Hello MUE!

Effective immediately, all MLM products are banned from MUE.

MLM products are not allowed to be sold, whether or not you are a distributor or if you received/purchased the products. Additionally, please do not send samples of MLM products as free with purchase items; we’ve recently had a few modmails about some buyers receiving unwanted pressure with samples and follow up messages from sellers.

This rule will be incorporated into Rule 7, which describes what can and can’t be sold on the subreddit.

Sale posts that include MLM products will be taken down and can be reapproved if the products are removed from the sale. Repeat offenders may face a temporary ban at the discretion of the moderators.

Some examples of beauty MLM brands (very small list, not all inclusive)

• Mary Kay

• Avon

• Rodan & Fields

• Jamberry

• Monat

• Arbonne

• Artistry

If there are questions, feel free to send us a modmail. If you’d like to see a more extensive list of MLMs, or are wondering if an item you have is from an MLM, check out r/antiMLM!

Happy Holidays MUE! We wanted to address a few things today.

Recently, we’ve received a number of modmails and anonymous reports about post titles with “sob stories” in them,citing them as emotionally manipulative in order to gain more sales. (This is also to an extent vote manipulation on Reddit, which is against Reddit TOS).

“Sob stories” include, but are not limited to, things like:

• “I need to pay my bills!”

• “Just lost my job!”

• “Need surgery!”

• “Going to lose my house/car/etc”

We strongly discourage these kinds of posts. All post titles should be sale/product related. The official rule that will be listed in our wiki is:

All post titles must be product- or sale-related and cannot contain anything sad or empathy-inducing.

Starting now, we will be tracking these kinds of posts; this will not apply retroactively. You will be permitted TWO posts of this nature to accommodate new users and users who do not read the PSA. After your second offense, your post will be removed and a 7-day temporary ban will be placed on your account.

We’ve also been receiving many reports and modmails expressing concern about posts requesting donations for charitable causes. Please do not post these in MUE, these types of posts belong in r/RandomActsofMakeup. Any posts in the future that are of this nature will be removed and we’ll direct you to RAOM.

Do not forget to read our previous PSA where we address a recent scammer.

If you have any questions or would like clarification, please feel free to send us a modmail!

Hi everyone!

We’ve recently noticed a huge increase in scamming reports, largely from users using multiple accounts to evade bans. We want everyone to stay safe and have fun buying and selling here on MUE, so we’d like to offer some tips and suggestions on how to avoid being scammed.

1. Check the Banned User List for newer accounts. We are generally pretty good about finding alternate accounts; as you can see we have multiple usernames listed for several people on the list. We can’t post full information, but checking the partial emails provided can be a great way to find new accounts for scammers.

2. We highly recommend using Paypal G&S! Paying a small fee to have purchase protection is worth it, especially when buying from newer sellers.

As always, please report suspicious activity! We always appreciate it. If you believe that any account is an alternate account for someone on our Banned List, please send us modmail so we can look into it! Several of the people we’ve caught have been thanks to our awesome community members.

Additionally, we have been receiving some reports of suspected dumpster diving and shoplifted products for sale or swap on MUE. If you ever feel unsure about a product, we always recommend asking for proof of purchase to verify that it was not stolen or dumpster dived. Please also send us a modmail so we can look into it. Please note that we do not condone the sale of dumpster dived or shoplifted products, and offering these on MUE is a bannable offense.

Thank you, and happy buying and selling!

ETA: I've seen a couple of members asking for tips on identifying dumpster dived items, here's what I've been sending to them if you're interested in seeing!

For dumpster diving, be on the lookout for products that have abnormal damage. Things that are repressed/cracked are usually not dumpster dived and are the result of dropping stuff, this is normal damage. Things like drag marks through powders, weird films on top of products, and if you accidentally buy something that was DDed it will usually have a foul smell due to chemicals that employees use to destroy products.

