Would you give a negative for something that smells of smoke?

[Paranoid]

I think if you are a smoker and you are selling items on Ebay you should note it in your listing.Letting the buyer know what he/she might be getting along with there won item.I have seen people list a item as"being from a smoke free home"so why not the do the same as"being from a smokers home".The smoke smell does go away but its just a pain in the butt waiting for it to.

 

Because it isn't something that we even think about, because *we* don't care. A smoker never gets an item and goes, "Man... this smells like smoke!" It just doesn't cross our minds.

 

All I am saying, is if the buyer is concerned, he should ask. You can't COUNT on smokers to think of this detail, and if it something that bothers you, it really becomes your responsibility to ask.

[jboypacman]

I guess its the roll of the dice.We all take are chances when we buy items off of ebay.Like i said the smoke smell will go away at some point.Am not attacking smokers, i have smokers in my family.I just see sometimes that people will list items"from a smoke free house" but i have never seen someone list a item as"from a smoker's house".And it is true smoker's dont even think about the smoke smell because they dont even noticed it because they are use to it.So am sorry if i offend any smoker's out there it was something i did not mean too,sorry if i did.

[jboypacman]

And i would not give a negative for something that smells of smoke.That the chance you take ordering off of Ebay.

[Paranoid]

Nah, no offense. I suppose if I sounded defensive, it is because I see this tendency to treat smokers with about as much contempt as we treat, say, the worst criminals in society. It is just easy to villianize smokers and no one has a lot of sympathy for them.

[Crazy Climber]

Somebody who smokes that heavily is probably so imune to the smell that they just don't even notice it anymore. The smell literally becomes a part of them. Smoking also damages your own sense of smell so that could be another factor in them not knowing. I don't think you should neg someone for that. Try airing it out or doing the baking soda thing, hopefully it will work

[holygrailvideogames.com]

I guess its the roll of the dice.We all take are chances when we buy items off of ebay.Like i said the smoke smell will go away at some point.

 

Today I received another item that smells of smoke. It reminded me of this topic. I still have the items that made me write the original message. I went down to my basement to check on these items. Even today (almost 10 months later) these items still smell horrible from the smoke. I guess I will drop them off at Goodwill. If the smell hasn't gone away after almost a year I doubt that it ever will go away.

[BigO]

I have heard of auto detailers being able to rid a car of smoke (one I know of was to stinky to walk by even with the windows rolled up). I believe the device they use is an ozone generator. Not that you're likely to have one of those, but if the smell can be neutralized in upholstery fabric and carpet, there may be hope. Of course, if you're willing to dump the stuff at Goodwill, it isn't worth enough to do that kind of treatment.

[user42]

Would you consider leaving a negative for something that smells this bad?

 

I have.....

(of corse it earned me a retalitory negative)

[birdie3]

No I would not. Perhaps you should start asking sellers about the smell of items before purchasing them especially if you are concerned about it. Could this sort of thing be considered as "damaged" goods (i.e. smoke damage)?

[kroogur]

No i would not. Whether it's ebay,flea market or thrift the first thing i do is clean the item from stem to stern with Lysol sanitizing wipes and i mean everything cables,carts,consoles.controllers etc... whatever i can't get with the wipes i use windex and q-tips and if the dirt or odor persist i'll take the thing apart and clean the insides too.

 

By the time i'm done all thats left is a faint odor if anything at all.

[ianoid]

I have had some stinkers, but the smell always goes away with aeration. I wouldn't neg someone but at worst I might comment about the stench in positive feedback. Passive aggressive I know, but I think a neg is a major to-do. If you wanted to return it (and pay for shipping) and they refused to take it, that could be a strike against customer service. If they sold it as-is, I think you're stuck leaving none or positive.

 

I wouldn't donate the item, I'd try the baking soda, etc. And leave it outside for a while, that may help too.

 

Some of the smoker stuff I've gotten smells in a 6' radius (1d6) for weeks.

[xubidoo]

also 9 months in your basement probably wouldnt really help as its an enclosed enviroment where the smells most likely cant escape,leave it a garage or nxt to a open window if the weather is ok.

 

if i wanted the item enough to pay money for it ,then i certainly wouldnt give it away.

[Snider-man]

Have you tried using some of that Oust or Febreeze? I know we're talking about stinky plastic, but I've had post-poker-game cigar stink completely removed by spraying this stuff around. Not sure if it would neutralize odors by applying it to the items?

[strathmeyer]

At the very least leave a neutral comment. This type of thing is what seller-rating systems are for.

[shadow460]

If it's as bad as what was stated in the first post, I probably would neg someone for it. If it was something that didn't just knock me over, though, I'd clean it up and leave it at that.

 

Sounds to me like the items were shipped with a pack of lit cigarettes inside. To me, cigarette smoke is a very offensive odor, and it does make me think twice before buying when I smell it on something that's used.

[user42]

I once got a package that even sealed I could smell the smoke...open it almost knocked me over.

I left a neutral rating with a complaint about the smell.

[Paranoid]

I bought three shelves from a small consultant before I moved from California, because he was leaving for Texas. The guy was a smoker. I had bins of stuff that just reeked of cigarette smoke, and I pulled a 933 G4 from the lot for myself.

 

I'm a smoker, but I don't smoke in my house, don't smoke in my car - ever. It can be -5 degrees out, I stand by the car and have a smoke.

 

For awhile the smell of smoke came off the G4. Eventually, it went away. And it was a USED item.

 

To a smoker, they can't smell it, if they live in it. Doesn't probably ever enter their consciousness that it is something they might want to mention. Unless an item says specifically, "non-smoking <whatever>", I think a buyer should assume it has been smoked in, on or around.

 

It depends on the purchase. With a car or an RV, you need to go inside the thing, and the smell of smoke can be masked for awhile but seeps back out eventually. I guess even then, if you live in the item long enough, your stink is going to replace THAT stink - and believe me, there is something about your own personal odor that is as offensive to someone else as the smell of cigarette smell is to you.

 

Smell is just real subjective. I've been dumped because I was a smoker and the girl just couldn't cope with the smell, and I had at least one freak girlfriend who confided in me that my smell after smoking was what originally turned her on about me. To me, this sounds like one where if it is so important to you *and* a seller hasn't posted anything specific (from smoking household/not from smoking household), this is YOUR responsibility to "ask seller a question" before you bid.

[SpendTooMuchOnAtari]

Wow, I just noticed that this thread has been around for over a year.

 

I guess you just have to assume that something is coming from a smoker if the ebay listing does not say otherwise. I am an ex-smoker but never smoked indoors. I usually sell quite a bit on ebay but don't have never had anything in my listings about coming from a smoke-free home, this thread has me reconsidering that.