Think your empty gin bottle is only good for the recycling bin? Think again, as gin lovers are subsidising their love of gin by selling their empties on eBay
According to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, British gin drinkers bought 75 million bottles of gin in the first 9 months of 2020 – 10 million more than the 12 months before.
With so much more gin being drunk, there are more empty bottles ready to dispose of, and believe it or not there are plenty of people ready to pay for these ‘pre-loved’ bottles. They’re being used for upcycling and craft projects.
So how much is that empty Gin bottle worth
British firm Lifestyle Packaging conducted data analysis to find the average resale price for 120 popular and craft gin bottles and compared these to their recommended retail price.
Mermaid Pink Gin from the Isle of Wight Distillery, with its rose-hued textured bottled, came out on top. Retailing at £38, empty bottles sell on eBay for around £12, giving buyers 31 per cent cashback per bottle.
In second place came the ubiquitous Gordon’s London Dry Gin. Retailing at £15.50, empty bottles sell on eBay for around £4.65, giving buyers an almost unbelievable 31 per cent cash back on each bottle.
Also ran’s which offer great returns include:
Eden Mill Golf Gin: Retail price £30/Empty bottle £8.82
Original Mermaid Gin: Retail price £38/Empty bottle £11.15
Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin: Retail price £26/Empty bottle £7.11
Social media is driving the trend for upcycling and craft projects as people look for thrifty ways to liven up their home décor.
Crafty gin lovers are searching TikTok and Pinterest for inspiration on how to upcycle empty bottles into decorative items such as lamps, diffusers, vases and terrariums.
The prices we’ve highlighted are at the top end of the scale but any gin bottle can offer a good return and it beats recycling which uses huge amounts of energy.
Reusing is always better than recycling.