Increasing amount of False claims that an Item "smells like smoke"
This has become an epidemic the past year, with increasing feedback claiming that, say, a (glass dish!!) "smells like smoke". "This plastic Quilter's Ruler smells like smoke". The brand-new, (in it's original packaging) set of steak knives "smelled like cigarette smoke, I had to wash them to get the smell out".
No one in our family has EVER smoked- we don't even KNOW anyone who smokes and it's disheartening to say the least. It appears it's an attempt to get the item for free, and Every Single Time eBay refuses to remove the Negative Feedback.
We, the Sellers, spend an enormous amount of time listing and selling items. eBay profits from our hard work, and yet they allow this kind of scam. "Oh, it won't affect your Rating" doesn't cut it when we're losing future sales due to these false (and impossible to verify) claims.
My listings even state: "No Smoking, No Pets home".
Has anyone else been experiencing this? I Block these people, but it doesn't help for the next time with
someone else...
assortedcollectibles
·8 months agoThe underlying issue is how large corporations have catered to buyers with all sorts of guarantees in the case that they may be displeased with something. In the eyes of the casual buyer, the "normal" person they are not doing this towards a private individual or small company, but towards ebay.
This is the new demographic buyer, always out to find something to complain about and get something for free and in the event that there is nothing to complain about they will make up something.
einsteindesign
·8 months agoI've been hit a lot too - smoke claims on 1 seller account, 'pet smells' on a different seller account. All items come from the same place (no smoke nor pets).
Smell is invisible and unprovable, so easy for scammers use ugly feedback in hopes of 'refunds' to remove fb. Ebay allows smell scams even when buyer refuses to return item for a full refund (and free return shipping). If really unhappy, buyer would NOT want to keep it. Scammers just want it for free, using feedback to blackmail buyers into giving them freebies!
vonandron
·8 months agoI'll take the latest unprovable way buyers can scam sellers for $500, Alex.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@vonandron What kind of "scam" are you talking about?
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoOne last thought, have you considered using baking soda in your storage area(s)? Unlike dryer sheets, it won't leave an alternate scent behind. I use it with new items to get rid of the "China" stench. I just create paper sachets and place the stinky items right on top of them in a box for a couple days, but you could just place a couple open boxes in the cabinets where you store your goods. If the smoke smell is coming from somewhere in that area, that should take care of it.
If it's your carrier, it's probably your regular carrier's sub(s). If you have a good rapport with your regular, just ask them what day they're off each week (it changes every week) and take your packages to the P.O. yourself that day. That should eliminate that problem, if that's the source of your stink.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou nailed it. Spoke to the Post Office and apparently they had a lot of complaints... We had ALL SUBS for those 2 weeks and they fired the temps. Buyers can file a damage claim with the P.O. if they want to since all are insured, but they'd have to turn in their item. It's too bad that Buyers place the onus on the Seller and
don't consider extenuating circumstances, but whatever...
gurlcat
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures So if you send a birthday gift to a relative and something goes wrong, do you expect them to file the insurance claim? The onus IS on the seller regarding whatever failures occurred with the carrier THEY chose to ship their items. It is an extension of a seller's service. That's not my personal philosophy; that is eBay policy.
If a package gets lost in transit, the onus is on you to refund the buyer, then go after the insurance claim to compensate yourself, not the other way around.
Same if you send a breakable item and the buyer reports it was shattered when they opened the box, you are expected to refund them, and the faster you do it, the more likely you'll get their cooperation with photos for you to file the insurance claim (again, to get your compensation from the carrier).
If a buyer starts a return on eBay because they received an item that stinks ..... I think you get the picture.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoOur post office said that if an item arrives broken, etc. the recipient is the one who must make the claim.
Maybe the clerk I spoke to was mis-informed when he asked his supervisor what the procedure is.
gurlcat
·8 months agoIt's weird how your post office "tells" you everything that supports your ideas.
(EDIT) -AND THEY ARE OPEN ON SUNDAYS APPARENTLY.
The person who made the purchase of the label is the insured customer of the carrier. Never tell a buyer to try get the carrier to compensate them for your lost or damaged inventory. It's yours until the scan reads 'Delivered.' And it's still returnable and feedback-eligible for 30 days after that.
Or tell buyers whatever you want. It's your eBay account, LOL.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoEither party can file the claim, but the onus is on the seller here since the seller will be processing the refund and reimbursing the buyer. The buyer does need to provide the evidence of damage to the seller so the seller can file the claim however.
Not really sure how this would work with a stinky package so it probably would be left to the recipient to take the package in to the P.O. and have a clerk walk them through the claim submission.
Again, the easiest way to avoid this is to take packages in to the P.O. on your regular carrier's days off. You will have a sub at least one day a week no matter what you do, and the sub will change pretty regularly so CYA and either take them yourself or have someone take them for you. Peak is over so you're not going to have seasonal workers to deal with but there are always subs, and many of them just don't care about the rules (or even know what they are).
