# OPI no longer sold wholesale/online



## xxManBeaterxx (May 4, 2010)

I read an article somewhere saying OPI wanted to reestablish itself as a higher end nail polish brand so they lawyered up forcing websites such as 8ty8beauty and transdesign to stop all sales of OPI nail polish.  Last time I checked, 8ty8 already stopped selling OPI and all OPI was on liquidation at transdesign.  It will now only be sold through salons but i recently saw it at target for $9 a pop.

From now on i'll only be purchasing china glaze.


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## Nicala (May 4, 2010)

Whaaaaat? This sucks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. Not every one has $9 to spend on ONE nail polish. :/ I only own 1 OPI and 1 Sephora by OPI. They cost me an arm with a tight budget!


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## purrtykitty (May 4, 2010)

OPI is alleging that those e-tailers are illegally getting their supplies from legitimate sources.

Personally, I think OPI should be glad its product is getting sold, and if it's really so concerned about image and profit, then perhaps it should clamp down on its wholesalers or increase its bottomline at the wholesaler level.  I know I won't pay $9 for a bottle of OPI.  I'll just wait for the buy 2 get one free at Ulta.  Ends up working out to about the same price as Transdesign (after shipping is factored in).


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## omgitzstephanie (May 5, 2010)

WHHHHHAAAT. Are you kidding me. 
I already pay enough as it is in Canada! OPI nail polishes usually run from $9.99 to $11.99 in places where I live. And for that reason, I resorted to eBay. I usually get them for 7 - 8 dollars which is already high for me. If they do this evilbay will obviously increase their prices as well. Why would they do this to us!?


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## panda0410 (May 5, 2010)

Ah, yeah.... well OPI is like $20+ a bottle here in AU. This sucks for us


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## vintageroses (May 5, 2010)

Yeahhh i feel your pain


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## Nicala (May 5, 2010)

I think this is a pretty stupid move in OPI's part. Seriously.


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## shatteredshards (May 5, 2010)

Maybe they should come out with better color lineups or a better formula if they're so worried about being a high-end brand.


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## HersheysKiss (May 5, 2010)




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## Shadowy Lady (May 5, 2010)

That's so lame of them. I love OPI formula and brushes but their colours need revamping. I'll be buying a lot less from them now. There's always Color Club, Orly, China Glaze and Misa 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *omgitzstephanie* 

 
_WHHHHHAAAT. Are you kidding me. 
I already pay enough as it is in Canada! OPI nail polishes usually run from $9.99 to $11.99 in places where I live. And for that reason, I resorted to eBay. I usually get them for 7 - 8 dollars which is already high for me. If they do this evilbay will obviously increase their prices as well. Why would they do this to us!?_

 
I know it's not cheap to get OPI in Canada. I still will get colours I truly feel are unique but I'm gonna stick mostly to other brands.


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## kittykit (May 5, 2010)

OPI is 17€ here, that's almost $22 in the US for 1 bottle of nail polish.


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## blondie711 (May 5, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kittykit* 

 
_OPI is 17€ here, that's almost $22 in the US for 1 bottle of nail polish._

 
uugghhh..i had no idea! that is just insane. if it wasn't a custom's problem, i would go buy you every color you want at the cosmoprof ($4.50) and send them to you. that is just ridiculous


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## kittykit (May 6, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *blondie711* 

 
_uugghhh..i had no idea! that is just insane. if it wasn't a custom's problem, i would go buy you every color you want at the cosmoprof ($4.50) and send them to you. that is just ridiculous_

 
Usually if you mark the package as 'gift', there won't be any custom fees 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I think I'll just stick to CG.


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## RedRibbon (May 6, 2010)

I think it's ridiculous, I lust after most of their colours and finally found somewhere to buy them from, now they're saying you cant? 

Seems like a very stupid move on their part, if it wasn't for bloggers and online retailers, I would a)never have known the brand existed and b)known where to buy them from.

If they think they're big enough that people will source them out and pay extortionate prices for them then they're mistaken because there are cheaper polishes out there which work better than they do.


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## blondie711 (May 6, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kittykit* 

 
_Usually if you mark the package as 'gift', there won't be any custom fees 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I think I'll just stick to CG._

 
Someone told me that if you ship polishes from the US internationally & the package gets pulled for a "random" custom's check (while in route), that they take it. 




If you ever want (or somebody else wants to) to take the risk, I'll be happy to pick them up for you. They are not going to stop selling where I buy, it's a place where only cosmetologists can puchase.


