Expensive vinted mistake

[Mamma272]

I bought a secondhand jacket for £150. It arrived and smells of perfume which I hate! I’ve washed it and it still smells.

I’ve been through this once before - I bought a charity shop jacket and found it reeked when I got home I couldn’t tolerate the smell of it. I tried so many remedies including gallons of white vinegar and even vodka! I also stored with activated charcoal and that didn’t work. I ended up spending more than the cost of the jacket and eventually returned it.

This is by far the most I’ve ever spent on clothes on vinted - I usually buy bundles of baby things that are always clean!

Do I have ground to return it? Give a 1* review? I don’t know if I have the energy to try all the remedies again and as it’s cold it’s going to take longer to dry and limit how often I can have a go.

I'm sorry but I don't understand why you would consider a 1* review for an item because YOU are sensitive to smells. That seems really unfair. If it was horrific BO and they had said it was barely worn I could understand your point, but not in this situation

You have washed it so I would say returning it is not an option. I think you may need to rethink your purchasing strategy going forward as it's quite clearly not for you.

I have only bought once from Vinted - a white stuff dress - described as excellent condition - I was shocked how poor it was - yes it was white stuff - but only fit for the bin - this was my first purchase, and would not buy from Vinted again - should have sent it back really but did not understand the process, I left feedback appropriate for the dress - and I got negative feedback in return.

Sorry about the jacket though.

This. A one star review would be justified if the item was damaged or not as described. You would be incredibly out of order to do that

I'd keep trying to get the smell out. I don't think perfume can possibly last forever, no matter how sensitive you are. Can other people smell it too?

You need more than a supermarket tub sold for baking. You can buy it in large quantities from Amazon. Try hanging it outside in sunlight or enclosing it in a lidded plastic box with plenty of bicarb for a week. Or find someone with an ozone generator - try asking on local Facebook groups if anyone has one you can borrow. DP has an ozone generator to remove the smell of tobacco smoke from things he buys at auction or privately. Hotels use them when guests have smoked in non-smoking rooms. Try hanging it outside in sunlight or enclosing it in a lidded plastic box with plenty of bicarb.

It was really silly of you to buy a second hand coat from vinted, sight unseen (or smell unsmelled!) for that much money. It's an expensive lesson and hopefully a mistake you won't repeat. The smell will fade over time.

Dr. Beckmann Odour Remover | for fresh odour-free clothes | 500 ml | Removes ingrained odours from fabrics in-wash. Prevents new odours forming. Suitable for sportswear and delicates : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care https://share.google/vV1KXIDDwpLSjPL8B

This 👆🏻works miracles

Well yes, I’ve bought dozens of kids clothes and toys and I’ve always been happy. I’ve only bought for myself once and that was fine. But yes it’s not for me. I’ve been looking for this item for a year now and I thought it was a good buy but I won’t risk so much on vinted again.

Add oxy wash and then use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner

See if you can find out how they managed to fix the smell permanently into the clothing.

You could make a fortune if you patent the idea and sell it to, say, car manufacturers, so they can make a 'new car smell' last forever.

Same as with people like Lenor, so instead of the freshly washed smell lasting up to 12 weeks, it will last forever.

I'm sure there are other situations where you can cash in.

Yes. I left it in the corner of a room and then I put it in the washing machine. When I came back the smell of it was still there.

I’m not especially sensitive to smells and I wore a lot of perfume when I was younger! Then I stopped and I just don’t like it wear it on myself, especially other people’s perfume. I’m fine with it on other people.

Have you marked it as okay on vinted? If not definitely complain and see if you can return it. If you have there’s probably not much you can do sorry

@Mamma272 may be of no use to you if you're hoping to wear sooner rather than later, but I'm just sharing my sympathy. I bought a coat off vinted a year or two back that came with a big scent that I somehow didn't notice at the time. I think it was marijuana but I don't know. I hung it outside when I could, and I did wear it from time to time, and hung it indoors near open wondows a lot. I think I also spot cleaned it by hand as it's part wool, part cotton, etc. and I have homemade lavendar sachets that I would stuff the coat with when not in use. It took time and a lot of thought, but the smell did go. Like you, I love the ethos of buying secondhand, and while I wouldn't knowingly purchase something in that state, I'm happy to put some effort in.

Resell it? If it's not too late you could ask the seller if you can return, doesn't hurt to ask politely.
Can you cover it in bicarb/water paste for a while. Just washing at a low temp doesn't do much.

That would be very unfair to the seller. OP has washed it. If she asked to return it certainly couldn't be for a full refund. If I were the seller I would refuse the return.

I buy and sell on vinted, last week someone complained a jumper was more bobbled than expected and I let them return it as long as they paid postage (it was only a £5 item). I think that’s fair to us both!

🙄🙄🙄

There's nothing wrong with polyester at all! It's the best material for some types of coat. It dries much more quickly than natural fibres. £150 is a good price if they are £300 new and it sounds like it was in generally good condition. Smelling of perfume is unfortunate if you're sensitive but it's not like it turned up smelling of fag ash or wet dogs or stale chip fat.

I wish Vinted sellers would stop whatever it is they are doing to make clothes reek like toilet cleaner. It’s disgusting and makes me heave. I would try the bicarb idea OP, I hope it works.

I had a similar experience with a Vinted purchase. It was a brand new with tags jumper that I bought for DS birthday. When it arrived it smelt as though half a bottle of aftershave had been poured on it.
I know I'm very sensitive to smells compared to many people, but this was ridiculous. Even DH (who is very tolerant of smells) commented how excessive and pungent it was. The packaging had to go straight inthe outside bin.

In the end I had to hang it outside 24/7 for days (in February), even when it rained, and eventually the smell finally mostly went. I then put it on a cool wash, let it fully dry, then another cool wash and finally it was ok.

There are several other items I've had to do the same with but that was by far the worst, and took the longest to sort.

Can you hang it somewhere there's a fair bit of a draft coming through like a shed garage or carport for a week?

I will try all these. But I did try almost all of them (not oxy or Dr Beckmann) with my previous jacket including hanging it outside for a week in the sun and rain and it didn’t work. That one was a lot worse though. I think some perfumes just fix onto clothes and can’t be removed.

It’s perfume, not poo or fags or chip fat. Wash it a couple more times and hang it outside to freshen up. You obviously like the coat to have spent so much on it second hand, but maybe stick to buying brand new clothes from shops if a bit of perfume puts you off an expensive purchase.

Thanks, appreciate your understanding. It’s an outdoor coat, I didn’t buy it to be fashionable.

How on earth can it still smell after you've washed it?!

Maybe you washed it on too low a temperature? Try again a bit hotter/longer. I think you are possibly imagining that you can still smell the perfume now, because you are obsessing about it. Try asking someone else. Although they may just say they can smell washing powder/fabric conditioner and you'll go 'No that's perfume.'