If you can't get the packages to the P.O. somehow, you might consider sealing your items in ziploc bags or with a vacuum sealer before boxing them up. Yes, it's a pain in the a** and it will add a few cents to your shipping costs, but at least your account will stay in good standing.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@tarotfindsandmore
AFAIK sellers aka senders must file the claim. Agree with everything else, except it is NEVER a good idea for CSA sellers to store items IN the ziploc bag for a long time. Ziplocs & other inner bags are often the SOURCE of the smell & they offgas a smoky scent from the plastic. So, that would likely increase the smoke complaints if something sits for months or years in a ziploc! Plastic off-gas is so bad that I won't even use bins to store anything, they will acquire the scent. Plus clothing is often a months to years sale. The vacuum bag isn't great for CSA sellers either, again b/c of the plastic, but also b/c then you'll have to re-wash or steam or iron it b/c it will create wrinkles. For hard goods sellers that may work, but for clothing sellers, not good.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoAgreed, the seller should not store the items in ziploc bags or sealed. They should ship them in either a ziploc or vacuum sealed in order to avoid having the items get contaminated en route by a wayward carrier. They wouldn't be bagged or sealed until preparing for shipment.
Also, either the recipient or the sender may file the claim (from the USPS website)...
kchcollectibles
·8 months agoI smoke marijuana daily at home but find by keeping the stuff I sell in a room where I don't smoke helps out. I've gotten maybe a half dozen complaints over the years but it's not been a major issue. I advise people to leave the product outside for 24-48 hours if possible to remove most of the odor. Most people are understanding that it's a temporary smell that will eventually go away. Every once in a while someone will be real uptight about it and i just refund and move on.
mozartbach1971
·8 months agoI buy a lot of old paper collectibles and sometimes I notice they smell like cigars, however I still sell them and I have not received one complaint from a buyer so far.
max_vanity
·8 months agoYes! It is the latest scam, it “smells†— I will never ever again give anyone a free product!
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months agoOh, whoa! I didn't read anything about dryer sheets 'til @wastingtime101 last post. @vintageattictreasures if you use dryer sheets, stop immediately! They are an absolute no-no for clothing sales & you will get NEGS just from including them. People HATE dryer sheets & they even think you're trying to cover up smells if you use them. That's something most of us learn very early on, never use dryer sheets.
ETA: Sorry I forgot to mention it - Febreeze too! Both of those are absolute no-nos in clothing sales!
ETA: I use terminology very similar to what @wastingtime101 said in their post. I state that my home is smoke free, but that I do not know or guarantee the history of every item I sell. I've used that for many years.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoHah! Way ahead of you... I personally cannot STAND the perfume in dryer sheets!! Makes me gag.
Same with "Car Freshener" thingies. And those Plug-In ones in a home. aaaackkkkk!!
They're an assault on the olfactory glands.
However... if they'd just create one that smells like McDonald's French Fries...
gurlcat
·8 months agoSo then why do you store any kind of inventory with them?
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThat was a long time ago. (I didn't realize they were with the vintage remnants I had purchased until I re-packed to ship them.)
Smelled perfume-y to me.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@wastingtime101 @vintageattictreasures Exactly. Another possibility, I'm not sure anyone mentioned it is if they source at 1 location. Perhaps that one location has an issue. One would think it would be noticeable if that was the case, but in all honesty, I'm already wondering if OP's olfactory senses are no longer in their prime. Sense of smell can be affected as people age.
Also, that many people are not lying. An occasional buyer may lie. I had one claim that my item smelled wet & musty. I live in a place that's so dry I can smell a wet towel LOL, I KNEW it didn't smell wet when I sent it & I use ziploc bags to prevent moisture, but if it's as frequent as OP is saying, then frankly, it's even more frequent b/c most don't leave FB or contact the buyer & OP really needs to examine their practices in detail.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoI did ask the OP about sourcing and she said they are all personal items, but a lot of vintage and antique, so she is not the original owner and does not know the history.
My question. Her response.
I hope OP will take my suggestion to have a friend with a sensitive nose come over and give her inventory and packing materials a sniff. That might yield some positive results in figuring out what's going on.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThanks for the input, but I've talked to our Post Office and it was dismaying as our packages can go
through up to 4 different carriers... with strict No Smoking Rules... but it has become constant complaint
the past couple of years. There's no way to monitor or prevent this and these Buyers don't consider all
the mitigating circumstances that are beyond our control.
stuff4divas
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures for a few months a few years ago we had a UPS worker who was a chronic smoker
every pkg he left in our foyer REEKED of cigarette smoke and seeped into the interior of the packages
we complained to UPS and after a few weeks, we never saw him again
not saying this is the case with you, but a possibility of stink smoke coming from another source
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYes, this is what myself and others have finally deduced.
We can send things in pristine condition, but according to the Post Office, the package travels with at least 4 different carriers or vehicles before reaching its finally destination.
r_lresale
·8 months agoI just had a NWT clothing item returned because "didn't fit". When I opened the polymailer they had not taken the tags off, but the smell of MJ that came outta that bag was so pungent that Snoop Dog woulda said D@yuuum! Sadly it went into the trash.
adamcartwright
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures
I've received things that smelled like smoke. Didn't even occur to me to return or neg the seller.
One thing I even had to soak in vinegar overnight.
I guess if I were not able to remove the smell, that would be another matter.
For the buyer who claimed "washing" got the smell out -- that's not how it works with hard goods like knives.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoOr fabric. If fabric smells like smoke it's pretty well embedded in there. Washing once will not remove it. Which is why when I saw that FB comment it reinforced my earlier thought of smokey smelling packing materials, because that would wash out easily if the fabric picked up the scent.
