As I have written about at length already, there is loads of fake MAC around. Hello Kitty this, Hello Kitty that. But finding authentic MAC wholesale makeup products is not actually very difficult if you know where to look – there are trusted sellers of MAC listed on our Members Area that you can access right away if you decide to join Cheap Slap.

So, going back to my point about MAC wholesale, and this applies to Benefit as well, is they are the most in demand brands that everyone is looking for. This inflates the wholesale price making them both more expensive, because of the limited supplies. If I had the choice between an $8 MAC wholesale item and a $2 Stila or Clarins item, I know which I would pick.

Also, eBay is not a good place to sell authentic MAC or Benefit because you are competing against people selling much lower priced fakes. But you can still get a good mark up on MAC and Benefit if you sell elsewhere, e.g. cosmetics parties, fairs and market stalls or car boots. The trick is to be the first person in your area doing it.

Post flyers on cars or through letterboxes offering makeup parties or letting people know where you will be. Think about a website, even if it is only one page, showing your offers and put the website details on the flyers too. It’s about getting yourself in people’s faces, so get some slap on and don’t be shy!

Now is a really good time to get going because the busiest time of year is coming up – if you can get organised now you can seriously clean up in October and November with customers buying for Christmas. It seems like the whole world is skint and looking for bargains at the minute, so I think this year will be busier than ever.

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1. Wholesale Makeup Images For Your Products
2. Selling Wholesale Makeup Guide – Part 1
3. Buying Wholesale Makeup From The US

Just for the record, there are several good wholesale cosmetics and beauty suppliers in the UK and you will get full details of those if you are a member of Cheap Slap (what do you mean, you’re not? You need to join Cheap Slap right now!!) There is easily enough of a good selection available from the UK sellers to get started, and I know some people with established cosmetics businesses who only ever use the recommended UK suppliers.

However, a lot of the best wholesale makeup deals are to be had from US sellers, especially for the most in demand high end brands like MAC, Benefit and Bobbi Brown. There are quite a few trustworthy US sellers with authentic wholesale makeup products for sale, so it makes sense to keep your options open and consider buying from them at some point down the line.

When buying from the US, the additional costs you need to consider are the shipping costs, VAT and customs duties, and also any extras like a handling fee.

The main suppliers all use major couriers to ship to their UK customers, and shipping quotes are usually available before you order. The cost depends and the size and weight of the package. You pay the agreed shipping cost up front at the same time as you pay for your order.

Obviously, and it depends what you are buying, but in my experience shipping is usually never more than around $50, and that can be for up to 200 items – remember that lipsticks, mascaras, eyeshadows etc are small and light. So the cost of shipping per item for small items can be very reasonable.

You can always ask for a couple of shipping quotes depending on the quantity of items, as there may be a minimum charge which makes it work out more expensive per item. For example, the cost to ship 100 items may be only a little bit more than for say 20 or 30 pieces.

VAT also gets added to any goods shipped to the UK with a value over £18. VAT is charged at 17.5% on the value of the goods so you will need to factor this cost into your budget as well. I should also mention that VAT is also applied to all orders from UK suppliers as well, and UK suppliers always list their prices before VAT. That means that you will always have to pay VAT, and you will never have to pay any additional VAT just because you are buying from the US. It is possible to reclaim VAT if you are VAT registered, but most people reading this will not be.

Next up, customs duties. I am no expert on this because there are loads of different customs rates depending on what the product is, so as a rule of thumb I just budget for another 10% of the order value.

Finally, a handling charge of around £10 or £15 is added by the courier company (or £8 if your package is delivered by normal post). You will need to pay the VAT, customs duty, and handling charge when the package is delivered. The courier company usually telephones you for payment by credit card beforehand and the post office leaves a red card through your door with details of the charges due before the item can be delivered.

When you work it all out, the additional charges of buying from the US still make it worthwhile. I know, because I do it all the time, and so do a great many other eBay cosmetics sellers. The fact is that to get the best stock, the US is where it’s at. It may take a little longer for your goods to arrive, but only a few days, and the little extra effort involved is well worth it.

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1. Buying Wholesale Makeup
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A lot of fake beauty products are for items that do not actually exist in the proper range – different MAC colours etc. I give several warnings on Cheap Slap about sellers to avoid, but always always do your own due diligence as ultimately your cosmetics business transactions are your own responsibility. Pay by Paypal for maximum buyer protection (and make sure that you NEVER pay by bank transfer).

Sorry that’s not more definitive, but it pays to trust your own intuition and if anything seems at all dodgy, then always walk away. There are enough genuine deals around to get a good selection of stock without resorting to desperate measures.

