This is going to be a seriously long, but hopefully helpful post. Clearly, there are lots of people who attempt to buy MAC cosmetics from eBay. This is a mistake. Yes, there are sellers who sell authentic MAC, but that’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Once upon a time, it was actually safer to buy MAC items from eBay…it wasn’t as easy as it is now to buy a total fake. It happened, but not as frequently as it does now. In fact, nowadays you’re 10x’s more likely to purchase a counterfeit item, than a real one. If I could physically show you what’s wrong with the fakes on eBay, I would. But I’m going to try my best to explain to you what to look for.
You must read on!!
Don’t get me wrong, eBay isn’t the only place to get fake MAC makeup. Sites such as iOffer, Brush111, BombshellBargains (which sells both real and fake items), StrawberryNET, etc. have all been busted for selling inauthentic MAC items. One of the main problems is that it is progressively harder to tell what is fake and what’s real.
Why shouldn't you buy counterfeit MAC items?
Well, it’s simple. You don’t know what kind of ingredients they have put into them. You could literally be putting colored baby powder, flour, or crack onto your lids. It’s just not safe and it only puts more money into the pockets of the thieves who manufacture and sell this garbage. So, unless you want to support their crime, don’t buy fake cosmetics. This is the same reason I don’t buy those tragic counterfeit handbags. I cannot support that market, but that’s just me.
The most common counterfeit MAC items are eyeshadows, brushes and pigments. There are also fake MAC lipsticks, eye and lip pencils, MSF’s, blushes, etc. Speaking of fake MAC brushes, EVERYTHING from www.brush111.com, and www.macmakeupshop.com is absolutely fake. I will do a separate blog to deal with Fake MAC brushes as this is such a big scam!
Authentic MAC products are not sold at:
- Flea markets
- Grocery stores
- Beauty supply stores
- Salons
- Mall kiosks
I took some screenshots of fake items on eBay so you can see first hand what they look like and also who the sellers are so you can avoid them. The sad thing is that some of these have tons of bidders and the seller is about to make off with some unsuspecting makeup lover’s money. The even sadder part, is that many of these sellers are “verified/top-rated/trusted sellers” who have tons of great feedback…and all of that feedback is from unsuspecting and naive buyers.
1. A so called, 12 color eyeshadow cream palette. MAC NEVER made a product like this. If you see something like this on eBay, avoid it.
2. MAC has never ever in life put out a 120 color palette. These palettes are manufactured in Asian countries and sold wholesale to lots of companies in the USA. Often packaged in an all-black case, which basically gives just about anyone the leg room to put whatever kind of logo they want. Do not fall for this very popular fake MAC item. What’s sad is that this seller is trying to convince people it’s a “pro” item, and look at how many bids were on this!
3. MAC never made a cheap looking palette like this for their Hello Kitty collection. This is an obvious fake. There were only two 4-color eyeshadow palettes from that collection; Too Dolly and Lucky Tom.
4. To put it bluntly, this listing is a total scam. MAC has never released a Hello Kitty mascara or eyeliner. You can buy this if you want to, but don’t be mad if you wake up the next morning blind.
5. MAC has never released SINGLE Hello Kitty eyeshadows in special packaging. You can find the colors from either the Too Dolly or Lucky Tom palettes in single shadow form, but they were not in special packaging. Therefore this entire lot is a lie.
6. Pink Swoon was never part of any Kim Kardashian “collection”. There never was a Kim Kardashian collection to begin with. Pink Swoon also doesn’t have any “shimmer” and most importantly, it’s NOT limited edition. The only limited edition Pink Swoon blush was in the Manish Arora packaging.
7. Goldmine is an eyeshadow color from MAC. There was never a “Goldmine” pigment. This is not only a fake, but a really bad one. Look at the shiny lid on the jar, the bad quality of the box and the font on the sticker. The MAC logo on the jar is further up than normal. This is just terrible. Some of these fakes are so bad you just have to laugh.
8. Once again, another horrible fake MAC pigment for sale. Humid is an eyeshadow, NOT a pigment. Never has been. MAC pigments do not have black labels on the bottom of their jars. This is one of those terrible fakes that doesn’t even have a fake MAC batch code on the sticker.
9. Where do I begin? First of all, single MAC eyeshadow pots DO NOT have a “basement” that houses brushes or brush-tip applicators with a mirror. The only shadow I know that fits this description off the top of my head is L’Oreal HIP Duos. If you own any “MAC” eyeshadows that have a second compartment for a mirror/brush underneath, you’ve got a fake. The only shadows that come with mirrors and/or mini brushes are the holiday/limited edition sets, but those also come with at least six eyeshadow colours.
10. Bottom line: authentic MAC eyeshadow pans have a FLAT bottom. If you have any MAC shadows with a beveled circle, you’ve got a fake.
11. This seller couldn’t even think of what to call this super fake Heatherette lipglass, so they just called it #02. There was never a #02 lipglass from MAC’s Heatherette collection. Today’s lesson: if there’s no name for the item color and it just has a number, its fake. The only “numbering” system MAC used for lip products was for the N collection…1N, 2N, 3N, 4N and 5N.
12. The ever popular MAC pigment lot sale!! Where you can enjoy so many fake pigments for such an awesome deal! Every single listing like this, is fake. Every. Single. One. Don’t fall for it.
I could go on and on...Please be aware of the fakes online. You really don't want to be putting anything like that on your face!
I had to do this as I was scared that my readers may not be aware of it and due to using a lot of MAC products I didn't want to be the reason that someone bought into this scam.
I hope this post was helpful to some of you. To be honest, because MAC isn’t a “high-end” brand, your best bet would be to save up your money and buy directly from them, to avoid getting scammed. If you have any questions, leave a comment below.
Much Love & Peace Xx
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