Buying & Selling Guide
In this section, we will give you the tools needed to make a confident purchase or a successful sale. We want you to feel knowledgeable as you look for your next Mosser cat or decide to part with one. Hopefully, this guide will point you in the right direction as you learn what to look for and what to avoid.
Where Do I Find One?
Maybe you've just joined our Facebook group or you've come across a picture of these elusive rainbow-hued cats. You would love to start collecting them, but where do you find them? Fortunately, there are multiple places you can visit to look for them.
1. Our Facebook group, Mosser Cat Central, is a great place to start. Our group often advertises new color releases, many of which are listed exclusively in our group. Many members also post both vintage and new Mosser cats for sale in the group. Please click here to join.
2. eBay - Mosser cats are listed fairly frequently on eBay. It allows access to both vintage and new releases, depending on what's listed. Mosser cats listed on eBay often fetch the highest prices. This is due to multiple factors, such as a worldwide audience and potential bidding wars. On occasion, you will come across a vintage cat or two that's listed at an incredibly low price. This is often rare and occurs when the seller doesn't realize what they have.
Some collectors have been fortunate enough to get a vintage cat in the $40 range because of this. When searching on eBay, remember to look for typos. Occasionally, the name "Mosser" is misspelled as "Moser," which happens to be the name of another famous glassmaking company. Not all Mosser cats are listed as such. Some sellers may be unfamiliar with Mosser cats and just think it's a glass cat figurine. Because of this, it pays to be creative with your search terms.
Here are some examples of good search terms to look for: "Glass cat paperweight," "Glass sitting cat," "Glass cat figurine," "3 in glass cat," and "Glass cat ornament." Other more common search terms would be "Mosser cat," "Vintage Mosser cat," "Mosser sitting cat" and "Moser cat." Ready to start searching on eBay? You can click any of the highlighted blue links to start. The "Mosser cat" search terms have already been entered for you. Find Mosser cats on eBay.
3. Other selling platforms - Sometimes it's hard to remember that eBay isn't the only fish in the sea. There are plenty of other selling platforms to visit too! Remember, you can use the same search terms mentioned above on these sites as well. Here's a list of reputable selling platforms where collectors have previously had success finding Mosser cats: Etsy, Poshmark, Mecari, HiBid, and ShopGoodwill.com. For new releases only, you can visit Rosso-glass.com.
4. Local Options - Facebook Marketplace is a great option. Sometimes the seller may offer shipping if you're not local. Other great places worth looking into are local thrift stores, antique stores, estate sales and yard sales. You never know when you may find a hidden Mosser cat gem tucked away in a corner somewhere. Multiple members of our Facebook group have had this happen.
Check for Damage.
Although Mosser cats are relatively sturdy, damage can occur. They are most prone to breakages on the ears and feet, which are the most delicate areas of the cat. If you happen to have the cat in person, examine it carefully. Check for flea bites or chips on the surface of the glass. Flea bites are tiny flecks on the surface of the glass that are smaller than the tip of a pencil lead, or 1/16" of an inch. Chips are larger than 1/16" of an inch. If the cat is online, make sure to enlarge all photos and carefully examine them. If in doubt, ask questions about the condition and request additional photos if need be.
Significant damage can affect the value of the cat, but some flaws may be more acceptable than others. If the cat is a very rare color, it may still be worth purchasing. If you decide to purchase a damaged cat, such as one with a broken ear, make sure to ask the seller if they have kept the broken-off piece. There is always a chance that they kept it and would be willing to ship it with the cat. If that's the case, repairing it would be fairly simple. Please visit our Care & Repair Guide for advice on how to repair your cat.
Some cats have unique factory traits that occur during manufacturing. These aren't necessarily considered damages, but they should be noted. Please visit our Unique Factory Traits page to learn all about them.
Is it Authentic?
Is it Authentic? - If you had asked us before 2023 if there had been any reproductions of Mosser cats, we would have said no. Now, with all of the new excitement, there have been some "copycats" coming out of the woodwork. The good news is that we have never seen a copy that was made of glass. We have seen cats made out of the following materials: bronze, pewter, resin, and even 3-D-printed cats. Fortunately, it's very difficult to copy the glassmaking process necessary to make glass cats. Most people don't have a glass factory, furnace, glazer or lehr just lying around. We're sure the world will continue to make copycats out of other materials, but in the meantime, the Mosser cat is safe.
Familiarize yourself with the maker's marks and colors - There's a huge difference in prices between the vintage cats produced from 1976 to 2007 and the new releases produced from 2023 to the present. The new releases are worth about 1/3 of the price of the vintage ones. Navigating the market can be quite challenging at times. Some sellers have been known to be intentionally dishonest by posting pictures of a newly released cat, but at an angle where you can't see the maker's mark. If you can't read the maker's mark, make sure to ask the seller for better pictures. If they refuse or ignore your request, it may be an indicator that you shouldn't bid on that particular cat. Please visit our Identify Age & Maker's Marks page for an in-depth look at all the maker's marks these cats received over the many years in production.
