ebay.......

[ValencianNails]

I think a lot of it comes down to ethics...

...those who are ethical and buy from authorised distributors and those who aren't and don't!

The people who sell to any old Tom, D!ck or Harriet obviously don't give a flying fig about the industry and the untrained people and hobby techs who are using professional products without any training and offering their services to the general public. After all, how are the ebay sellers to know who's buying the products and do they really care?

Are we not trying to raise the standards within our industry?
Is buying/selling from ebay the way to go about it?

I don't personally believe it's a case of agreeing to disagree in the slightest, it's about money and greed at the end of the day, isn't it?

 

[fifitrix]

I think ALOT of people buy & sell from on Ebay off this site but are too embarrassed to admit to it.

Dear god, I cannot believe that I have just read that! That is quite an assumption to make!

 

[Hope]

I have always assumed that lots of the goods available are stolen, why would there be a shop on there selling off mobile phones for example...........and not old ones but newly released ones?

 

[Fly_Nails]

would you or have you ever bought nail supplies from ebay......... I have come across 'Professional nail drills' they look exactly the same as the £200 - £400 ones you see. The prices are aound £50 including the drill bits and I am really tempted to buy one however wondered what you geeks thought?

DO IT! It's safe, just make sure you check the seller's feedback etc. but what you see is what you get. And if it's not, you can get your money back.

Save your money.

 

[Vetty]

DO IT! It's safe, just make sure you check the seller's feedback etc. but what you see is what you get. And if it's not, you can get your money back.

Save your money.

:grr::grr::grr:

 

[Vetty]

I think a lot of it comes down to ethics...

...those who are ethical and buy from authorised distributors and those who aren't and don't!

The people who sell to any old Tom, D!ck or Harriet obviously don't give a flying fig about the industry and the untrained people and hobby techs who are using professional products without any training and offering their services to the general public. After all, how are the ebay sellers to know who's buying the products and do they really care?

Are we not trying to raise the standards within our industry?
Is buying/selling from ebay the way to go about it?

I don't personally believe it's a case of agreeing to disagree in the slightest, it's about money and greed at the end of the day, isn't it?

Couldn't agree more Sandi, and I know where my ethics are.......

 

[adelekeegan1]

I think a lot of it comes down to ethics...

...those who are ethical and buy from authorised distributors and those who aren't and don't!

The people who sell to any old Tom, D!ck or Harriet obviously don't give a flying fig about the industry and the untrained people and hobby techs who are using professional products without any training and offering their services to the general public. After all, how are the ebay sellers to know who's buying the products and do they really care?

Are we not trying to raise the standards within our industry?
Is buying/selling from ebay the way to go about it?

I don't personally believe it's a case of agreeing to disagree in the slightest, it's about money and greed at the end of the day, isn't it?

Couldn't agree more Sandi, and I know where my ethics are.......

I'm another one too !!!!

 

[sian1979]

I have brought some bits and bobs from ebay....not liquid and/or powder stuff but rhinestones and arty bits. And when i first started i did buy some second hand enamels to start my collection off.......i really didnt know the risks then of using ebay.

However...i really dont see it as cheap. Alot of the cnd stuff is selling at the cost price....which means that some are buying it from the authorised distributers and selling it on knowing there will be a market for the products as there are people out there that want it but cannot buy it as sweet squared are quite strict about selling products to properly trained techs. I personally see this as unethical......but hey that is my opinion. May be thats not what happens...but thats how i look at it.

 

[Moby]

I don't personally believe it's a case of agreeing to disagree in the slightest, it's about money and greed at the end of the day, isn't it?

So you could call me greedy because I sold my stuff on Ebay?? lol - Yes, my business was in a position of going under, but no, I was being greedy and thought - oooh, look at all that tonnes of money I could make!!!
But yes it was about money, but because I really needed it. And if that makes me a bad person because I don't give a FIG about whose buying it, then I guess I am one.

There is another quote too about my big assumption. I have spoken to many MANY tech's, on here, trade shows and even at Leeds about Ebay - and most (not all) have privately said they buy loads & loads off of ebay and don't normally say or would admit to! Obviously that's not the whole population of Nail techs or geeks but I stick to what I said.

Ebay can be a very safe place to shop, just be careful, do research and check feedback. Guarantees are available. There are plenty of Online only stores - Play.com & ASOS - They are internet only based with good reputations. So with the feedback system, why can't Ebay shops be safe??

Plus, for example, if a seller on Ebay has been providing nail products for 3+ years, has over, say, 6000 feedback at 99.2% - And checking the Negatives, they were only problems like delayed shipping, or broken stuff etc few and far between....

And out of those 5000+ Positive feedback it was 1000 people buying multiple items repeatedly....

Could you say that those possible "wanabe techs" or possible professional techs have not been able to tell if any product was dodgy or had gone off?? And then not leave loads of Negatives that would put people off??

