Where to Sell Used Makeup Online – 5 Legit Options

If you have makeup or skincare sitting around that you know you are never going to use, you may not have to just throw it away. Depending on what it is and what condition it is in, somebody may actually be willing to buy it from you.

I know it sounds a little strange at first because we are talking about used makeup, but there really are places where people buy gently used, swatched, or unopened beauty products.

If you could use a little extra money anyway, it is worth checking before you toss everything in the trash.

The big thing to know is that every site has different rules. Some are fine with lightly used makeup, while others only allow products that are completely new and untouched.

I checked the current rules for the sites below so you can hopefully figure out pretty quickly where your stuff might fit. If I had makeup I wanted to get rid of, these are the places I would look first.

Where Can You Sell Used Makeup Online?

If your makeup has actually been used or swatched, I would start by looking at Glambot, Mercari, eBay, or Reddit's MakeupExchange community.

Poshmark is useful too, for beauty products, but only if what you have is brand new and has never been used or swatched.

If you have a whole pile of higher-end makeup and do not want to make a separate listing for every single thing, Glambot may be the easiest place to start.

If you only have a few things and want to decide what you are willing to sell them for, Mercari or MakeupExchange may make more sense.

5 Places to Sell New or Used Makeup Online

1. Glambot

Glambot buys both new and pre-owned makeup directly from sellers. You send them the products that qualify, they look everything over, and then they tell you what they are willing to pay.

This is probably the easiest option if you have enough qualifying products and mostly just want the makeup gone without dealing with individual buyers. The tradeoff is that you do not get to decide what Glambot will offer you.

How selling makeup to Glambot works:

• U.S. sellers must send at least 15 full-size qualifying items from Glambot's approved brands list.
• Glambot provides a free shipping label.
• After your package arrives, they evaluate the products based on brand, condition, amount remaining, and demand.
• If you accept the offer, you can receive cash through PayPal or choose store credit for 30% more.

What they accept: New and pre-owned authentic makeup and makeup tools from approved brands. Items generally need to be non-expired, in sellable condition, and have at least 50% of the original product remaining.

They do not take every brand or every type of used makeup. Regular sellers generally cannot send used mascara, liquid eyeliner pens, liquid lipstick, lip gloss, or other products with reusable applicators.

If you have a lot of makeup and really do not want the hassle of photographing and listing every item, I can see the appeal here. But if you know what you have is worth a decent amount and you are willing to do a little more work, you may be better off setting your own price somewhere else.

2. Mercari

Mercari has a big beauty section, and this is probably one of the first places I would look if I just had a few palettes or other products I wanted to get rid of.

You make your own listing, set your own price, and sell directly to the buyer. That does mean taking pictures, writing the listing, packaging everything up, and handling the shipping, but you also get more control over what you are willing to take for it.

How selling makeup on Mercari works:

• Create a listing with clear photos and an honest description of the condition.
• Set your own price and decide whether you want to accept offers.
• Use a Mercari shipping label or an eligible ship-on-your-own option.
• Payment is released after the item is delivered and the transaction is completed.

What they accept: Mercari's beauty marketplace includes both new and used products, including lightly used makeup. Be very clear about whether something is new, swatched, or used and how much product remains.

Current seller fee: Mercari charges sellers a flat 10% selling fee on the completed item price plus any buyer-paid shipping.

That fee is something I would keep in mind if you are only selling something for a small amount. If you are going to do the work of listing and shipping it, make sure you are still going to come away with enough money for it to feel worth bothering with.

3. eBay

eBay is worth checking because so many people shop there, especially if what you have is discontinued, harder to find, collectible, or still completely new.

You can set your own price or use an auction, so you have more control than you would with Glambot. The catch is that eBay is stricter about used cosmetics than some other sites.

How selling makeup on eBay works:

• Create a listing with photos and accurate condition information.
• Choose a fixed price or auction format.
• Select your shipping method and ship the product after it sells.
• eBay deducts its applicable selling fees from the transaction.

What they accept: New cosmetics are allowed, and some used cosmetics may be allowed if they meet eBay's hygiene requirements. Cosmetics outside their original packaging and used cosmetics or applicators that have not been thoroughly cleaned are prohibited.

Used perfume is also prohibited. If a product has been opened or used, I would check eBay's current cosmetics and perfume policy before listing it.

I would not assume something is okay to sell on eBay just because you see somebody else doing it. If yours has been opened or used, check the rules first so you do not waste time creating a listing that ends up getting removed.

4. Poshmark

Poshmark can work well for beauty products, but only if the makeup is brand new and untouched. So if you bought something, changed your mind, and never used it, this one is worth considering.

