Help Needed! Fake Pigments on eBay?!

[Darkness]

Hi Everyone,

Having read through the counterfeit section about what to look out for regarding fake pigments, I came across a seller on eBay who said she sells genuine pigments and is also a member on here, but she didn’t actually say what her Spectra name was.

However, I went ahead thinking that she would be okay and purchased Provence pigment. I received it the other day but I’m not sure if it is authentic. I noticed that the batch code on the right hand side of the box said A96 (see photo) and I thought this should correspond with the number on the bottom of the jar, which is AC6. I’m also not sure with the printing on the box too.

I’d be much obliged if any of you more experienced fake spotters could help me out with this please.

Cheers,

Ruth

 

[speedygirl247]

I am not an expert, but the bottom of the jar looks fake to me. I also have a provence pigment which is a cco purchase, batch is AC6 - on the box and the sticker. the batch code on mine appears above provence on the base sticker.

 

[julie150463]

Hi Ruth

From your photos your box does seem to be of the type that marks quite easily and the lid does appear to be more shiny than it should. Do you have any other pigments to compare the container and box too?


​

 

[TISH1124]

Honestly...and don;t take my word for it...But it does not look fake to me..I have a Provence that purchased from the CCO and it looks pretty identical. Pigments have different lot codes depending on the mfg date. Does the little plastic insert that covers the pigment have like a 4-digit upraised number that you can feel with your fingers if you rub them across the plastic...

I would ask purrtykitty she is always so good with the lot code numbers IMO

 

[redambition]

This one looks suspicious.

the top of the box has notches cut out of it - this is unusual as the authentic boxes i have seen don't. It also looks quite scratched up. MAC boxes don't tend to scratch easily.

the jar also looks like it has a shiny lid - a shiny lid is a sign of a counterfeit pigment. like Julie asked - if you have another pigment to compare the lid to it would be easier to see.

i would have also expected the batch codes to match.

 

[TISH1124]

I never noticed the size of the notch on the box until you just said that...My box edges are completely flush...Hummm....Interesting...

Gonna take some snapshots of my boxes I bought today to see how they photograph

 

[TISH1124]

My photos aren't as great as yours..But here are a couple of pigment boxes I purchased just today from my CCO for comparison...One has a scratches from where I removed the CCO price tag...

 

[julie150463]

Can you take a picture of the lid of the Provence compared to one of the other 2 (which are fine

) or can you see the difference between the 2? Fake lids are usually shinier than the more matte authentic lids.
​

 

[purrtykitty]

This one is a really hard call. The batch code is consistent with when Provence was released, and the lettering on the jar is consistent with the lettering of 2006. And I have a jar of Golden Lemon where the batch code is below the color, so that seems OK, too. The color and jar also seem fine, as well. The only troubling thing I see is the shiny lid.

 

[TISH1124]

My provence lid is not shiny at all....It's more of a matte finish like all the rest of my pigments...and I bought mine recently...Her's is a 06 lot code

 

[Darkness]

Hi Everyone,

Firstly, a big thank you to you all for helping me out with this, your comments and pictures have been most helpful and appreciated.

I have uploaded another couple of photos of the lid and box. I bought the Naked pigment the other week from the MAC Pro store, so hopefully this will be a good comparison. The lid does seem to be a lot more shiny on the Provence one and thicker too. The inner lid, not shown, seems to have the correct raised lettering.

The box photos are to show the Provence box having notches at the crease whilst the genuine Naked has none. Also, the Provence sticker is darker than the Provence box and the Naked sticker is lighter than the Naked box.

In the photos Provence pigment is on the left and Naked on the right.

Cheers,

Ruth

 

[TISH1124]

It is very shiny compared to the normal caps...so that is a red flag for me...I thught it was the camera glare previously...I do not have a piggie that is 2 yrs old or with a 06 lot code ..all the ones I have are matte black...The little slits that are on the tongue of the box carton concerns me too...None of my carton lids have those little slits.

