Smoke smelled pins

When you are trading/selling your pins, do you tell your potential trader/buyer that they are from a smoke-filled environment?

I've noticed that I've been getting pins that have a smoky smell (from ebay) and are represented to me to be in new/like new condition (just missing the card). Obviously, I should be asking whether they smell of smoke and it is easy to remove the smell (put it in baking soda to soak for a few days).

But I wonder what your thoughts are?

HI LI
I wrap mine in a dryer sheet and sit by a window or register vent when the heat goes on ..just not to close to the heater
I would hate that if it happened to me!

I am a nonsmoker, and I'm very senstive to stale cigarette smoke. There are a few folks I have traded w who's packages really smell of stale smoke. I notice it most on the bubble mailers , on the wrap, and on the backing cards...for some reason I don't detect much on the pins themselves. On a side note, I teach at a university, and if ONE student has smoked while preparing his/her theme paper, it makes the whole stack of student papers smell smoky! I know it's a tough habit to break, but it really can be annoying in this regard.

Judy - I'm all out of dryer sheets (we don't typically use them and only buy them when the price is too good to pass up). But, I will try that too.

Suzanne - I've noticed all the packaging smells too. The inside of the bubble envelope; the bubble wrap they use; and the pin itself (maybe the rubber mickey back more so, but I can smell it on the pin too!).

I just got the Mulan Princess Premiere Birthstone pin - pink - and it smells of smoke. Bought off ebay too. I'm going to let the seller know and probably reflect it in his/her feedback

That is too weird. I'm totally going to start smelling my pins now. I've wondered why so many sellers on eBay state that it is from a smoke-free home. I guess it makes sense.

I never had that happen to me or maybe I never noticed it. I wonder if Febreeze would work w/o damaging the pins??

Really? the medal pins smell of cig smoke. huh. sometimes my dog lays on mine--i guess my pins are NOT from a pet free home. LOL

You know I am a smoker, BUT I only smoke outside and always wash my hands before I package my pins. I have never had any complaint of my pins or packages smelling like smoke. Perhaps these "smokers" smoke in the house....if they do they need to state that they do. It's only fair to the buyer.



This has been, "My 2 Cents" by Laramie lol

I don't typically go and smell the pins I bought but as soon as I cut open the bubble envelope, I smelled smoke and was like, huh? :rant:

So, I then went to smell the bubble wrap - yup, smoky and then took the pin off the bubble wrap and, yup, smoky too. I stuck it in a cup of baking soda. This is probably the 3rd or 4th pin that smelled of smoke that I've gotten and all of them, I've cut open the envelope and immediately smelled smoke - so now I can't reuse the envelope...hmm, unless I put baking soda in the envelope to get the smell out? :eek2:

Laramie - nope, didn't know you smoked.

I stopped smoking after I was hospitalized for pneumonia . I had stopped many times for years at a time and then for whatever foolish reason picked up again . Well, when the pneumonia was breaking and I saw what I was bringing up, that was it, I swore I'd never smoke again . It's been 6 months already and it makes me sick whenever I smell someone smoking . I feel terrible for my 2 -3 year old students . I open their lunch box of some and almost throw up from the smell . I don't know if it's because I was terribly sick, but I'm super sensitive now . It burns my nose . My son smokes outside and when he walks in ... WoW, sometimes it's like I'm inhaling it . I tell him all the time that he stinks . I apologize explaining that it's the smoke and not him . I can't believe I smelled like that . Gross !!!

I try VERY hard not to bring the smell in with me. I have a smoking jacket that I wear, I wash my hands, and I NEVER smoke inside. I would want someone to let me know if something I sent them smelled like smoke. But even when I sold clothes on ebay I washed them before i sent them out and made sure that they did not smell of anything. So I guess the best thing to do is ask if they are an inside smoker. But then again, I only smoke about half a pack a day, so a heavier smoker might still bring the smell in.

I understand the walking in part. That's why I am so careful about it......it's funny to watch me smoke because if the smoke is coming towards me I move up wind of it.....I look like im dancing on a windy day......lol, I want to quit....I am so scared of the side affects from taking Chantex.....

I bought a pin bag on eBay and it smelled of smoke. Finally got the smell out by placing dryer sheets and scent bags between every page. It seriously took about a week to get the smoke smell cleared.

I've had that happen to me, too. It does kinda put a bad taste in your mouth, literally, but what are you gonna do? The worst one that I had was, quite awhile ago, I bought a cute hand puppet on eBay, and when we opened it up, man oh man. It's one thing to get the smoke smell off of pins, but hand puppets and fluffies are worse - I put it in one of those drier dry cleaning bags with the freshener and left it in the dryer for an hour - and it was fine.

