Cartridges Won on Ebay Smell Bad - What to do?

[rainmaker]

Hi, too bad this is my first post here. I had an atari vcs as a kid and loved it but all my atari stuff got tossed years ago. I decided to get back into atari and I bought a 7800 off ebay but I don't have any games. I wanted to pick up a 5200 and a 2600 too.

 

So, I bought a 5200 and 2600 game lot off ebay and they arrived yesterday. All the carts were just tossed in the box with no padding.

 

When I opened the box it REEKED! I took out a 2600 cart and smelled it - bad idea - I've had a sore throat ever since. The 2600 carts had black mold all over them and the 5200 carts smell like cat urine.

 

I can't bring this into the house.

 

What can I do? Leave neg feedback? Can I dispute the auction? The smell is horrible and unsafe. Here is what the auction description said:

 

"These items are sold as is, they have not been tested so I cannot guarantee them to work, no returns, all sales final yada yada yada. The games worked the last time I played with them about five years ago, so it is possible that they still do work, but I didn't test them."

 

To me 'sold as is' means they may not work and I was OK with that. I don't think 'sold as is' means 'they stink but I'm not going to mention that in the auction'

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edited June 5, 2008 by rainmaker

[Zwackery]

Contact the seller, register your extreme displeasure at the condition of the carts, and then either ask for a partial refund (if you actually want to keep the stinky carts) or a complete refund, offering to return the stinking mess to the seller at the seller's cost for the shipping. Reserve the right to file a complaint with eBay (and PayPal, if you used that) if the seller is non-compliant. I would hold off on negative (or neutral or even positive) feedback for now, and then use the appopriate feedback depending on how the situation is resolved.

 

I would stress to the seller that selling items that are infested with mold could be a huge health risk, especially if someone is severely allergic. A friend of mine is, and he damn near died because of some moldy crap sent to him from an eBay seller (fortunately he was able to get to a hospital in time). I would strongly reprimand the seller about the condition of the items.

[Shawn]

black mold? I sure as shit hope it didn't get into your lungs.

 

p.s. Ya you should get all your money back. Cat piss and black mold are a little much to not mention when selling someone something.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Shawn Sr.

[Frostbite Bailey]

Definitely voice your displeasure; it is one thing to sell items that do not work, or may not work :"sold as is", but they should at least have the decency to clean it up a bit. I would be interested in what the seller has to say. Let us know if you get a reply. Ask him/her how they standed packaging it up with that smell/mould, and if they would like to receive a package like that. Good luck!

[lemoncurry]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=320256225120

 

LOL I thought you were paraphrasing with the "yada yada yada"!

 

I would have never bought anything from this jerk after perusing his feedback:

http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=%09b...by&ref=home

Ironic, it's too bad you weren't one of the people he just didn't ship for!

 

I am surprised that none of these other complaints mention smell, given that he was selling a lot of comic books...

[jetset]

As is = this shit don't work. Good luck but I'll bet you won't get far asking for a refund.

[Parrothead]

As is = this shit don't work. Good luck but I'll bet you won't get far asking for a refund.

 

That is DISGUSTING

 

Hope you work something out with the seller. Ewe!

[the.golden.ax]

Okay... don't laugh. The best thing to do with these, FOR REAL, is to put them in CAT LITTER.

 

When ever I get stink-a** products in the mail, I put them in a Rubbermaid bin half full of clean clay (unscented) cat litter. The clay locks in odors to keep your home smelling fresh and clean. If you are highly sensitive to dust do this outside and use a good lid on your bin. Clay litter is DUSTY. Usually 24 - 48 hours does the trick. Works on smoke, and most other smells. If the CAT PEE is inside the games they may need to be opened and cleaned. Anything with major black mold I would throw out. You can supposedly kill mold by putting it in a zip lock and freezing it overnight. Id still remove the label and toss it. These are good "PLAY" titles but nothing with any MAJOR rarity.

 

AX

[Recycled]

Hope you didn't pay too much for that junk.

