Buying Lotions From Ebay

[Kamila]

Do any salon owners order their lotions from ebay? I have checked it out myself and a lot of them are cheaper than ordering straight from the wholesaler. I'm looking into opening a salon within the next year or two and am seriously considering ordering some products from ebay as a way to cut costs.

What does everyone else think?

[Ezliving_Jim]

Find a new distributor.

[esun]

Maybe they are cheaper cuz they are old? discontinued? pissed in? mixed with water? Something different than what should be in it?
If you buy them and want to sell them , what will you tell your customers who want to buy from ebay instead of YOU as well?

[Glowtanning530]

Yea dont do that bad for the industry and bad for the client

[brownsuze]

You know what, just stop now. Just stick to hair. Skip tanning.

If you aren't doing this to improve the standard, you shouldn't do this at all. Whatever set up you will throw together -- based on the questions you're asking today -- will drag the industry down and make the rest of us look worse, as well as make your hair salon look shabby and less appealing.

How would you feel if your local tanning salon put in a few chairs, just for extra $1 or $20 they'd get a day, not because they took any pride in making people look good, or really cared about the skills involved in hair styling? Do you think that would needlessly cut into your bottom line in a negative way? Do you think it would make the tanning salon look better or more ghetto?

Just stick to hair.

[gottatanfl]

[quote=brownsuze;230161]You know what, just stop now. Just stick to hair. Skip tanning.

^^^^ AGREED

[Kamila]

no offence brownsuze but that reply was pretty rude and ognorant, obviously im here trying to learn and educate myself so i can provide the best services possible. were you a tanning salon expert before you started? i didnt think so, so really if you don't have anything constructive to say then maybe you should spend you time posting in another thread

thanks

[glowgirl35]

You will see Kamila that it is very aggravating as a salon owner when we are trying to make our money in the salons selling lotions and a customer comes in and says we are too expensive, I can buy it on ebay for half the price. It is just frustrating and brownsuze is just telling it like it is. You will see!! It will happen to you alot. Don't get offended, just take it as it is!!

[brownsuze]

Well go ahead and call me ognorant but I think that was constructive advice, and I think I said it in a polite and well-intentioned way.
It does the entire industry a disservice to go about this in a half-assed way, such as the methods you are suggesting.
You came here and asked for advice. I'm not the only person telling you this is not a great plan.

[HardcoreGym]

Originally Posted by Kamila

Do any salon owners order their lotions from ebay? I have checked it out myself and a lot of them are cheaper than ordering straight from the wholesaler. I'm looking into opening a salon within the next year or two and am seriously considering ordering some products from ebay as a way to cut costs.

What does everyone else think?

Not only are you cutting costs, You'll be cutting your business.
Like the other poster said above, you don't know what your getting. And you want to sell that to you customers? I sure as heck would'nt.
There's a good reason why they are that cheap.

[Kamila]

im not offended that she said not to buy from ebay. as a customer myself, and a future business owner i ask this questions because it is something i have thought of myself and i know other tanning customers think the same thing

so i come here and ask the same question to experienced people like yourselves so that i will know how to answer my customers

and brownsuze, just saying im doing stuff in a "half assed way" and telling me to skip tanning entirely is not constructive advice, so far esun only has given me good advice, thanks for explaining that to me.

[Din]

Don't listen to them Kamila.....they're just jealous.

I see you're in Canada.....we have quite a few beds for sale as we are looking to upgrade, and they don't fit our model of what we are going for.....but they will suit your needs perfectly.

Contact me or W8INLINE and we can go through the beds with you and see which ones best fit your needs.

[jmtan]

Originally Posted by Kamila

What does everyone else think?

I think you need to do more reading and less posting so you don't upset the natives and ask questions like this again


Seriously though, if you search these and other on line forums you can find tons of information.

[Kamila]

i thought this site is for people to share information? if the "veterans" dont want to answer this question then thats fine, they dont need to post any rude replies, they dont need to post replies at all

and Din loool i see you really wanna sell your beds, but to tell you th truth im not looking to buy this moment, youve obviously read my other posts and so as you can see im doing my research first, maybe if you still have these beds in a year or so i will buy them from you

thanks

[Din]

I doubt it......One thing we should have done is when we see a good deal, you buy the beds, you store them in your garage and when you are ready to open a salon...you open up.

By doing that, you cash in on a good deal. Finding good quality beds in Canada, USED.....well....that ain't happening in the Canadian market. Beds in Canada are over inflated in price due to the owner buying them when the dollar was crap. So unless they bought the bed this year...at a lower price.....you won't find many opportunities like this. In Canada at least.

Good luck to you.

[Island Cove]

kamila, have you talked to the distributors about the discounts? Or are you just looking at catalogue listed price on lotions? I have not seen the lotions cheaper than what we pay for them at salon cost, on ebay. Also, check out uvalux, they are offering great discounts plus have a program that they put up to 22% of your lotion purchases into an acount for you to use for all advertinsing needs. Ask For Elaine, and tell her Tammy from Island Cove refered you. As for Equipment, Din is right, if you can scoop up a good deal here and there now, you might as well and store them. It will keep your costs WAY down and give you an extra hand to succeed, as it is hard to succeed as a tanning salon. If you truely are going to wait, contact Rob from Tomorrowsun, he can find you some incredable deals on used units, and is very competitive on new. 1-866-954-1305

[mustangracer]

Kamilla, I too got the negative attitude from some posters yesterday. I guess these people think just because they have 1000 posts that they are god when it comes to tanning. I look at it this way. The customer is gonna buy tan lotion from you or ebay or walmart etc. Like all business' when you buy something you mark it up so you can make profit. if it costs too much the customer will buy it elsewhere. most are oblivious to which lotion is good which lotion is crap. they just see price. but as for posters I ignore them cuz this is business... they will do anything to criticize us because we are new and we dont have more than 5 beds.

[brownsuze]

Originally Posted by mustangracer

they will do anything to criticize us because we are new and we dont have more than 5 beds.

Wrong and wrong.

The tanning industry is continuously under fire from doctors, the goverement and main stream media. Most of the 1000+ posters you refer to have worked for years to make a profitable, professional business and when people such as yourself and Kamila come in thinking they can just throw a bed into their farmhouse or the back room of their hair shop, stock it with outdated piss water bought from eBay, and call themselves a 'salon,' it makes us all look like idiots.


If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all. Professional, hardworking salon owners don't want to be associated with 'salons' such as this... so they try to dissuade you from ever opening at all.

Has nothing to do with years in the biz or number of beds...

[W8INLINE]

I guess these people think just because they have 1000 posts that they are god when it comes to tanning.

I AM GOD!!!

[Tanning Queen]

He is just referring to me because I am on his case about being a home user on this site. Now he is saying he is starting out with one bed and seeing where it goes. Whatever. I dont h ave time for that shit anymore. This is why the industry will never get better. Anyone and their brother thinks it is an easy business to get into and dont care how it might hurt the industry when they default on loans, burn people, are dirty, never change lamps, under price tanning and lotions, etc. I might not have a salon anymore, but I sure as hell still am active and have a passion for this industry. I hate to see it ruined...