"As far as the condition of the item, we tell people not more than 50 percent of the original product used," Horiuchi said. However, there's incentive for sellers to send in items with more product because the less it has been used, the higher the cash offer.
As for confirming that products with reusable containers are, indeed, unused, Horiuchi said, Glambot starts to open the product to check if there's a vacuum seal. After passing the series of tests, Glambot makes sellers an offer. If Glambot concludes that a product is a counterfeit or a product with a reusable applicator has been used, they will either send it back or throw it away.
Glambot sent POPSUGAR a sample of used products to try out: the Ofra x Madison Miller Blush in Ollie You Need Is Love (which is on sale on Glambot for $15 but originally sells for $29), the Lime Crime Venus XS Sunkissed Palette ($10 on Glambot, originally $20), the Urban Decay Trip Lipstick ($9 on Glambot, originally $19), and the Artis Elite Oval 3 Brush ($21 on Glambot, originally $42).
The Urban Decay lipstick looked brand-new, aside from a few drops of condensation at its base, which can be attributed to changes in temperature and doesn't necessarily mean the product has gone bad. The white, rubbery handle of the Artis brush was slightly discoloured, but the bristles looked clean with no remnants of makeup.
As for the Lime Crime eyeshadow palette, three shades were noticeably used, but again, hardly any product was missing — maybe a few swipes of product here and there. Although barely any of the blush had been touched, its packaging had a few scratches, although that could be due to its plastic material makeup.
Overall, the items sent to POPSUGAR were in great condition with most of the product intact.