I know you are reading and monitoring these threads. You see how pissed everyone is? What did you think would happen, people would just write the money off as a loss and let it go? This crime can involve the FBI now. I urge anyone that was scammed to report it here to the FBI. Things got too out of hand though. You took way to much. You got greedy. If you had just scammed three or four people you probably could have gotten away with it, no one would have cared to look into it. The total is over a thousand dollars now, from various states and possibly even other countries. You fucked up. What you did is actually a pretty serious crime now. You can go to jail for what you did. You posted in other threads, you used your disposable email on other sites. You gave out bits of information here and there. Sure you could have been lying but, usually there is some truth to every lie. Whether you live in Florida, California or any US state you will go to jail. No matter how you cashed in the gift cards, you didn't think of everything. You will have fucked up somewhere. I really hope you are enjoying the makeup/whatever you got out of this scam because, there is no make up in jail. It's pretty sad when you think about it actually. You will be in jail with people that committed all kinds of horrible crimes and when you're asked "what are you in for" all you will be able to say is, "stealing makeup." It's shame to have wasted so much time and effort stealing make up and underwear. Sounds like something a kid or teenage would do. You could have just gotten a job for a few weeks and earned the money on your own, instead of fucking with peoples lives. I don't care if I get my money back. I don't care if I have to spend endless hours and hundreds of dollars, I will be dedicating my time to you, finding you and, getting justice. Sincerely,
The wrong person to fuck with
edit
I'm glad to see some reaction and response of some kind. With that being said I have no intentions of retracting the case I filed with my local police or the FBI. When I receive my money back ($50) via paypal I will inform both authorities to resolve the case. I urge everyone, no matter how small the amount was you were robbed of to file a case with the FBI. You can drop the charges once your money has been TRULY refunded. We have absolutely NO reason to trust you. Justsayinn you now have to put your trust in our hands. I don't and will not trust you. I'm not backing down until I made whole again. You took more than money from people. You took our ability to trust in others. People are going to be terrified to swap. It shouldn't be this way, you have made it this way. Your actions were callous, selfish and just down right greedy. You knew what you were doing when you did it. You knew how many MAC eye shadows and Naked Pallets you had from the git go. Someday someone will pay you back the favor and only then will you really understand.

Thanks to community members and some excellent mod work, we have recently been able to confirm that /u/nailhelp191 is the same person as /u/stripperneedshelp.

/u/nailhelp191 has posted in several other beauty subreddits (including /r/asianbeauty and /r/makeupaddiction) that Paypal would not cover makeup related claims/disputes. As far as we know (and we have contacted Paypal about it), THIS IS A LIE.

This person is trying to target you and spread misinformation. This scammer has even told other people that Paypal is ruling in her favor, but we have had many people confirm they have been successful at receiving a refund from Paypal.

Please make sure you check the account's flair, check the info in our Banned List and try to use Paypal Goods and Services option. More detailed info can be found here.

As always, if you have any questions please send us a mod mail.

-Your MUE Team

P.S. We are locking this post to avoid any accounts that may try to chime in with incorrect information.

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately we must bring to your attention news that a scammer is once again active in our community. This person has sold undisclosed fakes and stolen money from many MUE users, and we have banned them on several usernames over a course of many months. They keep coming back though, and we’ve seen them on more than four accounts in the last week alone.

The accounts we’ve found and banned for this person thus far are /u/stripperneedshelp, /u/dadhatestests, /u/shoaholic12345678910, /u/nailhelp191. /u/howtohelpkid, /u/throwawaymom__, /u/Goodmorningvietnam12, /u/Cluelessfather, /u/readytoexpose, /u/olderbrotherhelp, /u/notbeingabused, and /u/cantthrowawaygay. Most have been suspended for ban evasion as we’ve had to involve the admins. The scammer makes both sale and request threads and posts from new and old accounts.

Our advice:

• We strongly recommend using the Goods and Services or invoice PayPal payment methods because of the protective element.

• Always check the information of your exchange partner against that on our Banned Users List which we update constantly. The Banned Users List is most easily viewable on desktop. It’s also helpful to look at each user’s flair and account history.

• Ask questions about the origins, condition, and usage of the item(s) you’re interested in. Request additional photos if the verification in the post isn’t clear enough.

• Read through the rest of the information on safe selling, swapping, and buying in our wiki.

• If something doesn’t feel right about a transaction, it’s okay to back out. Just tell the OP you’ve changed your mind.

• If you see anything suspicious, click the report button and type in a reason. Reports are always anonymous. You can also send us a modmail using the link in the sidebar or by clicking here.

If you have any questions or concerns about anything in this post please send us a modmail.

• The MUE Mod Team

Boy, has a lot of changed in the last few days.

First, it is with great sadness that three of our current mods are stepping down :(

Each of them has tremendous responsibilities that have come up in their lives, some good and some heavy. It’s definitely not for a lack of love for the sub though, I can guarantee that. Please keep u/megannalexandra, u/Giraffies, and u/lenaandcats in your thoughts as they move forward with their lives. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them has been absolutely amazing.

Now for some upcoming changes to the sub…

First and foremost, we are going off of Approve Only. This is why people’s posts have not been showing immediately after being submitted, but had to be approved by a moderator. As a temporary measure, flairs will be automatically applied to every new post notifying users that it has not been approved yet and to use additional caution when dealing with said post. Once it’s approved by a mod, we will apply the appropriate flair to the post. This change to the flairs is only temporary.

During that time, we will be prioritizing the applications for mods and preparing for a change to a more permanent solution. You will begin to see users receive a new flair. This means that all 3 of the user's last sale posts have been consistent and without conflict. This should not be seen as an endorsement by us, just that they haven’t had any notable issues recently.