 

[MACATTAK]

Based on the box, shiny lid & writing on the back of the pigment I'm going to say this is fake

 

[julie150463]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACATTAK Based on the box, shiny lid & writing on the back of the pigment I'm going to say this is fake

​

Would have to agree with MACATTAK

The slits in the box are part of the 'upside down box' phenomena - found in fakes

Contact the seller to get your money back.

 

[panda0410]

Once again - the base of the jar has been missed.... even without all the other info here (which incidentally concurs lack of authenticity) I can tell immediately that this is a FAKE.... if you want more info please PM me!

 

[Darkness]

Hi Folks,

Once again a big thank you for all your help on this one, so I thought I'd post a follow up. I decided to return the pigment to the seller and drop her an email to explain that I didn't think the pigment was authentic, she messaged me to say it was, and here is the reply I received:-
[FONT=arial,sans-serif]
Hi Ruth,
I'm sorry to hear that you are not happy with your item. I am however 100% sure that my items are authentic. I only buy from registered wholesalers who have their items checked my Estee lauder (who own MAC) representatives on a regular basis. I also used to work for MAC a few years ago so I do know what to check for for authenticity and all of my items are checked before being sent out to my customers. I will replace your item for you or if you prefer I can give you a full refund. I would ask you however not to refer to the item as "fake" if you decide to give me feedback as this would be an untrue statement and will affect my future sales. I understand your concerns but would be very grateful if you would not leave such feedback. I have an extremely good reputation with ebay and my feedback is excellent, I have many regular customers, who also buy from MAC stores and have had no complaints regarding my products or service from them.
Would you mind please indicating your concerns with the product?

So, armed with the knowledge you all gave me I pointed out all the inconsistencies.

I have now received a full refund for this inclusive of my postage and she got back to me to say that she checked all the other Provence ones she was selling and that they where all fine. Hmmm... I guess you should make your own minds up as to whether to believe her or not.

I didn't leave any negative feedback, but chose to leave no feedback whatsoever. I probably won't even report it to eBay as I'm a bit soft like that, plus they don't ever seem to do much about it anyway. However, if any of you happen to come across Angelic Cosmetics just be careful.

Cheers,

Ruth[/FONT]

 

[angi]

I wouldn't feel bad about leaving negative feedback, after all, it's not even like she can neg you in return now, and it's not like you were in the wrong!

From her listing and the photos that she has it's really difficult to tell with the rest of her things whether they are genuine or fake. The eyeshadows that she has, to me, look genuine, but without actually buying them, I'd never be able to tell. It's really looking at all of the aspects of this seller, the fact that a lot of the LE stuff is listed as buy it now (less than retail), that they have multiples of the same LE items, and that they list everything as rare (golden olive...!) that would put me off, but thats the problem with ebay now, you have to be so cautious.

 

[Xqueeze_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkness [FONT=arial,sans-serif] I am however 100% sure that my items are authentic. I only buy from registered wholesalers who have their items checked my Estee lauder (who own MAC) representatives on a regular basis. I also used to work for MAC a few years ago so I do know what to check for for authenticity and all of my items are checked before being sent out to my customers. [/FONT]

She's nice but she's a friggin idiot. If she worked at MAC a few years ago, she should KNOW that MAC does NOT do wholesale for onward resale!!!

Glad you got your money back, Ruth.

 

[TISH1124]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda0410 Once again - the base of the jar has been missed.... even without all the other info here (which incidentally concurs lack of authenticity) I can tell immediately that this is a FAKE.... if you want more info please PM me!

Can't you just state what the problems are with the base that you see...so everyone will know what to look for???

 

[panda0410]

No, sorry I wont since this is one flaw that has yet to be corrected and since I have had suspicions for some time now that many of the counterfeiters may actually be browsing this forum....

If you want more info then you can PM me.