Poll: Small eBay question... My eBay item's packaging had cat pee on it...

I posted this in Laser section because the eBay seller has other laser accessories... but it got moved.

First a little background... I am an avid eBayer. I have only been F'd over once, and I got my money back from PayPal. I have also only had 2 or 3 experiences where I was unsatisfied enough not to leave any feedback. I am a little hesitant to leave negative feedback, mainly for retaliatory reasons, I don't want a seller to leave me negative feedback just because I left them negative... Not that I have had many negative auctions. Those are usually the ones I don't leave anything for.

Today I got a motorized first surface mirror from an eBay seller. First problem is that I did a "Buy it Now" on 07/28 with an instant payment, Priority Shipping USPS. Over the next two weeks I sent 3 emails. First questioning if there was a problem, second asking again, firmer, third, referencing the first two and showing a little attitude. Two days later or so, 08/11, I get a reply saying the seller was out of town and my item would be shipped the next day, 08/12, a Saturday.

Today, Friday, 08/18, I got the package. It was in a box, wrapped in an anti static bubble bag, and then wrapped in a strip of bubble wrap. As I cut the packing tape from the last layer of bubble wrap I started to smell ammonia. Right in the middle of the bubble wrap is a sticky yellow smudge/stain... :toilet:

Luckily, I have always lived with multiple cats... My mom bred and showed them when I was born. We had 48 at that time. I have 4 now, so while this is nasty, I was not as disgusted as most would be. Although I am still in a little bit of shock, I KNOW it is cat urine. The two co-workers that were present at the unwrapping agreed whole heartedly. It also doesn't look like this was packed and THEN pee'd on. I am somewhat impressed. That's a well trained cat to **** on command. I've never been able to train a cat at all. It looks like it was wrapped in bubble wrap, pee'd on, put into the antistatic bag, and then but in the box. The box was also wrapped with sooo much USPS packing tape I had to puncture the box and cut my way in...

Hmmm, this has turned into a rant, but I am not sure what to do. The item seems "faintly" tainted, I think a few "drops" got on the power cable. Again, the seller is lucky I have cats. I have a cat get an attitude with me last week and pissed behind my computer desk WHILE I WAS WATCHING HIM. (replace horse with cat...) So, I have "mopped" up cat **** before, or I'd have tracked the sellers phone number down and given them a nice long shouting at. But, what to do... I really want the item, so I do not plan to return it, but...

Contact the seller? DUH!
Make a nice Jeer post here,
Leave negative feedback,
Leave positive with vivid details, maybe even a follow up with more details,
Leave a neutral with a link to this post...
No feedback at all?

This is really bizarre. Is the seller in your link the same guy you bought your item from? If so, he seems to be a responsible guy if you go by his feedback. In the past year, he has only left 1 neg feedback on a buyer, and that buyer gave him a neg also, so who knows what really happened there. He did get a neutral but didn't give that buyer a neutral.

A cat will **** on bubble wrap if it needs to ****, I've seen that happen. However, it's hard to imagine someone not noticing the ****, and packing the item in an anti-stat bag in that condition. What did you say to him in your "email with attitude?"

I think you should post this same question in the eBay Community Feedback Forum and see what those folks have to say. I don't see how jeering the seller at CPF is going to have any effect on anything. Did you try to contact the seller and see what he has to say about this?

Lightmeup said:

This is really bizarre. Is the seller in your link the same guy you bought your item from? If so, he seems to be a responsible guy if you go by his feedback. In the past year, he has only left 1 neg feedback on a buyer, and that buyer gave him a neg also, so who knows what really happened there. He did get a neutral but didn't give that buyer a neutral.

A cat will **** on bubble wrap if it needs to ****, I've seen that happen. However, it's hard to imagine someone not noticing the ****, and packing the item in an anti-stat bag in that condition. What did you say to him in your "email with attitude?"

I think you should post this same question in the eBay Community Feedback Forum and see what those folks have to say. I don't see how jeering the seller at CPF is going to have any effect on anything. Did you try to contact the seller and see what he has to say about this?

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Yes, that's the seller. I was assured by his feedback also.

I also figured a cat could pee on the item's packaging, but I am pretty sure that it would get noticed by the person putting it into the static bag... :huh2:

As for my email w/attitude, it's wasn't too bad, no cursing just a few words in all caps... and a copy of the two previous emails.

That is a good suggestion. I've never posted in the eBay forums before. Although it may have the same affect as a Jeer here, I've been an eBay member for a while and never read anything there either... I just wanted to let the other laser obsessive CPFers here to hear/read...