That user flair is in preparation for another change: Anyone who posts without that flair will have to have their post approved by a mod before it shows in the sub. This means that new users and sellers who have had recent conflicts will have a bit of a slowdown before their post is live, but they can still post. This will give us an important buffer to be able to find sellers who try to evade bans by using alts. We look to implement that in the coming weeks (enough time that our regular sellers can post without issue). Their posts will still go through the normal verification process, but their posts will not show in the sub immediately.

A couple of other changes- Two of the temp mods are wizards at creating bots. We have in the works 2 separate things that will help us out immensely. First, we are almost ready to go live with a bot that will automate the Request Megathreads :) These will continue to be at random times on Sundays and Wednesdays, but the time will be truly randomized. Second, a bot is in the works to verify that someone has not broken the 7-day rule, thus streamlining the verification process for us.

It has been brought to our attention that there is someone who is trying to scam our users. They are sending PMs saying they have the item in a request post, claiming their phone is broken so they can not provide verification, then directing buyers to Cash App since any money sent can not be charged back in a dispute.

Do not engage with the user if you receive a PM like this.

A few tips to keep in mind to stay safe on MUE:

• Always require verification of an item before purchasing that meets our guidelines.

• Use PayPal Goods and Services, since it provides excellent buyer protection.

• Do not purchase an item that was arranged only through a PM.

• Be sure to check out our list of banned users.

If you have any questions or feel that you have been contacted by a scammer, feel free to send us a modmail.

We have several updates, so this is going to be a long post. I hope you can bear with us.

Enhanced Privacy

There has been an influx of sellers using hosts for their verification which can be a serious risk to privacy. Some hosts may reveal the seller’s name, the name of the users who view these images, or both. In light of this, we are moving to begin permitting only approved sites to host verification images. This will help protect both our buyers and sellers from accidentally providing personal information to unknown individuals. A couple of well-known offenders we have seen recently include Google Drive, and Facebook. Facebook is particularly risky because when you search for the filename of the image, you can find the profile of the person it was posted under, revealing sensitive data. URL shorteners will be flat out banned.

We will enable the approved-only sites beginning Sunday, January 20th. This will give everyone who will need to change providers time so that they can migrate to a new platform. The current approved hosting provider is Imgur. We like it because it 1) strips all EXIF data from an image, 2) changes the filename (see the above Facebook concern) and 3) hosts the image without linking directly to a person’s IRL information. We also welcome any suggestions and will investigate each and every one you might have. Simply send us a modmail so that we can take a look.

Improved Experience for International Buyers

A concern that has been brought up to us is the difficulty in using MUE for international buyers. Stories of looking through posts, finding something a user wants, then either reaching the bottom of the post or reaching out to the seller only to find that the buyer’s destination is not an option have been reaching us for some time.

We’re about to fix that.

Beginning the time this message is posted, we will start encouraging sellers to include destinations they are willing to ship to as part of their title. This will, however, be a “soft” rule, meaning that breaking it will not be enough to warrant taking down a post by itself. If a seller’s post is taken down for any other rule though, they will be required to correct it then. “But, you can’t edit the title of the post once it’s submitted, right?” That’s why we will require it to be the first sentence of the post if it’s not in the title. The information will still be quick to find for our international buyers, saving them time and frustration.

Some examples of acceptable location tags are: [US], [US, CAN, ?], [<€30- EU ONLY, > €30 Worldwide], [AUS, will consider others].

The point is to make sure that the seller conveys the locations they are willing to ship to at a quick glance.

As said before, it will be a “soft” rule, but buyers are welcome to prompt the seller to add the info voluntarily.

And we’ve saved the biggest for last. A big thank you to u/megannalexandra for providing clarity on this one.

Increased Protection for Sellers

Hi everyone! We’ve had some…incidents recently involving buyers abusing their protection here on MUE, and as a team have decided to implement some changes to make MUE fairer. First, just a review of our current rules and our position on refunds and returns. (And apologies on the lengthy post, but it’s really important)

Review of Rules 2, 5, and 6 (Buyer Protection)

• Sellers must provide proof of shipment (tracking) to buyers.

• Sellers must ship items within two weeks (14 days) from the date of payment. This consists of a post office scan of the package and tracking information showing that the package was accepted, not just the label being created. Items do not need to be delivered within two weeks.

• Sellers are responsible for lost or damaged items. If items are either lost/damaged in transit, sellers must work with their buyer to come to a satisfactory solution.

Should any of these rules be violated, buyers can report this to modmail., and we can help you reach a solution.

Refunds and Returns

This is coming up because we’ve recently had a situation where a buyer demanded a refund because they did not want the item anymore, and said they would file a Paypal dispute if they did not receive one. Additionally, we had another buyer file a Paypal dispute because their believed they were being scammed despite only five days passing since payment. These are violations of your buyer protection and hurt sellers on MUE.

