"What an incredible new smell you've discovered..."

[SpaceCrawler]

Hell yes I would say something to him. You as a buyer should be protected and you got something which is not what the seller said it was. I would definitely say something, maybe you can get a a percentage of you money back.

I agree. I bought some vintage GI Joe items on eBay once. When I got them they smelled like they were soaked in gasoline and cigarettes for a decade. Seriously. They still stink, and I can't use them. And it was one year ago that I got them! I washed them repeatedly, no luck.

I disputed it on eBay but eBay refused it for some reason. I guess they don't consider smell, which you cannot remove, as damage, even though items were listed as "mint". But I would try to dispute it- people like this need to get it through their heads that they can't hide damage like this to their items.

As for a fix, I would wash the cloth parts and windex off the plastic parts. You can wash stuff by hand in cold water with mild detergent, and that hopefully will remove it without any color loss or damage to the fabric (though I'm not sure what type of fabric the Medicom's use).

If not, and you've been cursed with items like I got last year, then you're out of luck. And you're stuck with the monetary loss because you can't resell it without revealing that damage.

Sean

 

[The Craw]

plastics usually absorb odors and they can't be removed. cloth can air out though. so i'd say those vintage joe's will never recover. that sucks man.

 

[wookieone]

:emperor

I agree. I bought some vintage GI Joe items on eBay once. When I got them they smelled like they were soaked in gasoline and cigarettes for a decade. Seriously. They still stink, and I can't use them. And it was one year ago that I got them! I washed them repeatedly, no luck.

I disputed it on eBay but eBay refused it for some reason. I guess they don't consider smell, which you cannot remove, as damage, even though items were listed as "mint". But I would try to dispute it- people like this need to get it through their heads that they can't hide damage like this to their items.

As for a fix, I would wash the cloth parts and windex off the plastic parts. You can wash stuff by hand in cold water with mild detergent, and that hopefully will remove it without any color loss or damage to the fabric (though I'm not sure what type of fabric the Medicom's use).

If not, and you've been cursed with items like I got last year, then you're out of luck. And you're stuck with the monetary loss because you can't resell it without revealing that damage.

Sean

I won a Lone Ranger and Tonto on e-bay about 6 yrs ago Tonto had all his original clothing and guns but when I got him he smelled terrible of smoke so I washed the clothing in mild detergent and let it air dry and it took the smell out , this was nearly a 30 year old item but it worked.

 

[thenammagazine]

So my Medicom Darth Vader arrived today, bought from eBay. Seller described as being "As new" and that it had been displayed in a glass cabinet for two years.

And it's in great condition. Except that it absolutely REEKS of fried food, smoke, and a hint of musty, damp garage.

Apart from ripping into the seller, is there anything I can do to deodorize him? Any well known techniques amongst collectors?

Eeeew!

Smell might actually be in the actual plastic. If I were you I'd send it back for a refund. However, if you must keep it, don't use the baking soda trick. All that'll do is give you stinky baking soda. Take a shoe box, put him in one end, get a washcloth, soak it in Listerine, fold it and stick it at the other end. Close it up and wait a day or so. He'll smell minty fresh, but that's probably better than how he smells now.

 

[DSD]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I'll let him know I'm not happy about it, but more with a view to asking him to ensure he mentions this sort of thing in his future auctions. The money's not the issue.

Edit - Sent this message:

I received the Vader figure today. It was really well packed and looks great.

However, I must admit that I'm not entirely happy. I know you said it was displayed in a glass cabinet, but the figure has somehow picked up a very strong smell indeed of cooked food and cigarettes. It's hard to tell exactly what the smell is, but that's what it seems like to me, and it's very strong indeed.

I'm trying to air it out a bit, and it's not a massive issue because the figure still looks great. But I feel you should have mentioned this in your description, rather than claiming the figure is "as new". This is something you should check on before you list items like this in future.

Also, you went a bit over the top with the "fragile" stickers. When I removed the figure they left a lot of sticker glue behind. Again, not a big deal for me as I don't really care about the packaging, but some collectors really, really do. Again, I would avoid this in future.

Kind regards

 

[Valfar]

People who smoke in their house are f'ing disgusting.I can't believe the seller would not mention that it sat in a place like that.Why even collect if all your stuff ends up smelling like ass.I don't understand these f'kers at all.

 

[Silent December]

Here's a trick I used and I found that it worked for me. Take an empty box, carpet the bottom of the box with dryer sheets (whichever smell you like) put the figure in upright with a stand. Now close or cover the box and let it sit there for a day or two. Should do the trick. Good luck

 

[DSD]

Ah, you mean those little white sheets you put in the tumble dryer? I think we've got some of those. Seems like a harmless enough thing to attempt - thanks for the suggestion!

 

[DSD]

Not a brilliant reply from the seller:

the figure is too look at not smell,no one smokes in my house the cabinet is not near to any cooking,i did not notice any smell,i do apologise for this and hope the smell goes away and does not spoil your enjoyment of the figure.the sticky residue can easily be removed with a bit of white spirit or paint thinners on a cloth.I am puzzled with regards the smell i have just been to the cabinet and taken my other Vader out which was stood next to the one you have and smelled it the only thing i can smell is a sort of plastic smell which is normal for a figure made of plastic.

