posted on July 13, 2003 01:31:49 PM new
Who here that has animals gets annonyed at auctions that say from a "animal and smoke free home?" It like such a trump card to put that in there. Sometimes I feel like putting in my auctions, from a "loving and guilt-free home."
(I know replies are gonna be about allergies, etc. so I will say now,
"I know", I know". I am still guilt-free. Have one cat and he doesnt go into my auction stuff at all.)
posted on July 13, 2003 01:44:41 PM new
I have a dog, a new kitten, a bird and several fish. That's not counting the boy beasts running around here to boot.
Bully for you if you have a pet free/smoke free home. I have a much more fulfilling life
I also keep all cloth items stored in plastic bags between listing and shipping, and use febreeze on clothing items just in case. Never had a problem. Many of my items, in fact ALL of my items either come from a garage sale, auction, or the home of a consignor. There is no way I could garauntee any of that even if I didn't have all of the above in my home.
posted on July 13, 2003 01:48:05 PM new
I buy all the things I sell at flea markets, estate sales, garage sales, etc. I have no clue where these items have been. I did have a bidder buy a huge lot of vintage jewelry from me and complain of the cigarette smell. The funny thing is, although I smoke, the jewelry was kept in a locked cabinet away from my smoking. I explained to her (as it's stated in my auctions) that these things are used and come from many different sources. She wasn't mad or anything, but just wanted to let me know. I can only help what I do, not what others do.
posted on July 13, 2003 02:29:43 PM new
I too buy from estates, etc. and my husband smokes (Has for years. I am used to it) but we have a huge ionizer and I'd venture to say the air in my house is cleaner than those without one. (If I cook and burn something the smell and smoke is gone is like 5 minutes!) An interesting thing I just watched on tv was about cat dander. They said it sticks to the walls and other surfaces but you cant see it. Made me think....hmmm...wonder if the ionizer is getting that too?
I also think people with allergies are either
complete "A" type personalities who are neurotic about not being able to control their enviroment, or, people who have immune deficiency's in their body somewhere so its not the dust say, but their body's inability to fight the irritation.
Once worked for a guy who was allergic to perfume and such. I had a bottle of hairspray in my pocketbook. Never sprayed it, or had it on my hair. (It was for going out later.) The minute he saw it there, he started fainting and heaving in the doorway. (All I could think was how friggin dramatic this guy is and what a phoney!) And he was a former fireman -- figure that one out!
posted on July 13, 2003 02:59:04 PM new
I suppose there are buyers that have bought ebay stuff to find it covered with dog or cat hairs. That would be the only rationale that I could see for adding the pet-free disclaimer as an item enhancer.
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posted on July 13, 2003 03:07:40 PM new
Yeah I had that smelly jewelry thing from a lady who stole two auction - one for a small vintage e & new evening handbags and the other for a lot of jewelry. I packed it all together and when she said the bags smelled (about 1/2 of them were brand new) - I was concerned but then she started talking about the jewelry smelling too. I began to think she was a little nutty. I made nothing off the lots and I would have gladly taken it all back but she had soaked the rhinestone jewelry in windex before she said a word to me about the smell???
I'll take my animals over people like that any day??
posted on July 13, 2003 03:29:49 PM new
Ace, you are right - that wouldn't be too nice ot receive. I always clean my stuff before I send it out regardless and sometimes even put a little fabric dryer sheet in the package so its not musty after being enclosed. :-0
(there's a tip! knew i had one somewhere!)
posted on July 13, 2003 04:42:00 PM new
many people that say they are "allergic" are not, it is just the in thing to be and they like the extra attention they get.
whenever i see "from a smoke free home" in an auction, i want to laugh. unless that seller bought it from the factory and has never let it out of their sight since, how can they guarantee it has never been around smoke?
i am a chain smoker, but once i have taken the picture of an item it is removed from my home and stored either in the garage or the shed until time to ship. in the almost 2000 auctions i have had, i have only had 2 remarks about the smell of smoke.
i work with a woman who is supposedly allergic to almost everything. she is just fine until someone asks how her allergies are doing. then all of a sudden she starts coughing and hacking....so bogus it is almost funny.
posted on July 13, 2003 04:59:38 PM new
Another thing you can do if you are worried about smoke smell is buy yourself some of those little wax tarts that you melt with a tealight (get em on eBay of course!) and wrap one or two in tissue paper to make a sachet. I have an agreement with a seller who does them and she gets a little free advertising out of the deal while I get to put a goody in my packages for my buyers.
