pricing vintage patchouli

[Mr.P]

I had somebody reach out to me about purchasing some of my older patchouli oils which go back to the early 90's... I was intrigued for a moment until I thought about trying to price something like this. How do you price something that is an inexpensive product to begin with but is essentially unplaceable because of its age and the unique aroma it acquired with time? i'm not even sure it has a monetary value because no matter how much money I exchange for it that money would probably not enable me to replace it should I regret the sale in the future.

 

[roflwaffle]

all y'all should buy a good sized bottle of some fine oil to set aside for a decade from now. It's cheap enough that you can just buy twice as much as you intend to use and set the rest aside.

In your vast collecting, any thoughts on which regions/types of patch end up better with age? What smells nice now may not be as nice in 10 years and vice versa, so any wisdom here would be great!

 

[Mr.P]

In your vast collecting, any thoughts on which regions/types of patch end up better with age? What smells nice now may not be as nice in 10 years and vice versa, so any wisdom here would be great!

I wish I had a sophisticated enough understanding to answer that.

At one point I was convinced that this Sumatran oil I bought from Prima Fleur Botanicals (wholesale only) back in 1995 or so was the best in my stash, and it really is a great oil. The other oils I have from the 90's (oshadhi, aroma vera, neal's yard and a couple of others) are also excellent in their own ways, but did not specify a region of origin on the bottles so are no help towards answering your question.

The Sumatran has aged beautifully for sure and that that's where I would start if I wanted to age something going forward. A few other details… It is not especially pale color but happens to be one that has remained fluid throughout its life both in a topped off bottle and in a second bottle where there's just a residue.

I have a bottle of iron free oil I got from White Lotus back in 2003, the label says Indonesian origin but is not more specific than that. That one is truly tasty

 

[YusaAromatics]

This was my go to patchouli always !

 

[roflwaffle]

This was my go to patchouli always !

You may be a little biased, lol. (I'm sure it's lovely)

 

[Shiningrobes]

View attachment 55861
This was my go to patchouli always !

I regret missing out on getting full tola! It’s special for sure.

 

[YusaAromatics]

You may be a little biased, lol. (I'm sure it's lovely)

Little bit ofc haahaha

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I regret missing out on getting full tola! It’s special for sure.

I still kick myself that I didn't get any at all. I even had it in my cart at one stage but didn't follow through with the purchase.

 

[Mr.P]

I still kick myself that I didn't get any at all. I even had it in my cart at one stage but didn't follow through with the purchase.

I like the sound of patchouli and cola together - there's naught wrong with that!