I was excited when I found this Buddha statue on the site. I had wanted a Buddha statue for several years and thought about getting one now and then. So, I was excited to see the shipment had arrived at my doorstep today. It's great; just what I expected and I'm happy to have it. However, it smells like gasoline. This is probably from whatever material is used to coat the statue. Eventually, the smell will dissipate but it smells funky for now. (Posted on 12/15/11)