(a goody in my package? Ack! )
Febreeze is one of the best inventions in the past ten years
I've had over 1000 transactions myself without a single complaint, either. Of course, now that I said that...
Deana
Who needs to dig around and find something catchy for a sig line one of these days.
I too get annoyed at the smoke-pet-whatever-free trumpeting I see in some auctions, especially when it comes across with a holier-than-thou attitude. I hit that back button quicker than you can flick your Bic.
In over 1200 auctions I've had maybe 3-4 where the buyer returned their purchase complaining of smoke. All were high-end purses. None of them were my own. All had been purchsed elsewhere and had been checked by my smoke-free-nose son before listing and again before shipping.
My suspicion is the bidders got caught up in the excitement of the auction and conveniently forgot they were buying something used. It was easy to wave the smoke card in the air to get their money back, which they did minus return postage, eBay & PayPal fees.
There was a post here a while back where someone had a pottery dish that looked like it might be Native American. When it was pointed out it looked like an ashtray, her response was "ick." She figured she would list it as a ring dish but later decided she had room in her title for ashtray AND ring dish. Oh well...
Another thread had to do with those little snack sets from the '50s. It seemed like a really big deal to some of the posters whether or not the little square part next to the cup was intended to be an ashtray, which, according to several websites I visited, it was.
Perhaps sellers who feel strongly about smoking and/or pets should simply not list anything which is, in their mind, offensive. Maybe they're afraid it will rub off on them?? LOL!
Seems to me smoking has become an issue for the overly-fastidious who want to be politically and socially correct. It's an easy way to appear better than the other guy.
Here's how I've addressed the issue in my Me page:
"Although many of the things I sell are from my own home, some are not. I don't always know the entire history of an item and therefore cannot guarantee that it has always been in a pet and/or smoke free environment.
For this reason, particularly with leather items, if you are sensitive in either of these areas - please write to me before you bid - I'll be happy to share what I know -
or perhaps you would prefer to refrain from bidding on the item."
*I* was the one who had the "ick" on the ring dish. You obviously misunderstood my ick. I wanted (wishful thinking) the dish to be something a little fancier than an ashtray. As you can see from this thread, I am not a non-smoking nazi..in fact I am a smoker myself.
posted on July 13, 2003 05:54:42 PM new
Funny thing is according to some of my collector books, ashtrays, lighters, tobacco boxs, etc. are some big time collector items.
Let's see em complain about a smoker smell from them, huh? LOL>>>>
posted on July 13, 2003 06:06:08 PM new
During my first 18mos on feeBay, I sold unabridged audiobooks -- sealed in factory shrink-wrap!
I once got an email saying: "WE know you SMOKE!" Yeah? And this affects a SEALED audiobook HOW? After puffing a pack, I replied to the email offering a 100% refund -- they replied that they loved the audiobook...they just wanted me to know that they KNEW...
Ralphie loves Mr Blonde:
"Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?" http://tinyurl.com/5duz
posted on July 13, 2003 06:19:27 PM new
Some people devote their lives to seeking out smoke smell, cat/dog/bird dander, perfume, and any other supposed affronteries to their personal dignity they can come up with.
Tom's buyer might have been one of those. Like it matters if they KNOW. What is this, inner sanctum? Geeze...
I remember a thread on one of the eBay boards that went on and on and on about how somebody got a package that supposedly "reeked" of smoke. The seller was adamant it wasn't from their home. Turned out the buyer's postal carrier smoked in his truck. It was winter so he had the windows up and the smoke smell evidently got into the packaging. So the smell doesn't always originate with the seller.
I do keep all my textiles, paper and leather items in a non-smoking area of my home but I'll be darned if I'm gonna put that giant plastic bag of peanuts there!
Personally, I'm with Deana. I'd rather have a fulfilling life, complete with three grandchildren and the kid-associated mess than live in a toxically sterile environment just so some over-zealous eBay bidder doesn't get offended.
posted on July 13, 2003 07:30:51 PM new
Lucy
You are right about that. Some people are just too persnickety for my taste as well.
I was reading an Ebay board (I think it was in Feedback) and this woman was going on and on about getting stuff that stunk and she was neg'ing everyone for it. All the posters in there gave her a real dose of it, told her she was immature etc.
[ edited by neroter12 on Jul 13, 2003 07:34 PM ]
posted on July 13, 2003 09:08:11 PM new
They will probably nail her with a bunch of negatives too from dummy accounts. Never post anything controversial on those ebay boards with your good ebay account. Create an ebay account just for posting on those boards.