Sellers, you have a right to refuse refunds or returns if there is nothing wrong with the order and you’ve followed Rules 2 and 5. If you choose to refund someone, that’s your choice. If you choose to accept a return, also your choice, and you should ask the buyer to pay return shipping.

Buyers, you DO NOT have the right to demand a refund from your seller if they have not violated any rules. Asking is fine, demanding is not. Taking retaliatory action such as a Paypal dispute is not acceptable should a seller choose to not refund you when no rules are violated; in fact, as long as your seller provides a valid tracking number and the package is delivered to the address on the transaction, even Paypal will not side with you. You only have the right to demand a refund if Rules 2, 5, or 6 are violated.

New Rules for Seller Protection

In light of these incidents, we will be introducing two new rules/a new rule to protect sellers on MUE.

1. If a buyer files a Paypal dispute AFTER a seller has already shipped an item, the buyer will be banned indefinitely until either proof of payment is provided OR the seller receives the item back in the original condition. Return shipping is the responsibility of the buyer.

2. If a buyer files a Paypal dispute BEFORE a seller has shipped and within the 14 days the seller is allowed to ship, a temporary ban of two weeks will be issued. The seller can decide whether or not they want to proceed with the transaction.

Still with us? That was a lot to take in, we know. Thank you for sticking through it all.

Also, don't forget to check out our last post where we talk about New rules for “Sob Story” Post Titles & Thoughts Regarding Asking for Makeup Donations

Hi Everyone! Welcome back to MUE!

As many of you noticed we closed the subreddit down for a short time due to our backlog of unmoderated posts. We apologize for any inconveniences, however it was necessary so that we are able to keep any incoming posts up to our standards. We thank you for your patience during our downtime. Please welcome our new temporary mods who volunteered to help us as we reopen!

Here are a few notes to consider:

• Before posting, please keep in mind that there will be heavy traffic during the first week of reopening so in order to keep up with posts, we will keep the subreddit posts to approve only temporarily. Approve only means that posts will only appear to the public after they’ve already been approved by a moderator. To ensure that we are able to get each post up and running quickly, please refer to the next paragraph.

• Recently we’ve seen an increase of users who list over 100 items weekly. It becomes increasingly overwhelming to moderate as it can take hours to moderate one post, even with more than one mod. We ask that users take this into consideration and keep posts to a small list as it would help not only moderators but also potential buyers to sort through. However, we are not strictly enforcing this, but is strongly encouraged.

• To users whose posts were moderated during our downtime: If your posts had issues, they were locked with a note, please be sure to read these notes before reposting.

• A few scammers have been running amok recently and we’d like everyone to take precaution. As always, we strongly recommend Paypal’s G&S; however we cannot enforce which payment method you choose to use. As buyers, you can say no to a seller that does not offer the form of payment that you would prefer. Keep in mind, payment methods such as Venmo, Xelle and Paypal Friends and Family do not offer any buyer protection. When using MUE please keep in mind all exchanges are at your own risk and that it is up to the users’ discretion. If you feel unsure about a transaction, you may contact us via modmail to cross reference any information for a buyer or seller you have concerns about.

• We would also like to draw your attention to a change to Automoderator. It will now automatically reply to all new posts. We are including the most recent active scammers at the beginning of the message. We encourage you to take a look at the list of banned users whenever you visit MUE.

• During the first week back, our Request Megathreads will not be posted so that we can focus on sale threads.

Mod Applications

We are also opening up applications for moderators as many of our current mods have had changes in their IRL lives that takes up more time. With the increase of new users and sale posts, we cannot keep up with current demands. We’re currently welcoming all applications. If you’d like to apply to become a moderator please click here.

As always, any questions, comments or concerns are always welcome in our modmail.

EDITED TO UPDATE: As the user has since deleted her post, here are screenshots along with an admission to selling fakes for those of you that need this information going forward with your PayPal claims.

Hello everyone,

We are posting to make you aware that we have very recently banned a user, /u/stripperneedshelp, who has been reported by several vigilant community members for selling undisclosed fake cosmetics in their listings. There have also been instances of missing and broken items.

Fortunately most of those affected paid via PayPal invoice and are able to file a dispute to recover their money, and if you are concerned about a sale with this user please do the same along with sending us a modmail through the link below.

We'd also like to remind everyone to keep the following in mind for your safety while using the subreddit:

• Please regularly check the information of your exchange partners against that in our Banned Users List in the sidebar, which is most easily viewable for desktop users. When a user is banned their flairs in /r/makeupexchange and /r/mueflair are changed to read as “BANNED” which may not show up on some mobile apps.

