Maybe I'm completely naive but reading this completely shocked me. The idea of recieving something for free from a PR and, without even trying it, selling it is just absolutely appalling to me. I could totally understand that if you knew you wouldn't like the product you recieved giving it away to another blogger who would like it or similar things or maybe, maybe i would be ok if you used and reviewed the thing and then sold it for a fair price (not really sure how i feel about that but i guess it's fair to the company) but selling something given to you in good faith to review is just absolutely not acceptable behaviour!
I have no problem with people accepting products for review, i've done it before and would be more than happy to do it again. While the whole point of sending freebies is to get free advertising the vast majority of bloggers will tell the absolute truth about their feelings behind the product. I've seen many reviews where the person who recieved the product hated it and is more than willing to say so. And for this reason i do believe that companies who send samples, especially indie companies, want honest feedback on their products.
The few times i've been asked to review something i have felt absolutely honoured. Not only is it always lovely to recieve something for free and get to try something that i might not have otherwise but it is such a compliment that people are interested enough in my blog and believe enough in it that they would value my opinion or indeed believe it could be a goodd source of advertisement! I've been lucky to have only recieved products i have really liked so far (with the exception of the Illamasqua bronzer [which i still haven't tried because i don't wear bronzer... honestly don't know what to do with it!] And the Skin MD lotion which was fine but nothing special so i passed it on to my sister who really likes it) but if i received something i hated i would absolutely have the integrity to tell the truth.
To get something and then sell it on is just wrong.
To be honest I don't really understand how one gets lots of PR samples. Do you email and ask for them or are there lots of people who are just super lucky and just get offered to try them or even just magically sent them? If you're actually asking for them and then selling them that's just... indescribably wrong.
It's stuff like this which makes people mistrust beauty bloggers :(
Umm... reading back this post sort of sounds like i'm angling for freebies. I didn't mean it to come across like that because i'm more than happy to buy my own products! ... Having said that i'm not gonna lie, a freebie here and there would be most welcome :P heh heh
Anyway rant over! I apologise for my posts being a bit few and far between recently (and my comments being a bit slow because i'm still not recieving email alerts). My sister is moving in with us for a while and i have to get the room ready for her (which is a tough and long process as the room was previously used for storage and my house is hideously packed!). She's moving in at the beginning of next week so after that i should hopefully be back to posting regularly (or semi-regularly anyway :P) and have a lot of posts in the pipeline including more BFTE reviews, new swatches, one ALLMIGHTY haul and did someone say Lime Crime shenanigans?
(Ps i REALLY want to know who the blogger BBB is talking about is. Because i'm nosy :P If you know please email me!)
I totally agree!!!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I have the impression that far more bloggers than what you expect email companies with the hope of getting freebies.
I am really lucky to have started collaborations such as the KIKO one (I am not paid, of course) and get a lot of freebies from them. I have some products that were nothing special, and I reviewed and haven't used anymore. I think I will give them away, cos honestly, I'd feel so bad about selling them, when I got them for free!
However I saw some popular bloggers do :S makes me wonder...
i am super shocked too. just caught up on the whole bbb post. no other word than shocking xx
ReplyDeleteSo the people get them free to review and then sell them to make money? Well that sounds odd. If they weren't super satisfied they should either toss it or give it away, not try to get a quick buck!
ReplyDeleteand sweet! my word verfication was hawlocat lol KITTEHS!
That's absolutely apalling!!! Thank goodness I follow awesome peoples like you!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is SO ridiculous and wrong. The point of companies sending bloggers products is so that they can review them. If a person doesn't like a product, giving it away is fine but to sell it just to make some cash is really wrong. The whole honestly thing goes out the door. It stinks because this is where people lose respect and trust in the bloggers. There are some really great bloggers out there -but some really bad, greedy ones as well. This just makes a bad name for us beauty bloggers.
ReplyDeleteWhoah. I had no idea people would do that! I just won't accept products I don't want to try. I try things and then if I don't like them, I do offer them to friends who would use them, but I've not sold them.
ReplyDeleteIt's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed this myself and recently I saw a blog sale where 100% of the items on sale, I knew for a fact, were sent for free.
It's unfair.
That's so cheap and sneaky. And I don't understand where 'defenders' of this nonsense get off on saying that you can make profit off the product because the company made a profit off YOU (the review). Companies send freebies for CONSIDERATION, not guarantee, and whether or not a blogger writes the review at all, they end up with free product. And if the review turns out to be negative, then the company has lost out on product AND advertising.
ReplyDeleteI'm a newbie at this beauty blogging thing and I would never consider doing such a thing. If my blog ever gets to the point where I'm receiving freebies, I find it hard to believe I'd actually turn down a product for review. The company went through the trouble of contacting me, so I personally wouldn't be right with getting something for nothing (maybe not so much if the product was something I couldn't accurately write on/was allergic to/etc, then I'd see no problem with passing it on to a friend or another blogger or something). It's like being paid in advance for something you may or may NOT actually do. And people want money on top of that? Come on.