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## BEA2LS (May 6, 2010)

i usually buy them at ulta anyway.. at this point i really only buy if a color catches my eye so i do not mind paying full price plus they do go on sale there and i use my ulta card to rack up points.
but i can see how it is unfair to others


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## Sabrunka (May 6, 2010)

Yah if anyone needs, I live in Canada and have access to a store which is for licensed hair stylists or estheticians ONLY, and the opi polishes are 5.50-6$ each.


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## ruthless (May 7, 2010)

I wondered why trans design was liquidating their stock now I know.  Since head2toe won't ship CG outside of the US at that manufacturer's request I'm sure it's only time before they axe it elsewhere too. 

OPI is 12 bucks a bottle here. No way will I pay full retail at a salon for it.  Absolutely Alice and Mad as a Hatter were about the only worthwhile polishes from this company that I've seen in quite some time. Jade is the new black is nice, but I'm sure it's got a dupe somewhere.

I would think OPI would want to sell more polish-considering it goes for less than 5 bucks online that tells you what the markup is for each bottle. Now they'll sell less, actually. Very dissapointing, OPI!


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## bellaxo812 (May 7, 2010)

What???

Wow, this really sucks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I do have a lot of OPI polishes, but most of that is because of the Ulta "buy 2 get 1 free" promotions.

I was at the beauty store yesterday and I always pick up one OPI polish evertime I'm there, and I definitely agree with everyone saying they need to revamp their colors. I couldn't justify spending money on another polish that looks exactly like one I already have but has a different name. 

I also wonder if this now means the beauty stores are also going to be selling them for $9. This beauty store sells them for $6.50 and that's the cheapest I have seen it at a store.


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## Nicala (May 7, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *blondie711* 

 
_Someone told me that if you ship polishes from the US internationally & the package gets pulled for a "random" custom's check (while in route), that they take it. 




If you ever want (or somebody else wants to) to take the risk, I'll be happy to pick them up for you. They are not going to stop selling where I buy, it's a place where only cosmetologists can puchase._

 
Off topic,  but if I get an esthetician license and go to Cosmoprof, could I also buy hair dye like redken, matrix, etc?


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## ruthless (May 7, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Sabrunka* 

 
_Yah if anyone needs, I live in Canada and have access to a store which is for licensed hair stylists or estheticians ONLY, and the opi polishes are 5.50-6$ each._

 
I think that there are certain items that have to ship by ground, perhaps that is why. I've never had issues with my orders from wholesalers but I only do ground shipping. IE if you have a massive amount of nail polish and related chemicals it can be labelled as "dangerous goods" so they pull it if it's shipped by air? Don't know.

I understand that salons make good money off of retail sales, which is why there is a big markup on prices. Like tanning lotions, for instance (don't get me started it's about a 200percent markup from manufacturer thru distributor to you) but the internet has essentially gotten rid of that. People are used to at least cutting out a portion of the markups nowadays and it's not good business to force people into it. Online nail polish geeks like me represent a small ding in sales-they're still going to sell polish at salons, just maybe not so much of the crap. I can tell you that all of the highly desirable colours of the last two OPI collections are nowhere to be seen at any salon up here. I bought my 250 dollar flat iron on folica.com because no brand or price could even come NEAR it locally. I buy my nail polish online because it's less than half the price of retailers around me, this includes sallys. And I still do buy polish in salons/stores just only when it's on sale.


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## macgirl3121 (May 7, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Nicala* 

 
_Off topic, but if I get an esthetician license and go to Cosmoprof, could I also buy hair dye like redken, matrix, etc?_

 
As long as you have a license within the beauty industry Cosmoprof will let you purchase anything in the store, even if it is outside the scope of your license. Guess as long as you don't set up shop on the web then you are cool.

OPI has only ever sold thier products to professional beauty supplys, salons or authorized retail outlets. Diversion has been a problem for OPI for the longest time. They want their product represented and sold a certain way. 

As much as you guys think that this sucks, it sucks for salons that retail OPI and can't move it because the etailers are selling the polish for $5 a bottle and OPI is NOT distributing thier product directly to these etailers. Diversion has been a problem for many many years in the beauty industry. With the emergence of etailers the problem has taken a different turn. They are not able to chase down every asian beauty supply that sells OPI (and they do. Ya'll can still pick it up there but not at Transdesign prices). Etailers are easier to find and thus an easier target to hit in terms of sending out cease and desists.

