buyer claims item reeks of cigarette smoke ans asks for return

[michelxav]

Hi there eBay community! I sold a used Apple Mac Pro and shipped it, when the buyer received it he requested a return claiming the item reeks so much of cigarette smoke it is hard to be in the same room. I find his claim to be quite exaggerated, if not completely false. We're not talking fabrics here but a computer with an aluminum casing, which I cleaned before putting it back in it's original packaging (which had been stored in a closet) and has been on the road (for delivery) several days before he received it. Apart from the power cord that had yellowed I don't believe there was any sing of cigarette smoke. So, I'm what I'm asking does is it seem like a reasonable claim for a return/refund to you?

[momcqueen · Accepted solution]

Do people in your house smoke? Have you had this item for its entire time? Can you vouch for certain it doesn't reek?

You're probably not going to want to hear this but you'll have to take it from a former smoker who still loves and I mean passionately loves the smell of cigarette smoke more than ten years after quitting: plastics and cardboard suck it in like anything else. They are porous, especially the box and keyboard and whatever packaging material you used. If you smoke anywhere inside the house where it was kept, it will reek. If you live in the house where smoking takes place, you will not be able to tell. A couple days in the truck won't have altered that smell. 

You don't have to offer the buyer a partial refund but you will have to pay return shipping if you ask them to return it for that reason. Smelly (good or bad) is Significantly Not As Described.

There are buyers who won't mind but this one does and that is acceptable. Mention the aroma issue in your relist. Call it an aroma and not stink. If I were in the market for another computer, the smell of cigarettes would be a selling point for me. 

Also, the buyer has a right to be ruddy since the tar can get into places the smoke has settled. 

I used to smoke at my desk during the long long hours I worked, and my bosses hated it for that reason alone: gumming up the equipment. 

[momcqueen]

If I may, again.

Don't take the buyer's request personally. I'm not one to vilify smoking but every person has their 'thing'. Another buyer might demand a return because something arrived with a cat hair taped to the exterior of the box.

For me, despite the fact I would gladly lick any dirty ashtray I could find, I cannot tolerate any kind of artificial fragrance whatsoever. Soap, detergent, perfume, scented anything. It's a pretty miserable existence, to be honest. I bought LEGO from someone on ebay, used LEGO, and they washed it before sending it to me and you'd expect a buyer to be grateful for that because dirty LEGO is super gross but when i opened the box, i almost passed out from the stink of the soap they used. 

Like I said, anyone else would be happy they got clean LEGO.

I thought I was going to perish.

The point here is that you can't expect to please everyone. 

[michelxav]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know how I should handle this case because: #1 I seriously doubt that the smell can be so bad and #2 I had no idea if the smell was a legitimate reason for requesting a refund. But I guess, it is.

[momcqueen]

I would have to say it is. Some people are allergic to tobacco smoke, after all. But if you want to wait until other members join the conversation with their opinion, that's okay too. Just keep those lines of communication with the buyer open and friendly.

[reallynicestamps]

Tell him to return the item for a full refund.

Try not to get eBay or Paypal involved.

If you or anyone smokes in the house, the computer does smell. Smokers can't tell how easy it is for a non-smoker to spot a smoker. Also the smell of Nicorette gum.

I wouldn't go for a partial refund, since in my opinion if it's good enough to keep it's good enough to pay for.

And yes, you may have to pay for return shipping. That's a business expense and deductible. You do realize that your earnings from eBay should be declared on your tax return, eh?

[dmil8030]

Hello 'michelxav',

<< the item reeks so much of cigarette smoke it is hard to be in the same room. I find his claim to be quite exaggerated, if not completely false.>>

That's because you smoke.  To the extent that you notice it at all, you think it smells good.  Fair enough.  But if you did not reveal the cigarette smoke odour in the listing, the buyer has something he did not expect and would not have ordered.  

Imagine an odour you can't stand.  There must be something, even if you like cigar smoke, diesel fuel, perfumes, vinegar, camphor, fabric softener, and so on,  -- maybe just the cat's litterbox.  But imagine that horrible smell wafting up your nostrils constantly as you try to work.  That is how your buyer feels about this item.  

<<does is it seem like a reasonable claim for a return/refund to you?>>

Yep.  If you did not mention the scent, it is indeed Significantly Not as Described.  He has an item he cannot use because of an issue you did not disclose.  Be gracious about accepting it back.  

[jazzywazzyaaron]

I had the same problem with 2 paintings.I've seen adds that state from "a smoke & pet free home".I sold many paintings & this is the first time for a return.I will now put not from a smoke free home in my auctions.If you buy things from an estate sale or auctions you never know if it is from a smoke or pet free environment.Cooking too can leave a odor on stuff as well as a wood stoves.I've
had customers,ask me & always said no.,I wish this customer did.

[momcqueen]

Estate items offer a bit of a conundrum. If you mention in the listing description that the item is from an Estate, you would assume the buyer is sophisticated enough to acknowledge it may have seen a dog, cat, or smoke from a pipe in its day. But.... a seller can never assume. You may consider a passage of text that indicates you come into the item from
an Estate and can therefore not guarantee it hasn't seen pets or other particulates in its lifetime to date. But if the item is yellowed, gummmy, aromatic or otherwise, this should be mentioned.

I sell new toys, factory-sealed but even I am not immune. Some have come to me from other collectors and anything could have happened before I found them. It is prudent to detail any potential deficiencies so that nothing comes back to haunt you. Remember, "as is" isn't a thing in eBay. The customer has a right to request a return for virtually any reason. Even when Returns Not Accepted are specified. That remorse return might then become a SNAD because there's no other option available to them.

[jazzywazzyaaron]

If a smoke free home is important to you.You should ask.And I have been asked many times.Some people put it in their post "smoke free & pet free" Don't forget the animals & peanut butter.I have never seen a post that states a smokers home.I will put it in my adds from now on.or when someone makes an offer or buys an item.