There could be a mix of factors going on here. Hopefully the OP can figure it out.
adamcartwright
·8 months ago@wastingtime101
I wonder if a vinegar soak/prewash would work for smokey textiles?
That's what I've used for pet odors, with great results.
natoman777
·8 months agoIt is a scam that has been happening to me for over a year. I am highly allergic to cigarette smoke, so is my wife. I always tell them to open a return. Then I report them to eBay. Deduct from return for the return shipping.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoI did this once, years ago. (reported them to eBay) It was a Brand New In The Box Cell Phone.
eBay told me to pound sand, that the customer is always right and that I would have to pay for
the Return Shipping.
sigh*
So the eBay response has changed now, supporting the Seller?
inhawaii
·8 months agoRidiculous.
Report them to ebay for what?
How does ebay know if there was or wasn't a smell?
Deduct shipping from a INAD return?
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months agoSorry @inhawaii much as I like you & your musical selection for the week, it's not at all ridiculous. As a clothing seller, eBay Reps have stated many times on these boards that smell (and color) are NOT a SNAD. So it does not matter if there was or wasn't a smell, I report all of them b/c they are opened as a SNAD. Though honestly, it's on eBay b/c it's not right that they repeatedly tell CSA sellers that smell & color aren't SNADs, but they allow them to be opened as SNADs & force us to treat them as SNADs. That said, I KNOW my items don't have a smell except the fabric or dye smell at times.
inhawaii
·8 months agoJust saying, report them?
"Hello ebay, My customer claims my item smells like smoke but I know it doesn't."
I still of think it's ridiculous, but that's just me.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@inhawaii You're allowed your opinion. The actual complaint is that they opened a remorse return as a SNAD forcing the seller into accepting the return & paying for it.
inhawaii
·8 months agoIt's not really opinion, it's fact.
I could buy anything from you (or anyone else here) and file a INAD return because I think it smells. Return granted or not, I would get a refund. What would you report me for ... bad sense of smell?
wastingtime101
·8 months agoPoint of reference: here's info direct from eBay about which smells are considered valid INAD claims and which smells are considered abusive buyer INAD claims.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Buyer-reviews/m-p/35094732#M522105
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@inhawaii As I said earlier, I would report you for using a SNAD for a Remorse return. I have done it many times & I have several times gotten reimbursed by eBay for the return shipping I had to pay out. However, IDK if the definition in other categories is the same. In CSA, eBay has repeatedly stated, over MANY years, that smell & color are NOT SNAD's, they are Remorse Returns. It's been repeated here & other places by employees very often & doubled down on by employees. The problem is that eBay has also said that despite the fact that those are Remorse reasons & NOT a valid reason for a SNAD in Clothing, they still ALLOW them to be opened as a SNAD :-(. So in other words, their words don't match their actions.
Because of the subjectivity neither color or smell qualify as SNAD's in CSA. But what they say & what they do are 2 different things, which cause a lot of issues. IDK if in other categories they say the same thing.
onefootflipper
·8 months agoJust wondering is that actually diagosed by a doctor? Actual tobacco smoke allergy is exceptionally rare. Even if it was just rare, then hundreds of teenagers a year would take their first puff of a cigarette and then die.
Sensitivity for various reasons however is common. The actual allergy thing was something I studied back when I was in hotel management and encountered the fact that a huge percent of the members of a certain church denomination were claiming to be allergic to tobacco, which seemed outrageous to me (particularly when that percentage rose to 100 percent when it came to the leadership). When I otherwise only rarely heard such claims.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@onefootflipper OMG don't get me started. My favorite is "allergic to perfume". Really, ALL perfumes, with the endless list of ingredients they may or may not have? That's literally impossible. Strongly disliking many of the smells and (at most) being sensitive to the aerosolizing molecules, that can be true, but that's a whole other thing from a true allergy. Just ask anyone who HAS a true allergy, and see how much they sympathize. 🤣
onefootflipper
·8 months agoI know a woman who has had a gluten allergy her entire life. And I know it is real because she told me about it at least a decade before I ever heard the word gluten out of anyone's mouth. And apparently she just can't eat in restaurants anymore since such allergies became "trendy" and the servers just roll their eyes at everyone who says that and the cooks ignore the requests entirely since these people only seem to have reactions if they know they ate it.
adamcartwright
·8 months ago@onefootflipper
I know two people who had supposed gluten allergies for years.
For a recent get-together, I volunteered to contribute gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and was told it was no longer necessary, as they both learned their symptoms were from anxiety, not gluten.
gurlcat
·8 months agoThere are some restaurants (namely chains, with their ability to 'systemize' everything) who actually do take gluten allergies seriously. When I worked at Papa Johns there was a gluten-free crust, and whenever we got an order for one, after baking we had to fetch a clean pizza cutter to avoid any gluten contamination from previously-cut pizzas. We would do the same for any Jewish or Muslim customer who requested it, to prevent accidentally eating pork grease, likewise vegetarian/vegan customers. Yes you can order a vegan pizza, LOL. Crust, tomato sauce, vegetables ... no cheese. 😛
onefootflipper
·8 months agoI think they all took it more seriously BEFORE a huge percentage of the population claimed to have the problem.
