Advice on a recent eBay purchase...

smilebug wrote in post #10710731
Agreed. Maybe just give it like, fresh air. Wait like a day or, 2.

Yep. That's what I'm doing.

And by the way...

Have you never seen John Fitzgerald Page??

Update:

The seller just sent me a very nice e-mail and basically said "obviously I'll give you a refund." So now I feel even worse!

Thank you all (and this is seriously NOT a sarcastic statement) for being so brutally honest with me here. I do stand by the fact that this is a legitimate grievance, but I definitely did not react well (in my defense, I'd just gotten out of the car after a 10-hour drive, most of which I'd spent looking forward to this lens) and deserve to have this thread stick around here as a reminder of my embarrassment!

You said yourself that you showed it to a few friends and it didn't bother them at all therefore it isn't really a normal problem. Obviously you are hyper sensitive to the smell of smoke, therefore it is your responsibility to ask about that particular issue before you buy, however as you said you were in a rush. The seller likely didn't even smell the smoke, especially if he is the one that smokes. Obviously as others have said the smoke can't last without a porous material like fabric to adhere to.

pick up smoking
done deal

i'll be honest. i've gone out of my way once to sell something to another photographer. when i say out of my way, i mean over an hour's drive to meet up. i demo'd the item, and the buyer was happy. next day, i get a phone call saying she changed her mind...buyer's remorse. i did not appreciate that at all.

if you bought it and there's nothing technically wrong with it, there's no reason for a refund. that's the way i see it. if you wish to go through with the refund, i hope you cover all the listing fees, paypal fee, and shipping fees both ways.

Glad to hear there are still some stand up sellers on eBay, and it sounds like you dealt with one of them. Don't do wrong by him... even if you return the item, at least offer to cover the fees, etc.

ebay will usually refund the final value fees if a transaction is cancelled--either by mutual agreement or if the buyer doesn't pay and there is no actual sale.

klr.b wrote in post #10711256
i'll be honest. i've gone out of my way once to sell something to another photographer. when i say out of my way, i mean over an hour's drive to meet up. i demo'd the item, and the buyer was happy. next day, i get a phone call saying she changed her mind...buyer's remorse. i did not appreciate that at all.

Did she pay you and take it with her? if so, too bad. If she wanted to be able to return it, she should have bought new.

If smoke oder doesn't bother the other people you asked... Then it's very faint and will certainly go away.... something like this doesn't have to be mentioned. For all you know, he doesn't even have to be a smoker, maybe his roommate smokes.

I would give him a positive feedback even if he doesn't accept the return. He did his part and you got your item (smoke being faint and not a big deal, in my opinion). It is not fair to threatened him with a neutral feedback; feedback on ebay is very important and he did a really good job from what it sounds like to me.

If he accepts the return; you should pay for all the fees + maybe give him a tip for his time. (in the end, he still didn't sell his lens).

I would resell the lens on the forums if it bothers you so much; but I think it will be fine if you let it sit a few days. Go out and shoot with it. Enjoy it, you'll forget about the smell =)

-David

Wow, I would never asked a refund to a seller because of a smell. Clean it, it'll go away. That is like returning a brand new lens because you don't lime the odor a new lens have...

Your are causing him so much trouble, not because the lens is scratched, because it smell bad...

I bought a lens on eBay, Tokina 11-16, when I got it, it smelled like cigars. I LOVE CIGARS. However, I smoke outside and none of my gear smells like smoke. That being said, I got it for $150 less than it goes for now on eBay, and there is nothing wrong with the lens, it just stinks... It will go away... I stink sometimes...

dKweddings.net wrote in post #10711513
If smoke oder doesn't bother the other people you asked... Then it's very faint and will certainly go away.... something like this doesn't have to be mentioned. For all you know, he doesn't even have to be a smoker, maybe his roommate smokes.

I would give him a positive feedback even if he doesn't accept the return. He did his part and you got your item (smoke being faint and not a big deal, in my opinion). It is not fair to threatened him with a neutral feedback; feedback on ebay is very important and he did a really good job from what it sounds like to me.

If he accepts the return; you should pay for all the fees + maybe give him a tip for his time. (in the end, he still didn't sell his lens).

I would resell the lens on the forums if it bothers you so much; but I think it will be fine if you let it sit a few days. Go out and shoot with it. Enjoy it, you'll forget about the smell =)

-David

In the end, I gave him positive feedback and decided to keep the lens. I've completely admitted that the smoke smell bothers me personally and that it's not a serious issue to others...and I'm already taking steps to try to correct it. It's a great little lens!

And by the way, the guy explained that he's 67 and his olfactory senses aren't what they used to be, and that he got the lens in a trade with another camera shop. So I totally don't blame him. And I apologized almost immediately for "threatening" him (which REALLY wasn't as bad as you all think!). So in the end, after a few days of airing out/baking soda treatment, I'm sure that everyone'll come out happy!

I heard that newspaper can work miracles too. Get a box and crumple lots of newspaper in it, put the lens in, then close the box.

Did you ask if it's ever been in a smoking environment? If not, now you now it should be one of the first questions you ask. I'm a non-smoker, and it's one of my standard questions when purchasing used gear. If it has been, I immediately pass.

Just put it in the dishwasher on a pots-and-pans heavy scrub cycle - when it comes out you won't even remember the smoke smell! (Be sure to use a rinse aid to make sure it dries without water spots)

:p

Jim