Help! So discusted!

[Anonymous]

I could use any experience that you sellers might have and how to deal with this!

I have had three feedbacks in the last month saying my items smell like cigarette smoke.

I do not smoke and I do not ship from a smoking environment I am very careful about this.  I have been selling for 12 years.

Just for the heck of it I contacted five buyers that I have sold to in the last month all of which said my items did not smell like smoke and that they have non-smoking households so they would know.

I am receiving negative feedback for this and returns I do not appreciate any of this.

After 12 years I am ready to quit selling please if anyone has any ideas how I can stop this let me know!!

Ebay will do NOTHING.

THANKS!!

[simply-the-best-for-you]

In addtion to what others have mentioned, note that some dyes have a 'smoke' smell, in particular dark dyes, black & navys, typically on slinky knit.    My bet is on off-gassing of your plastic bags & poly mailers.  Like @chapeau-noir  said.  I also have had several bad batches that had a plasticy smoke smell & I've had to air them out before using.  For awhile it was pretty rampant amongst the plastic bag sellers, which likely source from only a few plants.   

I would not tape your inner bags shut, that would annoy me to pieces if I got an item that way & if they message you first it does NOT mean it's a scam.  I've had it sometimes, esp with dark slinky knits, like I mentioned above & when I explain it to them, they get it.   I had an off-gassing one this Summer, who contacted me BEFORE leaving FB, thinking I didn't wash an expensive item.  I was able to converse with her, like 2 rational humans (most of my buyers are) & she understood that I DID wash the item & it was likely off-gassing in the Summer heat. 

And I NEVER do partials.  They don't fix the problem.  The ONLY exception I make is if something was my fault.  

ETA:  And if you source from thrifts, are you thoroughly cleaning items & noticing whether or not they smell like smoke prior to selling?   Sometimes if ppl are used to TSS (thrift store smell), they don't notice.  

[yuzuha]

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@simply-the-best-for-you wrote:

My bet is on off-gassing of your plastic bags & poly mailers.  Like @chapeau-noir  said.  I also have had several bad batches that had a plasticy smoke smell & I've had to air them out before using.  For awhile it was pretty rampant amongst the plastic bag sellers, which likely source from only a few plants.   

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I've had that issue opening up brand-new clothing from the manufacturers at my B&M job. Sometimes those plastic bags just REEK.

[inhawaii]

I've never had a complain like this in over 20 years.

If you got 3 complaints in a month, something is wrong.

Why are you mad at ebay?

They don't know if it did or didn't smell like smoke.

Oh, and as official ebay grammar/spelling police, it's "disgusted" not "discusted".

[katzrul15 · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous 

Sorry you are dealing with complaints/issues with your clothing sales.

The one neutral does discuss the odor on the clothing.  The other neutral is about the "condition" of the item(s), snags, etc.  In both cases, I would be very happy those Buyers did NOT leave you a RED donut.

The responses that you made to each Buyer's comments actually do you more harm than the comments from the Buyers.  You really need to remove the emotional quotient from your replies - draft one when you do NOT need one, so that it is professional and well stated.  Use those pre-prepared comments vs your emotional ones.

E-Bay/Online selling is a TOUGH job.  HOW you handle customer adversity is what sets you apart from other Sellers.  Always.

If we have a customer that we determine has a "legit" issue, we typically address the issue FIRST as we want a repeat customer.  Are you asking those customers how "best" to resolve their issue(s)?  Sometimes we refund some or all of the transaction (without being asked) and we always send an apology to them with a coupon to ask them to purchase from us again, as we "value" them as a customer.

Good luck to you.  Take a deep breath - if this is what makes you want to stop selling online, you might need a break, vacation or a mental re-set about online selling in general.  Just my 2 cents - ymmv

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for your professionalism. 

I agree COMPLETELY!

[Anonymous]

Lol..that was a lack of typing skills.

I actually am a good speller.  Tried to fix it but couldn't edit it haha.

😄

[motortown_inc]

I sell vintage toys and trains mostly, I have a statement on my listings about smoke, Feel free to take a look. I have this on my listings for just this reason. As others have posted, people smoke in warehouses, trucks etc.  Also as my items are vintage, I am not able to account for where they have been over the decades. This has worked well for me.

Good Luck to you

[sapphire_studio]

When I read your disclaimer about smoking it makes me assume you do smoke. 

[coolections]

Two words: CLOTHES CLEAN

[Anonymous]

Hi, i am not sure what you mean?

[Anonymous]

I like that!  Do you mind if i put something similar in my listings?

[sapphire_studio]

It was in response to somebody else who told us to read their disclaimer about smoke smell.

[Anonymous]

Lol..that was a lack of typing skills.

I'm actually good at spelling.  Tried to fix it but couldn't edit it.  Haha.

The only reason i have an issue with ebay is that they have changed so many things in regards to seller feedback.

[Anonymous]

I use clear t-shirt bags and poly envelopes!  I actually did get a whiff of something, when i inspected them, but it didn't smell like smoke, just chemicals.  Ugh!

Funny all my problem feedback did occur after my last purchase of clear bags and poly mailers about a month ago!

[5594shelleys]

Do you use a wood burning stove or wood fireplace or burn trash outside your storage area?? Those odors will seep in and be offensive to some buyers.