Buying products off ebay

[dudeymel]

I know a lot of people disagreee with buying products off EBAY and normally I wouldn't get anything except nail art sticks etc off there but I'm looking to convert from ASP gel polish to OPI and at £xx a bottle it's above my budget to get a whole new stock in. I saw on EBAY they have an offer from an American seller, 42 bottles for £xxx and I'm considering buying it. I've had a look through their Ebay shop and they mostly sell the OPI polishes. Has anybody had any experience of this or advice as they would be non refundable once bought

[xxJackiexx]

It may appear to be a good 'deal' but you have no idea if the products are actually authentic . It's far wiser to buy from a legitimate and authorised source . If anything was to go wrong you would get help & support .

[gr8nailz]

Several concerns...the "no refund" policy is the first red flag.

Here's my issue with polishes purchased from eBay:

Are they really OPI?
How old are they?
Do they have fillers?
I have had colleagues purchase polishes on line and they've received polishes that weren't genuine, were too old or they weren't true to color because it appears other hued polish had been added as a filler.

[Noodle]

You should also be aware that purchasing professional products through the wrong channels could also give rise to insurance implications.

[sophiegees]

I personally would not risk it. I am not against buying on ebay - in fact I have 2 ebay shops on there (not professional beauty), but this is too much of an outlay to risk I would say.

Most ebay sellers are fine, but some are not and it is a lot of money to lose if you are unlucky.

Why not get the kit a bit at a time. For £500 you could buy a lot from an authorised dealer in the UK.

xx

[louise1989]

I think nail art products are ok but i once got a small pack of gel for personal use and they went in bin they were really bad quality so i personally wouldnt risk it plus you dont know what conditions the products are going to be in when they are on there way

[New Nailz]

I would rather have 25 genuine bottles for £500, then 42 fake ones, which will end up as none, personally!

['chelle]

Ebay is fine for some things. Nail art glitters and acrylic paints for example, and the tip cutters I have got at the moment are excellent quality, I've had them years and they're still good, and they were a fraction of the price of the wholesalers.

I wouldnt touch ebay for anything else though. Powders/liquids/gels/enamels/gel polish etc etc should only be bought from reputable suppliers. Buying these things off ebay almost always turns out to be a false economy. If you want to save your money, do yourself a favour and spend it with a reputable supplier, that way you rest easy knowing you wont have to spend it all again if your ebay bargain turns out to be a rip-off

[HollyGold]

Also the thing with buying from America is it could get stopped at customs and you could end up paying more.

[mini4mum]

So it may look like a good deal but:-
1. Stock maybe fake
2. Insurance doesn't cover you or your clients
3. Import duties are more costly than purchasing from the UK distributor
4. You have no back up or training.
Hope that helps you to clarify your decision

[loulou1968]

I ordered Shellac in various colours nearly 3 weeks and it's still not arrived, they were bought of eBay, the track number given only works for America, so I have no idea where the shellac is!! :(

[C&G Beauty]

My mum is in America she has been to sallys for me and has bought me some gelish for 11 dollars less than half the price of England! The top it off is 9 dollars!!

Sent from my GT-N7000 using SalonGeek

[linzi]

I think the thing people have to remember is that your distributor isn't there to rip you off, they're there to work with you, offering suport and dealing with all the problems of importing for you, so you don't have to. In short, they make things easy for you ;)

Of course our costs are higher here than the states because the distributor has to go through all the official channels and pay all the import taxes and everything else that comes with the territory - you may find that you'll have to pay them yourself if you're lucky enough to have your package stopped.

I'm glad they're there because I'm too busy to worry about whether or not my £xx.xx worth of goods are going to turn up... or when :eek: Afterall, when I order from The Fingertips Centre, I have my goods the very next day!


Finally, with regards to purchasing stock from ebay - you just never know exactly what you're getting. I'd personally rather not take the risk and would prefer to build my stock slowly rather than starting out with so many second hand colours. It's a lot of money to lose if it's not legit.

And that's obviously without getting into the ramifications re insurance, etc.

[cheekychick]

A friend of mine bought 6 opi ordinary nail polishes from America (eBay) for about £15 as she isn't a pro so can't get them at trade price. Turned out to be fakes. The eBay picture was not of the items that were sent to her.
The only thing I buy from eBay are nail art bits and pieces like gems and glitters.x

[TanyaK]

i purchased some shellac from ebay and when it arrived i had nothing but problems.

I had to re visit about 5 clients and re apply foc, so cost alot more in the end.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using SalonGeek

[TanAngel]

Would you by shellac, gelish, opi etc.. of a market stool ? pretty much the same thing as buying it off ebay. Save your money and do it the right way, I think its worth for peace of mind. X

[sophiegees]

There are nail and beauty salons in markets and being in a market does not make them less professional in my opinion. I have a nail room and its like a doctors surgery its so clinical. And soon to open a new unit selling beauty and nail products including professional brands such as OPI

xx

[linzi]

There are nail and beauty salons in markets and being in a market does not make them less professional in my opinion. I have a nail room and its like a doctors surgery its so clinical. And soon to open a new unit selling beauty and nail products including professional brands such as OPI

xx

Perhaps, but would you, as a professional, source your products from a market or from the licensed distributor/their subs?

It's all about peace of mind and ensuring you buy the correct products for the job :)

[sophiegees]

I would not buy a professional product from a market which can only be purchased through specific authorised distributors and meant only for professionals to use - eg shellac sweetsquared/ellisons. But then I would not buy them through any website or any high street shop either.

xx

[Noodle]

The OP's questions have been asked and answered.