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It’s easy to impulse buy when it comes to makeup products. When there’s a big sale, you may grab more items than you’ll actually use. Or perhaps you bought a lipstick or eyeshadow palette, didn’t like it, and lost the receipt.
I’ve been there, and I end up with a small pile of unused makeup. If this happens to you, don’t let your unused or gently used cosmetics collect dust. Learn how to sell makeup online to get some cash for your stash!
I know it sounds a little off-putting, but selling used makeup and new makeup online is a common practice. It’s a fairly regulated practice, too, and there are multiple platforms for it. In this post, I’ve covered eight ways to make money selling makeup online. Read on to explore your options and see how much money you can make.
Table of Contents
1. Glambot
What Is Glambot?
Glambot is an online service that is specifically designed for buying and selling new and used beauty products. From makeup brushes to high-end blush brands, you’ll find a little bit of everything on this platform. This page about how to sell on Glambot is pretty helpful.
What Can I Sell?
You can find a list of items that Glambot accepts, and it’s pretty comprehensive. You can sell both new and pre-owned items as long as they meet the criteria and brand list. For example, you could sell a very lightly used LORAC eyeshadow palette or a new set of makeup brushes that you’ve never opened. You can not sell perfume or fragrances, lip gloss, or nail polish.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup on Glambot?
To find out how much you can earn, check out the Glambot Estimated Earnings sheet. On the lower end of the spectrum, you can earn $15 to $150 for 20 to 25 name brand items. For 50 to 100 luxury brand items, you can earn $50 to $1,000. Once your makeup is accepted and you accept a payment offer, you’ll get paid via PayPal within 24-48 hours.
2. eBay Makeup Sales
What Are eBay Makeup Sales?
eBay is the place to go to sell pretty much anything and everything, and that includes makeup. If you type in “makeup” into eBay’s search bar, you’ll find over 2,000,000 listings! As you can see, it’s a truly hot marketplace if you’re looking to sell some cosmetics.
What Can I Sell?
If you’re looking to sell used makeup, eBay isn’t the platform to do so. However, you can sell new cosmetics brushes and applicators, new cosmetics in original packaging, and homemade cosmetics that meet FDA requirements. You can find more details here about what items can and cannot be sold.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup on eBay?
You set your own prices on eBay, so how much money you earn depends on what you sell. It also depends on the quantity you sell in. You can opt for auction-style listings that give viewers the option to directly purchase the item(s). You can learn all about eBay’s selling fees here, and you receive payment via PayPal.
3. Poshmark
What Is Poshmark?
Poshmark is a very popular app and website used to buy and sell clothing, accessories, and even makeup. If you’ve got brand new makeup that you’ve never opened, you can make some extra cash off of it. Creating Poshmark listings is easy, and the community is constantly growing.
What Can I Sell?
You can sell new makeup and makeup brushes on Poshmark. This means that the makeup or makeup brushes cannot be opened, swatched, and so on. So while it’s a great resource, it’s not an option if you’re looking to sell used cosmetics. Read more about Poshmark makeup policies here.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
If you sell under $15 worth of makeup, Poshmark takes a flat fee of $2.95. If you sell more than $15 worth of items, you’ll keep 80% of your earnings and Poshmark will keep 20%. Poshmark will send you a prepaid and pre-addressed shipping label for sending out your sold items.
4. Reddit’s Makeup Exchange
What Is Makeup Exchange?
Makeup Exchange is a Subreddit where Reddit users can buy, sell, and exchange makeup. The Subreddit has over 23,000 users and seven moderators. It’s a pretty straightforward place to sell your makeup as long as you follow the rules listed in the sidebar.
What Can I Sell?
As the name suggests, this platform is for makeup sales only. That means no other beauty products like perfumes or hair styling products. However, there’s a lot of freedom in regards to selling used makeup and selling any brand of makeup. According to the sidebar, “you must include a photo of each product mentioned out of its box along with a piece of paper with your username. All photos must include your username with at most 10 items per photo.”
Additionally, the moderators list these requirements: “Please state the item’s name, brand, condition (new/used a few times/there’s a ding), size (weight or dimension), color, etc. If the item is used, please sanitize the product first.”
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
This is another platform where you keep 100% of the profits you make. You also set your own prices, so how much you make depends on how much you sell. Check out some posts to see what the general pricing is like for various products. Moderators recommend that all payment transactions go through PayPal. You can read more about Makeup Exchange on their Wiki page.
5. MUABS.com
What Is MUABS.com?
According to their about page, MUABS.com is “a makeup marketplace that allows individuals to take full control and post their individual items for prices they seem fit and have the ability to sell their items to thousands of people”. The site started in August of 2013 and was originally titled Makeup Addict Blog Sales. Their main goal was to create a community where bloggers and makeup lovers could sell with more security.
What Can I Sell?
Upon browsing MUABS.com, I cannot find any definitive information about what can and cannot be sold. So I decided to browse through their extensive listings to see what I could find. Items I found include used makeup that has been opened, perfume, brand new makeup, and “lots” – bundles of certain beauty products. It seems like you can sell pretty much any new or used cosmetics!
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
For every item you sell, MUABS collects a 10% commission fee. You set your own prices for the products, so you have a lot of control over your earnings. This is another site where I recommend scoping out the prices of other sellers. You can do this by going to the MUABS.com ‘Browse Items’ page and typing a product name into the search bar. All payments are made via Paypal, and MUABS.com offers buyer/seller protection. I can’t find information about prepaid shipping, so it seems that sellers are responsible for shipping costs.
