There are some fantastic sellers who work hard to make sure that the descriptions of their items are clear and accurate. These sellers post well-lit and in-focus pictures and they describe all aspects of their items. In addition, they encourage those examining their listings to ask questions AND they respond to questions, providing detailed answers. Of course, these are the BEST sellers!
However, there are other sellers who work hard to be deceptive in their listings. These sellers post pictures with low resolution, poor lighting, poor focus, and/or limited view of their items. They work hard to use lighting to hide the wear and damage on their items and they hide damage by making sure that it is out of view or cut off in pictures. Their descriptions are limited in scope and avoid important issues such as the smell of mold, mildew, and PERFUME.
As you might imagine from my use of “PERFUME” in all uppercase letters, my last purchase was such an item. I found the listing for a vintage All-Weather Leather Dooney zip-top crossbody, read the description, examined the pictures, and contacted the seller to request additional pictures and information. Although the seller sent pictures which did not show all the areas about which I had inquired, I purchased the Dooney. When I received the Dooney, I was horrified by the overwhelmingly strong odor of PERFUME that accosted me when I opened the bag in which the Dooney was wrapped inside the shipping box. This perfume was so strong that I barely looked at the Dooney as I quickly re-wrapped it in its plastic bag and put it back into the shipping box! As you can tell from my words, I had no intention of keeping that smelly bag! I immediately filed for a return of this item which to me was and still is an olfactory offense. The seller accepted the return and I shipped the smelly Dooney back to her; the seller is suppose to receive it on Tuesday.
The seller knew that the bag reeked of perfume when she created the listing and she was reminded of its odor when she put the Dooney into the plastic bag for shipping to me. How could she imagine that anyone would be happy receiving such an item? As we know, if she included the onerous smell of perfume in the item description then, most likely, no one would purchase her Dooney.
Here is a thought for all of you sellers — describe your listings accurately and include information about any ODORS that your items may have. Since eBay makes you pay for the return shipping of items which are not-as-described, you will save money if you describe your items accurately. Accurate item descriptions will help you to earn positive feedback as well. If saving money for the return of your items which are not-as-described or earning positive feedback do not motivate you to do so, consider this — would you want to receive an item which reeks of mold, mildew, or PERFUME???
