build a collection you will be proud to display.