People that smoke have no clue how bad they or their house and possessions smell. My parents smoked, they're dead now.
That Other Audiophile Website
I purchased a cd player from a seller on that other audiophile website. When I took it out of the box it reeked of cigarette smoke. I contacted the seller and got nowhere. I contacted that other website. I was told it's the buyers responsibility to investigate the seller before making a purchase. I gave the seller a negative review. My review was removed, and I was banned from making further comments about my experience. Almost a month later I'm still trying to get a refund. PayPal is going to try and help me. Talk about unethical. Anyone have a similar experience?
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Interesting situation and some of the responses. 1. Sometimes things don’t work out the way I would like them. Deals with it. That’s life. 2. The OP’s 2019 experience seems a reasonable concern if the unit had a discernible odor. Cigarette smoke smell is not near mint condition cosmetically. Yes, that refers to its appearance, but a strong odor is in the realm of cosmetics. 3. After the 2019 experience, OP you were forwarned and forearmed for future purchases. This one is on you. 4. Websites generally are useless. Try getting eBay to do anything. The best defense is paying via PayPal for goods and services. PayPal almost always side with the buyer. 5. If the site in question is USAM, they offer a free service. What do you expect. They don’t gouge profits from sellers like AG, eBay and others. 6. Be a responsible buyer and seller, take care of your needs, and the rest takes of itself. Occasionally I have to deal with a bad individual. Stay calm, patient, and realize it’s just a piece of equipment. Goodluck in your future purchases. |
Tominnj You are without doubt psychologically unattuned to conducting business transactions with anybody let alone sellers of used equipment. Used equipment is what it says on the box. Used. Period. You don't seem to function like normal human beings. Go back into your hole and stop bothering us with your nonsense. |
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Here is the feedback the OP gave the seller on AudioMart: Oct 19, 2021 From TominNJ. negative. The Denon cd player has a strong smell of cigarette smoke. My wife confirmed this. UPS said the shipping box must have gone around the world it had so many shipping labels on it. Translation: The Denon was sold 3 or 4 times and returned to Bryan 3 or 4 times. He reused the same box multiple times. - Then we have this: tominnj made this accusation more than once. This is his feedback from a seller in 2019: FeedbackFromNegative Made a low offer on listing which was accepted. Unit listed as near mint for cosmetic and working condition. Buyer complained of cigarette smell after receiving the unit and wanted to return even though unit works and looks like new as listed. I was unaware of the odor or would have noted in the listing. However listed stated no returns and buyer forced the issue through PayPal. Buyers negative feedback indicates smoke damage which is an outright lie as there is no damage whatsoever. Unit could have been easily cleaned to remove odor which buyer was unwilling to do. Unreasonable to expect a used 12+ year old piece of equipment to not need cleaning of some sort. |
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FWIW, I recently discovered a similar problem with THIS site. Some time ago (February 2020), I purchased a pair of Revel speakers on Audiogon from a seller with "100% positive feedback." After my purchase had cleared, the seller informed me he didn't have the speakers in the finish I'd purchased—his partner had sold those—but he had them in white. I did not want white, so I requested a refund. After several weeks, the refund had still not gone through, and a struggle ensued with the seller. Eventually, I received my refund. When it came time to give feedback on the transaction, I simply described this accurately. The seller angrily protested my negative feedback in an inarticulate rant that did not actually dispute the facts. I left the matter there. Last week, I happened to view my profile, and found that the seller's negative feedback for me is still on record, along with his incoherent rant, but that my description of his failure to provide the item I had purchased had been deleted—both from my profile and from his! As this was my only transaction on Audiogon (other than my posts to this forum), the site indicates that I have 100% negative feedback. The seller, on the other hand, again claims 100% positive feedback. Anyone reviewing this "record" will conclude that I'm the bad guy. Caveat emptor. |
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The bottom line is when you buy used gear it's due to the seller wanting to get rid of it, for whatever reason. I hate when the seller claims(multiple paragraphs) how great the product is but is only selling to upgrade(who cares). Best advice buy from a quality dealer preferably a demo unit to avoid any problems. |
Was it the cable that reeked, or was it the packaging? A cable (or a CD player) isn't like upholstered furniture or the inside of a car. I don't see how these things can retain enough persistent tobacco odor that a little wipe-down can't remove. Wouldn't it be just as much trouble, at least, to box the thing up and return it? |
I, as well, once purchased a used cable that arrived, absolutely stinking of cigar smoke....i cleaned it well with alcohol, and let it "air" for several days in my garage....all was well after that.....though I agree "shame on the seller", most smokers have no clue how their habit permeates everything around them |
You put it in the trunk of you car (boot) and take it to the car wash. Take the top off (don't loose the screws) set it and the cover on the ground and power wash it. When you're done, shake the water off and take it home and put it in the oven at 450 over night. When the fire department comes hand them the TOP and tell them you'll dispose of the bottom on garbage day. You get to keep the screws!!! Buy a streamer, TT , a clothespin maybe. Bummer DUDE!! Your lucky it wasn't next to a sanitation plant. :-) |