Obviously no one can tell if it's stolen goods unless a distributor really looks into it, but then after 3 years, they should really have been caught if this seller has been selling stolen goods repeatedly non-stop for a long period of time.
It is possible for distributors to do this, time-consuming and takes money i'm sure - but it could be stopped if a long-term seller is suspected of stolen goods.

 

[Gilly T]

I think this will have to be one of those "agree to disagree" situations.

I think ALOT of people buy & sell from on Ebay off this site but are too embarrassed to admit to it.

I buy and sell off of Ebay and after 4 years of trading - touch wood - I have never had a problem.
I had a bad stint last year and sold tonnes of my stock, including liquid & powder. I knew I had a contaminated 3/4 full pot of 2.3oz of powder and DID NOT sell this, I just chucked it. Obviously I can't guarantee who buys my things - but the site is run on good faith. People will not agree with me selling stock but it's my choice. Plus, many MANY techs do check ebay and will always look for a great bargain. And I try and be as honest as I can.
I haven't actually bought any liquid or powder from there, but defo nail art stuff and a nail drill for £30! I've had it a year and it works a treat! (I did get training!) I got my nail table & chairs (2nd hand) and my couch brand new. The couch was £119 inc delivery, easy to adjust, thick & comfy!
I've bought clothes, shoes, computer games, DVDs, books, coins, wool (im sad) toys, general equipment and get clothes hand made from abroad! Just loads & loads!

And those of you who talk of "no guarantee" for drills - People who buy them from ebay pay £30-£50 for one..... If mine broke down, I would chuck it and just buy another!

I am all for supporting distributors - but that's generally just Sweet Squared for me to be honest. But even then, I still always go to the 'bargain section' in london!! lol

Anyway, my point is there are trusted sellers on Ebay, and obviously dodgy ones. But some people have nightmare stories and others have great bargain finding ones! Don't forget, people are 10 x more likely to bitch than tell about something great that happened.

I am a trusted seller on ebay but there are some things i just would not buy from there. and to be honest if you want to pay £50 for a drill to just 'throw it away' then I personally think a) it's a waste of money b) it will cost YOU so much more in the long run c) we need to NOT live in a disposable world at the moment. I personally want to say shame on you to be honest, especially for the 'throw away' comment (sigh..) but I know that ebay can be a good place for things.. I think people on here are talking about professional products and electrical products you are going to be using on your clients.... does anybody understand what 'Duty of Care' means within ANY industry. We, each and every one of us have a duty of care for ourselves, colleagues, clients and anyone else.... this, to me, is NOT a duty of care.

I don't know about anyone else but I don't think this argument will EVER be solved.

 

[sarah04]

i use ebay for a number of things infact if i'm honest i love it i spend too much time looking for bargains and spending money that i shouldnt then again ebay is my high street i have 4 young children and going shopping is a nightmare so its simple for me to have a wee browse for stuff for the kids, dont get me wrong i've found some really good bargains and i've had some disasters but hey thats life we all take a risk now and again.

But at the end of the day its upto the person wanting to buy reardless of what anyone says!!

 

[geeg]

Man .. this thread is boring the pants off me.

Does no one get the POINT? The point, is not about anyone buying things for their kids off ebay. It is not about buying nail art supplies. It is about supposed nail technicians (obviously not professionals) buying FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY products from a source that is not genuine, to use on the public.

Some of us work hard to raise the standards of the nail industry. VERY hard.

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to buy products for your salon or home based business, to use on your clients' bodies knowing that the products may not be genuine? That your insurance will be invalid if anything goes wrong?

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to charge your clients for work that THEY think has been done with top quality products and which is what they are paying for, only to be scammed with perhaps out of date old stock, maybe not even genuine stock?

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to buy what could be stolen goods to use in their business?

Have we got so twisted in our thinking these days that we can convince ourselves that this is OK?? If you can, then you have to live with that folks, but don't go calling yourself professional because that, my friends, you are not.

The people who do these sorts of things are buying For Professional Use Only products 'through the back door' off ebay not just to maybe save a few measly pennies, but because they CAN'T get supplied by a legitimate source. Maybe because they have never trained to do the job they are doing. Whatever the reasons, they are taking unnecessary risks with their clients' health and they are not delivering what they are charging for ... in fact, being dishonest themselves. If their nail business is so bad that they cannot buy from legitimate sources and make money doing nails (because plenty are doing just that) then maybe they'd better have a big THINK about what they are doing, and go down the right road, get the right training and buy the right products for the job

 

[bombini]

I just don't understand why people bother buying there professional products off ebay. WHY would you want to ?! (Infact don't answer that I have picked up a variety of answers off the thread )

What I find laughable is that many of the erm 'techs' that buy all there products from ebay will at no doubt have moaned about clients going to xyz as its cheaper, well if you look at it from the other side of the coin are you not doing the same ? Instead of buying from your AUTHORISED supplier you are getting it for pennies less off ebay just to boost your feedback AND the chumps that sell it no doubt post it out via royal mail (which I believe isn't allowed as the products are flammable?)

