Question from Alex
Does anyone here shop ebay? Any tips on how to address sellers?
My very polite inquiries fetch replies that fall into 4 categories:
Very few are honest.
The others are either truthful about no chemical items, or truthful about their houses being smoker’s homes or chemicals-wafting homes
And the 4th category is quite colorful & leaves me puzzled: they either reply flippantly, are rude, make insensitive jokes or tell me that “everything has an odor” &, although they do not use any chemicals in their homes, they cannot guarantee where the (non-toxic, odor-free, natural) product has been!
It’s very frustrating, as an impulsive buyer (don’t judge please) to have to query them first; by the time they reply I’ve often changed my mind & these are things I need.
Debra’s Answer
I’m not sure what your question is.
It seems that all of the ebay sellers you have contacted are responding negatively, which to me indicates they are not the right sellers for you.
All the websites on Debra’s List sell the type of products you are looking for and will answer your questions, I’m sure. I’ve even marked some who are accustomed to the needs of those with MCS.
I think the problem is not how you are addressing them, but you are addressing people who may not even know what you are talking about.
That’s why I created Debra’s List. So you can find businesses that understand and offer nontoxic products.
I had a similar problem with a car purchase on Craigs List..by the time I listed all the EI concerns no one would bother to answer. So I did best if I was able to contact the person by phone.
fyi, i have asked ebay sellers maybe 10 times about scents. i usually wrote the message saying that i have MCS and cannot tolerate scents and chemicals, so i needed to know if the home or store allowed smoking or used any scented products including scented laundry products. in each case i got respectful reply, altho half the time they said they did not know.