Do you purchase beauty/makeup products off of eBay/auction sites? Or are you too leery?
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I have, but it’s on very rare occasions. I do prefer to purchase from known retailers myself (Nordstrom, Sephora, etc.).
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Since I’m international (Norway) and find it very hard to get my hands on MAC, for instance, I have purchased makeup off eBay several times. I have done thorough research before doing so, to be sure that they were sellers with good reputation and actually known for selling authentic items.
I have been known to on occasion. You can find great deals there, but I do my research before I buy. If the item I want is commonly counterfeited then I just wont risk it.
I do. If you know what you’re doing, check feedback, use PayPal and are quick to respond to any problems, it’s pretty safe and saves you a lot.
I’d never buy a product I was totally unfamiliar with there, though – I want to have seen a genuine one so I can compare.
I’ve found a very good US-based retailer with the entire NARS range on ebay, who I’ve purchased from several times now, since I’m a NARS fanatic and the brand is ridiculously over-priced here in Australia.
What is the name of the ebay seller? Or ebay ID?
makeupboutique. I’ve bought lipsticks, lip pencils and powder products from them and been very happy with it.
Okay thank you!! I will have to check it out!
Thanks for the heads up. I found the seller and am watching some of their items now!!
Yes, I’ve bought some products on Ebay. Benefit georgia, Badgal lash…I am satisfied but the last time the seller send me a fake mascara…
On occasion, but only for LE items that are brand-new and no longer sold in regular retailers, and only from e-Bay sellers I know are reliable. I’ve actually gotten some nice items that way that I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere!
Usually, though, I prefer regular retailers.
I have in the past. The products have to be listed as new or NIB new in box. I always ask questions prior to bidding. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing used makeup from ebay or at all for that matter for sanitation purposes. But I suppose that’s what alcohol and the UV light device are for.
Yes, sometimes. I have purchased makeup brushes (MAC, Chanel, Trish McEvoy, Nars) and I saved a lot of money with that. Otherwise, I tend to look for discounts or clearance in known retailers (Douglas, Marianoud, House of Beauty in my country). Last year one of them had a clearance of 70% and I bought lots of Dior and Chanel stuff. However,if I really want something I would pay full price.
I bought Bobbi Brown brushes from eBay before, and I am certain they are fake because I compared them with the real brushes. Feedbacks really dont count because that seller has close to 100% positive feedback.
After that, I never risked it anymore. Id rather go to the store and be absolutely sure Im getting what I paid for!
No, I do not. I am concerned if anyone has used the items or if it will cause a bad reaction to my skin. I have to be at the dept.store to make sure the items match also. Sometimes the items are old and the seller is not sure if the product is still good to use.
I don’t usually buy off eBay but I’ll do it once in a while. Like this week I reallllly wanted hyper real pressed powder and that’s the only place I could find it.
I did several times actually. All my La Prairie products are from Ebay – here in the Sephora they are almost double the price so, I don’t want to spend so much money knowing that in the other countries they are cheaper. I usually buy from internet something that I’ve tried before and it was bought from beauty shop.
I do occasionally buy products via ebay, but only brands that aren’t available in Austria or discontinued.
Yes I have been buying Beauty products from Ebay for years now and I have only had 2 bad experiences. One in getting the color promised and the other the woman was selling used products as new. Its because of people like that they changed the feedback system. If you told the truth about them they would lie about you. Many people would be afraid to tell the truth because of retaliaton. I know its not fair to the honest ones but now it is safer to buy on Ebay because they cant retaliate anymore. So now people will give honest feedback without fear. And you will know to STAY AWAY from those sellers.
I’m far too scared to do this. Lol. I really think it’s a matter of whether or not you trust a 3rd party. There are so many brands out there and colours constantly being repromoted that I reassure myself I’ll be able to get something at least similar to the products I’ve missed out on.
no e-bays or auction sites for me, they feel so insecure and probably will end up buying fake products…
I order from Strawberrynet.com though 🙂 super fast arrival
No Way! You don’t know what you might be getting.
Hell to tha YES.
i haven’t tried online shopping yet. all i have done so far is to ask my US makeup buddy to shop for me. too chicken!
Not as often as I used to…have a couple that are reputable and sell authentic product. I don’t recommend it though…got burned more times than not! Just not worth it.