• Ask questions about the item's origins, condition, and authenticity. Request additional photos if the verification isn't clear enough.

• Review our wiki for advice on safe selling and swapping. It also contains useful information such as a FAQ, rules breakdown, abbreviations, shipping guides, and more.

• We strongly recommend using PayPal goods and service or invoice when paying for items on MUE because if something goes wrong PayPal’s protection comes into play.

We’d also like to thank those of you who reported this issue, as keeping the subreddit safe and running smoothly is what we’re here for.

If you have any questions or concerns please send us a modmail via this link, the button on the sidebar, or by sending a PM with /r/makeupexchange in the To field.

Thank you,

• Your MUE Mod Team.

DO NOT USE THIS THREAD

Please see the post about the updated flair system here. Beginning 9/9/13 anything posted in this thread will not count toward your swap totals.

It has been brought to our attention that there is someone who is trying to scam our users. They are reaching out to users with fake verification using photo editing to include their user name, and insisting payment be made through PayPal friends and family so that they can not be charged back in a dispute.

Do not engage with the user if you receive a PM like this.

A few tips to keep in mind to stay safe on MUE:

• Always require verification of an item before purchasing that meets our guidelines.

• Use PayPal Goods and Services, since it provides excellent buyer protection.

• Do not purchase an item that was arranged only through a PM.

• Be sure to check out our list of banned users.

If you have any questions or feel that you have been contacted by a scammer, feel free to send us a modmail.

Following up from our last update on this scammer:

There is one scammer in particular that is really preying on our community. If you receive a PM from rashley416 or banks672, do not respond. This person photoshops (rather crappily, too) their username verification on product photos they find online, claiming to have the item shown for sale. Here are some examples.

Please check the Banned User List for our full entry on this person. Again, we do not post full emails or names, but if you are contacted by the scammer and they provide an email to pay them, you can fill in the blanks using the list. And if you have any information on them that we're missing, modmail us with screenshots.

We received a couple reports about this, so we want to be clear: calling out Reddit usernames is not doxxing. However, publicly posting screenshots of someone's email or other personal information IS doxxing, so refrain from that.

Here's some safety tips moving forward:

• Do not engage in PM-only transactions. If someone can't comment on your request, it's probably because they've been banned.

• Always request verification that meets our guidelines.

• Use PayPal Goods & Services. If someone absolutely refuses your desire to pay via G&S, that's a big red flag.

• Keep an eye on the Banned User List if something feels off or just in general.

Stay vigilant, MUE, and if you have any questions or concerns at all, don't hesitate to send us a modmail!

Weird post, I know. But the short version is that my partner designed much of the packaging, but was never given comps of his work. I don’t want to buy it myself bc I’ve heard quality was an issue. But I’d love to clean up the containers so he can take some shots of it and feel proud of the strong looks he created.

Thanks for any help you can give!

I have been handling a few issues lately. After the last PSA, someone has reported me another issue. I noticed it's the same name and address as a person who has been banned.

PLEASE BE AWARE THIS PERSON WON'T GO AWAY AND IS CREATING MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS previously of the usernames: /u/beccalynn0219 and now /u/iluvmakeup219. Also /u/Beautyandblush.

I will be contacting everyone who I see she has commented to. If you're unsure, please check the banned list here also located on the sidebar.

Although this user has verification photos of certain items, she has not fulfilled her swap regardless. These are the items she claim she has:

• Naked Basics

• Naked 2 Basics

• Stila palette (with the round pans, has a highlighter and bronzer)

• Lorac blush

• Mac Ruby Woo

• Mac Marilyn Monroe lipstick

• Mac Full of Joy

• Mac Warm Soul

• Kat Von D Monarch palette

• Mac Heroine

• Mac Politely Pink

• Mac LE blush

Another note. When you contact us about an issue, please make sure to do the following:

1. Has it been two weeks since the agreement? If not, please wait. International packages tend to also take longer than two weeks.

2. Please have complete screenshots of the agreement as well as all of the PM's for us to review. If you have trouble doing this/don't know how, we can help you.

Edit: Personally, I don't think we should be NOT swap or sell to people without flair. We want to welcome new users as well, but if you are wary about purchasing from a user without flair, you can follow what /u/ilovesushialot has done. "If you are swapping with a newer person, a person with no flair or are just in a situation you don't feel 100% comfortable with, offer to pay for their item through paypal invoice and for them to pay for yours the same way. that way you BOTH have paypal protection when you swap. It seems a little silly but I've asked this a few times and they've always obliged."

Edit2: I have added NEW information regarding this scammer including another username and a different address. She is still here guys.

