To think that if you're going to sell something second hand, make sure it's clean?

[Reddottys12]

Picked up a swivel bath seat today second hand (£4), it was being sold on a local FB page for selling baby items. When she handed it over at her front door, my immediate thought was that it was absolutely filthy (not just dusty, I mean like black dirt in all the cracks) and not in good shape either. Why oh why did I not just say then that I didn't want it?? Obviously kicking myself and I know it's my own fault for not saying anything - just stupid and too polite for my own good! I got home and threw it straight in the bin. Before you tell me I'm a numpty, I know I shouldn't have taken it but why on earth would anyone sell something so filthy and badly worn (and not mention that in the post)?

Anyone else had this happen to them?

Judging by the state of some peoples' houses, I'm not surprised the stuff they sell is filthy! It's disgusting!

My SIL lives in an absolute filthy tip. She and her DH just don't give a shit. Occasionally I look after my baby nephew and when they drop him off they also bring round all his filthy baby equipment, such as a baby walker with a black mouldy banana still left on the tray, and a highchair with straps thick with mould and filth. Oh and not to mention the bib all covered in tuna from a meal several days ago, which was apparently fine as 'Bibs don't need washing after just one use'

Sometimes SIL lists things on local selling groups and the items just look minging, then she's all confused about why no one ever buys her stuff! I mean, who the fuck would want to buy a jumperoo encrusted with months' old food? And bobbly stained white baby vests that have been washed in a wash with dark denim jeans?

People have low standards.

SiL lives in filth but claims it's not dirty, it's just messy. She's been saying for 6 years that she's going to get a cleaner.

I've been watching a lot of Phil Spencer: Secret Agent lately and people really are filthy. Really, really filthy.

Homepride1 - Did you contact social services? Maybe I'm being over the top, but a kid crawling round on a filthy carpet with fag butts just sounds so horrible.

I brought a bundle of babygros off eBay that were 'from a smoke and pet free home'. When they arrived, I could smell them before I opened the envelope. Horrid stench of old fag ash, cheap washing powder, and dodgy perfume. I reckon she thought by washing and dousing them in fuck knows what scent, smelt a bit like Tommy Girl, that I wouldn't notice she'd been smoking. I washed them myself and hung them outdoors to no avail, so I gave them to the charity shop. I think the smell was just psychologically stuck in my brain at that point. Oh, and she got very angry that I requested a refund and basically acted a completed twat for weeks.

Someone on a Facebook group was selling a highchair the other week with the ad something along the lines of 'great condition, just needs a quick wipe, hence price'. Umm, either you're lying or you are the world's laziest seller!

I swapped some children's clothes with someone at playgroup once. I washed and ironed everything for her before handing over, the ones she gave me were filthy and one dress had dried in baby sick all down the front.

In this day and age, I would not buy anything second hand without seein a few good photos first...

YANBU, I would be mortified to try and sell something that wasn't clean.

I mean how hard is it to give something a wipe with a cloth, or stick it in the washing machine/dishwasher? Even if it looked clean most people would give it a quick clean anyway, if they were selling something or giving it away?

My friend was really into NCT sales, and I went along with her once to try and get some stuff for DD. I think maybe we were a bit late and all the good stuff was gone - everything was faded, threadbare, stained, mouldy, encrusted with dried on food, covered in pet hair... I would have been embarrassed to give it away, let alone try and sell it!

Not quite the same but I was given (I didn't ask for them) lots of baby toys and clothes by a neighbour. They were filthy. They all stank of smoke and just smelt dirty, the plastic toys were coated in a layer of grime and mould and the clothes were all stained/dirty and only fit for the bin. I think she just didn't want to bother taking them to the tip to be honest. I managed to salvage a couple of plastic toys after copious amounts of disinfectant but even after going through a hot wash in the machine anything soft still stank. Gross.

The worst thing was she acted as if she had done me a massive favour..

I think it depends on the price you are asking for something. I wouldn't dream of expecting a good price for something that wasn't clean, but sometimes if you just want the house room and you can't be bothered to spend hours cleaning stuff then it's ok to sell it for next to nothing and the buyer can do all the hard work.

I recently bought a jumperoo off gumtree, the seller mailed me and said to excuse the mess as they were moving.....I went with that and went the next morning to pick it up.
She answered the door and once again said to excuse the mess, I'm really not bothered by mess, my house isn't orderly but it's clean. But when I went inside the place stank of cat piss, there were baby bottles on the floor, curtrains all closed, the carpet was disgusting and I had to dodge so much clutter to get to the jumperoo.
I handed over the money and took it home feeling a bit sick.
Got home and immediately put the fabric seat in the wash and armed with a bottle and wipes of Milton I went to town on it.
I put it together and it smelt of her house still, after a week it got better and my ds can finally use it.
I doubt she was 'moving'. More like embarrassed about her house and couldn't muster up the energy to do something about it so made up a sorry excuse.

But I would like to add that I would make that clear from the beginning. i wouldn't send something off filthy dirty that I had sold on ebay just because it didn't fetch as much money as I'd hoped. That would be rude, and not in the spirit.

Dishwashers are great for this sort of thing - they get in all the cracks that even the most careful wiping can't. If someone doesn't have one, I wouldn't necessarily expect a secondhand seat to look as good as it would after I'd dishwashed it.

But I would expect it to look as clean as it would after I'd wiped it.

I bought a highchair from a selling page as we wanted one with a removable tray so be could pull it up to the dinner table so dd could feel more included eating with us.

Found a perfect one and sent DP to collect it. When DP arrived it looked great. But the seller said something about being glad to get his money back. As DP couldn't see anything wrong with it, he brought it home. It was on,y when I took the cover off to wash it, that I found it was caked in black mould on the back of the seat cover and the plastic of the seat.

It was gross.

After washing it 3 times on a 90 degree wash and soaking it in bleach (to no avail) I messaged the seller and the page admin, but got told that "pound shop mould remover will get it off"

I also bought a baby activity table from gumtree which was described as "in immaculate condition". I paid extra for a courier to deliver it and when it arrived, it had so much filth mashed into it, mould spots on the seat fabric and stank of cigarette smoke, I just cried.

YADNBU - Ugggggh!

People sell things in nasty condition because there is always someone who will pay and be afraid to complain.

Some of these are so gross!

I bought a buggy recently and when I went to fetch it, all the bits had been packed away into bags with sellotape. I was s but bummed cos I wanted to try it out. Turns out when I got home that the front wheel was sticking and some rust was causing the back wheel joint to come off. Cheeky sods! We fixed it with tape and wd40 but was still miffed that they tried to hide it!