I never have, because I do prefer to buy my stuff from retailers, but I do enjoy swapping 🙂
All the time! If you pay with Paypal, you’re completely protected, and to be honest, I’ve not had much problem, definitely no problems with fakes, etc. I often order from the States because it’s a lot cheaper, and usually everything comes quickly and as they should. I also often get really good deals on new products, eg. holiday collections, I’ve probably saved around £100 just on the things I’ve bought lately (Dior single eyeshadow, Guerlain meteorites voyage powder, Clarins palette, Lancome eyeshadows, Estee Lauder products, etc.). I love eBay! 🙂
All the time, I like to get rare/discontinued items.
every now and again i will but i am very careful when i buy off ebay as alot of MAC stuff on there are fakes…i had bad luck when i first started with MAC and bought a fake pigment…:( so I usually just buy for MAC store or sephora
No way – too many bogus companies selling fake products. I’d rather pay full price and know that I’m getting the real thing. Quality is worth it.
I personally purchase off ebay all the time. But i always check the seller’s feedback and check back to MAC’s website. I do it because most of the time I can get whatever it is for cheaper or find products that have been discontinued.
I have purchased some NYX jumbo pencils off of ebay. I had a referral from Peace, Love and Lipgloss from Youtube who said she was a great buyer.
Normally I wouldnt be purchasing stuff like that off of ebay because you don’t know the quality or integrity of the product that you are buying! I mean things that go on your skin and body, you have to be careful who you buy from I think!
No. I might if there was a discontinued item that I had to have and that was the only option, but for the most part I’d rather pay a little more and be sure of the source and the quality of what I’m getting.
I do from time to time. Only from people that have great ratings.
Hi
yes, I do, but only from reputable sellers.
Not beauty products. Hoever, I buy all my brushes on Ebay. Saves me soo much money
I usually only purchase things on EBAY that are not sold in canadian stores where i live, such as NYX and Palettes.
Actually, NYX is available in Save-On Foods and Pharmasave here in Canada!
Yes. It’s the only way I can try certain brands when they’re not available in my area. Pricing can also be an issue, so if I can find it on Ebay for less, I’m more than happy 🙂
No, because I have concerns that products may be used. I like to ensure that my products are new and that the box is new and undamaged.
Yes I do. There are a few ebay sellers that I have done research on to make sure their items are authentic.
Yes i often do
Nyx products(not available in Portugal) they’r sooo cheap and quality is amazing
Cover Girl lasblast
MAC 165 brush and Style Black eyeshadows
I use Ebay a lot because of the shipping costs and taxes if i did use some website like Nordstrom the shipping costs + taxes would be BANANAS, though the prices of the items r super low.
But overall the prices on ebay r great mainly because of the dollar being so low, and that’s why i bought the 165 the brush cost me $45.98 but with euro it was €30.00(it’s like $30), in Portugal it would cost me €45.50
Never had any problems.
Actually recently i purchased 2 Nyx blushes ans the Seller did not had 1 color that i wanted and she would give me 3 blushes but by the time she emailed me i went to sleep and i emailed her next morning so did not what i was goin’to get and when package arrived she had sent me 3 blushes the 2 colors that i wanted and 1 more that i could choose.So that was very nice of her
Ebay is wayyy better at the moment and with PayPal even better
My advice is to do a research before buying ask anything and everything
I have too, in the past, and I agree with you. I’d rather purchase from known retailers. Plus, I found out I don’t live far from a CCO!
I hit up eBay constantly for discontinued items. I’ve also been going there a lot since you started the Scarlet Season – all those red MAC lipsticks/glosses are begging to be bought!
I mostly purchase pre-made palettes (48, 88 and 120 eyeshadow) but occasionally I will buy a limited edition item if I trust the quality. I have purchased a lot of fragrances from ebay. The only bad thing is that you end of with tester bottles but the fragrances are legit. I won’t buy large lots of products especially MAC from ebay. I will buy those from discount sites like Allcosmeticswholesale or bridgettes boutique.
Definitely not. I don’t like buying anything off of Ebay actually, or off of auction websites, unless it’s something I can’t find anywhere else.
For makeup especially, I need to see it in person. That way I can see what it truly looks like, see how it performs, and see if I like it. Makeup buying for me is more so a tactile process than a visual. Sure, something can LOOK pretty, but it needs to perform on all the other levels first. Also, with sites like that, there is never a guarantee that something is in good condition, unused or if it’s mislabeled.
If I buy makeup online, it would only be from the company’s website, from places like Sephora, and only if it’s something I’ve purchased before and have used in the past. That way I already know what the product is like, and am not really worried about ordering it online if needed.
Absolutely not! I will for purses and clothes, but never for makeup. You never know if the items are used, or how your skin will react. I always prefer purchasing anything for my skin either at a department store, drugstore, or a CCO. I need to see the item in real life before purchasing. 😀
I’ve bought a couple of things on Ebay. I think I bought UD’s Adore for much cheaper last year and when Coastal Scents was out of their 88 palette so I bought that for cheaper on Ebay. I did purchase one item that never got shipped but after an “investigation” the person had shut their account, Ebay refunded me the money. After that I haven’t really purchased.
