Smoke Affected/Damaged Models

[Guest JiLo]

I recently bought a couple of wagons described as mint/boxed.  Photo's looked great,  however the previous owner appeared to live in a smokers house - from initial opening the parcel I could smell it.

 

The models are slightly tinged yellow in the white painted parts and the plastic inners of the boxes are disgusting, could wipe with the nicotine off with my finger.  Boxes straight in the bin, and the wagons are destined for a repaint anyway.

 

I've left positive feedback but Im inclined to message the seller to say that it should be mentioned in the description that they come from a smokers environment, my partners breathing is affected when she smells smoke, even stale smoke (which she says is her own issue and doesn't expect the world to change for her)

 

Does anyone agree that smokers should mention this in the auction description?

[Colin_McLeod]

Yes.

 

I don't smoke, but I live with a smoker. While I am used to it at home, when I visit my Mum, also a non smoker, I can smell smoke when I open my overnight bag of clean clothes.  Yes the smell of smoke does get into things and some buyers find this unpleasant.

 

On the other hand all my models have come straight from the postman into my shed before being taken from the parcel. The shed is no smoking so I'm not sure how to handle that in an advert.

 

[Bucoops]

Agree 100% it should be part of the description. I wouldn't be impressed if I bought something and it arrived in that condition.

[Jonboy]

Had items where the packaging alone smelled awful as coming from a smokers house (despite living with one who is only allowed to smoke outside).

 

should be mentioned IMO.

 

 

 

[njee20]

Yep I’ve also bought a few things evidently from smokers’ houses and it’s very unpleasant. Should definitely be mentioned. You see “from pet/smoke free house”, but never the opposite!

[Guest JiLo]

Glad Im not the only one that thinks so!  

 

On the flip side, should we be asking if the model is kept in a smokers environment before we bid?

[Colin_McLeod]

Why not?  

[Matt C]

10 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Yes.

 

I don't smoke, but I live with a smoker. While I am used to it at home, when I visit my Mum, also a non smoker, I can smell smoke when I open my overnight bag of clean clothes.  Yes the smell of smoke does get into things and some buyers find this unpleasant.

 

On the other hand all my models have come straight from the postman into my shed before being taken from the parcel. The shed is no smoking so I'm not sure how to handle that in an advert.

 

 

 

Easy. . . Comes from a smoke free shed ! Which is nothing but the truth 

[PatB]

It may be that it doesn't get mentioned because many (most? All?) smokers don't realise how pervasive it is. I know that, growing up with one parent smoking, and a lot of the other adults around me likewise, I never really noticed it. Later, as a young adult, probably a majority of those I knocked about with smoked, as did I for a while. Again, it was just normality as far as I was concerned. It was really only when I stopped and, at around the same time, started spending less time in the company of smokers, that I came to realise just how pungent tobacco smoke and its residues are. I now spend quite a bit of time mentally apologising retrospectively to all the folk I must have annoyed for several years. 

[Mark Saunders]

Remember when Pub ceilings were prepainted with nicotine brown !

[Enterprisingwestern]

3 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

Remember when Pub ceilings were prepainted with nicotine brown !

 

With polystyrene ceiling tiles, some missing and some hanging down at the corners!

 

Mike.

[Colin_McLeod]

14 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

With polystyrene ceiling tiles, some missing and some hanging down at the corners!

 

Mike.

And the occasional bright white replacement.

[great central]

On 22/09/2019 at 04:09, Mark Saunders said:

Remember when Pub ceilings were prepainted with nicotine brown !

There was a period around the late  90s when one particular pub chain was having their bars done out in a fake 'Irish' style.

This included having the walls and ceiling liberally coated with tinted varnish to look like it was heavily nicotine stained, well that's what it looked like to me.

[Pandora]

If the nicotine contaminated item can withstand being cleaned by washing or soaking it may be restored,  but what can be done to a book?  Books never seem to lose their stench of tobacco and nicotine?

[Simon Lee]

7 minutes ago, Pandora said:

If the nicotine contaminated item can withstand being cleaned by washing or soaking it may be restored,  but what can be done to a book?  Books never seem to lose their stench of tobacco and nicotine?

A work colleague got a collection of books from an old heavy smoker, we found that opening the books up and  laying them outside in the garden on a sunny day did the trick we used a garden umbrella to shade them. 