Two very widely faked cosmetics brands are MAC and Benefit, but many other beauty brands are too, so never assume that all the other brands are okay either! You will gain a lot more confidence once you have more experience dealing with the wholesale makeup sellers and a wide range of cosmetics products, but when starting out it is a good idea to be cautious.

If you are sourcing wholesale cosmetics products yourself, do a who.is search to check where the website is registered. If it is registered in China – avoid! A lot of Chinese websites look like they are US sites because the products are listed in US dollars but a who.is search should give you more information.

Cheap Slap members have a head start with our list of trusted wholesale makeup suppliers, as well as warnings about the cosmetics sellers to avoid. Many people have thanked me for saving them from unscrupulous sellers.

If you are not a member yet, why not take a minute and join Cheap Slap today – members can contact me directly any time for advice on wholesale cosmetics sellers or websites you may be unsure about.

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1. Fake Wholesale Makeup Alert ggoshopping.com
2. How To Spot Fake Wholesale Makeup
3. Fake MAC Wholesale Makeup on DHGate.com – Update

As a result, many people only found out about Prescriptives going out of business after it had already happened. That left it a bit late to stock up on all their fave Prescriptives items, through no fault of their own.

When you think about how often you buy some cosmetics items, it may only be once or twice a year. So it was unlucky for anyone looking for Prescriptives makeup and perfume after the end of January closure deadline had already passed.

The current situation is that there is still some Prescriptives stock available, but it is selling out fast. If you are in the US, try the main Prescriptives website although many items there are sold out already. Another possibility is the Cosmetics Company Store chain of outlet stores in the US. Apart from that, several wholesale deals for Prescriptives have been appearing from the wholesale makeup sellers found on Cheap Slap, athough they are being snapped up by clever Cheap Slap members in a heartbeat. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some you can name your price when selling on eBay.

A lesson for everyone to learn from this is never to underestimate the value of discontinued makeup and beauty items. Prescriptives is an extreme case because the residual stock following closure of the brand is still extremely limited, but if you think ahead you can build a profitable cosmetics business by supplying hard to find cosmetics items for great profit margins.

MAC special editions are a good example. Because of their rarity and limited supply, they usually hold their resale value well, and they are regularly available from the trusted sellers on Cheap Slap. Beware though of other sites selling fake MAC special editions in large quantities – for example the MAC Hello Kitty range is being widely conterfeited at the moment.

Stila is another brand whose distribution outside the US has been discontinued. This has resulted in increased demand for Stila products in places where it is no longer available over the cosmetics counter. However, in the case of Stila, there is still a lot of stock around which means that the prices are slightly lower (both wholesale cost and resale value).

Do your homework and keep up to date with the latest cosmetics news – and if you hear of any other popular cosmetics brands going out of business, start stocking up!!

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1. Where To Find Prescriptives
2. Cosmetics Business Costs
3. Prescriptives Closing Down – Update

Strictly speaking, if you are not an authorised supplier of the cosmetics brand you are selling, and you do not have permission to use the makeup brand manufacturer’s stock photos (which are copyrighted) then you
are supposed to take your own photos of the products and use those images on your site (or eBay).

In reality, if you copy and paste photos from another site you might be okay but you could be asked to remove the photos if anyone checks. In that case you would have to use your own images.

My recommendation would be to always use your own photos for selling makeup on eBay. There is so much fake high end makeup on eBay that using stock photos actually makes the listing look dodgy, even if your products are authentic. Also, there are more official checks on eBay making it more likely that you will be asked to remove the beauty product image if it is copyrighted.

If you have your own cosmetics website, then you are less likely to be caught using someone else’s images. Not that I would ever encourage you to do that. Of course not.

For authentic wholesale cosmetics stock to sell on eBay or for starting your own website, you will find great deals on authentic MAC, Bobbi Brown, Stila, Too Faced and more from the trusted sellers featured on Cheap Slap.

Not a member yet? Big mistake, as your competitors already are!! Get a move on and join Cheap Slap today!!

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Does that sound like you? I know it can seem daunting at first, but if you break it down into smaller steps it becomes a lot more manageable and doable. Don’t try and do everything at once or you will get brain fry, and when that happens you will just go into meltdown and achieve nothing.

eBay is very much a shot in the dark for newbies, which is why so many people fail when they start blindly selling on eBay without any idea what they are doing. So why not think about putting eBay on hold at first, you can come back to it later once you get some experience under your belt.

