What are your thoughts on blog sales? Do think there are some do's and don'ts when it comes to blog sales?
I'm not an expert on blog sales, I've had my share, but I certainly wouldn't call myself a pro at it. I do have some opinions on certain aspects of blog sales.
*These are my personal opinions. This is not a guideline for blog sales. I'm just sharing my thoughts.
PR Samples in blog sales- This is an absolute no no. It's hard for me to believe that people would find it reasonable to do this. If you get a product to review for free, you should not turn around and sell it. Do I even need to explain why? Morals people. If you get a product for review that you don't want anymore swap it or give it to a friend. Do not profit off of it!
Overpriced ETF (easy to find) used polishes- I've seen a few blog sales that are selling polishes you could easily find online or in stores used for the price they originally bought them for or more. I generally sell polishes I've used that are ETF for 40%-50% off of what I originally paid for them. They can sell it for what they want, and some people will buy it, but it just doesn't sit well with me.
HTF (hard to find polishes)- This is where I think there is some wiggle room. I do not have an issue with people marking up used HTF polishes. I do not mean to ridiculous ebay prices I've seen sometimes, but to what they guess is reasonable price for the item at the time. I've researched ebay and asked other nail people what they felt was a reasonable price for an HTF polish before I put it in a sale. For example, if I had used OPI Absolutely Alice I wanted to sell I'd check on ebay and see the average for a bottle is around $21-$23. I personally would start my price off at around $16-$17. If it sat around with no offers for a week I'd lower it to $15 and so on. Sometimes you don't find any information on an HTF polish you have, and you have to use your best judgment. It's important to be fair, but don't sell yourself short or be greedy either..find the middle ground.
Frustrations and icky buyers- When I've had blog sales I've had people ask for extensions for payment or strange requests. I've had children email me saying tings like "I'm 12 I don't have a paypal, can I send you cash?". Errr, no. I think it's a safe bet to deal with Paypal payments only. I've had someone buy a ton of stuff from me then turn around 2 weeks later and re-sell all of my stuff in a blog sale for double what I sold it for. Can they do that? Sure, it's their property now, but it sucks. I get it if it's a few items you didn't like later on and re-sell it, but the whole kit and caboodle of what I sold you?!? I will no longer sell to that person because I know what they'll do with my stuff.
These are the main things I have thoughts on as far as blog sales. I love blog sales. I've found so many great polishes through them. I enjoy having my own as well. As a rule of thumb I always look around other blog sales before I set prices on mine. I want to make sure I'm selling polishes around the same price others sell. I know there are countless other topics that can be discussed as far as blog sales go. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Happy Tuesday!
I totally agree with what you're saying here. The other day, I saw someone selling Gap Gold Rush for $12, when you can easily get it for $6 at Gap.. just because it's a Peridot dupe doesn't mean you can mark it up 100%!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Besides the PR samples I also am shocked when I see indie polishes for sale at or above what the maker sells them for--so, so wrong!
ReplyDeleteThe first two are so tacky to me!!! I've seen a blog sale where Sinful Colors Green Ocean was going for $5. $5!!!!!!! I know it's only available once a year, but when it is available, it's everywhere!!! No one is justified in selling that for $5! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I can't believe anyone would be so gauche as to sell PR samples. I hope the PR teams find out and stop sending them stuff!
I agree with everything you said. Especially about overpriced ETF polishes. Drives me nuts. I love blog sales though! I've gotten a lot of my polish from them. I've bought quite a few bottles from you actually! [:
ReplyDeleteAMEN on the blogger samples being on blog sales! it hurts my head when I see people selling what I know are blogger samples. I also got a stab in the chest when i saw someone selling, on their blog sale, an item they won from me. Why did you bother to try to win it if you didn't really want it?
ReplyDeleteAs a Canadian, I've never bought from a blog sale... I either can't or the shipping makes it not so much worth it. Totally with you on the PR samples, and it always amazes me what strangers will demand from others. But while I think it might be kind of tacky to "overprice" ETF polishes, that is just so relative... depending on where you or your buyer are from, it might not be so easy to find that particular polish. For example, Brandi below mentioned GAP Gold Rush, which is easy to find for many - but where I am, no GAP stores sell nail polish, so I can't find it anywhere!
ReplyDeleteI tried a DVD blog sale once. I failed miserably and didn't make any money at all. I didn't wanna do it anymore
ReplyDeleteGet outta my head, Stephanie! I especially agree with your point about ETF polishes. It is the primary reason that I rarely buy from blog sales...overpricing them is SUPER-common. Why would I want to bother with the trouble of PayPal-ing and waiting for something I could run down to Sally Beauty for?
ReplyDelete:-O As someone with the apalling luck to NEVER win giveaways, that hurts me, too. Shame on them!
ReplyDeleteYou know what I don't like? Paying with the "gift" option. It's not a gift that's for non-profits. Just add on the 3% or whatever for pay pal fees.
ReplyDeleteYou read my mind about ETF polishes on blog sales. I also don't like it when someone buys a ton of bottles of a color that is popular at the moment and then sells them for higher prices in a blog sale. I get they're probably just giving people a chance to buy a polish they can't find themselves but sometimes it just comes off me like they're purposely trying to profit off it's popularity. Like they know people will buy it, so they up the prices.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you posted this! I have some blushes and polishes I want to sell but I just don't know how to get around to doing it, or what's acceptable!
ReplyDeleteWhen do you think I'll find some of your swapped items up for sale? I think that would spoil the fun of doing swaps. And, I can't remember if something was a trade, or not; and, there isn't enough money made to make it worth my while. Now, that doesn't mean I won't purchase from blogs! :)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't bother me if people put up swap items for sale. As long as they're not swapping with me just to sell my stuff. I see that as an even trade. It's also difficult to remember what items I got for swap over the years and what I bought myself!
