MAC on Ebay

[mac_addict06]

Do you prefer buying MAC on Ebay? or in the stores?
I definitely like the whole "going into the store" experience, but there are a whole lotta cheap MAC on Ebay. I recently found a LURE 20 piece lot starting at 99 cents. How do they make any money? Where do you guys shop? I'm very curious.

 

[koolmnbv]

I usually only shop at stores, unless something is LE or dc'd then I will start checking out ebay or elsewhere to buy it. But w. ebay its hard to be sure anymore if your stuff is gonna be authentic. So many fakes being sold on there.

Also sometimes an auction will start at 99cents but theres no way it will sell for that price. It prob. sold for much more. And sometimes ppl. w. ppid or a trainer or mac employee (they all have 40-60% discounts) and they will re-sell it on ebay and make a good price even if we are getting it at a retail discount they still make a profit becaue they bought it so cheap. Or if some1 has a friend that is a mac employee etc. they may have gotten stuff for free from the employee friend and not care about mac so they can resell it and make a bundle. Ya never really know.

But no I would not buy something like that on ebay unless I had bought from the seller be4 and know they are reliable, I usually just go to the store so that I know for sure what I am getting and that its right and authentifc but I will buy certain things on ebay----thats just my 2cents

)

 

[bluegrassbabe]

I wouldn't say that I prefer it to the stores, but I do like ebay. There are some good buys on there, if you look for them, and it's a great place to find discontinued stuff. I tend to only buy from established sellers, with at least 100 feedback and a good rating. If you read the descriptions, ask questions, and buy from people with good feedback, you will most likely have a good experience.
Some of those auctions that start out at .99 end up going for huge amounts. The low starting price gets everyone interested, and they will start bidding like crazy and driving the price up. Some of the sellers are selling their gratis, and items bought with PPID, so that is how they are making money.

 

[lara]

Ebay = Fakesville.

 

[allan_willb]

they have cheap brushes!but be very very VERY carefull!

 

[bottleblack]

Ditto what Lara said. I've been frightened off of eBay by the extensive post of eBay fakes that people on here have found. Some of them are incredibly well done.
If I don't get my MAC straight from the source, I get it from the lovely ladies of Specktra.

 

[ledonatella]

I like to buy from MAC directly, unless it's an item I passed on and now HAVE to have and ebay is the way to go. But I only buy from sellers I know because 1) there's alot of fakes and 2) always check shipping because I'm sorry I'm not giving them $7 for shipping when it arrives in a little bubble envelope with a sticker saying it cost $2. 3) usually if something sounds too good to be true, it is

 

[mac_addict06]

thanks for your feedback. i asked another one of my friends and she said that usually people from overseas are the ones bidding the highest because they can't get it over there. i think i'll be getting my lure stuff from ebay though. it's like the whole collection. i don't mind if they didn't pay full price, cause then neither am i. i've ordered from her before and got my stuff pretty quick. so thats cool. thanks for lookin out guys!

 

[electrostars]

Mm..I haven't received anything fake from ebay...YET. lol.

 

[Designergirl9]

I have gotten some good stuff on ebay but I enjoy shopping at the counter to. I just go for sellers other people have recommend on here and ones that have 100 percent feedback.

 

[BlahWah]

If there's a possibility of me getting the items for cheaper after shipping, I keep it on my watch list. Otherwise, I'll only buy dc'd items off of eBay, and from established sellers. Outside of feedback (b/c they may extort for good feedback - it's happened!), I check their listing description and pictures. No pictures, definitely no go. Blurry pictures, ask for better ones. If you don't know which collection, tell me it's rare/sold out when it's not (Honesty e/s is NOT htf!), don't have the proper name, I don't bother.

2 good scores lately: Love-bud LE e/s and Little Tease d/c'd l/l each for $10 after shipping. =D

*edit* I also don't bid if they don't answer my questions, no matter how good the deal may be (and sadly, many have passed

).

