marusia
Well-known member
Hi ladies (and gentlemen).
I'm writing this guide for all the people I constantly see in this thread asking about what they can do. Let me first start off by saying I'm a business owner myself, and have had to deal with this on some large scale purchases. (Anywhere to $750-$2000).
My first secret for you guys is off a list I've gotten from the ONLY supplier I will ever buy MAC from. She told me not to post this list because it could cause a frenzy, but I'm going to try and explain it the best I can. Just because you own one of these colors does NOT mean it's necessarily fake. In my experience, however, if the website/seller has almost nothing but these colors for lipglass...stay away:
BARE FETISH
C-THRU
ENCHANTRESS
EXPLICIT
FLORABUNDANCE
MAGNITIQUE
NYMPHETTE
PAS-DE-DEUX
PINK LEMONADE
RED RUSSIAN
STEAL MY HEART
Those are the most commonly counterfeited, and they seem to come in groups.
No, MAC doesn't wholesale per se. However, CCO's liquidate limited edition overstock. The only other way products are sold outside retail stores are if they are "blemished". (Very small defects-MAC is VERY picky about their standards, and only sell the top of the line). The likelihood of a seller having all of those lipglasses (without being a MACpro reseller or employee), is >1%.
Also, whenever buying from a website, check out their domain at WHOIS.com. If they aren't cooperating with them, it's a HUGE red flag. It means that they are trying to hide their information from being able to be found from law enforcement. I personally use a proxy to protect my family since my business is run out of my home, but even then, all the cops would have to do is call my proxy provider. For an example of what that looks like, feel free to type my domain into whois.com (deliamay.com).
Whenever you are making a purchase online, try to pay with an actual credit card (not a debit card) via paypal. That way, if you are sold something and the seller doesn't cooperate, you have TWO forms of protection. The first being paypal, and that should always be the route first. File a claim after you message the seller first giving them time to explain. (more info below) If they won't cooperate, escalate it to a claim. If for some reason paypal doesn't take your side and give you a refund, do a chargeback on your credit card. It will release your funds from their account (and charge them $25 also giving them a "strike"-very bad in the business world, on their account).
Now, here's the deal. Before you have to get nasty with them, there are two sellers selling fakes out there...
The seller that is truly oblivious that they are fake, and the seller who knows they are, but figures you won't realize it. Either way, if you message them telling them the problem, they will usually be happy to oblige. The one selling on accident will probably be embarassed or upset themselves. The one knowingly selling will know that the best way to fix the problem is to just return the money. (Let's face it, it would shut most people up.)
So, just message them with something like this:
Hi,
I just received my items and noticed that they are counterfeits. I have taken pictures noting the differences. I would like a complete refund. I will send these items back, but I expect to be reimbursed for the entire shipping cost as well. If I haven't heard back from you within 48 hours, I will be filing a counterfeit claim via paypal. I would like to settle this amicably, since I'm not sure what they will do with you since selling counterfeits is ILLEGAL.
Sincerely,
[your name]
I wrote something similar to the supplier who sold me the fakes. ($2000 worth) and heard back after 3 minutes. The money was fully refunded within 5. The last line of the message is the most important. It shows that YOU AREN'T IGNORANT to the laws of buying and selling counterfeits.
I have yet to have this issue where sellers wouldn't refund the money after that. Another thing to note, is how cheap these items are. Importing a pigment from Hong Kong is about eighty cents per item. If they were importing, they'd probably rather you just keep the fake.
If they bought them from a middleman (thinking they were authentic), then they paid at least $8-9 dollars for the item and may want it back to go raise hell with their supplier.
With all this being said, I hope it helps protect all of you and hopefully it will become a sticky for everyone to see in the future. If ANY of you have an issue and need my help or advice, please don't hesitate to message me!! We need to get this crap out of the marketplace!
I'm writing this guide for all the people I constantly see in this thread asking about what they can do. Let me first start off by saying I'm a business owner myself, and have had to deal with this on some large scale purchases. (Anywhere to $750-$2000).
My first secret for you guys is off a list I've gotten from the ONLY supplier I will ever buy MAC from. She told me not to post this list because it could cause a frenzy, but I'm going to try and explain it the best I can. Just because you own one of these colors does NOT mean it's necessarily fake. In my experience, however, if the website/seller has almost nothing but these colors for lipglass...stay away:
BARE FETISH
C-THRU
ENCHANTRESS
EXPLICIT
FLORABUNDANCE
MAGNITIQUE
NYMPHETTE
PAS-DE-DEUX
PINK LEMONADE
RED RUSSIAN
STEAL MY HEART
Those are the most commonly counterfeited, and they seem to come in groups.
No, MAC doesn't wholesale per se. However, CCO's liquidate limited edition overstock. The only other way products are sold outside retail stores are if they are "blemished". (Very small defects-MAC is VERY picky about their standards, and only sell the top of the line). The likelihood of a seller having all of those lipglasses (without being a MACpro reseller or employee), is >1%.
Also, whenever buying from a website, check out their domain at WHOIS.com. If they aren't cooperating with them, it's a HUGE red flag. It means that they are trying to hide their information from being able to be found from law enforcement. I personally use a proxy to protect my family since my business is run out of my home, but even then, all the cops would have to do is call my proxy provider. For an example of what that looks like, feel free to type my domain into whois.com (deliamay.com).
Whenever you are making a purchase online, try to pay with an actual credit card (not a debit card) via paypal. That way, if you are sold something and the seller doesn't cooperate, you have TWO forms of protection. The first being paypal, and that should always be the route first. File a claim after you message the seller first giving them time to explain. (more info below) If they won't cooperate, escalate it to a claim. If for some reason paypal doesn't take your side and give you a refund, do a chargeback on your credit card. It will release your funds from their account (and charge them $25 also giving them a "strike"-very bad in the business world, on their account).
Now, here's the deal. Before you have to get nasty with them, there are two sellers selling fakes out there...
The seller that is truly oblivious that they are fake, and the seller who knows they are, but figures you won't realize it. Either way, if you message them telling them the problem, they will usually be happy to oblige. The one selling on accident will probably be embarassed or upset themselves. The one knowingly selling will know that the best way to fix the problem is to just return the money. (Let's face it, it would shut most people up.)
So, just message them with something like this:
Hi,
I just received my items and noticed that they are counterfeits. I have taken pictures noting the differences. I would like a complete refund. I will send these items back, but I expect to be reimbursed for the entire shipping cost as well. If I haven't heard back from you within 48 hours, I will be filing a counterfeit claim via paypal. I would like to settle this amicably, since I'm not sure what they will do with you since selling counterfeits is ILLEGAL.
Sincerely,
[your name]
I wrote something similar to the supplier who sold me the fakes. ($2000 worth) and heard back after 3 minutes. The money was fully refunded within 5. The last line of the message is the most important. It shows that YOU AREN'T IGNORANT to the laws of buying and selling counterfeits.
I have yet to have this issue where sellers wouldn't refund the money after that. Another thing to note, is how cheap these items are. Importing a pigment from Hong Kong is about eighty cents per item. If they were importing, they'd probably rather you just keep the fake.
If they bought them from a middleman (thinking they were authentic), then they paid at least $8-9 dollars for the item and may want it back to go raise hell with their supplier.
With all this being said, I hope it helps protect all of you and hopefully it will become a sticky for everyone to see in the future. If ANY of you have an issue and need my help or advice, please don't hesitate to message me!! We need to get this crap out of the marketplace!