Hello everyone,

We are posting to make you aware that we have very recently banned a user, /u/King-of-Cereal, who has been previously banned from our subreddit under another username. We have attempted to contact many of those of you who appeared to be involved in transactions with them but are aware that not everything is arranged publicly. That along with some remarks made by the user to us in modmail have led us to bring this to your attention as well as remind you of a few things:

• Please regularly check the information of your exchange partners against that in our Banned Users List in the sidebar, which is most easily viewable for desktop users.

• Review our wiki for advice on safe selling and swapping. It also contains useful information such as a FAQ, abbreviations, shipping guides, and more.

• We strongly recommend using PayPal goods and service or invoice when paying for items on MUE because if something goes wrong PayPal’s protection comes into play.

We’d also like to thank those of you who reported this issue, as keeping the subreddit safe and running smoothly is what we’re here for.

If you have any questions or concerns please send us a modmail via this link, the button on the sidebar, or by sending a PM with /r/makeupexchange in the To field.

Thank you,

• Your MUE Mod Team.

Edit: A third username, /u/erzascar, has been confirmed to belong to this person. It has also recently been banned on MUE and MUEFlair.

Edited to add: When a user is banned their flairs in /r/makeupexchange and /r/mueflair are changed to read as “BANNED” which may not show up on some mobile apps.

Hello, everybody! Your friendly MUE mod team here.

We have a few announcements today, changes to how the sub and subsequently scammers, are handled as well as COVID precautions and we're also looking to add to the team!

PayPal#

First off, lets get this one out of the way. With the issue of bad actors on the sub, we're moving to requiring PayPal Goods and Services only for any financial transactions on this sub. It provides users with a top-notch buyer's protection program. Other payment systems such as Venmo, CashApp and Google Pay do not, and this has been a source of theft. It is however not without a few tradeoffs. This will prevent some users from being able to participate in this sub for reasons including PayPal not being available in all geographic locations.

So, with that, we're leaving it to you to decide past the 1 week trial. How so? you may ask. Simple. We're putting up a poll so that we can get feedback from you on how payment and security should be handled moving forward. The poll can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sF6rcOk36yygHBhhzrPEVsHLhlGPDH9urVX9Tk4xOhY/edit

The results from this poll will decide if the strict PayPal GnS rule is permanent.

On a side note, it is against PayPal's TOS to charge an additional fee for Goods and Services, so make sure your prices have the GnS fee already baked in when you post. From their site: >You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method. You may charge a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge and is not higher than the handling fee you charge for non-PayPal transactions.

The requirement for PayPal only is effective immediately for any posts after this announcement. It is currently listed as rule 11. If you see anybody request any payment other than PayPal, please help us by reporting it.

Precautions regarding COVID#

Well, folks. We tried. We really did. We were hoping to stop only the sales of items which cannot be sanitized easily as a way of protecting our users. This has only lead to confusion and quite a mess. Even though we have it pinned as an announcement, it would seem a lot of users have been unaware of the change, so when we finally got an automod rule in place, it created a lot of takedowns.

We are changing tactics. We are instead going to relax the rule on sanitizeable items. Instead, we simply ask that the buyers be strongly aware of when an item was shipped and give it some time before using it. The reason is that COVID-19 is not a long-lived virus. Current research shows that it can live up to 4 days, depending on the surface. However, there is no guidance on liquid and gel substances, especially ones that can vary in critical things like alcohol content. As such, we recommend not using any questionable item for a week from the date that shows on your order tracking. And importantly, this is only a suggestion for COVID-19. Remember, there are plenty of other pathogens that can sicken someone after a much longer period. Stay smart, and stay safe y'all.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T FORGET our wiki entry on how to sanitize your products.

Mods Wanted#

We will be posting a mod application in the next day. Keep an eye out if you're interested!

Ghosting:

We’ve all been through it - someone makes a comment that they’re interested in what you’ve got to sell/swap. You get excited, maybe push the item (or items) aside, reply with an “Awesome! That’ll be $$$ with shipping. I can send you my PayPal address.” Then, when you’ve sent your message with the email... nothing ever happens. Now, you’ve got some stuff pending and other folks are interested in it and you’ve got no idea what to do. Do you move on, do you wait, how long do you wait?

Or, maybe you’re interested in something someone has to sell or swap. You make your comment that you’re interested in such-and-such. And the person never replies. Their post goes unresponsive even when a handful of folks are interested in what they have.

Ghosting sucks.

While r/makeupexchange doesn’t have a rule in place to prevent it, you as a seller and a buyer can take steps to minimize the burden.

When you create your posts, include terminology that clearly states or asks potential buyers/swappers not to ghost you. Include terminology that you will not hold items and that your items are first come, first serve. You can include comments such as you will only hold items for an hour, two hours - whatever YOU are comfortable with.

