Are Brushes On Ebay Worth It?

Hey you! I hope you had a great Easter. Mine was a whirlwind. I drove to my hometown to see my family. My sisters came over to my Mama's, and my oldest sister brought her kids, so I got to love on them. I stayed in my pjs pretty much the whole day, and laughed so hard until no sound came out and I got a headache. It was the best. Unfortunately, the weather was supposed to be really bad, so I left early Easter morning to drive back to Atlanta to avoid it, so my actual Easter was spent alone with me on the road, but arriving safe and sound. My mom quit giving us Easter baskets when we were 10 or something, so I'm secretly jealous of y'all who still get them as adults! ;)

Now one of my traditions when I visit home is to bring my mom and sisters (and sis-in-law) lots of beauty goodies. I'm talking bags of stuff, that either wasn't right for me or that I have too much of. Sometimes mascara is even in there--my favorite--can you believe it? But the conversation turned to makeup brushes. The older of my two sisters loved one I gave her for Christmas, but she wondered did the price really make a difference? What about brushes on Ebay? They look just the like expensive ones, but at a fraction of the cost. Aren't they the same?

Over the years I have tested several sets, and at one time I was even going to do a This or That on them, but never got around to it. My opinion? No. They aren't the same. But is that a bad thing? Let's discuss:

Price--Instead of paying $10-$20 per brush (or more), you can easily get brushes for as cheap as .99, with sets averaging $4.

Shipping--Most of these come from China, so they can take a month or more to get here.

Appearance--Many of them look like their knockoffs from appearance, but you can tell they are different. It's nearly impossible to find out any info on brush bristles. But, a lot of times you can choose the color of the handle or ferrule (metal part), which isn't usually the case with other brushes.

Feel--Surprisingly, and this depends on what you order, the feel of the EBay brushes has been very soft. In some of the eye kits, a few brushes weren't, but for the most part they are.

Quality--This is the kicker. The brushes I've tried aren't just up to the quality I'd expect, but they are for the price. Sometimes they are lighter. Sometimes not as dense. The handles can be instantly shifty, with the glue separating. The bristles come out after a few washes.

all brushes pictured are from Ebay

Overall, you are getting what you pay for. I have not experienced any "dupes" for other brushes. These brushes have fallen apart faster than others I've used but some of them are still around. But if you are looking for cheap brushes, Ebay is an option. If you are looking for an investment or something that lasts, you might want to look elsewhere.

Have you ever purchased brushes from Ebay? Did you love them?

PS: Happy birthday to my Grandmother!