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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Second hand Lego with shit in it. Literally. WWYD?

139 replies

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 15:19

We bought a huge box of Lego for DS for Christmas a few months ago on eBay. Had a quick look inside at the time and it seemed fine.

I got it out today to wrap it and noticed that the blocks were a bit grimy, so filled the bath with hot water plus a lot of bleach and spent a good long while stirring it round, then took it out and left it on a clean duvet cover to dry.

While sifting through it I found quite a lot of detritus - fluff, sweet wrappers, chewing gum, a dead battery, a drawing pin Hmm... By this point I was less happy but thought at least I'd sorted out all of the nasty stuff.

Then I found two small 'nuggets' of what was unmistakably shit. I know, unfortunately, because I smelled it. Either human or cat/dog is my guess.

So now I'm just fucking disgusted. It's been dripping all over the carpet upstairs and touched god knows what else. I've been sorting through it with my bare hands all day. DH thinks it will be fine if we give it all a good clean again, but I feel sick at the thought of DS playing with it. I want to at least contact the fucking animal that sold it to us and try to give it back to her, and get our money back.

In this situation, would anyone consider keeping it? I am just not looking forward to giving it to DS now. Feel horrible.

OP posts:
Mrsfrumble · 21/12/2015 16:53

Just read that back and realized that sounded a bit arsey. Sorry!

I'm sure it's to do with finding the poo in an unexpected place that's upsetting you OP. If you were a nurse working in A&E or Geriatrics it would be different.

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 21/12/2015 16:55

a tad over reactive I think if it was just a couple of little pieces not a full on diarrhea fest over the whole lot or several huge turds embedded in the holes. once its washed, and yes either in dishwasher or washing machine, with some disinfectant it will be fine, it probably already is, but it will make you feel better. This is just a reaction at having found it and smelt it. bit of poo won't kill anyone unless the seller has the plague or typhoid or something. If you really are that bothered then ask for a return / refund and say why, the seller then gets nice clean lego to sell on and you feel better.

Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 16:58

Mrsfrumble Don't worry Grin I think this incident has established that I should avoid jobs where there's a chance that shit might crop up, though. It's an eternal mystery to me why they aren't among the highest paid ones going.

OP posts:
Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 17:00

Thanks to all the people going 'Pfft. Get a grip.' It's genuinely helping me to calm down a bit. This is one of those rare threads where I do want to be told IABU.

OP posts:
HermioneWeasley · 21/12/2015 17:01

Bleurgh. I would contact the seller and leave stinging negative feedback if they don't refund.

bimbobaggins · 21/12/2015 17:02

Awe jesus not exactly cheap that you can justify chucking it then.thats good that Dh is going to help you clean it. Just bought something second hand from amazon and the item is in very poor condition and described as "like new".

Mrsfrumble · 21/12/2015 17:06

Well, sounds as if your DH is dealing with it. Just make sure your DS has plenty of separator tools to hand so he's never tempted to use his teeth!

Let the seller know though. If they do have an errant pet going round shitting in their boxed possessions they'll probably appreciate the info.

TartanBirdFeeder · 21/12/2015 17:08

Email the seller and then bin it.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 21/12/2015 17:09

I wouldn't bin but I would leave some very stern feedback.

IAmAPaleontologist · 21/12/2015 17:11

Not nice. I must admit though that if I were ever to sell our Lego then it could end up with shit in it. Sorry. Random crap does get in to Lego boxes, unless you sort every piece by hand then there will be fluff and random bits from other toys and the like, there just will. And if you are selling as a job lot rather than a specific set then you won't have sorted by hand, you'll have just shuffled the box around and picked out anything obvious.

As for the shit, well ds1 has a history of continence issues and occasionally I still find crumbs of poo of his floor, usually from where he has soiled and then hidden the evidence. Often he's shoved it under his bed. The Lego doesn't live under his bed but if it did..........

IAmAPaleontologist · 21/12/2015 17:12

Though of course I am aware of these issues and therefore unlikely to sell it unchecked!

hefzi · 21/12/2015 17:19

I really don't think you need to bin a double duvet load of lego over a couple of pieces of dried out poo that you can't even identify as human or animal: honestly - it's already been bleached, just do as PP have said and stick in a pillow case on a hot wash. If there were little dried poo nuggets, it's really, really unlikely that this was an intensively shit-smeared lot - someone probably had it in the loft or the shed, and random poo's dropped in.