On top of that, when you have others commenting, “NIL for ____”, keep them updated so they aren’t sitting around and waiting, too. Common courtesy. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Consequences of Ghosting:

If a buyer/swapper ghosts you, you do not have to sell or swap with them again in the future. We, as in r/makeupexchange, will not keep a list for you - that is your responsibility. You only ever have to sell to or swap with or buy from someone you’re comfortable with.

Let‘s flip that. If you ghost someone, they are not required to work with you again. Please do not make it a habit of commenting on posts if you have no intention of actually purchasing or swapping. We cannot force someone to work with you.

Finally:

The only ban-able type of ghosting is when a seller never sends out their packages, aka Scamming. We take this extremely seriously!

This is most assuredly a rule within r/makeupexchange (see our Wiki).

If a seller/swapper doesn’t send out packages within the two week timespan allowed per the rules and there is no prior communication between users as to possible delays, issues, arrangements... the seller may receive a permanent ban. If this happens, once the 14 days have passed, please contact the Mods with the following information:

1. A screenshot of the original agreement.

2. A screenshot of all the PMs.

3. The tracking number of the item(s) being sent.

The Mods will seek to contact the other user and find out what happened. Contact PayPal to initiate a dispute. Based on the Mods’ findings, a ban may then be issued.

If anyone ever has any questions or wants more information, please contact the Mods by sending a Mod Mail. Please do not contact individual mods as we all must be in communication with each other to maintain a cohesive system.

This lady reached out to the mod team and anyone else she could remember, but she told us, "I made swap initiations with members of this community with the intent to ship out. However, due to unforseen circumstances I was unable to ship out and in a panic deleted my account, as I was unsure what to do and was overwhelmed. I now realize the full extent of my actions and would like to make amends to the people who have sent me things. I didn't realize what I was doing at the time and never had any malicious intent, which is why I want to make this right. I used the username ladylazarus17 and low_wren. If you could make a post asking the people who sent me things to contact me so I can make this right I would be very grateful. I truly never meant to cause anyone harm and feel very horrible."

So please contact her at /u/Makeupapology so she can make amends if you had an unfulfilled exchange with her.

Many of you have brought up concerns regarding the pandemic.

Unfortunately, there's not really any guidance specific to makeup. The preliminary information on the virus which spreads primarily through contact is that it's viable for up to 4 days, depending on the surface (4 days being stainless steel which could be roughly analogous to ferules on makeup brushes). There is currently no information on liquids (as with foundations, concealers, most skincare products). As such, out of an abundance of precaution, we're going to make some changes to what is and is not sell-able through this subreddit. The change is temporary, and will be updated when the US recommendation for social distancing is ended.

We're looking to limit items to only those that can be sanitized (i.e. no liquids). Our wiki page on sanitizing can be found here and we highly recommend reading through it if you have not already done so.

We look to begin limiting products on Sunday April 5th at 1 PM eastern time. Until then, we are relaxing the 7 day rule as one last opportunity to sell liquid items and anything else that may not be easily sanitized.

Stay safe, everybody.

Hi MUE, happy October! We have a few announcements today :)

1. Request Megathread Rule Changes

We’ve decided to try and loosen our rules for the bi-weekly threads and see how it works out. Hopefully, these two changes make the threads more user-friendly.

1. Rule 7 will not apply to Request Megathreads. Rule 7 is meant to prevent a buildup of non-makeup related posts for the mod team to comb through; this is not as big of a deal in the RMs. Starting today, other beauty related items can be requested alone (skincare, haircare, fragrance, nail polish, etc). Please note that non-beauty items are still not allowed to be requested/sold.

2. Verification will not be required right away when responding to requests, although we still recommend this as it will help your transactions proceed more quickly! We understand that sometimes you may not have a picture on hand, but want to let a requester know that you have an item. Buyers, we still strongly advise to ask for verification in the comments or PMs to protect yourself.

The rules concerning comment edits and deletions will remain, this is because there needs to be a record of transactions in the case of a conflict. PM conversations do not always have a complete detailing of a transaction such as the items purchased and their condition, which is why when you have a conflict we request a screenshot of the original post agreement. Please do not fix formatting/typos as we cannot distinguish between these edits and edits that remove a comment’s content; you can use a child comment to fix a typo.

2. Concerns with Venmo

Recently, we had a seller who was able to scam many MUE members by requesting Venmo for payment. We strongly discourage the use of Venmo, as it is meant to exchange money between friends/in person transactions. There is no buyer protection with Venmo and is often difficult to get a chargeback. We strongly recommend PayPal G&S to keep yourself safe, paying a little more is worth the power of disputing!

3. MUE is looking for a few new mods!

Recently, we’ve said goodbye to a few amazing mods who have moved on due to time constraints (school, work, LIFE haha) and we’re looking to add 1-2 new mods to our team! If you’re interested in applying, please do so here. If there are any questions, feel free to send us modmail! We'll keep this app open for about 2 weeks.