 

[Silent December]

Ah, you mean those little white sheets you put in the tumble dryer? I think we've got some of those. Seems like a harmless enough thing to attempt - thanks for the suggestion!

Yup, those are the ones, the ones you throw in the dryer with your clothes. be liberal with the amount of sheets you use 5-6 depending on the box should be ok then repeat as necessary.

 

[thenammagazine]

Not a brilliant reply from the seller:

the figure is too look at not smell,no one smokes in my house the cabinet is not near to any cooking,i did not notice any smell,i do apologise for this and hope the smell goes away and does not spoil your enjoyment of the figure.the sticky residue can easily be removed with a bit of white spirit or paint thinners on a cloth.I am puzzled with regards the smell i have just been to the cabinet and taken my other Vader out which was stood next to the one you have and smelled it the only thing i can smell is a sort of plastic smell which is normal for a figure made of plastic.

Definitely sounds like he's being a weenie about it. He lives in that so he might not only be used to the smell, but walk around smelling like it.

Additionally, you should remind him that it's an "ACTION FIGURE" and they're meant to be played with. Statues are meant to be looked at.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Not a brilliant reply from the seller:

the figure is too look at not smell,no one smokes in my house the cabinet is not near to any cooking,i did not notice any smell,i do apologise for this and hope the smell goes away and does not spoil your enjoyment of the figure.the sticky residue can easily be removed with a bit of white spirit or paint thinners on a cloth.I am puzzled with regards the smell i have just been to the cabinet and taken my other Vader out which was stood next to the one you have and smelled it the only thing i can smell is a sort of plastic smell which is normal for a figure made of plastic.

What a douche, I'd say send it back.

 

[the dude person]

I say walk your dog. Then when the dog has finished his business, take the leavings and put them in a box, then put vader in, too. Leave him in there, then come back 2 days later and take him out, then ship him back and see how he likes it!

 

[thenammagazine]

I say walk your dog. Then when the dog has finished his business, take the leavings and put them in a box, then put vader in, too. Leave him in there, then come back 2 days later and take him out, then ship him back and see how he likes it!

So then he get's to keep a poopoo'd figure he can always resell AND your money. Sound advice.

 

[the dude person]

So then he get's to keep a poopoo'd figure he can always resell AND your money. Sound advice.

But then maybe he'll put it back in his glass cabinet with the rest of his figures, and if it's in there long enough, it may transfer a horrible smell (that would probably be noticeable to him as his usual stench is fried food-ish) to all his figures/ other collectibles.

If he doesn't give you a refund this may not be the way to go...

(nam I'm sure you know I was mostly joking.... mostly.)

 

[thenammagazine]

But then maybe he'll put it back in his glass cabinet with the rest of his figures, and if it's in there long enough, it may transfer a horrible smell (that would probably be noticeable to him as his usual stench is fried food-ish) to all his figures/ other collectibles.

If he doesn't give you a refund this may not be the way to go...

(nam I'm sure you know I was mostly joking.... mostly.)

I know you were kidding bud....mostly. Being a seller on the Bay since early on, there's this nice little clause that protects the buyer from getting things back not in the condition shipped.

 

[Brinn 71]

DON'T USE FABREEZE!! It may stain it! What I do, is leave it outside out of direct sunlight. A few hours and the smell will be gone. If you can't do that cause of weather, just put it next to an open window out of direct sunlight or just put a box of opened baking soda next to it. The smell will be gone soon.

 

[the dude person]

DON'T USE FABREEZE!! It may stain it! What I do, is leave it outside out of direct sunlight. A few hours and the smell will be gone. If you can't do that cause of weather, just put it next to an open window out of direct sunlight or just put a box of opened baking soda next to it. The smell will be gone soon.

Yeah, cuz then you'll have a figure that smells like flowers and cat piss! (seriously, febreeze does not eliminate cat piss odor, I know from experience! Stupid cat... IDK about fried food and cigarettes)

Wait, where did he ship from? If it was Asia.... well I've known some Asian people that smell like chinese food before... not being racist, maybe he really is accustomed to the smell that has been described...

And yeah I have a feeling that Medicom's plastic will yellow in the sunlight... just a feeling... seems similar to other yellowing plastics somehow... I wonder if black plastic of the same type would get yellow-ish black? IDK what I'm talking about, so I will now proceed to shut up.

 

[galactiboy]

I would imagine you are out of luck with regaining money... but I have also heard that dryer sheets can help.

I got a figure from a customizer on the boards that smelled very strongly of cigarettes when I got it. But I just let it air out and after about a week it was fine and now just smells like plastic and the other bits it was made from.

 

[Eli26]

As one person suggested... time kills all smells. I aired out my last game worn hockey jersey I purchased. Took a good few weeks, but the smell is pretty much gone.