I actually used to work at an Ihop owned by a Muslim man and everyone who worked the back of the house was Muslim but none of the cooks seemed to care about cross contamination at all, only the owner and the elderly dishwasher seemed to care. I just assumed they all had their own individual levels of convictions about different things.
gurlcat
·8 months agoI just checked and PJ's still offers that crust. I think they do it because it's it's just the one item, pretty straightforward, and you'd have to REALLY need it to order it, because it's bloody awful. Basically a technically-edible platform for sauce, cheese, and toppings, so you could (sort-of) have the pizza experience without a fork or anything. 🤣
reallynicestamps
·8 months agoIt's my opinion that buyers don't read Positive feedback, only the negatives and neutrals. Smart buyers look for patterns, not for an occasional problem.
There's a YouTuber whose thing is buying obvious AI fakes, and one of her most common complaints is that the item or packaging smells of smoke. I find it hard to believe that the slave workers are allowed to smoke at their machines, so the idea that the smell is there and it's bad but is something other than tobacco smoke feels right.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@reallynicestamps Smoke smell on fabric is a totally different story. Can be typically one of 4 things.
1-as I previouslly explained, the clear poly bag that most CSA sellers use
2-actual smoke smell (it can be super hard to get rid of if it's really bad)
3-fabric dyes - certain dyes have a smoky smell, primarily those from India & primarily the dark blues & blacks. It's much worse when wet & often shows up on rayon & slinky knit, esp wet slinky knit, esp wet slinky knit that's navy blue, black or dark brown 🙂 What's funny is esp with slinky, if you tell them to smell it again when it's dry, they often can no longer smell it.
4-the fabric itself-certain fabrics have a certain smell- wool (from any animal), raw silk, certain types of rayon, these are the usual culprits but I'm probably forgetting a few.
Nothing can be done if it's the dye or the fabric. If it's actual smoke smell, that can also be difficult. I can remove light smoke scent, but not heavy & I have probably 25 different ways to remove smells. The only 2 smells I often can't get out at all are perfume & heavy smoke. So basically 2-4 are not fixable most of the time.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou're absolutely right about the dyes used in fabrics... and the fabric content itself (particularly for brand new fabrics.) I should think that buyers of fabric would already know this- (just going into a Fabric Store you're assaulted by the various fabric smells... taffeta is one of the worst ever.)
I'm realizing now that I don't store these separately and that is a mistake.
Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious to me!!
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures No problem, been selling clothes for 29 years here. Most buyers have no clue about fabrics or frankly fashion at all these days. You'd be struck speechless at the things they don't know. I sell a lot of slinky knit, used to be a lot more & I've had to educate so many people both about the dye smells & the wet acetate smell. Luckily, I tend to have excellent customers, so they go check their other ones in their closet & realize I'm right & they've just never noticed it before.
The plastic inner bags smelling, that was actually noticed by many clothing sellers back when the CSA board was so active you couldn't refresh fast enough, I think that's how word spread so fast & several times it happened after the exodus & everyone moving to a new board. B/C it affected so many, it became a big deal & at least one of the big packaging sellers got involved in educating us as to what causes the problem. But they ALWAYS smell a little like smoke, even if they didn't get overheated. Unless it's a particularly bad batch though, just open them to air out for a day or 2. Alternatively, you can try a different type of inner packaging. I don't find the glassine ones to smell at all, but I don't like how slippery they are. Some people only use tissue paper & wrap them as a gift. I like having a waterproof barrier, so I don't use just tissue, but you can experiment with other types of inner packaging. I actually LOVE the glassine ones for presentation!
However, I'm going to be the bearer of bad news. I think you have something else going on besides the normal dye/fabric smells & plastic bag smell. The reason I say this is as a clothing seller for 29 years, I have had my share of plastic bag smell & dye smell customers who have contacted me. Take a look at my FB. It's maybe 1 or 2 a year. I had 1 last year & probably skipped the prior 2 years before that. My point being that it's RARE. Most people don't leave FB at all. If you have as many as you're claiming, there's something else going on & I think you may need to drill further down to find the culprit! You don't have many items for sale, so having that many smoke complaints seems disproportionate.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoThis is what I've been saying. There are too many reports in feedback to say this is just fabric dye, etc, plus the reports are on a variety of items (like books).
I'm also going to disagree with other suggestions that this is on the shipping carriers because:
1. If the OP's carrier smoked in their vehicle, the OP would know 'cause their mail would carry that smell. So we can rule that out.
2. If the buyer's carrier smoked in their vehicle, again, the buyer would know because it would be a regular occurrence and it would be unlikely for so many buyers to be having that issue with the same seller.
3. In-between initial pickup and final delivery, packages travel in large trucks where the cab is separate from the trailer (or they travel on airplanes), so smoke isn't going to be a factor there.
Since this is happening with so many buyers, the issue is likely on the seller's end. Seller just has to figure out what factor(s) are causing it.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoNot to be contrary, but this isn't quite accurate. If the OP is at the beginning of the carrier's route, the packages may not yet be polluted, so incoming mail may not stink. As the day goes on, the carrier is entitled to breaks and may not get out of the vehicle for a cigarette. That's when the packages will get nasty.