The pages obviously remained yellowed but the smell went after a few hours.

[boxbrownie]

31 minutes ago, Pandora said:

If the nicotine contaminated item can withstand being cleaned by washing or soaking it may be restored,  but what can be done to a book?  Books never seem to lose their stench of tobacco and nicotine?

I bought a lens once from the dreaded Bay, it was in pristine condition, boxed with all papers.....unfortunately it stank of smoke, really heavily to the extent I could not use it as obviously in use it’s quite close to your face/nose, I tried everything including putting in a bag with rice, then with silica gel, and finally with a paper towel which had been spayed with Febreeze, all that did was make it smell like a heavily smoking cheap prostitute (I assume!)......in the end I part exchanged it in a camera shop, the owner there smoked (obviously) and never said thing.

Edited January 5, 2020 by boxbrownie

[GWR-fan]

Yellowing of plastics is not unusual with age as evidenced by the many old Wrenn white wagons seen on auctions.  Possibly due UV contamination but also could be nicotine staining if the pungent smell of smoke is noticed.

Years ago I purchased a listing on eBay containing about 6-8 new Bachmann wagons.  They arrived in a shoebox.  When I  opened the package the contents reeked of cigarette smoking.  Years later with each opening of the box the smell is just as strong as when first received so long ago.

 

[Colin_McLeod]

Why not put them in a different box?

[Enterprisingwestern]

7 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Why not put them in a different box?

 

I would have thought the smell permeated the cardboard box, not the plastic of the model so much?

 

Mike.

[kevinlms]

7 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

Yellowing of plastics is not unusual with age as evidenced by the many old Wrenn white wagons seen on auctions.  Possibly due UV contamination but also could be nicotine staining if the pungent smell of smoke is noticed.

Years ago I purchased a listing on eBay containing about 6-8 new Bachmann wagons.  They arrived in a shoebox.  When I  opened the package the contents reeked of cigarette smoking.  Years later with each opening of the box the smell is just as strong as when first received so long ago.

 

Take the wheels and couplings off and give them a good wash. Leave to dry in fresh air and out of the sun.

[Pandora]

On the advice of experienced Dublo  owners, I wash   heavily soiled Dublo stock  with Pledge furniture spray polish. do you think the odour of Pledge will help to remove or at least mask the smell of tobacco smoke?   Or is it possible to buy fragranced versions of Pledge or similar products.  My wagons and locos clean up to a nice state of appearance after the Pledge treatment

Edited March 12, 2020 by Pandora

[GeoffAlan]

On 21/09/2019 at 10:42, Guest JiLo said:

I recently bought a couple of wagons described as mint/boxed.  Photo's looked great,  however the previous owner appeared to live in a smokers house - from initial opening the parcel I could smell it.

 

The models are slightly tinged yellow in the white painted parts and the plastic inners of the boxes are disgusting, could wipe with the nicotine off with my finger.  Boxes straight in the bin, and the wagons are destined for a repaint anyway.

 

I've left positive feedback but Im inclined to message the seller to say that it should be mentioned in the description that they come from a smokers environment, my partners breathing is affected when she smells smoke, even stale smoke (which she says is her own issue and doesn't expect the world to change for her)

 

Does anyone agree that smokers should mention this in the auction description?

I couldn't agree more. I am asthmatic and tobacco smoke is one of my main triggers. Prior to the smoking in public places ban we'd given up eating out. So on opening a smelly ebay purchase last week I unpacked and disposed of the  outer package, internal padding and the loco box in the outside bin. The item still smells and is currently in a replacement box awaiting dry and reasonably wind free weather to stand outside and hopefully de-smell.

[meil]

Put them into a box with a Neutradol ball for a week.

[thirty2a]

it's not limited to Ebay, my daughter brought a bedding item for her new baby a few months back from a well known retailer who have large catalogue's of items in the warehouse to choose from, opened it a few weeks later and it too stank of nicotinen !! that was supposedly new!

[boxbrownie]

I had a lens sent to me once, it absolutely stank.....just couldn’t use it at all, disgusting!

 

As to the wagons, take axles out and coupling if metal and put them in the dishwasher on a quick wash.......I used to clean my LGB stuff like that after each year in the garden.