ReplyDeleteGlad this could help!
ReplyDeleteI do not care for that either. I think they're taking advantage of the people who cannot find that particular item. As a blogger you're not a business I'd think you'd want to help out your readers vs. mark up the prices on something. You don't need to give it away for free, but be reasonable!
ReplyDeleteI don't care for this either. I never have added it as a requirement for my blog sales. I just invoice people and deal with the paypal fees. I've had people offer to pay as a gift and I accept, but it's not a requirement from me! I know you can't contest charges with paying as a gift either, which is bothersome if you think you may have been cheated by someone.
ReplyDeleteI know! I'm sure it's because some people may not have easy access to it, but still I don't find it very favorable.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about selling other things besides makeup and polish. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you!
ReplyDeleteYes, I understand that for people who do not have access to something paying a higher price would be worth it. That's why a lot of those items sell. I know for me it wouldn't feel like I was really helping someone out if I knew I could get something in store now for $4 and I sell it on a blog sale for $6.
ReplyDeleteYes! That too...gifted polishes and giveaway items I don't think should be up for grabs. That being said, in the years I've been collecting polishes,I have lost track of where I got some of my polishes, and I'm sure one has ended up in a sale at some point :-/. HTF polishes though I've received from people I certainly remember and they're not going up for sale!
ReplyDeleteYes you have! I'm glad you like the blog sales.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I completely agree!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that bothers me too especially since those are made by individuals in the nail polish community.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but people will buy it. I just don't think it's the most friendly way as a blogger to sell and item to your reader. You should help them out, not mark up the prices from them.
ReplyDeletePR samples for sale is what bothers me , " you can check out a swatch HERE" and then when you click on it down at the bottom it says it was given up for review....ummm okay?! .That to me makes you look tacky and i know that Zoya doesn't take this lightly as i read on a blog that she was contacted by Zoya because they saw she was selling her PR samples on a blog sale. Now the other things don't really bother me its YOUR blog sale and if you want to sell a Kleancolor nail polish for 15 dollars half used ..then good luck! Its just like a yard sale sometimes you find a good deal sometimes you dont
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point... I think the intentional markup is definitely shady, but I suppose it is always possible that person had to special order it/pay extra for shipping, so the seemingly marked-up price might just be recouping their costs. If I were trying to sell some random ETF China Glaze, I would be basing the price off of the $7 or $8 I might have spent on it, rather than the ~$5 someone from the States might have.
ReplyDeleteI agree in all of the above, the two first are a huge no-no - I do think giving PR samples away for free is OK. As for #3 - I have one 10 yr. old HTF holo or sale right now (I have one almost similar) at a high price, but still lower than what I paid for it on Ebay
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet bought anything from a blog sale yet, only because the good US ones often are posted during the night here in Denmark, and then they are sold out in the morning LOL
Some weeks ago an italian blogger tried to sell some lipsticks from an italian high-end brand that she received for free. I was disappointed twice: 1) because I agree with you, I don't like to see that a blogger tries to monetize something she received for free. 2) because it was clear that she doesn't do accurate reviews. If you write a review about a product, and you talk about its amazing pigmentation and longevity, I suppose that you used it at least once. So how can you sell those same products as brand new and never used?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have never did a blogsale and I have never bought anything from a blogsale, so I have really appreciate this post. :)
I honestly don't have a problem with bloggers selling PR items as long as the prices are somewhat below retail. Why? Well, as far as I know, y'all don't get to pick and choose what you're going to get so it is highly likely that you will get some you don't like that others would love to have and can't find. Many of you also spend quite a bit out of pocket for polish and your swatches have both saved me a pretty penny AND led me to treasures I would otherwise never have found. Selling polishes you find you don't like, PR or otherwise, to be able to fund that polish habit of yours that benefits ME just isn't an issue for me at all. I don't have any friends that are into home polishing or anyone I swap with. It would be a waste to throw polishes away or just let them sit around taking up valuable space. Overpriced polishes, especially if they are badly overpriced, can make me decide that I really don't need that blog on my reading list because it says something about the blogger I don't care for. I have picked up a few discontinued polishes from blog sales, and that was fun, but I won't pay a silly price for any polish, not even the original Clarins Unicorn Pee. Yup, it's gorgeous and if I ever received it as a gift you could hear me squeeing clear down the block (as long as I knew they didn't pay a fortune for it), but there are just too, too many beautiful and easily available polishes out there I would love to have to spend the price of a dozen or more of those on one polish. I have never sold polish except when I was able to find 8 Hidden Treasures months after they were released and sold them at cost to the friends on my MU board that hadn't been able to find them, so no icky customers. I did do one swap with a MU board friend in Europe because she wanted some specific bargain polishes (WnW, SH Xtremes, etc) you couldn't get in her country, but I got Nfu-Ohs in return so I was a happy bunny.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed hearing your thoughts and reading the comments, thanks for starting up the conversation here :)
ReplyDeleteI've never done a blog sale, but I totally agree regarding ETFs. I hate that people put them up for sale at a higher price than what you can get them for in the store. Then you have to pay shipping too? It doesn't even make sense.
ReplyDeleteI have a question...I'm thinking about doing a blog sale, and I have some PR items that I don't want anymore/don't have room for/have multiples of. I DON'T want to sell them because I think that's an icky thing to do, but I was thinking about maybe listing them and then people can get them for free and just pay shipping. Would people be opposed to that?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! :) They might come in handy soon
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