Must be some really heavy smokers for that smell to cake on. Luckily I have not had that problem because I would be pretty grossed out

BUY cheap dryer sheets from an Aldis or dollar store!try to find the clean cotton ones or something in that range
Frebreeze works on pinbags the best..I always use it..even if it does not smell like smoke
if I have my extra bags stored away..I use frebreeze to freshen them up!And frebreeze is great on lanyards too
spray it on and hang to dry...

Just goes to show you just how concentrating cig. smoke can be! I feel like an alien sometimes observing humans and how they can light up and inhale smoke into their lungs! If Walt hadn't of smoked, we would've had him around a lot longer! I can't STAND cig. smoke! I can't wait until West Hollywood makes it against the law to smoke in apt bldgs. Ok, off my soapbox now.

If they don't state it in their listing, I ask if the pin is from a smoke-free home. I hate that smell and have never even tired smoking. My cats don't smoke either, but they sure do shed. I always send along a little cat hair with my pins Sure hope no one is allergic. I try to be careful, but I have very helpful cats.

I had a smoking robe, a thick fluffy one, too and would run to the sink to wash my hands as my husband is a non smoker . He would tell me it didn't matter , it was in my hand , my face , my breath . He would say phew, you stink ! :lol: I ony smoked about a half of a pack too except when I was stressed, then I could smoke a pack .

I was going to buy that mulan pin haha I once bought a lot of pins that the package and the pins inside absolutely stunk of smoke. I was pretty angry about this considering that no one in my family smokes and that smell is just terrible! I think that people on ebay should state if they smoke, especially if there house smells of it, its a really bad habit and i don't want that smell in my house.

jlynn6 said:

I was going to buy that mulan pin haha I once bought a lot of pins that the package and the pins inside absolutely stunk of smoke. I was pretty angry about this considering that no one in my family smokes and that smell is just terrible! I think that people on ebay should state if they smoke, especially if there house smells of it, its a really bad habit and i don't want that smell in my house.

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LOL. I just went with the BIN since it was only a few dollars more than the opening bid. I stuck it in baking soda, in a plastic/disposable cup, in the garage, so it should be good in a few days. Yes, I would think they would say that they smoke, but ah well.

The smoke smell that lingers on packages, pins, and bags comes from microscopic particles. If you just wipe down the pins with something that has a bit of moisture the smell should go away since the pin is metal and non-porous.
I received a pin bag once that smelled horribly of smoke. I hand washed it and hung it dry. It smelled really nice afterwards. Not even a hint of smoke. The only way to really get the smoke smell out of cloth is to wash it. You have to get the smoke particles out rather than just covering them up.

Hmm, good idea. After the soak in the baking soda, I will make sure to wipe it down with a wet cloth. Thanks!

I just have to giggle at you Margaret, very helpful cats, classic! Any time I open my pin bag penny gets in it for a short nap before I shoo her off, she is my fuzzy assistant when packaging pins.

I got a pin bag that smelled of smoke, I used fabreeze then some pretty perfume.

ok I have a confession, i smoke, yes i know i shouldnt and i do know better and have tried to quit numerous times, and my body has decided to be allergic to the one thing that did work for me, the patches, its someting in the adhesive that leave welts in the shape of the patch that itch and take a week to go away. cant take chantrix either. I dont allways smell the smell of stale smoke like some people do either. and yes weird as it may be I cant stand 2nd hand smoke ,I have to have the windows open when i do smoke. But when i sell on ebay I do not put a public announcement for all to see that i do smoke! (i mean really?) if people are "that" sensitive to the smell, ask the seller/trader if they do smoke or if the pins have been exposed to 2nd hand smoke. pls dont assume that if there is no statement saying from a smoke free home on a listing that it is from one. we all know what ASSUME means and what the saying is. If i am made aware of a persons intolerance of the smell I can take steps to help with that including using thw fabric wipes, frebreeze, washing a pin......ECT. if i dont know, i dont know. what alot of people dont know is that the nicotine is MORE addictive than Heroin is. plus the mental end of it is hard as well just like being an alcoholic. dont get me wrong please, I do wish i had the willpower to just stop, but stress makes it that much harder to stop and stay off smoking as well and with everything that i have just been thru i would rather have my sanity and the bad habit than going off the deepend so to speak.
just add into your communication with the seller/ trader.

off my soapbox with my 0.01cents