I have been bidding and buying cosmetics on trademe recently. Seems like a lot of people have unwanted pressies on there at the mo. I’ll review my latest purchases some time soon. But I am always always always suspicious of auctions for new  and cheap luxury brands.

You can imagine why this is a prob. If it’s not the real product, then what the hell is it? And the thought of some fraudster making a mint out of innocent bidders is infuriating.

But how can you tell? If you’re suspicious of a product you’ve purchased, take it  into your local cosmetic counter. I asked a MAC artist at the counter about spotting fakes. She had a couple of stories of people coming in with products that (to her) were obvious fakes.

You can also do a bit of homework before you bid. Study the picture, compare to images of the real product online, and google the product for tips on how to spot common fakes.

Here, here and here are just a few sites with helpful tips on MAC products.

Now I don’t mean to scare-monger, because I have bought some pretty good deals on trademe. But caveat emptor my pretties!