I suggest you start with what you know and who you know – family, friends and colleagues. You need to be pro-active and do some market research in your own personal marketplace. Ask your inner circle what products they use, everything from day to day items to more luxury buys. Ideally you want to try and get as much information as possible. So you could make up a mini-questionnaire which you can ask them to fill in by hand, or email, or post it on your facebook page and ask friends to comment. How about saying something like this:

Hi everyone! Please help me start my new makeup business by telling me about your favourite beauty and cosmetics products. Then I can source your favourite items and sell them to you cheap!! Just fill in the blanks….

1. What’s in your makeup bag???

Foundation – eg Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse
Mascara – eg Lancome Flextencils Black
Perfume – eg Agent Provocateur
Eyeshadow – eg Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy
Lipstick – eg L’Oreal Glamshine
Concealer – Touche Eclat No 1 etc etc

2. What makes your body beautiful?

Body Lotion – eg Dove gofresh
Fake Tan – eg St Tropez Everyday
Cleanser – eg Clarins Cleansing Milk
Moisturiser – eg Olay Total Effects
Body Scrub – eg Sanctuary etc etc

3. What’s on your beauty wish list – is there something that you would love that you would buy if you could find it cheaper??

4. Would you buy your favourite products from me if I can find any of them cheaper?

etc etc – you can go into as much detail as you want, but the more info you can get, the better.

Once you get the replies you should hopefully begin to see a pattern forming of the sort of brands and products that the people you know would buy. Then use the suppliers on Cheap Slap to source the type of products that fit their profile. The idea is not to try and find every exact product, but you should be able to find lots of similar things that would appeal to that person.

Please don’t be shy – you can hide behind your computer screen and your virtual business will get nowhere fast. If you are starting a business and selling something, you have to believe in it, be prepared to promote it and ask people to buy it!

What, you’re not a member of Cheap Slap yet? Hurry up and join Cheap Slap today! It’s the best business investment you can make for a new cosmetics business. Members can contact me directly for advice whenever required.

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1. Wholesale Makeup Images For Your Products
2. Sell Wholesale Makeup on eBay
3. Avoiding Fake Wholesale Makeup

Work Out a Budget

Decide how much you can afford to invest in your new beauty venture. Luckily, a cosmetics business has low start up costs. All you need is a small, but good, range of stock, and also some packaging materials – small padded jiffy envelopes are usually fine. I always use a little packing tape too over the sticky bit to make sure the bags are extra secure.

How Much Do I Need To Spend To Get Started?

From experience, I can honestly say that it is totally possible for anyone to start up successfully with as little as £200 (around $300). You will be able to buy a good quantity, and selection, of high end wholesale makeup for this amount.

If this seems like a lot, do not worry. It may be possible to get going with a little less, although at the above level you will get better bang for your buck. That is because wholesale sellers usually set a minimum order or quantity or minimum order value (or both). So the cost price for you is cheaper when you buy in bulk. Also, this stops normal people being able to buy one or two items direct from the wholesalers.

Stick To The Budget

I cannot stress this enough – do not get carried away and overspend when you are starting out. This can be really easy to do because when great wholesale deals become available, you easily turn into a kid in a candy store.

Trust me on this – stick to your budget and wait until you have made some profits to raise extra cash to buy more stock. More great deals will come along later. Never, ever, get into debt or max out your credit card on buying wholesale cosmetics stock.

You can find brilliant high end wholesale cosmetics sellers within minutes if you decide to join Cheap Slap today. Member get access to a carefully selected network of reliable suppliers of genuine high end makeup brands. There is a fantastic selection of deals to suit every budget.

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1. Prescriptives Going Out Of Business
2. Why Start A Wholesale Makeup Business
3. UK Wholesale Makeup Suppliers

1. A lot of competition = good for buyers but not so good for sellers
2. There are a lot of people selling fakes, which makes authentic products seem expensive for people who do not realise that they are probably buying fakes
3. eBay fees and Paypal fees
4. eBay letting big brands create eBay outlet stores – luckily that does not affect cosmetics and beauty items so much because most of the high end brands would not devalue their product by selling on eBay, but that’s not to say it might not happen in the future
5. eBay putting Google ads on their listing pages which potentially diverts people off eBay to another site – eBay don’t care as long as they get paid for the click

There are times when I am in the EvilBay camp and would encourage prospective sellers, especially newbies, to avoid it. There are other times I love eBay because as a seller I know I will always sell my product, whatever it is. Yep, you read that right. My eBay wholesale makeup listings ALWAYS sell. It just depends on the price!

As a beauty therapist who sells mainly to clients, I use eBay mostly to clear wholesale cosmetics stock which I have had for a while to make room for new items. It is important to be disciplined and always keep your stock moving.

