Bad Seller reports: Smokey ponies!!

[Dusky]

Sellers:
1 - winifred.sweeney
2 - lolscollectablesuk

1 - Bought 6 ponies, all of them stink, when asked the seller replied with "yes i am a smoker ,but these ponys have been in the attic for awhile now,hope they ok  for you " and no offer of a refund despite me pointing out the condition of the ponies.
The listing didn't mention anything about the smell, or that the seller was a smoker.

2 - Bought 1 pony that also reeks, worse than the 6 mentioned above. When asked the seller claimed she had found the pony in a charity shop and had listed it. The listing mentioned nothing about the pony smelling bad, though did cover basic body condition! Again, no offer of a refund or such like.

I don't want to be That Guy on eBay but these ponies were not as described and given both sellers' equally awful grammar/spelling I don't think I'll be able to argue the case via PM... what should I do?

All the ponies when into a bucket of hot water and bicarb for 12 hours today, they smell slightly less awful.

[Bergamot]

Smoke smell is difficult... If you are not a smoker and the seller is, then your sesitivity to the scent will be much greater. Likewise, ability to smell things in general varies from person to person... It's entirely possible that the second seller didn't realize the odor.

The first could have done to mention that their items came from a smoking household from the beginning if they did not!

Sorry you got some smelly ponies! It's no fun to get smokey stuff!

[ponylady]

I think your best bet at this point is to open a "Item Not As Described" case, if you feel that you are unable to communicate with them.  But be prepared to return them at your expense. 

I am sorry you are having to go through this but like Bergamot mentioned the ability to smell certain things varies from person to person. The second seller may have not even noticed.  I know I don't always give things a smell test when I order something or purchase it second hand.  So it trully could have been an honest mistake.  As for the first if she answered Yes, well that's a different story. She should have offered you a reasonable solution, as in for you to return the ponies at her expense back.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.

[ClosetAvalanche]

I, personally have a very bad sense of smell, so I always include a little 1 x1 inch cube of a dryer sheet so its entirely possible they didn't notice. Especially if they are a smoker. Most smokers have become immune to the smell, so they don't even realize that the smoke stinks things up. You can ask to return them, but dont mention that you have tried to bathe them or else ebay may see this as item tampering and will rule in seller's favor.

[kitkatvintage]

I would agree with opening a "not as described" case. Even if neither seller noticed the smokey smell, they should provide better customer service when the buyer contacts them with a problem.

As for smokers or people who don't smoke but live with smokers, they should disclose that in their auction listing. As mentioned above, constant exposure to a certain smell can dull one's sensitivity to that smell. Just because they do not notice does not mean that someone sensitive to smoke will not be affected.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Thank you for letting us know about this!  Cigarettes are a major health hazard and so is the filthy tar and resin on surfaces that builds up over time.  Exposure to tobacco should be always noted in a seller's description!

Even if a smoker doesn't smoke in that room with ponies, if smoking occurs in the household, you are sharing a vent system so it still spreads.  If you stripped naked and scrubbed yourself with pumice before coming into your house after smoking, your ponies would be less likely to smell but they would probably achieve an odor over time.

[Sunshine]

I do have to agree at least about the sense of smell thing, my bf has the worst sense of smell in the world. I can find something that smells horribly like smoke, and he'll smell it and not be able to sense it.

Though, I also agree that they should at least say, "May/Does come from a smoking home"...

I've never found ponies that stunk so badly... I always wonder HOW MUCH exposure it takes to really get in there and make them so gross. Though I was given a completely YELLOW Super Nintendo System from a friend of mine's parents house (chain smokers). I mean, it was BRIGHT YELLOW. Grossest thing ever. That takes some serious time. Ugh poor ponies, I'm glad you're helping them!! 

[hilamb]

Thanks for letting us know. I would never want ponies from a smoking home, since i dont smoke and i can easly smell it.

[NovelNerd]

I feel for people on some level when it comes to smokey things. I smoked heavily for a long time. Then stopped about four years ago. My sense of smell goes in and out. Sometimes I smell it and sometimes I don't. I think lots of times in general people tend to not think of needing o list smoking.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I feel for people on some level when it comes to smokey things. I smoked heavily for a long time. Then stopped about four years ago. My sense of smell goes in and out. Sometimes I smell it and sometimes I don't. I think lots of times in general people tend to not think of needing o list smoking.

If I even get a whiff of tobacco, I have a very serious asthma attack that requires rescue medication within seconds of exposure.  If I stand next to a smoker while we chat, I will likely be sucking on my inhaler for DAYS afterwards.  I have been admitted to the ER with severe issues from walking into a restaurant where smoking was occuring on the outdoor patio.  I am very intolerant to it and I find it terrible that anyone would not disclose such a thing. 

Really, Ebay sellers, would you pack ponies in a Ziplock bag, relieve yourself in the bag, and then mail it?  Would you throw moldy food into the envelope?  Would you put your cigarette out and drop the butt into the box before mailing? 

As far as I'm concerned tobacco is hazardous waste and should be thorougly cleaned away before the sale.  This can take months though, in a clean enviroment, so at the very least the sellers need to say, "Has come into contact with tobacco - bid knowing you will need to sterilize them."

[ponylady]

Yikes, LBS I am honestly sorry that smoke smells affect you in such a way. I understand the consequences but I have never heard of such a severe case as that.     It trully must make it very hard. 

But I do not want to imagine the visual of someone else relieving themselves in a bag.   

[NovelNerd]

I'm sorry smoke causes you such trouble. I do find your post rude and slightly overly unnecessarily gross though. I'm not touching that or debating it with you.

Anyway Dusky hopefully you're able to come to an agreement with the sellers.

[Ringlets]

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with these sellers Dusky    Its awful to receive something which smells nasty - and even worse when the sellers dont seem to want to work with you.  The first seller should definitely have put in their listings that the items are from a smoking household, because more and more people have severe allergies to cigarette smoke these days. In the second case, well, yes its possible that the seller missed the smell (even if its really bad), but still they didnt offer to work something out with you.
You could open an item not as described case , but since you are soaking them to try and remove the smell, I presume you are wanting to keep the ponies?  That being the case, and if the sellers arent willing to offer you a partial refund, then the only thing you can do is leave some appropriate feedback which mentions the smoke smell. The smell should come out eventually but it can take quite some time .

[Sunshine]

Squirmy I'm so sorry your allergy is so severe! That is hard to deal with... but I feel like almost every pony in the world that's been not in the hands of the person selling it for it's entire life would have to say "may have come into contact with tobacco", even sitting on the shelf next to something at a Goodwill... I really don't think sellers are fully responsible for going that deep if they can't smell it, BUT I think Dusky has every right to complain to those sellers and that they should work something out instead of just being like "tough luck"...