I totally agree with you. I'm occasionally sent products to review and I consider it an honor. There's no way I'd sell the products. I have been sent products that didn't suit me so I either give them to a friend to use and review for me, or I save them to use for a giveaway on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with both of your points of view. I personally try to steer clear of bloggers who's only posts are freebies anyway, but it's just wrong to go and sell the product when you've never used it. At least incorporate it into a giveaway, or swap it.. I feel bad the company in question is getting ripped off. I also feel bad that a few persons actions are giving beauty bloggers a bad name.. I highly respect the owners of the blogs I read. Their input has helped me make final choices on stuff I wanna purchase.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I wanna know who too, just cause I'm nosey. :p
BTW, I got your package earlier this week. :) Thank you for the lovely note, & the deals from the blogsale. I really appreciate it!
Wow, I didn't even know that went on until now. I really hope those greedy bloggers don't ruin it for every one else because I enjoy reading reviews of products that companies send bloggers that they might not have bought or even known about otherwise.
ReplyDeleteArgh, now I'm really interested too about who the bloggers in question are. Email me too, if you find out? :P
ReplyDeleteUgh this is all so dodgy. Especially if they have to balls to ASK for press samples and then sell them :| I cant imagine having the balls to ask for press samples, I've purchased a couple of blogger review packages for MMU on Etsy so I could try the companies out, and that made me feel awkward as fuck.
Just another thought to add to the mix.
ReplyDeleteSuppose you got 3 Illamasqua polishes which you hated (freebies from Illa) and not only gave them away to a friend but allowed the friend to suppose (by the sin of omission) that you yourself had purchased those expensive items expressly for their delight.
If you can afford to blog about anything (you've got a computer and I'net access) you can afford to be magnanimous and give stuff away.
I have read about it because it's not an uncommon practice (never received a promo freebie in my life!) and am more disappointed than shocked.
Don't read bloggers who admit to doing this and don't buy items if you know they are of such provenance.
It goes further. I decided against monetising my blog because I don't want to advertise products to which I may have an ethical objection and I would be selective about which products I might ever accept for review (it'll never happen) with particular regard to their country of origin, any negative press on the way they treat their employees, their sourcing, their customer service....Glad to say I've never been tempted to transgress.
Aw, what the hell? If you recieve something, and don't like it, don't need it, have something similar...well, then after your review you can do what the fuck you like, its yours now anyway. But to not even review it? Thats low, especially with smaller indie companys. If you don't like it and don't want to leave a bad review, then you email that company and give them feedback that way. But just selling it... ugh, that is so, so gross and I would like to slap that someone up-side the darn head if I found out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that you say, it's so so wrong to sell something that you were asked to do a review of and that was sent to you for nothing. I've swapped something after reviewing it, because it wasn't really for me, Maybe that makes me as bad? I dunno! But I think selling things you are sent for free is so so wrong. I pass lots of things on to my family if I don't like/have the chance to use them. xx
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever recieved freebies or products to review... if I ever get a sample that I think "eh, not too keen on that" I give it to a friend. I've shared out some of the massive amounts of TKB pigments I have, too. I've never sold on anything.
ReplyDeleteGosh, the MMU world is exploding with drama right now, isn't it?!
I think the blogger should try and get two freebies.
ReplyDeleteOne for reviewing (honestly) and the other to give away in a draw to loyal readers.
One thing I hate is when a blog is completely devoted to product reviews and giveaways, I mean, what a shill! But getting the product to review and then selling it shows a level of desperation, don't you think? I think it's kinda sad when a blogger is so hard up for cash.
ReplyDeleteLove this post and the way you expressed yourself. It really feels good to vent. I'm hosting a Carnival of Rants at my blog. Maybe you want to make a submission?
Not saying this is right but I guess no one has a right to tell people what to do with things they receive.
ReplyDeleteAfter you said you got government assistance and we see you buy tons of cosmetics its not really fair for you to point fingers.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteFuck you Anonymous.
No one has a right to tell anyone what to do with that they receive...but in a business/hobby like reviewing makeup- you need a little more integrity.
If you ask for crap to review, blog about it and then turn it around for money- that is wrong.
That would be like getting government assistance, taking cash and then selling the pennies for a dollar a pop.
There is also a difference between needing money to survive and begging for free stuff to sell for a profit.
Lillian pays her bills, and uses left over money for cosmetics. I dont know her personally, but I respect her.
She never asks people for things, and I think it is slightly crazy that you would feel the need to compare her to people who basically lie for a profit.
Nice job on staying as anonymous while saying horrible things to hurt people.
Anonymous is an ass... I agree with everything Amatrix said. <3 you Lillian!
ReplyDeleteHello! Loved the way you posted about this. Its such a tricky area. Regarding PR samples, I do think bloggers give such valuable opinions and feedback that I wish all blogs could get them. But there are so many beauty blogs now that they way outnumber the available samples I should think! I love reading round the blogs for things that everyone is trying and loving - or loathing. I would never 'name and shame' by the way on bloggers that sell their products on 'blog sales'. It's not hard to spot the offenders anyway. But, love your blog and especially LOVE your lipstick!
ReplyDelete