I purchased a pair of Focal speakers from a seller on the other site. The speakers arrived fine but reeked of some funky floral/soap smell. I wiped down the speakers with multiple passes of distilled water followed by a quick drying. I eventually got rid of the smell. I still have the speakers after two years and continue to enjoy them. I also purchased a pair of Aerial Acoustics on eBay from a seller in Colorado several years ago. They stunk of a strong mildew odor. Not receiving any satisfaction from eBay or the seller, I took the speakers completely apart and wiped everything down inside and out with denatured alcohol. I then left the cabinets completely disassembled for about ten days to air out in my garage. I eventually put them back together and enjoyed the speakers for about five years. I still have them. I might use them in my bedroom with a DAC and streamer. |
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Seems very odd OP. @tominnj made this accusation more than once. This is his feedback from a seller in 2019: FeedbackFromNegative Made a low offer on listing which was accepted. Unit listed as near mint for cosmetic and working condition. Buyer complained of cigarette smell after receiving the unit and wanted to return even though unit works and looks like new as listed. I was unaware of the odor or would have noted in the listing. However listed stated no returns and buyer forced the issue through PayPal. Buyers negative feedback indicates smoke damage which is an outright lie as there is no damage whatsoever. Unit could have been easily cleaned to remove odor which buyer was unwilling to do. Unreasonable to expect a used 12+ year old piece of equipment to not need cleaning of some sort. ---Seller: ak****0 0 0.0%on December 28, 2019 10:54am |
"I gave the seller a negative review. My review was removed, and I was
banned from making further comments about my experience." USAM like this site give the person receiving the neutral or negative feedback the opportunity to appeal the review. Once the feedback is posted you (the reviewer) cannot go back and post additional feedback. |
Simple Green works better than alcohol for cleaning the case. If you use alcohol, don’t use higher than 70% as I’ve had 91% damage plastic and paint in some cases. Never spray anything around your equipment. Don’t forget the transport tray. Once you clean it, sell it. Can you imagine all that tobacco tar on the laser and transport part? Chalk it up to a lesson learned. |
I'm curious about this part of the OP's comments: "I gave the seller a negative review. My review was removed, and I was banned from making further comments about my experience." I've heard of this happening on other websites as well. I suppose if the review was untrue or offensive, then it would be unfair to the seller. But if the review was accurate and honest, then I would say it should stand. I'm thinking of something like this: "While the item arrived in good condition, I was disappointed that it smelled of cigarette smoke." I imagine that the websites don't want negative reviews as that may hurt sales generally. So here are a few questions. First, if we agree that scratches or dents or worn buttons (or something more nebulous like age) should affect the seller's evaluation of the condition, then should smell? I'd sure say so. How much? At least 1/10 points. Second, and frankly this interests me more: if I write a PM to a seller with a question about the condition, would his response be considered part of the terms of the sale? In other words, if a seller offered misleading information *in a private message,* is that grounds for a return/refund? In fact, one could argue that if a buyer asks ANY question about the condition of the item and the seller doesn't mention that it stinks, that's grounds for refund/return. We can't think to ask every question before we purchase. (There was a long thread out here a year or so ago about a cat who pee'd on an amplifier. That's not something I'd think to ask.) |
usam is a perfectly good site for trading used gear, like audiogon, has always (except for one notable exception of a dishonest jerk of a seller) worked for me, over many many purchases and sales it works, as usual, if buyers and sellers know what they are doing, are careful, ask proper questions, do proper follow up, work in good faith people cannot read your mind, so as a buyer you need to be sure to cover the bases for what you care about |
" @Millercarbon that was classless your response. Go peddle some Raven and Moabs. Dill." This is what I meant for the OP to do that MC suggested. " Remove the cover. Wipe it down real good with alcohol, inside and out. The cover, not the electronics, although get as much of that as you safely can. Replace cover." Then add the odor eliminator. I have done this before and it works great. |
I purchased a CD player on this website a number of years ago with the same issue. Seller never stated it came from a smoke free home and I never asked. I learned my lesson. If that is the same as your condition I would suggest getting used to it, cleaning the unit, or sell it stating it came from a smoking environment. Now if it was advertised as being from a smoke free environment that’s a different story. But to suggest other websites are shams because of that incident in my opinion isn’t accurate. Hope it works out for you though. |
The “other site” has nothing to do with this. If he stated it came from a non-smoking environment, or you asked and he said it wasn’t in that environ and it showed up like that, different discussion. Buy the seller, ask every question that is important to you. If there was no actual misrepresentation then you don’t have much of a leg to stand on. It will be interesting to see how PP actually handles this. |
Do what MC said and put one of these on the inside cover. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/plink-3-pack-bin-fresh-odor-eliminators-in-fresh-lemon/5273283?brandId=2968 |