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posted on July 13, 2003 09:55:58 PM new
Ace, I wouldnt be surprized if they did that too. Though I hadn't thought of it. I am kind of naive about people. I dont post in there at all, just read for information sometimes. Mostly in the whats hot catagory. Occassionally bump into something else interesting.
posted on July 13, 2003 11:30:45 PM new
>I also think people with allergies are either
complete "A" type personalities who are neurotic about not being able to control their enviroment,
If it makes you sick, you want to control it. If it threatens your life, you MUST control it.
>or, people who have immune deficiency's in their body somewhere so its not the dust say, but their body's inability to fight the irritation.
Option B, the body's inability to fight the irritation, being more-or-less the definition of an allergy.
I'm not a control freak about my environment, but I DO have allergies--cat dander being the Biggie. Some of you might be amazed where that cat dander can end up in even the most fastidious of homes...and there ARE people out there who could have a reaction to a single cat hair stuck on whatever it is they've bought. I'm not that sensitive to it, and hopefully never will be. I *do* appreciate the "cat-free home" designation in an auction, but I don't seek it out; I also appreciate the rare seller who states that he/she does, indeed, have cats. I take that as a warning that others with cat allergies (I'm not picking on cats--dogs just aren't a problem for me) have complained to him/her--not that I'd automatically pass on the auction, if it's something that can be cleaned thoroughly: most clothing wouldn't be a problem; books could be.
Now, the cigarette smoke thing is a bit different. True, there are people who are legitimately allergic to cigarette smoke (me, again, mildly), but there are far more who *think* they're allergic to it because they just don't like the smell. Same for perfumes. Again, you'd be surprised what those of us with abnormal sensitivities can pick up--if there's a heavy smoker in the house, unless your eBay space has an airtight seal, the stuff may well smell faintly of smoke.
Karen
[ edited by karenmx on Jul 13, 2003 11:31 PM ]
[ edited by karenmx on Jul 13, 2003 11:32 PM ]
[ edited by karenmx on Jul 13, 2003 11:36 PM ]
posted on July 13, 2003 11:46:46 PM new
If a customer complains of the smell of smoke, just tell him that you bought it at an estate sale of a smoker, and if he hadn't smoked, there wouldn't have been an estate sale to begin with. They would have had to waited another 5 years for him to kick the bucket before they could bid on it.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on July 13, 2003 11:56:56 PM new
I don't believe 99 & 9/10ths of the smoke or whatever smells bidders complain about.
They just decide they don't like what they bought, throw in a complaint about smoke, allergies ETC & know they can return it because they have a weapon to use, negative FB. It's a cheap trick & it works.
Can you see them pulling this after buying at a yard sale...wouldn't happen.
If someone is really offended by smoke, dander or that allergic they wouldn't buy used anything on eBay.
rarriffle is right on, most allergies are faked for attention or control & buyers sure do use control on us.
posted on July 14, 2003 12:49:50 AM new
I mention it because it's in the auction template I made and I was selling a couple of clothing items.
As far as the smoking goes, well, it's a filthy habit and basically it's a legalized drug.
Seems like if people want nicotine they should just bottle it and be done with it.
No apologies here about being anti-smoking. People deny all they want, but it's the top 3 of the 10 bad habits that will kill ya.
(I suppose #11 is walking in front of a bus...)
Regarding pets...well, with cats and dogs I make a note that I do my best. I am only human!
J
posted on July 14, 2003 03:15:26 AM new
My 1 and only neutral Neutral : great shape, just smelled of smoke. would do business with again!!!
I forgot to say this is Not a smoke or Pet free home in all of that weeks ads.Banging heads against desk ! lol ...oh well as Jack say's
AND THE BEAT GOES ON,,,,,
posted on July 14, 2003 05:33:15 AM new
I have sometimes bought craft books at a rummage sale or collectible store, and when I get them home, I find they smell really bad, either smoke or musty. I put a newspaper sheet between each page and store in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks, if that doesn't work, I toss them. The only thing I feel I can describe as from a smoke-free home (which ours is), is knitting yarn that I buy from a store in a sealed bag. I find that some people are very picky about the smell of smoke in their yarn1
posted on July 14, 2003 11:25:46 PM new
I suppose people have the right to be picky about what they want (as I am with some things) but as the other poster here pointed out then is they should not buy used things.
My point about the allergies is that pollen and dust (or whatever!) has been on this earth a long long time. If it chronically bothers your being maybe you need vitamins or an enema or something to help your autoimmune system. Because the pollen and dust are not going away! But of course, somebody needs to sell antihistamines!!
)