 

Chalk it up as a learning experience.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Recycled

[midnight8]

Everyone one else has pretty much covered trying to get your money back. Not to be negative but most of the time there is not much luck there even tho I hope it is different for you. I am not a mold expert and don't know what to tell you about moldy games but the stinky games get a large box and put them in it. place a bowl of vinegar in the box with is for a day or two. After a couple of days let them air out and the smell will probably be gone. Then just clean them up and test them.

[Prodos8]

Most likely, given how helpful e-bay/paypal are in these situations, you'll just have to chalk it up as a learning experience and leave a neg for him. Looking at his feedback I wouldn't have bought from him in the first place, but at least his shipping price was reasonable.

 

Hope you do get your money back. Good luck!

[SRGilbert]

That's too bad, otherwise that would be a pretty good deal for $26.50 shipped. I've had similar experiences, and most of the time you just can't win. At least carts are pretty easy to clean.

 

I bought a HUGE lot from a Ebay seller last year that included a 7800, a 2 port 5200, 6 2600's, a pile of controllers, and a big box of carts. I can't remember what I paid (not much!) , but when it arrived (about 3 weeks later) it was poorly packed and really dirty. Amazingly, almost everything worked and with a lot of work cleaned up pretty nice. I know I've made way more parting everything out, so I at least broke even.

 

Good luck!

[SEgamer]

I've been buying most of my games and systems from flea markets, so of course I came across this same problem with the smells. I even found the occasional dead bugs in a few cartridges. The only thing I could really do was to take the games apart and clean them with rubbing alcohol. (cleans and dries up fast, doesn't do harm to the game or circuits)

 

Good luck on working something out with the seller.

[yuppicide]

Here's some of my favorite feedbacks left for this jerk:

 

"Rude seller. Near Mint? More like Near Meh. Says combined shipping then doesn't."

 

"Seller received the payment, made refund and left Unpaid Strike Item! Bad Seller Buyer:

giovannimr" and his reply to that "you shouldn't have bid, I only ship to USA"

 

I had a dealing with a guy a few years ago doing similar stuff by not sending people items out but some (very few) people were getting their stuff. I had ordered a Diamond RIO mp3 player with 256MB I believe. I complained to him and he didn't care. I had his phone number and called I believe. He said he did send the item out and that I am lucky he did. Most people weren't getting shit. I think I was angry that he charged me for express shipping and only send it cheap.

 

I forget it's been many years, but anyway the mp3 player arrived, as described, and is still working 'til this day. I bought if for a gift for my Mom's Husband out to walk with.

 

So, anyway, I did some research of my own through the internet and it turns out my item is most likely stolen. He is from Pennsylvania and has been under multiple investigation from the police for selling stolen items. He claims there's nothing he can do since he runs a pawn shop, but they had caught him for robbery I think.

[guitarmas]

Buy a can of Frebreeze.

[Crazy Climber]

Okay... don't laugh. The best thing to do with these, FOR REAL, is to put them in CAT LITTER.

 

When ever I get stink-a** products in the mail, I put them in a Rubbermaid bin half full of clean clay (unscented) cat litter. The clay locks in odors to keep your home smelling fresh and clean. If you are highly sensitive to dust do this outside and use a good lid on your bin. Clay litter is DUSTY. Usually 24 - 48 hours does the trick. Works on smoke, and most other smells. If the CAT PEE is inside the games they may need to be opened and cleaned. Anything with major black mold I would throw out. You can supposedly kill mold by putting it in a zip lock and freezing it overnight. Id still remove the label and toss it. These are good "PLAY" titles but nothing with any MAJOR rarity.

 

AX

Thats a good idea for items that smell like cig smoke.

[atarian63]

Hi, too bad this is my first post here. I had an atari vcs as a kid and loved it but all my atari stuff got tossed years ago. I decided to get back into atari and I bought a 7800 off ebay but I don't have any games. I wanted to pick up a 5200 and a 2600 too.

 

So, I bought a 5200 and 2600 game lot off ebay and they arrived yesterday. All the carts were just tossed in the box with no padding.