Yes! Most of the cool items are not sold in my country so I’m stuck to online shopping websites. I recently used Ebay to buy L’oreal hip items because we don’t have it in my country and those drugstore products are usually not fake (they are cheap anyway). We also don’t have OPI, China Glaze, Zoya etc, I also purchased them from Ebay. If I lived in USA and could go to store, I’d pick it up myself but I have to use these sites at the moment.
i have b4 i purchased an empty palette from mac and frozen dream lipglass and abt 2 days ago i purchased the classic eyes from the holiday for abt 10 dollars with only 5 dollars shipping so that saved me abt more than 50%.
I think it’s silly to buy certain items full price from retaliers when you can get the exact same thing on ebay for much less. I’ve ordered my makeup from Ebay on several occasions. When i do however, i always make sure that the seller’s have a 100% rating to ensure that i’m getting the item just as described. What i do buy from them is Brand new….i don’t buy things used once or without the original box. I have bought Chanel vitalumiere foundation on ebay and pay only 25.00 with free shipping…where as if i get it from any of the department stores i’m going to be paying 55.00 plus tax for it. I just prefer to buy some things this way and the extra money i save on that new wow palette or lipstick that’s just come out 🙂
I’ve never seen a substantial price difference for most MAC products on ebay, and thus have never bought makeup off it. I would however, for a limited edition thing. Mostly though, I am an instant gratification kind of girl. As exciting as waiting for things in the mail is, I’d rather avoid it if i can.
Now I’m tempted to look for those Dior shimmer blocks for the cheeks! I didnt get the bright berry one during sephoras online sale, and the stores near me don’t have it. Plus, it would be great if it was cheaper. 40$ is substantial.
I think is funny that some ppl r saying they wouldn’t buy Beauty products on Ebay because they r afraid it may be used when in the U.S MAC and other brands policy return allows ppl to use the product and return it if the person does not want to keep it
well that’s not very sanitary is it?
Here in Portugal and in the majority of the countries that is IMPOSSIBLE
Like i said never had any problems all the products came sealed
Returned cosmetics are not resold to customers… (Well, they are not supposed to be.) I know MAC doesn’t resell returned cosmetics, no matter how new they look.
only nail polish – for anything that’s going to go on my face, I also prefer to go with known retailers
I don’t trust it.
Just a little… when something that I love is no longer made… like a too faced eyeshadow duo. But I do check their stats first.
sometimes i buy from ebay because it is cheaper because I think the retail price is too high or when all the stores are sold out and the item is limited edition. I always buy from a reputable seller though.
There are just so many fakes out there, I don’t risk it. Even honest sellers can get fakes and sometimes they don’t know they are fake (the fakes made from other countries often have harmful ingredients that the FDA in the US would never approve of). Also, who knows how old the products really are. Thankfully I have a MAC store close by and major department stores that carry the big brands.
I think I bought a couple MAC glitter eyeliners off of ebay after they had been discontinued. Love them, and if I need something I can’t get locally, I’ll do it again! :o)
I hunt Ebay for discontinued stock as well as bulk selling.
I’ve purchased some great NYX items.
I have no problems with it.
Know who your buying from, check the comments, and use PayPal.
I’ve bought off eBay but only rare products or those unavailable in my country. I can’t give up the joy of shopping when you can go look at tons of beauty stuff, swatch it, touch it and smell it 🙂
I have purchased lashes and hard to find theatre makeup from Shrinkle on Ebay, because she is extrememly well known and trusted, and I know the brands she sells have “authorized retailer” programs. I’ve also purchased a 120 palette on eBay- something so inexpensive I wouldn’t care if it were low quality.
As far as other items go, I am too wary. Having worked retail for many years, I know that one way MANY of these resellers get ahold of actual name brand product and sell it so far under retail is by stealing it. Other ways are by selling old product or by abusing gratis and employee discount programs. Then of course there’s plain old counterfeit product, which is rampant on sites like eBay.
I also find it extremely distasteful that there are people who go to MAC and buy all of a LE color (so we can’t get it when we try to buy it from MAC) with the expressed purpose of reselling it for a huge markup. Why would I want to give these people my money? Besides, there us no color so unique that I can’t find a reasonable substitute, and MAC re-promotes often enough anyway…
only recently….and only for stuff that NLA (that’s No Longer Available for the acronym-challanged…LOL) and only for stuff I REALLY want. I found products from MAC and Smashbox that we LE Collections, so the only way that I could get my hands on them were on eBay….
No. Reason…over priced and then I think the seller has used it. ie. just think about lip glosses that are being sold. eeeeewwwww. No thanks.
I sometimes buy discontinued or hard to find products on amazon. never ebay though.