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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2009 > December > 12 > Entry
Share your on-line shopping horror stories here…
Have you been doing any on-line shopping? How has that been going for you? Has everything been satisfactory? Or, do you have some horror stories you would like to share?
I do. Here’s my horror story: I have been doing some shopping on eBay. I’m new to eBay so I don’t really know what I’m doing yet. I hear there are a lot of pitfalls to avoid there. Many of them are unforeseen. I have been buying some old books on eBay. There are some amazing books to be had there. I ordered a couple recently from different eBay sellers. The first book arrived and the second I opened the box I regretted it. The box smelled like an ashtray. Everything reeked of tobacco smoke. The box. The styrofoam packing. The bubble wrap. And the book. The beautiful, old, wretchedly stinky book. Yuck.
The second book arrived today. Same deal. Like opening an ashtray. Everything reeked. One seller was in Florida and the other was in Arizona. Of course their eBay listings neglected to mention their vile nicotine habits. Disgusting. These books are worthless to me. I cannot read them without feeling ill. They need fumigation.
So, what are your internet shopping horror stories? I know that you must have a few good ones by now. Please share them in the comments section. Happy shopping.
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment | Categories: midnight confessions
Comments
By Jen
December 28, 2009 4:30 AM | Link to this
Just had the same thing happen. Received a Christmas outfit for my son that reeked. No other ebay purchases (or packages) have had this issue, so I know it is not the carrier. Seller was terribly rude about the feedback I left, and refuses to acknowledge or apologize for the smell. Sad, but true.
By Hattie
December 15, 2009 1:47 PM | Link to this
Hi Vick, If an eBay seller doesn’t mention that their item as from a smoke free environment, look in the little box on the right side of the auction page under seller info and click on “ask a question” and email through eBay. If the seller doesn’t respond in a day or 2, you can assume the worst and forget that auction. As Pearl said, you can always open a dispute through paypal if you’re unhappy with your purchase; this usually takes some time and effort. But you’ll be able to return your book.
By vick
December 13, 2009 8:46 PM | Link to this
Thank you, Pearl. I appreciate your advice. It sounds like you know your way around eBay.
By Pearl
December 13, 2009 6:27 PM | Link to this
Being serious. Back in the day, Sellers could give negative feedback to bad Buyers (Buyers who don’t pay, feedback extiotion, etc). Now Buyers have the advantage. If the seller you bought from had all positives before you bought, then you should take into account that what you got may have been a fluke. Seriously though, these days Buyers are ruthless. If that seller really is a bad Seller, it should show in feedback. Contact the Seller and ask for a refund. You may have to pay to send it back. If u paid through PayPal, file through them! File a SNAD (Signifigantly Not As Described) dispute. You will have to ship it back to them at your cost, but PayPal will automatically refund your money once its been delivered (will need to use a service that has a tracking number). It may sound like too much to take in, but just go to ebay, then Community, and take a look at some dispute forums. You’ll learn a lot on how to deal with bad Sellers!
By vick
December 13, 2009 1:25 PM | Link to this
Pearl, are you serious? Like I say, I’m new to eBay so I’m not sure if you are kidding, being sarcastic, or being serious in your comments. By the way, both sellers of stinky books have 100% positive feedback. So that wasn’t much of a warning to me.
By Pearl
December 13, 2009 12:30 PM | Link to this
Well it seems that people commenting on here do not know the new rules on eBay. Buyers can only receive positive feedback, Sellers can no longer give negative feedback. As a Buyer, feedback received means NOTHING. You can have the best or worst feedback and you can still bid and win anything you want. If you wait till the last second to bid (or snipe) Sellers cannot cancel bids either. Always check the Sellers feedback FIRST before buying. If you follow some common sense rules, you should never have a bad experience on eBay.
By vick
December 13, 2009 11:06 AM | Link to this
LMJ, they should have said they were smokers in their listings and I would have thought twice about bidding. On Amazon.com used books that are being sold by smokers are so noted. eBay’s feedback system is flawed. Buyers and sellers want 100% positive ratings and they hold one another hostage to get them. I have not left feedback yet on these transactions. Neither have the sellers. They are obviously waiting to see what I say about them before rating their transactions with me. Dave, I’ll try that. Thanks. DPS Parent, smoking in USPS facilities has been sharply curtailed. My mail carrier doesn’t smoke. My FedEx Ground carrier does and the outsides of the packages will smell but the insides do not. My conclusion: the environment in the eBay seller shipping areas was very smoky. John, do you like having things you buy reeking of tobacco? To each their own. Nick, what kind of weed did it smell like? Something familiar?
By Nick
December 13, 2009 10:26 AM | Link to this
I once bought an item on ebay, and the package came smelling of weed. Really seemed kind of odd for the item.
By John
December 13, 2009 8:10 AM | Link to this
the horror…….the horror……the horror
By DSP Parent
December 12, 2009 11:04 PM | Link to this
Maybe it is a problem with the package handlers. I have no idea how many might smoke, or the rules on smoking in a delivery truck, but if the driver is smoking during their rounds, I would imagine that would be enough to kipper the packages.
By Dave
December 12, 2009 8:56 PM | Link to this
Try putting the book (opened) into a container with some baking soda. Ideally you will have the book “fanned” open. After a day or so, you might want to change the baking soda.
By lmj
December 12, 2009 6:54 PM | Link to this
I had the exact same experience, Vick, except my item was a piece of China which could be washed and the packaging was pitched. Quickly. I wrote the seller who couldn’t explain the smell. I strongly urge you, Vick, to mention the smell in your evaluation of the sale. You might try negotiating for return of the books. When I sold on e-bay, I mentioned “from a non-smoking home.” Doesn’t mean that everyone is truthful.