Is Amazon Really That Convenient? (Beauty Edition)

Are you as reliant on the conveniences of Amazon as I am? I mean, let’s be honest, it remembers what I bought last, it shows me things I can purchase that are less expensive, and it stores my credit card and address? Sign me up, right?!

I will be the first to admit that I love the ease of ordering those staple items that I have to replace over and over and over (hello, toilet paper and paper towels!). Sometimes, if you’re like me, you find that life gets a little extra crazy, and all of a sudden I reach for my foundation from makeup bag to discover it is EMPTY!!!! HOW did I let this happen?? Oh! That’s right! I am extremely busy and took it for granted, like my paper goods on auto delivery from Amazon! (Am I alone in this?)

It’s then so easy to see the connection of our brain, “If I can buy my other household items from Amazon, then surely I can purchase my foundation (or mascara, or skincare, or shampoo) from there too? How much time I could save!!” Plus, that app is right on our phone with a very easy to navigate search feature! *Type in foundation name and shade…..search……SUCCESS!* Not only did you manage to score your “same” foundation, it is also lower in price?

Notice my quotation around the word SAME. Why would I do that? Because, when it comes to beauty products sold on Amazon, roughly 90% of the time, it is actually not the same at all! Now, I know what you might be thinking, and I would be skeptical too, if I didn’t have a relationship with so many beauty companies! You’re probably thinking “Tarrah, you sell this stuff. You want me to buy it from you, not Amazon!” And you know what? You would be partly right! Of course, I want everyone to buy what I’m selling! LOL! BUT!! More than that, I want end consumers like you to be safe! And if I know something to be true, it’s my job to share it with you!

So here is what I know to be factual! When you walk into my store, you could find products on our shelves from 13 different brands (and it’s growing! No wonder I am crazy all the time! Haha!) Almost every brand I sell to you asks me to sign a contract that talks about how I can use their products, how I can advertise their products, and WHERE I can sell their products. THEY don’t sell on Amazon, so neither can I. Now that begs to question, if I am in a contract stating I can’t use Amazon (or ANY third party seller, like eBay or Wal-mart), and they are not directly selling their products on these sites (they would be listed as the SELLER if they were), then WHO is selling this stuff?

This is just to help you understand and get you to think before you purchase just anything on these easy to use sites. (Pinky Promise!) As much as I want to see you purchase from my own store, and I know that I am an Authorized Retailer for these brands, I know you may be purchasing your products somewhere else! And that is honestly ok with me…… as long as you are purchasing from another Authorized Retailer! It’s the only way I know you will be safe with what you are purchasing!

We have already determined you are busy, so I will only be covering 2 terms, and I promise to make it quick! Diversion and Counterfeit are what we will look at briefly!

Diversion in super simple terms means “shifting in another direction.” While it would be very wrong to do this, many professionals are guilty of doing this. They purchase products from a reputable company; they also have a contract that they agree to WHERE they will sell these products; but, they end up selling the products through a Third Party Seller. Let’s apply that to your Amazon foundation purchase, now I am telling you that it COULD be actual product? So why again should you NOT be buying on Amazon? EASY! Because as a professional, I could get in major trouble for breaking my contract. Why would I risk that? Well, I might risk it and mark it down losing a little money in the process if it has been on my shelf and is about to expire……..? That or a professional going out of business are usually the reasons that someone would risk a lawsuit with diversion. This does not make diversion right, and you are running a risk of buying expired product, that has separated, soured, or oxidized! Now, that inexpensive foundation must be thrown out.

Counterfeit is a term that we are alllllll familiar with, but we usually only apply this to designer handbags. How on earth can a makeup item be counterfeit? Let’s go back to the professional who is going out of business. They have a lot of foundation on their shelf in the form of testers that are ½ empty. But your foundation was full that you purchased on Amazon? How did they do that? Easy, they diluted it with water and/or lotion to bulk it back up! Or maybe the bottle looks almost the same, but something seems a little off? Well, that product could have been made completely from scratch in the underground beauty market. (I swear I am not making this up!) Those horror stories that you have heard where products contain rat droppings and lead, that is a real thing. In fact, the World Customs Organization estimated that 10% of worldwide trade is found in counterfeit goods (can you see how this could be a big business, now?)

So do I think Amazon is bad? Absolutely not! Why are they “letting” this happen? Because there are simply too many items for them to truly verify as authentic, and the fact is, if we keep buying, counterfeiters will keep selling. Should you be embarrassed if you have purchased a beauty item from Amazon in the past? No way! But I do hope that you learned a little something to keep yourself and your family safe! Do you have  more questions about one of these terms or about where you should buy? Let us know and we will do our best to help! Stay Healthy and Beautiful! xo