See our previous mod post here about our Banned Users List and information on dumpster diving!

-Your MUE Mods <3

Since I last posted on MUE I've gotten two teeth extracted (one an impacted wisdom tooth, the other a conflicting molar), adopted a kitty (named for Blanche Devereaux, thanks shelter), and moved into a house. Needless to say costs have been incurred and work is not so easy to find.

Shipping is $4 regardless of purchase size. I just need this shit out of here and the money going to pay off an overdraft and school bills. When you've got down all you want let me know and I'll message you my PayPal email. Send all funds via Friends & Family or if you'd like, I'll tack on the low, low cost of an invoice/Goods & Services transaction. Verification!

Oh no she’s back AGAIN!! Yes!!! Hello my people hope you are all well and living your best lives. US only at this time (imsosorry) and PayPal only. Shipping is on me today!

If you disagree which any prices please make me an offer

Onto the important stuff- https://imgur.com/a/L8c8tiO

Eye palettes Kylie Holiday Eyeshadow palette. Swatched all the shades as you do. Some twice $18

Juvias Place the Nubian- $12 swatched again LAWD I CANT HELP MYSELF

Fiona Styles Oceans Palette swatched honestly I thought it was made by the girl from 10 Things I Hate About You for about 3 months. Julia Styles is a totally different person. $15

Blush/highlighter https://imgur.com/a/ob7EzTM

Kay V D(ont vaccinate my kids) blush in Piaf and Poe used twice

Wet n wild fergie Highlighter Rose Champagne used once and can’t even tell . There’s almost too much junk in the trunk in this pan

The discontinued Too Face Pink Leopard bronzer I know what you’re thinking. Why are you selling this? You have tacky leopard print all over your house, your car hell even a kabuki brush. Well your right Susan but I used this once and wanted to save it for a rainy day. Which means I’ll never touch it again. $20

Mac Star Trek Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in shade Highly Illogical I used it once and it just didn’t jive well with me. It’s not too cool or too warm but I just pass over it every time I do my makeup. It’s pretty but it’s not for me. I like things more matte if I’m using them to bronze away my double chin.

Wet n Wild LE Zombie blush. I tried it as a blush once. It wasn’t too bad when I buffed it out really well. Then I thought well it’s like Macs green brown pigment that’s discontinued so I’ll just save it and use it. No. I literally never did. Shame on me and my makeup hoarding tendencies.

Mac Cubic blush. I’ve hit pan clearly but I fell out of love with it. Just like my EX.

Tarts highlighter in shade . It’s a gorgeous cool toned color but I don’t wear highlighter. Swatched twice

Kylie Cosmetics highlighter in Chocolate Cherry. Honestly I kind of just forget I own this. Constantly. Very light use. Little drip marks are still intact

Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer. Used once. Didnt love the way it looked on my face.

Foundations: https://imgur.com/a/1WaSgS0

La Priere Blister pack sample with two colors Satin Nude and Honey Beige and the Sponge Applictor puff.

Dior backstage about 80% Full in 0W

PhoerA foundation in Porcelain I kept seeing this all over my Instagram feed. While I liked the coverage and it lasted all day it was a bit too pink on my skin

Lips: https://imgur.com/a/WOT22ZV

Mac LE Holiday Collection Holiday Crush. I saw Kim Kardashian with bronze lips and I thought I’d emulate that LmAO nahhh I looked ridiculous used once

Mac LE Mariah Carey Dahhling Used once I looked dead

Mac Flat our Fabulous used once and swatched another time. Idk I thought with a tan I’d look amazing.

Narrator: But she didn’t

Kylie liquid lips in Heir and Pumpkin used 2x. Why do I keep giving this 21 years old billionaire my money

Jeffree Star Watermelon Soda. Brand New. I don’t have the box but I have some of his tissue paper I can send your way. Smells amazing. The lipstick not the tissue paper

Too Faced Spice Spice Baby lets be perfectly honest I bought it for the name. Used 3x

Misc because I always forget something: https://imgur.com/a/IHF4Smk

Color pop liquid eyeshadow Emperess. I swatched it once but it’s got glitter in it and my eyes lids just aren’t build for that sort of thing in my old age

Mac Holiday pigment (larger size) in Bronze Reflects. Used twice. See above comment.

MAC mini pigment in Melon BN

Mac Eyeshadow in Trax and Makeup geek shadow in Corrupt. Both still have hatch marks. Probably swatched though as we can see a pattern here. Comes in a Mac travel case

The most adorable Too Faced blush in Crazy in Love. I could kick myself this is not my color at all.

Mac Turquatic Perfume 1.7ml 64%full https://imgur.com/a/piv37Yh

I love love this smell but some girl at work that I hate started wearing it and I just can’t anymore. Hahaha