But say you decide to try selling wholesale makeup and cosmetics on eBay anyway, then there are two ways of looking at it. You might not double your money, but any money you do make you would not have had otherwise. Worst case, say you only make 20% – 50% profit on something you sell, after fees etc. That may equate to only £1 or £2 on something that cost you £4 or £5. But if you are prepared to accept that level of return and go for high volume, so say you can sell 10-20 items a day, then you will start to see results.

The other way of looking at it is to give up before you start, on the basis that it is too much work for too little return. I am in the former camp – i.e. stick with it, because 90% of the competition will flake out, guaranteed, and before too long you will start making some progress.

My preferred alternative for anyone starting out in the cosmetics business, would be to advise you to sell to family and friends, through colleagues at work, and also to do a few cosmetics parties or fairs here and there. Build up your customer list with the goal of setting up your own website in the future. A Cheap Slap member wrote to me recently saying she is making £300 a week from cosmetics parties by using just one of the UK sellers listed on Cheap Slap. There are a few articles about direct selling here on on the Cheap Slap blog – the links are at the top of the left hand sidebar.

At the end of the day you don’t know until you give it a try. It is possible to start a cosmetics business with around £200 but at that level it will take time to start building your profits to invest in more stock. The articles on my blog also explain how you can take orders from customers before buying any stock. So as long as you can take enough advance orders to meet the suppliers minimum order level, you should never be out of pocket.

Cheap Slap may not be fancy but it does feature really good quality wholesale makeup sellers and it has helped a lot of people set up successful home businesses. If you do decide to join, I am happy to help and guide you, but ultimately the success of your business is up to one person only – that’s you kiddo!

You know it makes sense. All the information about joining is on the home page.

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3. Selling Makeup on eBay How To Start

The website maccosmeticswholesaler.com is ranking high in Google at the moment, but a quick check reveals that all is not as it seems. At first glance the site looks as if it is in the US, but actually it is registered in China, which immediately sets alarm bells ringing in Cheap Slap towers.

The site says that the products are genuine, but the sheer volume of products on offer and also the prices (too low) would suggest to me that this is unlikely.

Personally I would not touch this site and I would advise anyone to be very cautious if you are thinking about sending them any money. I know that some people have no problems buying fake makeup products and selling them on, but I am not one of them. I have a BIG problem with the counterfeit beauty industry, it is not only illegal, the products are rubbish, untested, and potentially dangerous. The practice of selling fake wholesale makeup is depriving honest sellers of the chance of earning a decent profit.

The sellers recommended on Cheap Slap sell only authentic high end wholesale cosmetics products. Do yourself a favour, join Cheap Slap now then log in for immediate access to trusted MAC, Benefit, Bobbi Brown and other genuine high end makeup suppliers. There is a small membership fee to join, which covers lifetime membership and helps me maintain the site. Once you are signed up you will start receiving deals very quickly.

Get real and do not be tempted by, or accept, fake China imports. Okay, rant over for another while!!

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2. Fake MAC Wholesale Makeup on DHGate.com – Update
3. DHgate.com Wholesale Makeup Review

Well, a cosmetics business is a great way to earn extra cash from home. The start up costs are low and there is massive profit potential for anyone willing to put in a little time and effort.

The beauty industry is truly enormous, with sales of makeup generating billions of dollars annually all over the world. New products are being introduced all the time, and the market is continuing to grow.

Manufacturers are widening their net to target the male grooming market, teenagers and even younger children. The power of advertising, combined with our own vanity, is such that we all love to try the latest must-have beauty products.

Even in a recession, the outlook for starting a cosmetic business is good. That is because there are an increasing number of consumers looking for a bargain. Often these are people who do not want to trade their favourite products for a lower range brand, but want the same high end make up and toiletries at a great price.

So what are you waiting for? Sure, there is competition out there, but anyone with an ounce of determination can easily make a little extra income every day.

Even on a small scale, and for very little time and effort, it should be achievable to sell a couple of items a day. If you start off with a low target say of making £5 profit per day, that would be £150 per month. £10 a day would be £300. A car boot sale / market stall or a cosmetics party for friends could easily net you £100 or more profit for a few hours work. Do one of those every week and the figures soon start to add up And once you start making some money, it becomes addictive, and best of all it is loads of fun too.

One of the key factors in making your cosmetics business a success is having access to trusted and reliable suppliers of high end wholesale makeup from all of the top brands. Cheap Slap members get the inside track on all the best deals, but they do sell out fast. Remember to check the listings regularly to make sure that you don’t miss out.

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