If you ebay techs retail do you reccommend your clients buy their products to from ebay ???? Again if you do then YOU are now missing out on your cut of the profit just like the distributors you don't support and if you don't reccommend ebay well maybe you should after all if its good enough for you........

I am very lucky as the distributors of my products always have offers & promotions and rewards loyal customers so I have never needed to use ebay to buy stock. I don't know about other companies but maybe the ones that don't, if they set up a loyalty scheme this would go someway to helping with the ebay problem.

 

[pazzy]

It isn't just ebay though - its the www in general.

I know of 2 of my clients who have bought pro kits from an authorised distributor to do their own. all they need to say is they are a student or a nail tech - they don't check.

I was dissapointed.

When are ss going to do online ordering? Hope its soon.

 

[sj1973]

DO IT! It's safe, just make sure you check the seller's feedback etc. but what you see is what you get. And if it's not, you can get your money back.

Save your money.

Can i just ask....your saying "its safe"...how do YOU know that?

Do you know the seller?, Have you got everything this person is selling ?.

And as for just getting your money back ....that is not as easy as your saying....alot of people have braught from e-bay before...(myself one of them,NOT nial products)....and when i have been unhappy it has to go to e-bay to sort out.

Your risking yourself and your business if you buy the products from e-bay. You don't know what they have put in them to make them look "professional".

What you see is NOT always what you get.People have to buy where they think...but please THINK before you buy from e-bay as it IS alot more money for all the stuff your looking for....and they are not selling what you see in the picture.

 

[jeanette1804]

i have bought one of the drills and bits of ebay, and it is fab, as good as the expensive ones. save yourself and the business some money and buy one x

 

[stoney]

Man .. this thread is boring the pants off me.

Does no one get the POINT? The point, is not about anyone buying things for their kids off ebay. It is not about buying nail art supplies. It is about supposed nail technicians (obviously not professionals) buying FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY products from a source that is not genuine, to use on the public.

Some of us work hard to raise the standards of the nail industry. VERY hard.

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to buy products for your salon or home based business, to use on your clients' bodies knowing that the products may not be genuine? That your insurance will be invalid if anything goes wrong?

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to charge your clients for work that THEY think has been done with top quality products and which is what they are paying for, only to be scammed with perhaps out of date old stock, maybe not even genuine stock?

Can anyone with even half a brain, think that it is raising standards to buy what could be stolen goods to use in their business?

Have we got so twisted in our thinking these days that we can convince ourselves that this is OK?? If you can, then you have to live with that folks, but don't go calling yourself professional because that, my friends, you are not.

The people who do these sorts of things are buying For Professional Use Only products 'through the back door' off ebay not just to maybe save a few measly pennies, but because they CAN'T get supplied by a legitimate source. Maybe because they have never trained to do the job they are doing. Whatever the reasons, they are taking unnecessary risks with their clients' health and they are not delivering what they are charging for ... in fact, being dishonest themselves. If their nail business is so bad that they cannot buy from legitimate sources and make money doing nails (because plenty are doing just that) then maybe they'd better have a big THINK about what they are doing, and go down the right road, get the right training and buy the right products for the job

I agree Gigi, very boring. Ever feel like you're smacking your head against a brick wall? I wasn't going to get into this but can I just say, what would anybody who buys off ebay do in this girls situation:

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/81396-very-upset-lying-client.html

think about it???

 

[Vetty]

i have bought one of the drills and bits of ebay, and it is fab, as good as the expensive ones. save yourself and the business some money and buy one x

You are not a nail geek, you've had no nail training according to your profile, so how do you know it's 'fab, as good as the expensive ones'? Answer: you don't. If the nail tech in your salon uses it and injures someone (which can happen btw) you will have NO VALID INSURANCE. This is not about saving a few quid, it's about running a business with all that a business entails :grr:.

I seriously cannot believe the attitude of some of the posters on this thread. Those of you who buy PROFESSIONAL products and equipment from Ebay are unethical, short-sighted and unprofessional. No wonder those of us who are ethical and professional struggle to be taken seriously........:irked:

 

[lil_miss_me]

:zzz::zzz: how boring is this if people want to bye certain nail supplies from ebay then its there choice it doesnt make them un professional or a bad nail tech, i bye items of ebay but i wouldnt bye electric items off there but thats my choice but i wouldnt start judging someone if they did.

 

[geeg]

:zzz::zzz: how boring is this if people want to bye certain nail supplies from ebay then its there choice it doesnt make them un professional or a bad nail tech, i bye items of ebay but i wouldnt bye electric items off there but thats my choice but i wouldnt start judging someone if they did.

YOU ARE SO WRONG ... No professional would buy 'professional use only products' from ebay for all the reasons listed in my post above if you had bothered to read it .. and if you read it and still posted this opinion then you do not understand what the word professional means or what your responsibility is to your clients (assuming you have any).
What is boring is having to read posts the likes of the one you posted as clearly you just don't get it at all.