Also, most regular carriers have their own assigned vehicles that other carriers won't use so there will be no one to report it. The subs aren't likely to report this either because most aren't in the branches enough to have time to waste on chatting with a supervisor (never mind the fact that this would be a sure fire way to **bleep** off the regular carrier they're subbing for). If this carrier is doing the regular pick up because it's her/his route, the OP will get regular complaints about smokey packages.
As to the trailer, this is also incorrect. At the end of the carrier's day, when the route is finished, the packages all go into a huge rolling carts and sit there for several hours until the trailer comes to pick them up. These tubs are generally situated by the loading door which often opens into a large area where employees may smoke, so they definitely can get quite nasty. In the six branches I delivered for, this set up was present in all of them.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThanks for all the input! I've talked to our Post Office and it was dismaying as our packages can go
through up to 4 different carriers... with strict No Smoking Rules... but it has become constant complaint
the past couple of years. There's no way to monitor or prevent this and these Buyers don't consider all
the mitigating circumstances that are beyond our control.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures I think you're missing some of our points. I've been selling for 29 years on eBay, mostly clothing. In the last 15 years, almost exclusively clothing. I've sold over 10K items, the vast majority of those being clothing. I grant you that there are a some circumstances beyond our control, but you are receiving a MUCH higher number than would be considered normal! If I get 1 a year, that's a lot & yet I have the same circumstances out of my control that you do.
Having as many problems as you are is simply not just things out of your control! This is NOT just a streak of bad luck! Something is wrong somewhere in your process & your account is paying the price. You can't really afford for your FB rating to go much further down. You're going to have to figure out what it is & fix it, b/c as the seller, it's your responsibilty. Maybe it's as simple as you can't smell it, but this is NOT the result of an occasional mail carrier smoking in their truck. If you value your account, you're gonna have to get to the bottom of it.
Also, quit advertising non-smoking home if you sell 2nd hand items, it's disingenuous. If you want to leave it, at least qualify it to say that you don't have the history of all items.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThe reason the number appears to be high lately is because the same customer had 5 orders and sent the same FB for each of them. Prior to that there were 2 items (both ridiculous claims) that have been hanging
on in the graph for nearly a year now.
I do like your suggestion about vintage items, however. Thanks!!
a_c_green
·8 months agoMy experience as a long-time buyer in another account is that I've had plenty of funky-smelling vintage items arrive. Fortunately the things I buy are washable if needed, so that's not a problem, but I do like to reuse the packaging materials (bubble wrap or useful sizes of box), and I can only do that if it passes the smell test. A quick sniff of the bubble wrap will tell me immediately.
Generally it's pretty obvious the moment I open the box if there's going to be a problem with reusing anything. Most commonly, it's the bubble wrap, which seems able to pick up the slightest smell and hang on to it, and most commonly that smell is tobacco. I don't think they're necessarily blowing smoke into the box, but nicotine hands will do it. (On one memorable occasion, there was an overpowering smell of weed. 😄)
Vintage cardboard boxes can also be very musty, and also old books and magazines (of course).
I don't think the theory about carriers smoking in the truck is very plausible though. Smoke is a particulate, and unless the carrier is picking up each package, finding a small opening and blowing into it, the contents are not going to pick up odors from outside. If that were true, all our Ground Advantage packages would smell like diesel trucks and our air mail would smell like jet fuel.
adamcartwright
·8 months ago@a_c_green
I think @tarotfindsandmore is right.
I once borrowed someone's car to run errands while mine was in the shop.
I made a 5 min drive to return some clothing at a local store.
When the clerk opened the bag, she asked if I smoked weed.
The smell from the car had attached to the clothing/plastic bag in that short time.
spreadlovelikefire
·8 months agoI think so also. I've had personal mail delivered to my house by a postal worker who I figured out was smoking in the truck. Everything was penetrated with the smoke. The outside of the packages, the inside of the packages, and the paper mail. I'm an X smoker and I can smell it when someone is driving down the highway with their windows rolled up. Some people just have a better sniffer than others. And if the postal worker is smoking in the truck then of course everything will smell of it, it's a confined space and who knows how much they are smoking in there.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoI hadn't considered this before and unfortunately it's out of our control, but it does give me a possible reply to someone who experiences the aftermath! Thanks!!
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYikes!! From reading the various replies it's becoming apparent that once something leaves our house,
there are all SORTS of scenarios that will introduce odors into our packages. What's too bad is that the onus
is directed onto the Seller instead of the possible environment during transportation.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou do have a good point. I too reuse some packaging materials and have never thought to "smell them" first! Thanks for the tip.
(Fabrics ALWAYS go into brand new bags with brand new tissue and brand new mailers however.)
gloryglorygifts
·8 months agoThese odor threads always make me think of the angel tree topper I got from Hobby Lobby a few years back. It was boxed but absolutely wreaked of cheap perfume. It stunk for years and years after I got it too. The odor could have come from anyone that made it to the person that boxed it, to the warehouse it shipped from, to the delivery person. You will just never know.
