Should sellers describe the "smell" of their used books?

QUESTION: I think sellers should note the odor of the book when rating its condition. I'm referring to the smell of mold or mildew, cigarette smoke, and mothballs, etc., I'm not talking about just the normal smell of old paper.

But there seems to be no official guidelines. No book condition-rating guidelines mention odor. I've bought books on eBay which have smelled horrible, yet the seller rated their condition "very good." Now I always ask about odor before purchasing a used book.

Mold and mildew can really bother people. Even though I've never been diagnosed with allergies, one whiff of mold or mildew gives me a headache that can last three days!

On my book chat list, the sellers are divided. Half think the odor has nothing to do with the condition rating; others not only consider it in the condition rating, but also mention it in their auction.

Sometimes people who live in damp areas such as New England are exposed to mildew odors so much, they don't notice them anymore. Our noses get used to smells that we are exposed to, and they get desensitized to it. Perhaps the booksellers don’t even realize their books reek.

I try to avoid buying books with odors. Sometimes I'll buy a book at a library sale and forget to check it. Rather than just toss it in the trash I try to fix it. I've been using Tidy Cat brand cat litter to rid books of odors, but it's not foolproof. Sometimes a couple of months later, the mildew odor returns. Cigarette smoke and mothball odor also come out with Tidy Cat, and those don’t seem to return.

ANSWER: Great topic and one that isn't discussed much. One thing that's definitely true, people have very different senses of smell. For example, I absolutely love the smell of mothballs, while most people detest it. Go figure.

A few months ago, a buyer of mine e-mailed me, complaining bitterly about a "stinky book" I had sold her. She accused me of deliberately misrepresenting the book's condition by failing to mention the smell in my description on Amazon Marketplace. And of course this angry buyer left negative feedback. But I hadn't noticed any odor at all. Luckily I was able to ship a complimentary replacement book, and the buyer removed the negative feedback.

I think I'm lucky here in Northern Virginia because the air gets extremely dry during the winter, which probably retards the growth of mold and odors. My used book stock turns over fairly rapidly too, which probably doesn't hurt.

With a rare book, it might pay to invest some time in deodorizing the book. I've heard of lots of techniques for freshening up used books, including cat litter, cedar chips, and baking soda. Here is one forum on the subject.