Welcome to the 24th issue of the Avon Collectibles Newsletter- thank you for subscribing (or visiting our online edition). Sponsored by Avon Collectibles and Hard to Find Avon at Avon Collectibles

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In this issue:
1. Avon Collectibles Show Information

2. March Savings

3. Do you have a Avon Collection For Sale?
Helpful hints from Bud Hastin, author of the #1 Best Selling Avon Collector's Encyclopedia

2. March Savings - March is our Customer Appreciation Month- Look for sale items throughout the store at http://findavon.com. Quantities are limited, while items are in stock.

3. Do you have a Avon Collection For Sale?
Helpful hints from Bud Hastin, author of the #1 Best Selling Avon Collector's Encyclopedia (Reprinted from our Sept 2000 issue due to popular demand)

I get a lot of calls from people who have been given a Avon Collection after a friend or relative has died and passed it on. The best advise I can give you is that collectors collect a collection one at a time and seldom buy a large collection because they already have most of what someone has to sell. If they do buy a large collection all at one time, they pay a fraction of the collector book price. To get the best price, you have to sell each item one at a time. This is true with any collectible, not just Avon. Most big collections sell for $1.00 per item straight across the board when sold all at one time, and sometimes even less. Then that person has to invest his or her time and money in marketing the collection to get the best price possible.

When you advertise a collection for sale, you must put prices you want. If you say "make me a offer", Most people will not waste their time with you. The lower the price, the faster you will sell it. This is common sense that goes with anything you are selling. The only time you should ask for offers is if you have very old California Perfume Items that are rare and have a high book value. Only the rare items will bring top dollar. Most Avon is not rare from late 1960's forward. If you have something rare and hard to find, be patient when selling. It doesn't matter if it's a ad in Avon Times, the #1 Avon Collectors monthly magizine or any of the Internet Avon Collecting sites or one of the Auction Sites on the internet. When you are selling, it depends on who is reading the ad at the time of the offer. You may not get a response today or this month because the person looking for that paticular item is not reading your ad. I know people who buy things today and turn around and sell it tomorrow for twice or more what they paid for it in the same place. Just different people reading the ads make all the difference in the world. Keep this in mind. How important is boxes? Most collectors do not show boxes, but when you buy and sell them, the boxes are very important to ship them safely. Without the original box, they often get broken in shipping unless you use a lot of packing. As Avon's get old, 1950's or older, the boxes become more valuable. Look in the CPC section in my latest 16th Edition Avon Collectors Encyclopedia for box prices. The older they get, the higher the price for the box. Some boxes in CPC's are worth $75.00 or more if in mint condition.

The best places to sell Avon Collections are listed on page 620 of my new book. Sometimes donating a large collection to charity and deducting it from your income taxes at the end of the year is the best way to get the best price and benefit if you are in a hurry and don't have the time to sell a collection one item at a time. I am told by other collectors that you can deduct the full value that my latest volume Avon Collectors Encyclopedia™ list for current market value when you donate the collection to charity. You need to make a complete list and price each item and get it signed by the charity you donate it to. Do not do this until you check with your tax advisor.

Avons do not always go up in value. They fluctuate with the market just like everything else in life. When the economy is good, collectibles sell well. When the economy is bad, you have to wait longer to sell your items and usually at a lower price, just like in the house market. Avon Jewelry does not have much of a market in the Avon Collecting world. Most people just do not want to collect their jewelry because too much was made of each piece. Avon Products is the largest producer of costume jewelry in the world. Sell all the jewelry at a garage sale. You should sell most of it just as jewelry, not as a avon collectible. You know how women love jewelry at garage sales. Jewelry is made to wear, not collect.For those who want more info on Avon Jewelry, there is a small book for $30. at major book stores and at amazon.com.

Avon Products Inc. are making very few new collectibles in the late 1990's forward. Most do not have Avon marked on the product. If it does not say Avon on the product, we advise do not buy it for a Avon Collection as most collectors will not want to buy it later on from you. It has to be marked Avon on the product itself before I will put it in the Avon Collectors Encyclopedia.™

More Helpful Hints on Collecting Avon

The Avon hobby as a whole, covers a tremendous volume of material. There is far too much to collect for the average person to work on all categories. No.1 Rule in Avon Collecting: "Set a goal for your hobby and collect only what you want to collect." You rule the hobby, it doesn't rule you. Decide what part of the overall hobby appeals to you, set your goal and work hard toward that goal. Ask yourself some questions. How much room do I have? How much can I spend each month? What do I enjoy most about Avon Collecting? Base your goal on the answer.

Bud's personal views on collecting are: "I think the Avon collecting hobby is the best hobby around today. It is one of the few hobbies that you will probably never find all of them and that's what collecting is all about, the challenge to find something you don't have. The thrill is finding a high priced Avon or California Perfume bottle in a flea market or garage sale for a low price. You see very few Avon collections the same and this always makes the challenge greater to find the one that your friend has. Avon collecting is one of the biggest hobbies in the U.S. I wonder how many old and rare C.P.C. or old Avon bottles or old sets are lying around in somebodies attic and cellars just waiting to be discovered by some informed collector? Garage sales, rummage sales, etc. are the gold fields and it is almost as big a thrill to find a $100.00 C.P.C. as it was for the treasure hunters of old to find gold. Avon collecting is for all ages, both young and old. It's a hobby for the entire family.

Certain Avon Items Have Been Removed From My Avon Book. Avon collecting has changed many times since 1967 when collectors first started saving Avon Decanters. Many Avon items and even complete categories of items that were once very popular can not be given away today. You will find this true with almost anything in life.

Remember, if its a household kitchen or decorator item and not marked Avon on the product we do not feel it is a true Avon Collectible. It must be marked Avon on the product. We have removed all Christmas Tree ornaments and hanging ornaments, that do not have the Avon name or logo or the year or date on each item. Collect only ornaments that can be identified as Avon.

Avon Plates are still very popular, but most collectors only want porcelain or ceramic plates. Pewter plates are not desirable and most collectors will not want them. Soaps of all kinds are very popular in the Avon line. Soaps must not be damaged in any way. If they are, we suggest not buying them. All Soaps must be in New Mint Boxed Condition.

We have used the Inflation Index method to reprice many older Men's and Women's Decanters, Candles and Plates. The new products now issued by Avon are much higher in original issue cost. They cost more than similar, much older items we had priced in past books. We feel if you will pay the price to get a new item from your Avon Representative that is plentiful, you should be willing to pay the same price for older and much harder to find Avon Collectibles in Mint Condition. Avon Representative Awards and Gifts are still very popular with many collectors. We have removed a few items in the Award section. Paper items, Purses & Bags, Clothing, Scarfs and Award Plaques that are not national level awards, and trophies have been removed. All awards should be marked Avon on the award or an Avon trademark.

We have weeded out some items in each of these categories and left many in. Most of this type of item is becoming less popular over the years. If you have any of these items and they are not pictured in this book, just use a item in this book that is similar to get a price for the current value. Most of the avid Award collectors tell me they are now only interested in Awards that are given on a National level. They must fit on a shelf or hang on a wall and display well. If they don't fit this description, they will not appeal to the next collector when you decide to sell your collection.

A word of warning! I know how excited many collectors get to find a new item or award and pay a big price to get it, then find it much lower in price in a few months. This is particularly true with the Albee Figurine Awards. I have seen this happen on every Albee Award to date. Have patience. Wait a few months and you will save a lot.

Helpful hints from Bud Hastin
Continued next page...

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