A "Woe" Due To Purchasing From Private Seller

Orion

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 27, 2002
Messages
1,726
Location
Missouri
So I purchased the following:
1725120572152.png

I have always liked the Dream Blue color, and apparently is a more rare option for this Olight. The one I purchased was in like new condition and was half the price of new, so I decided to get it.

But, I came to the realization that "saving money" may not necessarily be the best option. When I opened the shipping box, I was hit with a strong odor of "smoker's house". And the light itself had the smell of smoker. VERY annoying. If you're selling things to others, you shouldn't be smoking around the things, or at least, pack it outside your smoker house, and clean it before sending. Oh, also, it came with a cloth Olight carry bag. It's hanging outside right now. Not sure if a washing would get that smell out, or what would.

I managed to clean the Baton 3 and there seems to be no ill effect from the smoker house, but it's a bit of a "buyer beware" situation.
 
Last edited:
Yeah. Unpleasant.

Good to have a rare color Baton 3 Pro Max, though! This one has a nice wide mean for closer up applications. Definitely not for long range, but I figured it would be a close up flashlight.
 
I had the same problem with two knives I bought a couple years ago. And one was one of my favorite knives too
:( I immediately sold them. Nasty.
 
I wiped mine down really well with anti-bacterial wipes. Seems the smell is gone. The bag, most likely, will get thrown away.

That's too bad about that knife you got. I think I'll buy new from now on.
 
When I opened the shipping box, I was hit with a strong odor of "smoker's house". And the light itself had the smell of smoker. VERY annoying. If you're selling things to others, you shouldn't be smoking around the things, or at least, pack it outside ...

Good reminder.

One thing about buying pre-owned "boxed" goods, though, is that the original box is very likely to be a cardboard unit. And it's all but certain to have been stored in the house. Such that even if the product gets the ol' scrub-a-dub-dub treatment, that cardboard will have long since sucked up the scent of the home. Whether dogs or mildew or smoke or whatever. Aside from ditching the original packing materials and buying a one-off new box from USPS (or wherever), it can be hard to get away from that smell.

I've purchased a few pre-owned clothing articles (shirts, mostly), but have yet to experience a "smoker's house" smell or similar. I'm sure that the sellers washed the items prior to packaging, and the packages have all been apparently-new plastic-bag type mailers. So, no smells, even though being textiles.

One of those things to watch for, when investigating a potential buy. Prior use, issues to deal with, cleanliness, "smoker house" and so forth.
 
pnwoutdoors, no box came with this, which I guess is fortunate. And even if it did, it would have been trashed anyway. A shame because I would liked to have had the original Olight box for this light.

Again, I'll buy new from now on.
 
There used to be this website, PKfirearms, and every package from them would smell like it came from a warehouse that'd had a major fire, the smoke smell was so horrible. You'd swear it was a foundry that had a tobacco sampling room inside the warehouse.
 
Life is funny folks pay money to smell that way lol.and it suree ain't good for u
 
If you want to try hand washing the cloth bag, I'd suggest adding baking soda. Though I don't have experience with using it to get rid of tobacco smoke stink, I have had good results with other kinds of stink.

Good luck.
 
I suppose you could ask the seller if it's a smoke-free home or not moving forward?
Doubt the seller did it intentionally... Keep in mind that somebody who smokes probably doesn't notice the smell or realize that it clings to everything and anything.

Recently I bought a knife off another member.
When I received the knife there was a SUPER powerful and foul odor emanating from it.
It got on my hands even after I placed the knife down and had to wash my hands several times to get it all off.

I got in touch with the seller, and he said before shipping he hit it with a certain type of oil to clean it up a bit.
Apparently it's legit, he gave me the name of the stuff he used and a quick google search found a ton of people also complaining about the scent of the product.

What's funny is, when I spoke to the seller - He stated to me that he's quite fond of the odor and actually enjoys it!

He really a great guy, very nice and offered to take the knife back.

I took him up on that offer and shipped it back. -- He sent me my refund right after the conversation before I had a chance to pack and ship it out. -- He's stellar, and "mistakes" do happen. -- I didn't feel the need to make a big to-do about it, because he made it right in the end. (Even though I lost return postage, he lost postage as well).

I think after close to 2 decades of dealing with individuals online and buying/selling/trading.... I've kind of realized it's a mixed bag. You aren't paying MSRP on the product for a reason. Anyway, I'm glad you were able to get the stench out! -- If it was me, I would have asked for a refund and returned it to the seller.
 
Lights and Guns, maybe similar to G96? I used that on my guns and actually kind of like the smell.

Anyway, the guy I got this light from stated that he doesn't take returns.
 
I suppose you could ask the seller if it's a smoke-free home or not moving forward?
Doubt the seller did it intentionally... Keep in mind that somebody who smokes probably doesn't notice the smell or realize that it clings to everything and anything.

Recently I bought a knife off another member.
When I received the knife there was a SUPER powerful and foul odor emanating from it.
It got on my hands even after I placed the knife down and had to wash my hands several times to get it all off.

I got in touch with the seller, and he said before shipping he hit it with a certain type of oil to clean it up a bit.
Apparently it's legit, he gave me the name of the stuff he used and a quick google search found a ton of people also complaining about the scent of the product.

What's funny is, when I spoke to the seller - He stated to me that he's quite fond of the odor and actually enjoys it!

He really a great guy, very nice and offered to take the knife back.

I took him up on that offer and shipped it back. -- He sent me my refund right after the conversation before I had a chance to pack and ship it out. -- He's stellar, and "mistakes" do happen. -- I didn't feel the need to make a big to-do about it, because he made it right in the end. (Even though I lost return postage, he lost postage as well).

I think after close to 2 decades of dealing with individuals online and buying/selling/trading.... I've kind of realized it's a mixed bag. You aren't paying MSRP on the product for a reason. Anyway, I'm glad you were able to get the stench out! -- If it was me, I would have asked for a refund and returned it to the seller.
Was it Ballistol?

That stuff smells fantastic, and some people swear it smells awful, haha.
 

Latest posts

Top