 

When I opened the box it REEKED! I took out a 2600 cart and smelled it - bad idea - I've had a sore throat ever since. The 2600 carts had black mold all over them and the 5200 carts smell like cat urine.

 

I can't bring this into the house.

 

What can I do? Leave neg feedback? Can I dispute the auction? The smell is horrible and unsafe. Here is what the auction description said:

 

"These items are sold as is, they have not been tested so I cannot guarantee them to work, no returns, all sales final yada yada yada. The games worked the last time I played with them about five years ago, so it is possible that they still do work, but I didn't test them."

 

To me 'sold as is' means they may not work and I was OK with that. I don't think 'sold as is' means 'they stink but I'm not going to mention that in the auction'

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Cat Piss dripped on some Atari Carts, Black mold ripping at your nose... (sung to chestnets roasting on a open fire..)

I know, not funny but thats ebay..

[Jakenut86]

Maybe you should contact the seller and tell him to give free gas masks with his auctions!

[Sinnbox]

Dude, sending someone Cat piss is not cool. I'm not sure if he will do anything to help you, but I would complain to Ebay about him sending you potentially hazardous materials.

 

P.S. have you checked out www.Chasethechuckwagon.com yet?

[tremoloman2006]

Since the auction link is no longer valid I cannot see how bad these were. Judging from your comments I'm assuming they were nasty.

If I buy carts that smell like musty attic, cigarette smoke, or worse, here's what I do.

 

Grab the following:

• Can of Pledge
  
• Johnson's Safety Swabs (better than Q-Tips - larger, more cotton)
  
• Rubbing Alcohol
  
• Face cloth or paper towel
  

1. Put a little bit of alcohol on the swab. Wipe the plastic and circuit board with the swab. The Johnsons model is much larger and works great for cleaning contacts.
   
2. Now spray the entire cart and labels with a light application of Pledge (I prefer Lemon). Rub it into the cart with your fingers so that it gets into ever nook and cranny. Just be sure NOT to get this on the contacts of the cart!
   
3. After the Pledge has soaked for 30-60 seconds, wipe clean and the cart will look and smell better than new!
   

I also do the same thing for consoles. Works like a charm!

[Jakenut86]

Not sure I'd wanna be touching these carts where they have pee and mold. They might give some kinda diesese.

[Zap!]

Hi, too bad this is my first post here. I had an atari vcs as a kid and loved it but all my atari stuff got tossed years ago. I decided to get back into atari and I bought a 7800 off ebay but I don't have any games. I wanted to pick up a 5200 and a 2600 too.

 

So, I bought a 5200 and 2600 game lot off ebay and they arrived yesterday. All the carts were just tossed in the box with no padding.

 

When I opened the box it REEKED! I took out a 2600 cart and smelled it - bad idea - I've had a sore throat ever since. The 2600 carts had black mold all over them and the 5200 carts smell like cat urine.

 

I can't bring this into the house.

 

What can I do? Leave neg feedback? Can I dispute the auction? The smell is horrible and unsafe. Here is what the auction description said:

 

"These items are sold as is, they have not been tested so I cannot guarantee them to work, no returns, all sales final yada yada yada. The games worked the last time I played with them about five years ago, so it is possible that they still do work, but I didn't test them."

 

To me 'sold as is' means they may not work and I was OK with that. I don't think 'sold as is' means 'they stink but I'm not going to mention that in the auction'

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Leaving negative feedback is one of the worst things you can do to a person. Kind of like leaving no tip to a waiter, don't do it even if he/she is a slow waiter! Leaving bad feedback is a last resort. Only do it if you don't get your stuff (and even then don't do it if you get your money back), you get something you didn't win, and the seller doesn't do anything about it, or if the seller is extremely rude for no reason. Leaving negative feedback because something smells a little bad is not right.

[sandmountainslim]

Is no one going to suggest spraying them down with Armor-All?????

Wp

[jetset]

Hi, too bad this is my first post here. I had an atari vcs as a kid and loved it but all my atari stuff got tossed years ago. I decided to get back into atari and I bought a 7800 off ebay but I don't have any games. I wanted to pick up a 5200 and a 2600 too.