 

[Moyra]

Hmmm...actually, EBay is a GREAT place to buy cosmetics, or anything else, for that matter. I buy a ton of cosmetics, clothing, decorative arts (we collect asian enamels, japanese porcelain and persian carpets) and all kinds of things.
I have personally never gotten a fake anything, but then I do my research ultra carefully on what is being offered AND the seller before bidding. Its worth taking the time to hunt the information down!
I admit that,in the real world, I am a hard sell anyway. I will only buy what *I* want, and on my terms.
My husband is an impulse shopper, and I have had to go in and request refunds, nail seller to the wall, etc, on his behalf more than once..hehehe
I have bought quite a few MAC palettes I didn't buy when they were released (silly me, I always want them AFTER the fact), at less or the same amount they would have cost at the counter, including shipping. ALL were genuine. I have also bought a lot of genuine Jane Iredale stuff at huge amounts less than retail.
EBay is an open market, anyone can join in and sell. Its full of scam artists and fakes, but most of the sellers are genuine, as is their product. If you seriously research the product/object/whatever you are considering buying or bidding on, as well as the seller, you will prolly be ok.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to actually read the feedback since a lot of people are so scared of getting a retaliatory negative they won't leave one, except with words.
As my mailman can attest, I definitely have an Ebay addiction problem, and after over 500 things we have bought in 4 years (not sold, I am a consumer only) I know its a minefield, but you really can get great deals on hard to find things. Its not as simple as walking up to your counter and buying something, but its often cheaper and everything LE or rare ends up there one day.
The key really is as simple as doing some thorough research of the seller/product!
Hmm...wonder if a thread of reccomended ebay cosmetics sellers would be a good idea somewhere on Specktra?

 

[divaster]

I've had good luck so far buying some MAC on ebay. In fact that's how I started my habit. Now I only buy things if they are something I can't get at the store or if it's a staple and I can find it cheaper there. So far so good.

 

[Parishoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moyra .... Hmm...wonder if a thread of reccomended ebay cosmetics sellers would be a good idea somewhere on Specktra?

there's one down in the chatter section of the site where ppl list the sellers they've had good transactions w/ & a couple of sketch ones & there's a what the F@%* ebay thread as well

 

[bellaetoile]

i've had decent luck with ebay, but i'm incredibly careful with what i buy, and i'll usually only turn to ebay if i can't find what i want in stores/through a personal seller on here or LJ. i really prefer transactions with people i know, if i can help it. i'll resort to ebay if its something older, or harder to find, or if i see a fantastic BIN price, from a reputable seller.

i love going in to the stores and counters. usually the MAs are super nice, we get started talking about makeup, and i just end up having a great time. i'm lucky in that there are a LOT of counters, freestanding stores, and the pro store, all within decent driving distance, so i'll switch up what location i go to from time to time, or if i'm looking for something that's sold out one place, i can usually just call another location and ask them to hold it for me.

 

[miss_spam]

as a seller on ebay

I actually like ebay! i've bought a few mac pigments from there and they were all authentic. i've also sold a few pigments myself and I just started selling

usually I start my auctions off at 99 cents. i think ebay charges certain prices for the starting cost and 99cents and lower doesn't cost that much.

I agree with what everyone said though..read the descriptions VERY CAREFULLY and do ask questions

 

[gretchygretch84]

As someone who is newer to mac, I really like ebay for getting items that are simply not available anymore. I've gotten many older le items for far less than I would have on lj/specktra, thanks to smart shopping -- my best was guacamole e/s for like 19, and a few current pan e/s for like 6 bucks.

But like anything else it's the luck of the draw. There are skeezy sellers and there are great ones. You just have to check the fb... private fb, lots of neutrals/negs are a no go. Although, I will say evalueville is good, despite the large amt of negatives, and their prices simply can't be beat!!

 

[maxcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegrassbabe Some of the sellers are selling their gratis, and items bought with PPID, so that is how they are making money.

It's actually such a problem that MAC has started taking our gratis out of the box, nicking the tubes with a drill bit and painting stripes down it. I think selling your gratis is absolutely wrong... but I do reserve the right to give it away to friends and family... and I'd like to give them something that hasn't been mauled. It's just sad they have to go to these lengths.