6. Facebook Makeup Groups
What Are Facebook Makeup Groups?
If you’re a Facebook user, you know that there are groups for anything and everything. That includes huge groups for makeup lovers; groups I’ve found range between 10,000 and 90,000 members. In many of these Facebook groups, you’re allowed to sell new and used cosmetics. If you click on a makeup group’s name, you’ll find the group’s ‘Description’ section in the right-hand sidebar. This will often tell you whether or not the group allows sales. If it does, join to sell beauty products online!
What Can I Sell?
Again, this will depend on the group, their rules, and so on. Some groups may allow sales of used products that meet FDA requirements. Others may only allow the sales of used products. If you can’t find information about this in the ‘Description’, you can message a group Admin or create a post asking for answers.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
In the Facebook makeup groups I’ve seen, the sellers make 100% of the profits. This is another option that allows you to set your own prices. I suggest Googling “used (insert product name here)” and browsing platforms like MUABS.com to find price ranges. You’ll also be responsible for 100% of the shipping costs unless the group is local and you’re comfortable with in-person sales. I strongly suggest using PayPal for any online sales.
7. Instagram Makeup Sales
What Are Instagram Makeup Sales?
Instagram is another social media platform that’s often used for buying and selling clothing, cosmetics, and similar items. The link above gives you a peek at the Instagram hashtag “#makeupsales”. As you can see, there are well over 120,000 posts with this tag. Users sell new and new makeup on their own terms!
What Can I Sell?
It seems like there are no restrictions in place on what kind of makeup you can sell. However, make sure to follow any laws and FDA guidelines about makeup that are applicable. If you browse the tag, you’ll see things like Wet n’ Wild cosmetics, Too Faced eyeshadow palettes, Givenchy lip liners, and so much more. Your options for selling are pretty broad.
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
With a platform like Instagram, you’ll keep 100% of the money that you earn. Keep in mind you’ll need to cover the cost of shipping and possible PayPal fees for sellers. Between Instagram’s hashtag system and the other platforms listed here, you can easily find competitive listing prices for the makeup you’re selling.
8. Mercari
What Is Mercari?
Mercari is a smartphone app that offers a digital marketplace for buyers and sellers. The ‘Beauty’ and ‘Makeup’ categories are quite popular. You’ll find everything from high-end brands to budget-friendly beauty items. This makes it a noteworthy platform to sell your beauty and makes on.
What Can I Sell?
From what I can see, you have a lot of freedom when it comes to selling makeup and beauty products on Mercari. I read the full Mercari Prohibited Items list, and cosmetics are not mentioned. I also browsed the ‘makeup’ and ‘beauty’ categories. Examples of items for sale I found include new Bath and Body Works toiletry sets, ‘Like New’ Estee Lauder foundation, new makeup brushes, and so much more. As long as you don’t violate the Prohibited Items list, it seems that your beauty products are free game!
How Much Money Can I Make Selling Makeup?
Mercari charges 10% commission on any beauty or makeup item that you sell. It’s free to list your items, and there’s a $2 fee for direct deposit payments of under $10. I’d recommend waiting to transfer your money until you earn more than $10 to waive the fee. Mercari allows buyers and sellers to negotiate prices, so you may want to use this to your advantage!
My Top Tips For Selling Makeup Online
Before we wrap things up, I’ve got a few quick tips for anyone who wants to sell makeup online. These simple practices can make your transactions smoother and may even increase the amount of money you make!
- Set up a PayPal account before you get started. PayPal is the main platform used for receiving payment for the sites listed above. It’s also a secure option that provides buyer and seller protection. Set up a Paypal account ahead of time and verify it to for smooth transactions.
- If you sell used makeup, make sure that you properly sanitize it. There are multiple ways you can sanitize makeup. My preferred method of sanitation is rubbing alcohol – inexpensive and effective. This Glamour article provides great tips on makeup sanitation. Sanitation is an absolute must when you sell used makeup. Not doing so can lead to serious bacterial infections – and very unhappy buyers.
- To set competitive prices, scope out your competition. Overpricing your makeup is a surefire way to drive away potential buyers. Before you price your makeup, check out the prices on the platform you’re using. This will ensure you stay ahead of the competition and effectively sell makeup online!
- Take photos in natural light or a well-lit area; avoid editing photos as well. Giving potential buyers a good look at your product is a great way to close a sale. If you don’t have an area with lots of natural lighting, just choose a well-lit room. Take multiple photos from different angles, and make sure to show any defects or product usage. Most importantly, do not alter the color if you edit the photos. This can come across as deceptive and you may get bad reviews or refund requests.
- Provide as much detail as possible. Before someone buys your makeup products, they’ll want to get as much information as possible. You can make this easy for them by providing great detailed product descriptions. Again, this is a great time to scope out some bestsellers on the makeup selling websites you use. What kind of details do they have in their descriptions? What questions to do they answer? Be honest and thorough to help your potential customers feel confident!
Wrap Up: Turn Your Cosmetics Into Cash With Ease
There’s an entire web-based world when it comes to buying and selling makeup online. Whether you want to make $15 or $50, you’ve got so many diverse platforms to choose from.
There’s no need to let your unused beauty items sit idly in a drawer. Convert them into money using the eight options listed above.