I'm sorry that you are getting so many returns and feedbacks about it. The ebay return policy isn't going to do anything to help it either. The best you can do is have them return it, refund and relist. Fingers crossed that your 2026 is better from here on out.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThanks! The best possibility I've heard of thus far is perhaps a lingering odor in the packing materials I sometimes reuse, so I'm going to check that out next. It just never occurred to me.
spreadlovelikefire
·8 months agoQuick question, do you have your postal person pick up your packages? I'm asking because a few years back I had a postal person who was smoking in the delivery truck, even though they aren't suppose to, and delivering my mail. Every single piece of mail smelled of smoke, even when I would open packages. It took me a few days to figure this out and was so confused by why all of a sudden all my mail smelled of smoke. I wouldn't have figured it out if it was just a one off type of thing. But if you are having a postal person pick up your items then all your items, if they are smoking the truck, would be penetrated with it. Just a thought.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThis is a possibility of course! I never thought of that due to "the rules" for carriers, but who knows?
So much of this is completely out of our control though. Instead it feels like a personal attack.
Maybe I just need to toughen up with the whole situation... Life Goes On... let it go...
spreadlovelikefire
·8 months agoI agree, I have to do the same. I have a tendancy to take this very personal when I shouldn't, it's humbling when you can finally do so. If you are having a carrier pick your packages up you can try and change course a bit by taking them to the carrier yourself. See if that mitigates it. Also changing your packaging. You may have to try a few things but I think you'll get it figured out over time. And I would stop replying to positive feedback. No body reads those unless you reply to it. So once it's off the first page they essentially become ghosts and any type of smoke smell positive will be hard to find. If you get a neutral or negative about a smoke smell keep it professional and simple:
I'm sorry this was your experience. I do not smoke and the item was kept and stored in a smoke free environment. I'm always happy to help with returns or concerns and appreciate your feedback and reaching out.
That way it allows other buyers to see that you do not smoke and how your items are kept and that you are willing to solve problems if one should occur.
ten_o_nine
·8 months agoI sold a pre-owned tobacco pipe, and the buyer complained that it had smoke smell.😀
steve_stuff
·8 months agoYou beat me to it - Back in '03 before I worked here the store sold an ashtray that buyer said smelled like cigarettes - The boss told them that they were wrong, he had asked the owner and she said that she only used it for pot.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months agoI haven't had that issue for years, but 2 things that frequently cause it, if you use the poly bags for packing, like @wastingtime101 mentioned, they can have issues during mfg that periodically cause a smoke smell. They don't have to be cheap ones either. CSA sellers use them a lot & I recall 2 instances of bad batches that were affecting so many of us, word spread like wildfire. It didn't matter what seller we purchased them from. It was one of the sellers (CoriJ IIRC) who explained that they can overheat on the machinery sometimes & that's what causes it. My hypothesis is that there are only a few mfrs of them & most of the packaging sellers are getting them from the same few mfrs. I remember so many sellers tossing their orders. One hint b/c they can smell that way even when there's not an issue, airing them out for a few days prior to use can really help.
The other one that has come up as the culprit on multiple occasions over the years is postal carriers that smoke in their trucks. Not much you can do about that unless it's your own carrier. Since you're experiencing it so often, if I were you, I'd be looking at my own practices first. Also, you can ask for the items back on returns & make sure you didn't just miss it.
ETA-I never would have thought that hard goods could retain smoke smell until it happened to me. I bought a 2'x2' pottery statue at an estate sale store & as soon as I put it in my car, I realized it positively reeked of smoke. I washed it many times & it improved, but I could never get the smell completely gone.
tools*
·8 months agoPerhaps they're confusing the light musty smell that virtually everything 50+ years old will have, with cigarette smoke.
gurlcat
·8 months agoI think that happens A LOT. -Not just old musty smells but also dyes, glues, even the inherent smell of some materials like leather, certain plastics, etc. I can't wear raw silk because it reeks so bad to me, and only gets worse when warmed by body heat. But yeah, I think there are a lot of nose-stupid people out there who can't identify specific smells very well, then when it's unpleasant and came from an individual seller rather than a store, they just assume "smoker."
I wouldn't be surprised if some think they smell "pets" as well. Non-neutered male cat "spray" has especially complex chemistry and some of the odor notes never fail to surprise me (mint, for example). So it's easy to imagine someone smelling totally benign molecules but reminded of that time in college when their roommate's cat permanently stinkified their guitar inside and out. 🤣
gloryglorygifts
·8 months agoI've never heard of glass items having a light musty smell.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou do have a good point here as much of what I sell is Antique or Vintage.
I do question though, if folks collect these things, why they expect them to smell "Brand New"-??
luckythewinner
·8 months agoIt appears it's an attempt to get the item for free, and Every Single Time eBay refuses to remove the Negative Feedback.
I have been selling on eBay for 25 years. As far as I know, eBay has never suggested that they will remove feedback just because a seller says the feedback is not true.
eBay profits from our hard work, and yet they allow this kind of scam
Every eBay transaction carries the risk of fraud. that has been true since 2008 when the "money back guarantee" was offered by eBay but backed by the seller's funds.
My listings even state: "No Smoking, No Pets home".
When it comes to a dispute or feedback, that is irrelevant.
Has anyone else been experiencing this?
Many sellers have been reporting this issue, going back decades. Many sellers have expereincee most of the issues that are been reported here.
Like Inhawaii, I have tens of thousands of transactions on eBay and zero complaints about smoke. But that will be of little consolation to you.
All that aside ....