 

So, I bought a 5200 and 2600 game lot off ebay and they arrived yesterday. All the carts were just tossed in the box with no padding.

 

When I opened the box it REEKED! I took out a 2600 cart and smelled it - bad idea - I've had a sore throat ever since. The 2600 carts had black mold all over them and the 5200 carts smell like cat urine.

 

I can't bring this into the house.

 

What can I do? Leave neg feedback? Can I dispute the auction? The smell is horrible and unsafe. Here is what the auction description said:

 

"These items are sold as is, they have not been tested so I cannot guarantee them to work, no returns, all sales final yada yada yada. The games worked the last time I played with them about five years ago, so it is possible that they still do work, but I didn't test them."

 

To me 'sold as is' means they may not work and I was OK with that. I don't think 'sold as is' means 'they stink but I'm not going to mention that in the auction'

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Leaving negative feedback is one of the worst things you can do to a person. Kind of like leaving no tip to a waiter, don't do it even if he/she is a slow waiter! Leaving bad feedback is a last resort. Only do it if you don't get your stuff (and even then don't do it if you get your money back), you get something you didn't win, and the seller doesn't do anything about it, or if the seller is extremely rude for no reason. Leaving negative feedback because something smells a little bad is not right.

 

Right. So the guy got merchandise that reeked of cat piss, is loaded with mold, and made him sick, but hey...he *did* receive it so there's no reason to warn other would-be buyers right? Nah...no worries. Just leave him a nice shiny positive. I mean, "as is"="smells like urine"! Everyone knows that.

Get real. This guy should be negged and reported.

Hell even the parasites that surf this site purely for profit pull their own form of stunts on ebay, but nothing like this.

[Zap!]

Hi, too bad this is my first post here. I had an atari vcs as a kid and loved it but all my atari stuff got tossed years ago. I decided to get back into atari and I bought a 7800 off ebay but I don't have any games. I wanted to pick up a 5200 and a 2600 too.

 

So, I bought a 5200 and 2600 game lot off ebay and they arrived yesterday. All the carts were just tossed in the box with no padding.

 

When I opened the box it REEKED! I took out a 2600 cart and smelled it - bad idea - I've had a sore throat ever since. The 2600 carts had black mold all over them and the 5200 carts smell like cat urine.

 

I can't bring this into the house.

 

What can I do? Leave neg feedback? Can I dispute the auction? The smell is horrible and unsafe. Here is what the auction description said:

 

"These items are sold as is, they have not been tested so I cannot guarantee them to work, no returns, all sales final yada yada yada. The games worked the last time I played with them about five years ago, so it is possible that they still do work, but I didn't test them."

 

To me 'sold as is' means they may not work and I was OK with that. I don't think 'sold as is' means 'they stink but I'm not going to mention that in the auction'

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Leaving negative feedback is one of the worst things you can do to a person. Kind of like leaving no tip to a waiter, don't do it even if he/she is a slow waiter! Leaving bad feedback is a last resort. Only do it if you don't get your stuff (and even then don't do it if you get your money back), you get something you didn't win, and the seller doesn't do anything about it, or if the seller is extremely rude for no reason. Leaving negative feedback because something smells a little bad is not right.

 

Right. So the guy got merchandise that reeked of cat piss, is loaded with mold, and made him sick, but hey...he *did* receive it so there's no reason to warn other would-be buyers right? Nah...no worries. Just leave him a nice shiny positive. I mean, "as is"="smells like urine"! Everyone knows that.

Get real. This guy should be negged and reported.

Hell even the parasites that surf this site purely for profit pull their own form of stunts on ebay, but nothing like this.

While "as-is" isn't absolute, as long as it fits the description and the pictures, he's pretty much beat. He didn't claim they smelled good in the add. At that low price, I would just clean them up. They were probably in the guy's basement for 20 years. He may have just dummped them in a box, or kept them in the same box and shipped them out. He might not have even known they smelled.