Back in May we told you 5 Easy Ways to Prove Clothing is Authentic but what happens when a buyer is claiming cosmetics, perfume, lotion or cologne is fake? Why do they think this? Let’s discuss!

If you have a buyer who is claiming you sold them a non-authentic product, you have probably heard things like:

• The color is different than the foundation I bought from the MAC store! This person is selling knockoffs!
• I buy this all the time from Victorias Secret and this product is fake because the smell is too light!
• Clinique lipsticks don’t have oil all over them! Disgusting!
• This shampoo is way thicker than the real deal!
• The lotion is BROWN, NOT WHITE! This isn’t legit!
• I buy this brand of deodorant from Kroger and never have an issue. These deodorants are hard as a rock!

And so on. As a seller you are dumbfounded. Obviously you didn’t test the lipstick before you shipped it, but you also know, 100% for sure, that the products are real because you bought directly from the store or through a totally legit supplier, like BigBrandWholesale.com. So what on earth is going on?

Your first instinct might be to think that the buyer is a nut, because, after all, there’s a lot of psychos out there and unfortunately they love to shop online. However, what is most likely is that half of what the buyer is claiming is probably not a lie, meaning the buyer is accurate about part and wrong about the other part:

• The color is different than the foundation I bought from the MAC store! This person is selling knockoffs!
• I buy this all the time from Victorias Secret and this product is fake because the smell is too light!
• Clinique lipsticks don’t have oil all over them! Disgusting! Def not authentic!!
• This shampoo is literally CHUNKY! NOT real deal!
• The lotion is BROWN, NOT WHITE! This isn’t legit!
• I buy this brand of deodorant from Kroger and never have an issue. These deodorants are hard as a rock!  Don't buy from this seller!

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Most online sellers do not realize that they are STORING THEIR PRODUCTS WRONG. When cosmetics and body care are stored incorrectly the components in them begin to breakdown and this impacts:

• The color dyes
• The consistency stabilizers
• The scent chemicals / fragrance additives

So, the end result is indeed what the buyer is bitching about; the deodorant really IS hard as a rock. The lipstick really DOES have oil beads forming on it and the shampoo seriously IS clumpy… Yuck! Ew! Gross!  Yet all of the merch is really 100% Authentic. 

Now I am going to share something with you that will make you say “Ah ha! That makes sense!”

Did you ever wonder why a store will heavy clearance / liquidate body care products or cosmetics then restock the literal exact same items? Here’s the Ah-ha moment….

The store doesn’t want to have the items sitting on their shelf because a store shelf is NOT correct storage, and the store is well aware of this, but how else are they going to sell the merchandise without putting it on a shelf?  So the store would rather get the product in, liquidate, restock, liquidate, restock than risk the products sitting incorrectly for so long that they “go bad” and all get returned. This is exactly why you see Head & Shoulders at Kroger with the big yellow sticker on it for $2.99 then the following week the identical Head & Shoulders is on the shelf at $7.99.

Your next question probably is, “Well isn’t the product bad by the time I get it because it sat on the store shelf incorrectly?” - Answer: No. Stores pull their products quickly so they can liquidate them to companies like BigBrandWholesale.com. When the product arrives to us we list it right away then CORRECTLY store it. When correctly stored, body care and cosmetics last forever (not literally forever, but for a really, super, mega long time).

Now it’s time for you to read our “How to Store It After You List it” Guides:

How to Store Makeup After You List It

How to Store Body Care After You List It

How to Store Clothing After You List It