It is possible that something in the chain of custody of your items (prior owner(s), basement, storage area, closet, perfume, deodorizer, air freshener, bubble wrap, boxes, tape, shipping carrier's vehicle, etc. ) is imparting a smell on your items that buyers are interpreting as smoke.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoFrom reading all the replies so far, it's become apparent to me that there are dozens of factors beyond
my control that could affect the "smell test" for a package. And you're right: The Buyer is trying to
'interpret' the odor and "Smoke Smell" seems to be the go-to.
I cannot resolve another person's interpretation of a "smell", but I do wonder how they get
through Life, being continually assaulted by odors that they don't care for...
inhawaii
·8 months agoIncreasing amount of False claims that an Item "smells like smoke"
Selling on ebay for 26+ years.
17,00+ items sold.
0 complaints of "smells like smoke".
bonanza125
·8 months agoYou are running a business. Just reply with a professional response and be done with it. Yes you will get buyers who have a difference of opinion on the description of the item you are selling. It happens. What the buyer should do is if they were unhappy with the item is to return it but you get people who have a history of leaving negative feedback. It's not a scam just a particular buyer who can't be pleased.
rugerskick
·8 months agoThis is very dismissive and factually incorrect.
SOME may be difficult buyers. For you to just outright say "it's not a scam" is just not right. You actually have no idea if it is or not. Some are certainly scammers. Scammers want all sorts of items at a discount or free. And they exist on this site. Sometimes as sellers, sometimes as buyers.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou nailed it.
Some people are like that, continually on the look-out for something to complain about.
It's become clear that I just need to stop taking it personally and I appreciate you and others steering my mind away from that.
meme6253
·8 months agoYes I have been abused with this on & off for sometime now, It is Very Aggravating to say the least, I recently got one but the buyer wants to keep the item & also states he hated the way I packed his order but yet the order arrived just fine, So how could I have packed it wrong, All in a False positive Which I thought was against policy, But they haven't taken it down, & I can't send a revision request because it comes up as a positive & Yes they say it won't affect your rating but it can certainly affect your sales!
inhawaii
·8 months ago"also states he hated the way I packed his order but yet the order arrived just fine, So how could I have packed it wrong,"
I'm not commenting on YOUR packaging but I do have to admit that I have received lots of orders that were packed "wrong" yet arrived safely.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoYou nailed the bottom line:
These comments have probably affected my overall sales despite maintaining a good "Rating".
I considered beginning my listings with a Disclaimer: That I have no control over my package once it
leaves my hands... what environments it will go through before reaching them... but then I think:
"Why emphasize this? Now 'normal people' will LOOK for it to happen."
It's all a lose-lose when you're dealing with 'sniffers'.
'
wastingtime101
·8 months agoHi @vintageattictreasures . Are you sourcing products from third parties or are you selling items exclusively from your personal belongings?
What kind of packing materials are you using? Some cheap plastic bags, for example, will have a chemical smell that resembles smoke.
gurlcat
·8 months ago@wastingtime101 From a good hard look at the OP's feedback, I think you're spot-on. At first I thought the "epidemic" thing was melodrama, considering they have only 2 neg (though both are about smoke smell). But then I took a look at their past year of POSITIVE comments -TONS of mentions about smoke smell in those.
This one is my favorite, for reasons too numerous to list 😆
But anyway yeah there are so many mentions of cigarettes and smoke, despite the authors being very happy otherwise. Even the 2 negs don't read as extortion attempts but sincere complaints, to me anyway. And one of those even says "packaging and item"!
@vintageattictreasures So, did you start using new packing materials in the past year? One other possibility: Do you have packages picked up from your home? If so, did you get a new mailman on your route? It's not unheard of for them to break the rules and smoke in the vehicle, stinkifying everything inside. I find it much more common with 'gig' drivers though, like Uber, Doordash, etc. -But it's marijuana much more often than tobacco.
tarotfindsandmore
·8 months agoIf you have a regular pick up, or are even dropping your packages off at the same location daily, you may have a carrier on your route or at your P.O. who is a smoker. I worked with a guy who would just pull over on his route for at least one smoke break a day. Occasionally, he would get out of the truck but it made no difference. He'd just lean against the vehicle with the smoke wafting all around him and into the vehicle. We also had trailer drivers who would smoke in and around the loading docks at a couple branches.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoI didn't read any of the FB before replying @gurlcat , but I just took a look and comments like that go several pages deep. A lot of OP's replies are "never know where this old stuff has been" type comments or her telling the buyer it must be the dye (saw that on at least 2).
I do think smokey smelling packing material is a possibility, still.
I also think the OP sources from third parties and does not know the history of the items and perhaps isn't sensitive to that type of smell.
If your household is smoke free @vintageattictreasures , that's great. (I detest smoke.) But if you are not the original owner of the items you're selling, then you should not advertise as "smoke free" in the listing description since you don't know the item's history.
You've gotten a lot of feedback about the smoke smell - many pos FB - for this to be brushed off as false claims and scammers. I believe your home is smoke free, but it seems apparent there is some factor triggering the number of feedback you're getting on this. Hopefully you got some ideas of what to look for throughout this discussion. I hope you can pinpoint the source(s) of what's going on. The situation must be frustrating
I suggest inviting a friend with a sensitive nose over to give your packing materials and your inventory a sniff, especially if you still have the same product (one feedback was fabric cut from a bolt so maybe you still have the bolt with more fabric).
