Cigarette smoke smell rears it's head again.

[keepsakesandkollectables]

Bit of an odd one this, so am looking for some ideas.

In the last 2 months I have had 2 feedback comments ( Both still positive ) but also saying the item(s) had a smell of cigarette smoke about them.

Now if I smoked or anyone else on the premises did I could fully understand it, but nobody does.

I have looked on previous threads & googled it for suggestions as to why.

I did come across one that said certain packing has a similar smell, but that was about it.

Now I even changed my supplier with the bubblewrap I use, just in case it was that, but the 2nd comment I received used the new supply so a dead end there.

The only other things I could think of, was that I use 2nd hand boxes, sourced from loads of different locations ( I get them when & where I can ) so maybe that?

Or the simply fact that nearly every item I sell is 2nd hand, so maybe the original owner smoked?

But again on that point I do clean all my products prior to even taking listing pictures, let alone sending them.

So I am pretty much at a loss to find an answer.

Should also mention I have been selling for approx 15 years & it's never ever been mentioned before.

If anyone has some idea's as to why please let me know.

It is also very annoying, 2 fold.

1 - As I do understand that there are people who don't smoke who are very anti it so ge that point.

2 - But what annoys me more is they feel a need to mention it in a positive feedback comment where they are other than a smell that will go away ( I know this as my 1st feedback comment said as much ), so why bother to feel the need to even mention it, a sit could possibly have an impact on future sales.

[edwardian-dreams]

Always wondered why they don’t say smelt of cigarettes 

but had to say “strongly”

like they passed out when opening package 

and had to get out the smelling salts

[department28]

Hopefully the smelling salts were purchased from a smoke-free home... 😄

[edwardian-dreams]

lol

it is abnormal for something from a smoke free home to be smelling strongly of cigarettes 

I’m calling out as liars  or badly mistaken 

Not sellers problem imo

[the-nutwood-collection]

It's not an eBay moaner, it's from t'other site that begins with 'E' and I don't think an image is obligatory.

From the image, I don't think the package has been opened.  To pack, I have to position the ribbon at an angle - and it's at that angle.  Anyone taking it out of the packaging would be more likely to put it back straight.

My guess is either that the colour isn't what she wants and she wants a free return, or she's angling for a freebie.  It's not high value, so many sellers would just refund without return.

However, I always send a return label, so she's out of luck if she's hoping for a freebie.  Unfortunately, on that site, I can't block a buyer.  The BBL is one of the very few things I like about eBay - one of their better 'improvements'.

[the-nutwood-collection]

I think the 'strongly' gives it away as a lie.  Poor liars always embellish.

Also, the ribbon is steam ironed before packing so, if there was an odour, steaming would kill it.  That's why charity shops steam clothing - it removes creases and odours.

Fortunately, on that site, this type of buyer is rare.  She must be a refugee from eBay, fleeing the BPF and horrendous shipping charge.

[judydoodles]

Maybe post a feedback reply saying something along the lines of "thanks for letting me know I'm now using packaging from another source"  Anything beyond that could sound argumentative, starting with a thank you rather than an apology is an old customer service trick.  I doubt, in reality, it would make much difference in terms of future sales whether you reply or not. It's an option.

[keepsakesandkollectables]

Have replied to the feedback left on both the comments, with a simple message, nothing offensive explaining it could be the packing materials, but not an applogy, as I did not want to appear to others that I was in the wrong.

However I did send a personal message to both parties, with an appology as well as a full explaination of how I could not understand it, as nobody here smoked.

As you & others have said, I doubt it would have much on an impact on future sales, especially as abot 90% of the products I sell are ceramic / glass, so I assume if there was a smell on them for whatever reason, it would easily be rectified with aclean in a bowl of water.

I suspect it would be far more of an issue if it were on clothing, other material items, where the smeel could linger or be very difficult to get rid of, fortunately for me it's ot the case with most of my products.

But I thank you, along with all the others for the help / suggestions / replies .

As I said it really was more of an annoyance & frustration on my part & in both instance the buyer were still more than happy with the items & did not ask for a return oor any kind of a reduction.

I have also asked other people who don't smoke to "Sniff" my packing materials & noboby seems to have picked up on it, or said it does smell of smoke, but does have a "Musky" smell in some instances of the boxes I use, so maybe, just maybe it's that, as they are all 2nd hand &  I store them in a back room that is not used.

Maybe I should give them a spray of the old  "Lynx Effect"  in the future.

Only joking on that, as  I bet someone would complain that there item smelt of Lynx Africa or Sure extra dry, lol ;0) .

[iansims]

Definitely not Lynx Africa that sets off my asthma!

[*vyolla*]

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@keepsakesandkollectables wrote:

Only joking on that, as  I bet someone would complain that there item smelt of Lynx Africa or Sure extra dry, lol ;0) .