Does it glow? - Some sellers will claim that a cat is UV-reactive without actually checking it themselves. This can be a very dangerous game to play, as it leaves the buyer very upset when the cat arrives, and it isn't UV-reactive. Other sellers will list a newly released cat that's airbrushed (painted) and completely leave that vital information off of the description. We've seen a newly released yellow airbrushed cat listed as "yellow slag" and priced incredibly high, like a vintage cat. Unfortunately, it sold to an unsuspecting buyer. If a seller claims that a cat glows but doesn't show photographic proof, it should be considered a red flag. Make sure to always see proof that the cat is UV-reactive before purchasing it. Please visit our Cats That Glow page to learn about all the UV-reactive colors that Mosser cats come in. Under a black light, they can glow green, red, orange, yellow and even pink!
Check photo quality - sometimes sellers, for one reason or another, take very bad photos that completely misrepresent a color. There may be poor lighting conditions, or the image may be incredibly blurry. If you're unable to secure better photos, familiarize yourself with a good photo editing program. Learn to adjust the lighting or sharpness of a photo. Purple cats often look brown in poor lighting. Being able to spot the difference could score you a great deal.
What's it Worth?
You just found the cat of your dreams but want to know a guesstimation of its value before jumping headfirst into a bidding war on eBay. Prices, just like the weather, can change frequently. A good rule of thumb is to look at previously completed sales on eBay if they are available. Decide in advance what you would be comfortable spending. Stick firm to your limit, and don't let the bidding frenzy of competitors cloud your judgment. Unless it's an exceptionally rare cat, chances are another one will eventually show up.
Ever since the surge of interest in 2023, vintage Mosser cats have commanded premium prices. Multiple factors play a role in value: color, condition and rarity can greatly affect the value. Slag cats with wild colors and patterns sell the very highest. Cats containing Uranium or other UV-reactive properties follow closely behind price-wise. Some colors are scarce and hard to come by; others seem to be available frequently. Value is often in the eye of the beholder. Fortunately, with the help of Terapeak on eBay, we can determine an average price for Mosser cats.
Note: It was impossible for Terapeak to not include the Mosser cat salt cellars in the search since the search terms are almost identical. It was the salt cellars that sold for $24.50, not the vintage Mosser sitting cats. The lowest-priced vintage sitting cat sold for $89.00.
Value guidelines for the estimation are as follows:
*We only included Mosser cats that were intentionally listed. These are cats that the seller knew the value of, not cats that were listed as "buy it now" in the $40ish range because the seller was unaware.
*We only considered vintage cats, not new releases, since the value of those was substantially lower.
*It is also time-prohibitive to list out each color of cat for pricing. Instead, we chose to list them in similar groups, such as "slag cats." Remember, this is just a simple guideline to go by, but pricing can and will continue to vary.
All prices pictured in the image and the values listed below are from Feb 28, 2023 to Feb 28, 2024.
Estimates are listed from highest to lowest.
Vintage Mosser Slag Cats: $89.00 to $473.00 (Avg is 186.71. Most cats were well over $200)
Windfrost Mosser Cats: $170.00 to $360.00 (Avg is $215.97)
Cadmium/Selenium Mosser cats (UV-reactive has red or orange glow): $92 to $387.00 (Avg $171.52)
Vaseline or Uranium Mosser Cats (UV-reactive has bright green glow): $65.00 to $296.99 (Avg is $162.16)
Solid color Mosser cats (not UV reactive): $125.00 to $200.00 depending on the color.
The only two colors that don't reflect the values above are Cobalt and Crystal. Both colors were frequently produced and are readily available. Although we have seen a vintage Cobalt cat sell for up to $150.00, the most common price range is $45 to $70. The same price range is applicable for the Crystal cats as well.
How Do I Ship It?
Standing only 3 inches tall and weighing a mere 4.6 oz, Mosser cats are a breeze to ship. Make sure to use a sturdy, small box that allows enough space to comfortably fit plenty of packing material. A 5x5x5 or a 6x6x6 box is the perfect size. When wrapping your cat, make sure to create a generous cocoon of bubble wrap around the cat itself and secure it with tape so it doesn't unravel. Now that your cat has a "bubble wrap cocoon," it's ready to be placed in the box. There should be a generous amount of either bubble wrap, packing peanuts or wadded packing paper around the entire cat so that it doesn't touch the sides of the box. Remember, the post office isn't going to be gentle with your box. It may be thrown or kicked while moving through the postal network. The goal is to make sure the cat arrives safely and in one piece.
Now that your cat is wrapped, it's time to create a shipping label. If you prefer to print your label from the comfort of your own home, we highly recommend Pirateship.com. They have some of the lowest shipping rates available and cover all methods of shipping. They have a very user-friendly website, and we have been very satisfied using them.
Last but not least, whether you are an eBay seller or a private seller, it's always a wonderful idea to include a thank-you note. It only takes a few seconds to write and leaves a great impression on the buyer. If notes aren't your cup of tea, many places even sell rolls of stickers that say, "Thank you for supporting my small business" or something of a similar nature. They can be placed on the package and bring a smile to the buyer's face. The important thing is that you are leaving a lasting impression on your buyer. They will more than likely return for repeat business because of this.