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months ago(What appears to be many feedback mentions of "smoke smell" is actually the same person, who ordered
5 fabrics and left the same FB for each of them.)
I sell a lot of fabric, and it's absolutely true that New Fabrics have dyes that can be overwhelming,
particularly the acetate blends and AAACKKK!! Taffeta.
My listings state that our HOME is smoke-free. I make no claims about the antique and vintage products.
Regardless, I actually DID invite a couple, one of whom is allergic to Smoke, into my eBay Room when they came over for dinner last night.
Neither of them could detect any scent or odor whatsoever in ANY of the hard items, including the shipping
supplies.
I finally contacted our Post Office, and found that once the package leaves my hands it can
go through up to 4 different carriers... who don't necessarily follow the smoking rules. They said it
IS a problem, but there's no way for them to know who the culprit(s) may be.
Anyway, life goes on and it's just a few out of thousands of customers.
I only wondered if anyone else was experiencing it. Apparently that's a resounding YES!!
wastingtime101
·8 months agoIn the past year I see 6 different buyers complaining of smoke on fabric, books, quilts, a handbag, and packing materials used to wrap candles. (That candle one might be an outlier.)
I see another buyer complained of "odor" and you replied to say you store some of your things with dryer sheets. Dryer sheets could be part of the problem here. Those things are really strong. If you're storing items with scented products like that, disclose it in your listing. That way buyers can make an informed choice and not cause problems for you when they're not happy with unexpected strong smells.
Same goes for advertising smoke free home, then when buyers complain about smoke you say "decades old, no telling where the item has been." Just be upfront in the listing and say smoke free home, but vintage items come from different sources and we cannot guarantee their history was smoke/scent free. Buyers that care will read it.
Do whatever you like here, this is your business and I'm definitely not telling you what to do, I'm merely making suggestions to deal with an issue that's giving you problems and bothers you enough that you came to this forum to discuss it.
If I was getting that many complaints, I'd make some changes. If you're happy with how things are then keep doing what you're doing.
gurlcat
·8 months agovintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoWow. You are so ANGRY. Why?? I have received tons of replies, they don't necessarily show up in
chronological order, and often re-appear repeatedly within new replies. I must have missed your question.
A USPS vehicle picks up my outgoing mail.
gurlcat
·8 months agoDid you get a new mailman/woman in the past year or so? Do you ever receive mail or packages that smell like smoke?
golfingaddict
·8 months agoIf there are claims of cigarette smoke, there are probably reasons for it.
Many sellers try to pawn this issue off on a postal carrier or transit or packaging materials.
If you are selling second hand, thrift store, garage sale items, even items new in package, you have no idea if they were around a smoker.
But your buyers that are sensitive will know. And it appears that they are telling you that.
Hiding it with Febreze or fabric softener sheets or whatever is never going to hide it from someone that abhors the smoke smell. Soaking it in rice or airing it in the sun or a multitude of other "fixes" doesn't work. The same can be said about musty smelling vintage items.
Telling buyers that they are opening false snad claims does not fix the issue.
It never goes away, no matter how much you try. Putting blame on buyers that are sensitive to smoke is unfair and unreasonable.
You can deny it and continue as usual and expect to get more "surprise" feedback mentioning it.
One or two feedback can be ignored, but "increasing number of claims" has merits and needs to be addressed.
(and yes, I am sensitive to smells like smoke etc. I avoid buying on eBay or buying used items. I'm also a seller that has received returns smelling so much from cigarette smoke that they were immediately thrown in the trash, even before bringing them in the house)
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoI too laughed at that one guy's reply about his Dad!! (It was a set of 30 year old paperbacks)
AND... this escalated with items shipped during the "December Rush" when they put on all sorts of
temps for delivery who may not follow The Rules.
What I cannot resolve though is that the onus lands on ME. Not all the mitigating factors that may have
caused their angst.
sigh*
gurlcat
·8 months ago@vintageattictreasures But you didn't answer my question. -Do you have your ship-outs picked up at your house or do you take them to the post office? It makes a big difference regarding this issue because like you said, the onus lands on YOU .... and you have a freakishly high number of buyers making this claim. By the way, for every buyer who publicly voices a complaint like this, there is likely another who just doesn't bother even though they did notice it. Most buyers don't leave feedback at all anymore, and the vast majority of your "smoke" feedbacks were otherwise positive, so there are probably tons more who just don't write anything.
So, IF this is postal carrier-related (and that's a big IF -I think packing material is actually more likely) .... then it would have to be a carrier who routinely smokes in the truck. If you take your packages to the post office, then it could go to countless next locations, with countless next drivers. BUT if you have items picked up at your house, that will likely be the same 1 or 2 routine route carriers, and that may be the smoker.
But really the more I think about it, the less likely I think 'carrier' is the issue. His/her truck would reek so bad it would surely be noticed by coworkers or whatever.
vintageattictreasures
OP8 months agoThese are personal items, but a lot of Vintage and Antique so they come with their own particular baggage!
I think collectors realize that.
But the Fabrics... New... there are SO many factors with that, especially dyes, and I would think that
anyone who works with them would inherently know that.
Although it feels like an attack, I just have to stop taking it personally!