Yes, it's not that nice, but it's also not the end of the world - apart from the fact the diseases you can catch from dried out poo (as opposed to fresh) really are very minimal (and you said you bought it a while ago now) it's been sterilised to within an inch of its life by your and the DH. It's fine, it's not dangerous, it's not toxic - it's a cheap mega-lot of lego that your DC will be totally delighted with come Christmas Day.

I do think you're BU - but I mean this in the nicest of ways: it's plastic, at the end of the day, and can be sanitised. It's grim that you found it, but it's honestly not the end of the world.

SatsukiKusakabe · 21/12/2015 17:19

Whenever I look on ebay, I never really see much that seems a real bargain compared to what you'd pay new. Everything seems overinflated for secondhand whenever I look, I've sometimes seen things more expensive with postage than new. But that's by the by, sorry.

I think bleaching it will be fine and is the rational thing to do, but have to be honest, my initial instinct would be the same as yours, I don't feel like I could give it as a big Christmas present. Maybe as an additional windfall in the summer when it's had time to air and the memories fade...My inlaws brought over some toys for my six month old directly from a charity shop. It had lumps of indeterminate 'stuff' on it, perhaps food, plus yellowed cigarette stains. It was in his hands and mouth before I knew about it. The idea still makes me shudder, so maybe I'm still rather squeamish.

I don't know how anyone could suggest the dishwasher and colander though, it's creating a problem worse than the original one since you use those things for stuff you eat, and eat with. Unless you really like bleaching things. It'd be a weird day that I knowingly rinsed shit in a colander, though, that's for sure.

Charlesroi · 21/12/2015 17:40

The world is full of nasty germs that we don't see and we can't control. It's crap if you have a problem with that, but it's the truth.
Chuck Lego in washing machine (in a pillow case) a couple of times and it will be cleaner than when it came out of the factory. If you wash all the dirt off the germs won't have anything to feed on and so they will be dead. Please don't worry.

DisappointedOne · 21/12/2015 17:40

On eBay it tends to be sold by weight. I got the equivalent of 2 black bags of Lego from a lady for £10 on a local FB selling site.

Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 19:26

Thanks all. Haven't quite finished freaking out, but the spaces between freak-outs are getting bigger.

I think my defences were a bit low today because we also had a backed up drain resulting in sewage coming up in the back garden. So I've been twitchily watching the water board people walking through the house all morning and tracking god knows what in.

Plus DH has just informed me that DS accidentally wiped a bit of shit on the bath mat (his own, this time).

Thank god today's over, and I hope tomorrow will bring no more than the usual quantity of shit. DH and I are having Wine tonight.

OP posts:
FlowersAndShit · 21/12/2015 19:32

That's what you get for being cheap, OP Wink

penguinsarecool · 21/12/2015 19:50

That is dusgusting. I'd ditch it to be honest and get a refund. I don't know how some people have the cheek to sell something in that condition fully aware that another child will be the recipicant of it.

MascaraAndConverse89 · 21/12/2015 19:51

Chuck it. That is disgusting.

Definitely give a bad review on eBay. For sending shit (literally). That way she's less likely to make any more money through eBay.

Are you able to buy some new Lego now so close to Christmas?

Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 19:53

Flowers Grin not quite as bad as the Nando's frog, I suppose.

OP posts:
Coldand · 21/12/2015 19:55

Bin it.

Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 21/12/2015 19:56

Sorry, frog

I suspect we're going to stick with it, having cleaned it to within an inch of its life. Not massively happy, but hoping I'm a bit more chilled out about it in the morning.

OP posts:
brummiesue · 21/12/2015 19:58

I cant believe you are actually considering keeping it to be honest Hmm

We3KingyOfOblomovAre · 21/12/2015 19:58

Blimey that is gross!!

BaronessEllaSaturday · 21/12/2015 20:05

It'll be fine once it is thoroughly cleaned, not an easy or good job but worth it for that much lego.