Here is OPI's stance on diversion if anyone cares to read it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





*Stop Diversion Now!
OPI takes the safety and well-being of our trade and consumer customers very seriously, and has dedicated itself to providing them with the finest Professional Beauty products available today.*
*That is why OPI is so passionate about fighting diversion.  Diversion is the sale of Professional products outside of Professional beauty channels.  OPI has spent tens of millions of dollars in the fight against diversion, to ensure that our OPI brand professional-use products are used only under the supervision of trained professionals.*
*OPI brand products are intended for sale in professional beauty (salon) channels.  We sell them to distributors or wholesalers who sell exclusively in those channels.  Those distributors, in turn, sell exclusively to salons.  OPI brand products sold outside these channels are improperly obtained and in violation of our agreements and commitments to distributors and salons.  Unfortunately, those diverted products may not be current, or may be improperly and illegally labeled or of inferior quality, or may even be fake or counterfeit.  OPI only guarantees or stands behind products sold through authorized channels.  For OPI brand products, these do not include mass retail channels, the Internet, drug stores, or grocery stores.*
*Diversion ultimately hurts both salon professionals and salon clients.  In addition, it deprives consumers of the professional care and advice that are necessary to enjoy these professional-use products.  *
*OPI’s efforts to fight diversion include: *


*Agreements with distributors that prohibit the sale of OPI brand products outside professional channels
Coding systems to help trace diverted product
Pursuing leads that we receive about the unauthorized sale of OPI products
Supporting industry-wide anti-diversion efforts
A program to track down and take legal and other action against divertors, including the use of private investigators and lawyers
A dedicated staff with a toll-free number and email address to record and follow- up on diversion reports* 
*You can help. Should you become aware of what you believe to be diverted OPI brand product, please contact OPI at 800-341.9999 or at **[email protected]**.  Please provide your name, the name of the store in which you saw what you believe to be diverted product, the address of the store, and the products.*


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## Nicala (May 7, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *macgirl3121* 

 
_As long as you have a license within the beauty industry Cosmoprof will let you purchase anything in the store, even if it is outside the scope of your license. Guess as long as you don't set up shop on the web then you are cool._

 
Ooh thank you 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




And, Wow @ OPI.


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## j4lyphe (May 9, 2010)

awww this sucks, no more opi for me then, transdesign and 8ty8beauty were the only places i bought opi from...the only opi i bought at full price (trade secret) was lincoln park after dark but thats because i LOVE the colour but now i dont think ill be shelling out $10 for opi, that seems ridiculous to me- add $5 to that and i could buy a MAC e/s!


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## Susanne (May 9, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Nicala* 

 
_I think this is a pretty stupid move in OPI's part. Seriously._

 





OPI is way too expensive here - they won't sell a lot any more without these online opportunities, especially for us international customers!


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## Nicala (May 9, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Susanne* 

 
_





OPI is way too expensive here - they won't sell a lot any more without these online opportunities, especially for us international customers!




_

 
Yeah I know everything is really expensive in Europe! I went to a Sephora in Italy and was amazed at how much everything cost.. it was at least double in price, if not more than in the US. Not only OPI is going to be losing money, but also loyal customers. With the economy how it is right now, they should be happy they're selling nail polish. It's a "luxury" item and not a necessity like toilet paper for example. 

If I were in charge of OPI, I would rather earn a little bit than earn none at all. They're digging themselves into a whole.


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## ruthless (May 9, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *macgirl3121* 

 
_As long as you have a license within the beauty industry Cosmoprof will let you purchase anything in the store, even if it is outside the scope of your license. Guess as long as you don't set up shop on the web then you are cool.

OPI has only ever sold thier products to professional beauty supplys, salons or authorized retail outlets. Diversion has been a problem for OPI for the longest time. They want their product represented and sold a certain way. 



As much as you guys think that this sucks, it sucks for salons that retail OPI and can't move it because the etailers are selling the polish for $5 a bottle and OPI is NOT distributing thier product directly to these etailers. Diversion has been a problem for many many years in the beauty industry. With the emergence of etailers the problem has taken a different turn. They are not able to chase down every asian beauty supply that sells OPI (and they do. Ya'll can still pick it up there but not at Transdesign prices). Etailers are easier to find and thus an easier target to hit in terms of sending out cease and desists.

