Buying stuff via Amazon, especially if it's sent direct from China, is bound occasionally to be a disappointment.
We needed some Moth Balls to put around the house; not only against Moths etc, but also to deter Mice, who hate the smell.
The shops here seem to find them too old fashioned, so I found a supplier in China who were selling 100 Moth Balls for under €10. I took the plunge and ordered them.
Yesterday a teeny-weeny package arrived by post; it measures 8 by 12 by 4 cms. I could hardly believe my eyes! With the size of Moth Balls I'm used to, I could only have fitted about 6 inside the box; and I had ordered 100.
They certainly have the smell that I was expecting, but instead of being the size of a large Cherry, they look more like a flattened Aspirin.
All I can say is that I HOPE THEY BLOODY WORK. If they don't I won't be happy.
They do smell pretty evil.
They will work but remember they are flammable or should be.
ReplyDeleteI'll try one... They don't explode, do they?
DeleteNo they won't explode but don't breath the smoke.
DeleteThe warnings about NOT setting fire to these balls, NOT eating them and NOT letting children play with them (like you two) are written very clearly in Chinese.
DeleteLOL at Potty.
DeleteMmm... your house will smell lovely when you return from Brighton!
ReplyDeleteThey are quite foul smelling. I think they only last for about 3 months.
DeleteThose products are poisonous and very harmful.for the environment. I live in an old house and use only cedar rings and no problem at all with moths. Cedar rings are quite expensive if you want to protect things but really good.
ReplyDeleteIt's more to repel Mice. I don't like traps, so if the smell keeps them away (which it does) I shall be happy.
DeleteOh how many times have I fallen into that trap!! One year I ordered 12 xmas crackers. They were very cheap but that didn't matter as long as there was a bit of a bang. Like your mothballs they arrived, from England, not China, in a tiny box. There were 12 xmas crackers the size of a fat matchstick. Now I read the description and fine print before ordering.
ReplyDeleteI've done the same with trews online. Great trews but about 6 inches too short for me.
I had to make the same mistake twice before I learnt my lesson.
Hope the mothballs do the job
As long as they do the job, I shan't complain. It was the shock of seeing them SO SMALL that worried me.
DeleteOur Australian balls sound of a similar size to what you know. The bigger the balls, surely the more productive they are. It's a bit sad about the Chinese balls being so small, but I am sure they all smell the same and if small balls work for them...
ReplyDeleteThe repro Klimt vase we ordered from Peter's of Kensington in Sydney, was rather smaller than we expected.
It didn't mention anything about size in the advert'; I just imagined they would be the same size the world over. WRONG!
DeleteWhen we close up the camper for the season, we toss a few peppermint sachets around. That has proven effective...and smells better. I don't order from China any more. They actually hijack advertising from other small businesses. I was buying a doll handmade by a small co-op of mothers in Maine for my grandaughter. What I got was a factory made doll from China that in no way resembled the doll in the picture. Things like that annoy the shit out of me. THere were two other instances of outright scams. Not once was my money refunded. Now I avoid China.
ReplyDeleteI have bought two Chinese made products recently (it's difficult to avoid them). One was some outdoor security lights, which were even better than I expected. The other was these Moth Balls that were disappointing. I think if something is totally different to what one ordered, you should be refunded. I do remember my youngest buying a silver-plating machine, which was quite expensive. His money was taken, but nothing given in return. There was nothing he could do.
DeleteEverything seems to be made smaller, marble sized mothballs are in our future. Just as appliances are built to fail in 8-10 years and manufacturers are obligated to supply replacement parts for 7 years. The theme is, everybody buys more.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they would deter the numbers of mice expected in a mouse plague? Our farmers had such a plague last year and are expecting another this summer. Maybe a few million mothballs scattered around their perimeters would help.
ReplyDelete