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I do remember that there was some crazy fad years ago for adding a Febreeze conditioner sheet to expensive clothing parcels, I received a top dollar silk dress which could never be free of it, plus it marked it too (I assume that a sheet that you add to your washing isn't best stuck to a silk frock). 

[keepsakesandkollectables]

Does not suprise me in the slightest to be honest.

I am going down the route of "Shake & Vac".

As the way I see it, even if you don't like the smell, you just got to like the ad's little musical piece.

You know the one:

" Do the shake & vac & put the freshness back".

Ermmmm 2nd thought's as I am now showing my age !!!!!!!!!

[edwardian-dreams]

Steaming doesn’t kill tobacco smells 

it can make them worse like bake them in 

you get rid of tobacco smell on clothing by soaking in vinegar I’ve found …not all vinegar, diluted 

dont know what charity shops you have gone to but the couple I’ve occasionally visited had pristine pressed dresses but you’d think it was a dead body on the rails…..stunk like hell…

so no steaming doesn’t kill bacteria imo or anything else 

End of the day when a buyer says smelt strongly  of cigarettes and you know it just didn’t…they’re 75 % let’s say lying 

[bluebellfressia]

I had a buyer asking for a full refund this week.  He said the item ' smelled of mildew, like they have been stored in a damp musty place'  They certainly did not smell, but I was advised by ebay to accept the return.  

I received them back today and they still did not smell!  

It has actually made me feel dirty.  It was the most expensive item I have ever sold on ebay. 

I said this was a first for me, look at my reviews.

But how can you argue a smell.  Especially on a used item.

ebay accepting smells for used items opens up a can of worms, especially if it's for say the item didn't fit. Anyone can use that as an excuse.  

I wash and iron all my used clothes but these were a pair of my sons trainers. 

[treetopsminicottages]

Recently I made a purchase on another site, the one beginning V, not clothes but on opening the packaging the items had a smoke smell, not of cigarettes, but woody. The seller told me she lives near a canal so her stored packaging collects the fumes from the wood burning off the canal boats! That was certainly a variation on the 'smell' theme.

[treetopsminicottages]

I buy a lot of secondhand dolls house items and they often arrive with a faint, but noticeable, musty smell. The smell usually passes within a few days once the item is left out in a dry place so really not an issue. My aggrievance is when a seller adds something in the box to 'hide' the smell like, for example, washing pearls. Personally,  I prefer the charm, almost, of that musty smell. It means the item has had a past story & most probably stored away carefully by a previous owner.

[the-nutwood-collection]

I ordered a book, published in the 1920s.  I was excited to have found it, and was looking forward to reading it.

However, it had a strange, synthetic, perfumed odour.  I can only think that the seller had tried to disguise the 'old book' smell.  

I hate synthetic perfume, it makes me cough, so I had to get rid of the odour.  I left it outside on a windy day, but it still smelled rancid.  It took ages, and a lot more windy days, to get rid of the smell.  It wasn't just the covers, it was the pages as well.

Why would any seller do that?  It's an old book, it will smell like an old book. 

[keepsakesandkollectables]

" How can you argue a smell ? "

The simple answer is that you can't, so you will always lose on that point.

However heres a link that gives food for thought, perhaps Ebay can add it, I mean they seem to add everything else or make sellers add everything else lately !!!! 

lol .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-O-Vision

[bluebellfressia]

@keepsakesandkollectables

LOL even they had to resort to scratch and sniff cards!  

But it is bad that ebay allows returns for that reason. Just walk in any second hand shop and don't tell me you can't smell anything. 

I bought a vase online from Next a few weeks ago & the box it came in stank, it was awful.  But I liked the vase and just threw the box out.

[daro2096]

Trust me, non smokers can smell cig smoke a mile off too. Smells bloody terrible. I bought a couple of things on eBay in my 20 years here that reeked of ciggies and you can smell it on stuff. Cardboard is the worst. Something that has been stored in a dusty garage has a musty smell but it isn't as bad as smoke.

[1956glyn]

Only once did i ever list/sell a pair of expensive joggers........i will never list any second hand clothes again

Before listing i washed them in Aerial and Comfort. I even mentioned this on the listing for the purposes of allergies.

The buyer contacted me saying they stunk and it was disgusting 😞      I told him that all he could mildly smell was probably the comfort,    After ranting and demanding a 90% discount he said oh yes it is and it smells nice.

I will never list any 2nd hand clothes ever again.

[eastern-lights]

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@daro2096 wrote:

Trust me, non smokers can smell cig smoke a mile off too. 

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Absolutely.

I sometimes by diecast toy cars. Corgi toys etc. If they have been displayed in a smoker's home they stink. I clean them off with a cotton bud and soapy water. You don't want to see the colour of the cotton bud after even a few wipes.