If you swatched it even once, though, I would skip Poshmark and use another option.

How selling makeup on Poshmark works:

• Create a listing with photos, a description, and your asking price.
• When the item sells, Poshmark provides a prepaid, pre-addressed shipping label.
• Package the item and send it to the buyer.
• Poshmark deducts its selling fee before releasing your earnings.

What they accept: Makeup must be brand new and never used. Do not list makeup on Poshmark if it has been swatched or applied even once.

Current seller fee: Poshmark charges $2.95 on sales under $15 and 20% of the selling price on sales of $15 or more.

That 20% fee is pretty steep, so I would definitely think about what your item is actually worth before listing it there.

It can still make sense for a brand-name product that you never touched, but I would not automatically choose Poshmark over the other options.

5. Reddit's MakeupExchange Community

r/MakeupExchange is a Reddit community where people buy, sell, and trade makeup directly with each other. You will see products listed there as new, swatched, gently used, and partially used.

This one is more hands-on because there is not a company in the middle managing everything for you. You make the post, talk to the buyer, collect payment, and handle the shipping yourself.

How selling through MakeupExchange works:

• Create a sale post that follows the community's current formatting and verification requirements.
• Clearly describe the condition and amount of use for every product.
• Buyers claim or discuss items through the post comments.
• The community currently requires PayPal Goods & Services for payment.
• You arrange shipping according to the terms stated in your post.

What they accept: MakeupExchange listings include new, swatched, and gently used makeup. Read the current subreddit rules before posting because sellers have to follow specific verification and transaction requirements.

This might be worth the extra effort if you have something that another makeup person would specifically be looking for, especially a discontinued shade or a higher-end product. I would just be a little more careful here since you are dealing directly with another person rather than selling through a traditional marketplace.

Safety note: Keep conversations visible in the comments until you actually need to exchange private information. The community also keeps rules and warnings in place to help members avoid scams and problem transactions.

Can You Sell Swatched Makeup?

Yes, sometimes. If you only tested a shade once and realized it was not for you, you may still have options instead of throwing it away.

MakeupExchange is one of the clearest places to look for swatched makeup, and some lightly used products may also work on Mercari.

Poshmark is not an option once something has been swatched, and Glambot still has its own brand and product requirements.

Can You Sell Used Makeup Legally?

In general, yes, used makeup can be resold, but that does not mean every product can be listed everywhere. Each marketplace has its own rules about what it will and will not allow for hygiene and safety reasons.

The main thing is to be completely honest about what you are selling. If something has been opened, swatched, or used, say so clearly and check the site's rules before you list it.

What Makeup Should You Not Try to Resell?

You should never try to sell anything expired, recalled, counterfeit, contaminated, or damaged in a way that could make it unsafe. At that point, it is better to throw it away than try to make a few dollars from it.

Products that repeatedly touch the eyes or lips can also be much harder to resell. Glambot, for example, generally does not accept used mascara, liquid eyeliner pens, liquid lipstick, or lip gloss with reusable applicators from regular sellers.

And again, always check the exact marketplace rules before you list something. Just because one site allows a product does not mean another one will.

Which Site Would I Use?

If I had a whole collection of qualifying higher-end makeup and mostly wanted it out of my house, I would probably try Glambot first. It is less work, even though you give up control over the price.

If I only had two or three lightly used products and wanted to decide what they were worth, I would probably try Mercari.

If I had something swatched, unusual, discontinued, or the kind of thing another serious makeup person might specifically want, I would look at MakeupExchange.

I would use eBay for something collectible, hard to find, or completely new that could benefit from a really large audience.

And I would only use Poshmark if the makeup was completely new and never touched.

If You Sell on Several Resale Sites

If you are just trying to get a few makeup products out of your bathroom drawer, you do not need to pay for any special selling software. Pick the place that makes the most sense and keep it simple.

But if you end up realizing you actually enjoy reselling and start listing clothing, accessories, home items, beauty products, and other things on several different sites, recreating the same listings over and over gets old fast.

Crosslist is a paid tool that lets you create or import a listing and publish it across multiple supported resale platforms such as Mercari, eBay, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, and others.

I would not pay for Crosslist just to sell two or three makeup products. But if you are regularly selling on several marketplaces, I can see where it would save a lot of repetitive work.

New customers currently receive 15% off their first month when they sign up through my link.

Go here to see how Crosslist works and get 15% off your first month.

What Else Can You Sell Online?

Once you start looking around, you may realize makeup is not the only thing in your house that could still be worth a little money. If you are cleaning things out anyway, I have a bigger list of sites you can use to sell your stuff online here.

I hope this helps you turn at least a few things you were going to get rid of into some extra cash instead. Good luck if you try it!