Here is OPI's stance on diversion if anyone cares to read it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




*Stop Diversion Now!
OPI takes the safety and well-being of our trade and consumer customers very seriously, and has dedicated itself to providing them with the finest Professional Beauty products available today.*
*That is why OPI is so passionate about fighting diversion.  Diversion is the sale of Professional products outside of Professional beauty channels.  OPI has spent tens of millions of dollars in the fight against diversion, to ensure that our OPI brand professional-use products are used only under the supervision of trained professionals.*
*OPI brand products are intended for sale in professional beauty (salon) channels.  We sell them to distributors or wholesalers who sell exclusively in those channels.  Those distributors, in turn, sell exclusively to salons.  OPI brand products sold outside these channels are improperly obtained and in violation of our agreements and commitments to distributors and salons.  Unfortunately, those diverted products may not be current, or may be improperly and illegally labeled or of inferior quality, or may even be fake or counterfeit.  OPI only guarantees or stands behind products sold through authorized channels.  For OPI brand products, these do not include mass retail channels, the Internet, drug stores, or grocery stores.*
*Diversion ultimately hurts both salon professionals and salon clients.  In addition, it deprives consumers of the professional care and advice that are necessary to enjoy these professional-use products.  *
*OPI’s efforts to fight diversion include: *


*Agreements with distributors that prohibit the sale of OPI brand products outside professional channels
Coding systems to help trace diverted product
Pursuing leads that we receive about the unauthorized sale of OPI products
Supporting industry-wide anti-diversion efforts
A program to track down and take legal and other action against divertors, including the use of private investigators and lawyers
A dedicated staff with a toll-free number and email address to record and follow- up on diversion reports* 
*You can help. Should you become aware of what you believe to be diverted OPI brand product, please contact OPI at 800-341.9999 or at **[email protected]**.  Please provide your name, the name of the store in which you saw what you believe to be diverted product, the address of the store, and the products.*_

 

Except that there is no proof that Trans Design or Head2toe IS diverted product. They're wholesalers who sell online and simply don't require a beauty liscence number to make a purchase. What etailers like TD are are distributors.

The reason diversion is a problem in the beauty industry is because they more than any other industry use distributors between manufacturers and salons. They mark up the price, sell it to salons who again mark up the price to customers. OPI and many, many other manufacterers could solve the "problem" if they sold directly to salons. But they like any other corporation just want the money. So they produce crates of the stuff and ship it out to whoever, then issue statements of concern that "regular" people like myself decide they would rather buy two OPI polishes online than one in a salon because their money is hard earned and we think a 200% markup from manufactuer to customer is bullshit. 

Why should I pay full retail at a salon for a nail polish when I'm already getting services done there (with tip I might add, and at 20 %) and I can get it for less online? The internet is change, and businesses that can't or won't adjust to it are going to fail


I suppose the point of my whining (yes, I'm whining. WHINE!) is that in the end everyone loses out because I won't buy OPI at retail prices in salons anyways because I KNOW how much it costs at the distributor level, and if I can't buy it that way online well...


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## meika79 (May 9, 2010)

OPI must be coming out with some pretty unique colors if they think people are going to pay $9 and up for a bunch of reds and pinks.

I am highly annoyed though, online is where I purchased all of my OPI polishes.  The closest spot by me that sells OPI is 10 miles away and they didn't even have the Alice in Wonderland collection


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## kimmy (May 9, 2010)

i read about this the day i found out about etailers.


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## macgirl3121 (May 10, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *ruthless* 

 
_Except that there is no proof that Trans Design or Head2toe IS diverted product. They're wholesalers who sell online and simply don't require a beauty liscence number to make a purchase. What etailers like TD are are distributors.

The reason diversion is a problem in the beauty industry is because they more than any other industry use distributors between manufacturers and salons. They mark up the price, sell it to salons who again mark up the price to customers. OPI and many, many other manufacterers could solve the "problem" if they sold directly to salons. But they like any other corporation just want the money. So they produce crates of the stuff and ship it out to whoever, then issue statements of concern that "regular" people like myself decide they would rather buy two OPI polishes online than one in a salon because their money is hard earned and we think a 200% markup from manufactuer to customer is bullshit. 

Why should I pay full retail at a salon for a nail polish when I'm already getting services done there (with tip I might add, and at 20 %) and I can get it for less online? The internet is change, and businesses that can't or won't adjust to it are going to fail


I suppose the point of my whining (yes, I'm whining. WHINE!) is that in the end everyone loses out because I won't buy OPI at retail prices in salons anyways because I KNOW how much it costs at the distributor level, and if I can't buy it that way online well..._

 
Guess you won't be shopping at Walmart either. Thier markup is easily more than 200% on an item mass produced in China for mere pennies per item. Welcome to capitalism.


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## ruthless (May 10, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *macgirl3121* 

 
_Guess you won't be shopping at Walmart either. Thier markup is easily more than 200% on an item mass produced in China for mere pennies per item. Welcome to capitalism._

 
 Your comment is little more than forum trolling but I will point out that Walmart doesn't use distributors the same way the beauty industry does. I'd also like to point out that etailers are making full use of "capitalism" by selling OPI online at the prices they do, so I'm familiar with the system.