And, yes, I sent him a "contact the seller" for that item and nicely asked him to explain the "cat urine"... :yuk: I'll post a... summary or my interpretation of what was replied.

allthatwhichis said:

That is a good suggestion. I've never posted in the eBay forums before. Although it may have the same affect as a Jeer here, I've been an eBay member for a while and never read anything there either...

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Posting in the eBay Feedback Forum may be similar to posting a jeer here, but you will likely get a few more suggestions from folks who have a lot more experience in dealing with situations like yours. I'd like to see the seller's response to your question about the urine. If the seller cannot come up with a believeable explanation for this, I would give him a neg.

There's always the chance that you were not the first person to mention something like this to that particular seller.
Cats do strange things for strange reasons. Clearly, you seller has a strange cat.

Be assertive that item was delivered in conditions not like described and that is false advertising. Politely slap him around a bit. I've had this kind of thing happen more than once and granted you haven't given him a positive already, most will give in due to a fear of PayPal/Credit card chargeback claim or negative feedback.

LumenHound said:

There's always the chance that you were not the first person to mention something like this to that particular seller.
Cats do strange things for strange reasons. Clearly, you seller has a strange cat.

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:ironic: I am truly a lover of cats... but... I would find a very creative way to rid myself of a cat that habitually pissed on my inventory or packing materials... The ones that come to mind quickly would get me banned for even hinting at... :lolsign: I would hope all sellers would feel the same. Pissing on the hand that feeds is a statment that comes to mind...

My problem is that the item was packed AFTER the urination but who knows, maybe the seller lost their sense of smell. :huh2:

Thanks for the posts ya'll! I'm still anxious to get home and see if the item works.

Off to the eBay forum...

Let's hear it for outdoor cats!!

How do you know it was cat pee ?

abvidledUK said:

How do you know it was cat pee ?

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He said he was familiar with the smell of cat urine. Why do you ask, would you find certain kinds of urine acceptable, and not others?:huh2:

:eeew:. . :sick2: Don't....wanna....know!

abvidledUK said:

How do you know it was cat pee ?

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ME said:

Luckily, I have always lived with multiple cats... My mom bred and showed them when I was born. We had 48 at that time.

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No exaggeration, we had 48 cats. When I was 6 my parents bought a pet store... and my girlfriend works at a Vet Clinic.

@Lightmeup

:bow:

@LumenHound

You sure? I got the box out of the trash to ake pictures, I will post for you... :lolsign:

I'll pass.

And here I was thinking you'd done some sort of utterly strange Pepsi Challenge.

LumenHound said:

I'll pass.

And here I was thinking you'd done some sort of utterly strange Pepsi Challenge.

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:ewww:

If anyone is interested my eBay thread is here. For shittes and grins, there is a thread called Awfullest Feedback Ever" Contest that is kinda funny. I have only looked at the first page though. Made me laugh a little. Reply one almost wins before the contest starts... :lolsign:

Did you get a reply from the seller yet to your question about the urine? If not, I'd give him a chance to reply to that. Maybe he had someone else pack the item and was not aware of the problem.

No, but I only sent the question earlier tonight. I don't expect one for a day or so, IF I get one...

I suppose that the sorting office could have a tame cat.

You know, to catch mice, rats etc.

abvidledUK said:

I suppose that the sorting office could have a tame cat.

You know, to catch mice, rats etc.

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Maybe this statement was confusing... "It was in a box, wrapped in an anti static bubble bag, and then wrapped in a strip of bubble wrap."

The strip of bubble wrap, that had cat urine on it, was inside of an anti static bag which was inside of the box... The item had to have been wrapped, pissed on, put into the anti static bag and then boxed. Ooor the bubble wrap had to have been pissed on, then the item wrapped, while not getting urine on whoever wrapped it, put into the anti static bag and then boxed. :ironic:

My whole issue will be IF the seller KNEW there was cat urine on the package and still sent it. Which as far as I can see, is the only way it couls have happened. I could smell it before I got it out of the anti static bag. :sick2:

I'm not sure how ya'll do it across the pond, but I don't think animals are allowed at the Post Office. I could be wrong, but if they have cats, that's a talented cat to pee through two layers of packaging without getting in on those layers. I couldn't do, and I'll guess I can aim better...

allthatwhichis said:

My whole issue will be IF the seller KNEW there was cat urine on the package and still sent it. Which as far as I can see, is the only way it couls have happened. I could smell it before I got it out of the anti static bag. :sick2:

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If the owner had cat(s) then perhaps they were so used to the smell, they didn't notice it on the wrap.

Or it was overpowered by the smell of pee in the house anyway.

Yuk !!

Our cat like to **** on heavy duty plastic shopping bags. We've changed over to cloth bags to save the environment and the horror.

This cat here



Butter wouldn't melt on her paws.... but she has a heart of darkness!

Cheers