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Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:05 pm  |
| Hi. I have been buying a lot of skin care stuff on eBay because of the unbelievably low prices. While I feel I'm hooked, sometimes the prices are too low to even believe. Does anyone have any skinny to disclose? What's the background of these sellers? How can they offer such low prices? Thanks in advance! |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:06 pm |
Some of the items are fakes.
Also, the seller doesn't have any overheads that shop does e.g. lighting and wages. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:37 pm |
Some are stolen.
Some were gifts they didn't want.
Some are testers.
Some were tried and not liked. |
_________________
25, very fair, dry/sensitive, mild rosacea, otherwise good skin!  |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:39 pm |
| Harmonster wrote: |
Some are stolen.
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It makes me sick to think I may be buying stolen goods... |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:45 pm |
| So there are fakes?! How severe is the problem? And how can they steal? They work in department stores and steal there? |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:50 pm |
| ahau wrote: |
| So there are fakes?! How severe is the problem? And how can they steal? They work in department stores and steal there? |
I think the best example of fakes are MAC cosmetics. They just get a product which resembles MAC and put on a MAC label.
As for the suggestion of stolen goods, I would not be surprised. Theft is the biggest problem (besides employees methinks) for retail stores. Despite cameras, it is often hard to catch the act in the process. And even if you do, some people lie blatantly about it being their own.
I heard that there are fake Jan Marini eyelash serums on ebay. So it is very much buyer beware. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:39 pm |
| Thanks for all the information. Very eye-opening and a little scary... |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:49 pm |
The sellers pee in the bottles....
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:50 pm |
OMG I don't believe I posted that   
Hanging my head in shame...... |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:55 pm |
 I'm glad you posted that, Katee! I'm cracking up! |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:00 pm |
Katee, you crack me up too. 
I noticed that some sellers list the products at super low prices but have really outrageous shipping charges. That's how they get you. |
_________________
34, oily acne-prone skin, Toronto, Canada |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:27 pm |
O.o I guess we better avoid all liquid products then.
But I love those ebay sales where they put in a well known brand but the product itself has nothing to do with it. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:52 pm |
| cuppre wrote: |
O.o I guess we better avoid all liquid products then.
But I love those ebay sales where they put in a well known brand but the product itself has nothing to do with it. |
I have noticed that also, like "La Mer"... |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:59 pm |
| A lot of sellers start bid at 99cents then get their friends or have other accounts to bid on it and raise the prices so real bidders end up upping their highest bid to win the auction. In the end the price isn't as cheap as you may imagine. This is the most common strategy for no-reserve auctions. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:02 pm |
| What are "no-reserve auctions?" |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:03 pm |
| sormuimui wrote: |
| A lot of sellers start bid at 99cents then get their friends or have other accounts to bid on it and raise the prices so real bidders end up upping their highest bid to win the auction. In the end the price isn't as cheap as you may imagine. This is the most common strategy for no-reserve auctions. |
That really bothers me. I don't feel I can trust these sellers. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:20 pm |
| ahau wrote: |
| What are "no-reserve auctions?" |
Exactly what the words say, there is no reserve price for the item. I recently participated in an auction where the starting price was $1.50, and the final price was $32.00
However not all no-reserve auctions are bad. Sometimes the seller knows it will definitely be above the reserve price so they are willing to take the risk. |
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Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:28 pm |
some of them are just legitimate businesses that sell on the side. you can usually tell by their seemingly endless supply of many products and they sometimes have a link to their website.
i sometimes sell on ebay when i overbuy a product (i can be a hoarder and buy multiple items of the same thing) and find a better product that i like, so i end up selling what i originally bought.
as to no reserve auctions, sometimes people just get wrapped up in the heat of bidding and push the price way over. i have been guilty of this a few times, and was unluckily the winner (and a few times i lost, thank goodness) and regretted it when i realize that i overpaid the suggested retail price.
to avoid the peeing in the bottles , i suggest buying sealed items only! |
_________________
about to hit my 40s, retin-a user, differin, LRP |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:00 am |
| some are spa's and such, selling overstock and samples...I try to buy sealed stuff to prevent the well known "pee exchanged for product" scam but sometimes you are just having faith in that seller...I got an amore pacifec oil cleanser that sells for 45-50 bucks for 15 because this lady just didn't like it...I couldn't pass that up! |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:31 am |
| babymax24 wrote: |
| I got an amore pacifec oil cleanser that sells for 45-50 bucks for 15 because this lady just didn't like it...I couldn't pass that up! |
Sniff the bottle before you put it onto your face.
I'm only kidding - I buy lots of things on ebay and have had very good experiences. |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:06 pm |
| I have another question: A lot of items are described "brand new and has never been used" but then says "no box." Where are the boxes? I know some products don't have boxes at all, but a lot do. Will this be an indicator of fakes? |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:48 pm |
| ahau wrote: |
| I have another question: A lot of items are described "brand new and has never been used" but then says "no box." Where are the boxes? I know some products don't have boxes at all, but a lot do. Will this be an indicator of fakes? |
not necessarily. The good thing that maybe they got the product as a gift or self-bought, threw away the box and decided later they don't want it. I do it all the time  If you suspect it's a fake, ask for more photos. If it is a serious seller, they would not mind sending you more pictures. HTH! |
_________________
20's: rare pimples and oily T-zone..annoying little blackhead buggers on nose |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:10 pm |
The trouble is with photos is if they are a dodgey seller then they will send a photo of a genuine item and then send you the fake.
I would never ever buy a bag from ebay as this area is riddled with fakes.
I saw once that 1 seller was selling authenticity cards for a Chanel bag... Just the cards... |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:56 pm |
| Emma2006 wrote: |
The trouble is with photos is if they are a dodgey seller then they will send a photo of a genuine item and then send you the fake.
I would never ever buy a bag from ebay as this area is riddled with fakes.
I saw once that 1 seller was selling authenticity cards for a Chanel bag... Just the cards... |
Never buy handbags online...they are most likely fake. Unless you go through sellers that belong to groups like mypoupette.com (resellers of Louis Vuitton).
I bought a silver bracelet...my first purchase on ebay...that was supposed to be from Tiffany's. Got it home and it turned out it was a fake. The seller cancelled her paypal and her ebay account so I never got my money back. 
Learned a hard lesson. Sad that even skincare and cosmetics also have the potential to be fake...people will go to any length to make a buck. |
_________________
32, Fair Skin, combo/break-out prone. Simple routine of REN No. 1 Purity Cleansing Balm and Argan oil as a moisturizer; Clarisonic when needed. That's it! |
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Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:09 pm |
| Emma2006 wrote: |
The trouble is with photos is if they are a dodgey seller then they will send a photo of a genuine item and then send you the fake.
I would never ever buy a bag from ebay as this area is riddled with fakes.
I saw once that 1 seller was selling authenticity cards for a Chanel bag... Just the cards... |
They will swear up and down that it's 100% authentic and offer money back guarantees, and they'll still be fake. I a bag back under the condition that I wasn't "satisfied" with it because they still claimed it was genuine. I got a refund, but they'll only refund the shipping if you send them verification from an authorized retailer that it's been deemed inauthentic because they know stores will never do it.
I did buy the Lancome Microderm-C kit on Ebay; it was a sealed tester. I don't know how they get so many of them to sell, but I was happy with it. |
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