For the internet savvy ladies  who just found out about polish etailers I feel your pain! Sorry you're missing out on something good. Lots of nail polish blogs (google scrangie, nailphile, polish or perish) will post if a polish is in their opinion easily dupe-able.

I can see this thread turning into an unhealthy discussion on consumer rights so I'll bow out now-good luck ladies on your discounted OPI searches!


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## macgirl3121 (May 11, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *ruthless* 

 
_Your comment is little more than forum trolling but I will point out that Walmart doesn't use distributors the same way the beauty industry does. I'd also like to point out that etailers are making full use of "capitalism" by selling OPI online at the prices they do, so I'm familiar with the system.


For the internet savvy ladies who just found out about polish etailers I feel your pain! Sorry you're missing out on something good. Lots of nail polish blogs (google scrangie, nailphile, polish or perish) will post if a polish is in their opinion easily dupe-able.

I can see this thread turning into an unhealthy discussion on consumer rights so I'll bow out now-good luck ladies on your discounted OPI searches!_

 
I don't need to post outrageous statements to provoke response. My response is from the point of view of a professional in the beauty business on the other side of this issue.

I'm well aware that Walmart does not use distrubustors. My comment was in response to yours about insane markups and Walmart probably has the most insane markups to be found currently in the marketplace.


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## LionQueen (May 14, 2010)

opi's statement that "* In addition, it deprives consumers of the professional care and  advice that are necessary to enjoy these professional-use products." 

* is BS. Come on, do I really need "proffessional advice" on how to use a bottle of nail polish?  Give me a break.

I think it's a dumb move on OPI's part.  I never buy OPI in stores - I just dont want to spend 9 dollars on one nail polish.  I'm going to buy some from Transdesign's liquidation sale, and then that's it.  As others have mentioned, there are plenty of other polish brands to choose from


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## user79 (May 14, 2010)

It sucks mostly for us international gals because OPI costs over $20 a bottle here and we usually have a crappy selection, not a lot of variety. Well, I just won't be buying OPI anymore.

TransDesign also stopped their cheap international shipping, so I guess it's just ebay for us international peeps. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I just won't be buying OPI anymore. I was already paying like $7 or $8 a bottle before including the shipping cost, but $20 for OPI, hell no!


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## LMD84 (May 14, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MissChievous* 

 
_*It sucks mostly for us international gals *because OPI costs over $20 a bottle here and we usually have a crappy selection, not a lot of variety. Well, I just won't be buying OPI anymore.

TransDesign also stopped their cheap international shipping, so I guess it's just ebay for us international peeps. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I just won't be buying OPI anymore. I was already paying like $7 or $8 a bottle before including the shipping cost, but $20 for OPI, hell no!_

 
it really does suck for us! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 i too was thinking of using ebay in the future... however i hear horror stories about polishes being faked just like you get mac fakes now. Darn you OPI! i think they'll loose alot of customers by doing this. I think it's all down to their greed and them not liking the polish being sold for half the price they'd like on websites. In the uk it costs £9 for a bottle which is crazy - i could buy a huge sack of cat litter for that!


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## danigurl (Jan 6, 2013)

While OPI has published their policy on diversion, as many of you know, most don't understand the complexities that weren't published.

  	OPI, many years ago, had some of their polish produced in China (I have a few that have the chinese characters). This was, of

  	course, based on product costs. While most OPI was produced in the states, supply and demand grew exponentially.

  	It was much cheaper to have the polish made in China while OPI built a bigger factory.

  	The Chinese contractors only produced the polish for a little over 3 years before OPI started making it all in the US.

  	However the damage was done. The Chinese contractors now had the bottle shapes and dimensions, character fonts, product and

  	label knowledge they needed to sell the product on the black market. What started out as a few bottles here and there, has now

  	exploded into the "fake" opi products and they are EVERYWHERE. The most heavily trafficked sales, you guessed it, are online.

  	OPI has no choice but to hinder online sales due to consumers buying fake products. This is the only way to make sure these

  	unscrupulous sellers are taken OUT. The only online venue that has thus far escaped the banishment is Ebay. OPI monitors Ebay. I

  	know because I sell there. That isn't to say there aren't fake OPI dealers on Ebay, because there certainly are. As more and more

  	e-tailers are forced to shut down their OPI sales, they too will head to Ebay. Some legit, like myself and some not. I may not like

  	being just another seller on FeeBay but I do understand why OPI is fighting back.


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