As well as being a seller on eBay, I started as a buyer mostly and over the years have bought more than I ever should have on eBay, but I just love to win!  So as I've had many years of experience as a buyer and as a seller who seeks out those great buyers, I am writing this Guide to help out you newbies or refresh us "veterans".

1)  Ask questions!  If you don't see it in the description and you are questioning something, use that little Ask Seller A Question button (found directly under feedback) and ask.  I get many buyers who start out, "this is a stupid question but...."  I tell them it's never stupid if they want to know.  I once bought a Fiestaware toaster on eBay and though I read the description, looked closely at the pictures and checked out the seller's feedback, I got a toaster that wouldn't work.  The description NEVER SAID IT WORKED.  That's clue #1 - what is LEFT OUT is often what you NEED TO KNOW, so ask. 

2)  If you need it fast, gift-wrapped, are sensitive to pets or smoke, contact the seller & inquire.  It may be that the seller will be unable to accomodate your need to get it overnight and if you had asked beforehand, you would've saved yourself & the seller a lot of aggravation.  If you want it sent to the recipient & gift-wrapped - ask!  Some sellers love to go the extra-mile (I'm one of them!) with very little extra cost involved and it saves YOU time.  Sensitive to pets or smoke - let's be real here, most eBay small sellers get their items from antique stores, secondhand stores, the swap meet, grandma/aunt/uncle/friends, and if you are sensitive, ask about the item's origin/ownerships.  NO seller ever wants to jeopardize a buyer's health or being comfortable with their product and would rather you asked first.

3)  READ the description - believe me, most sellers do an astounding job of giving you all the details.  If you just view the picture, you may not realize some very important things about the item.  The description will often also include shipping terms/policies; refund policies; payment terms & methods accepted and is something you want to agree with BEFORE you bid.

4)  VIEW the pictures - sometimes the description doesn't give the full story and you can view the pictures and see even more insight into the product.  If the picture doesn't match the description, contact the seller & inquire.  Believe it or not, we make mistakes & are delighted to have a conscientious buyer notify us.

5)  Be Courteous - when writing the seller, write in a polite manner.  You'd be surprised at some buyer's lack of manners.  I've received e-mails like, "why should I buy from you when I can get it new for $$$?"  Well, heck...by all means go get that deal!  Why are you harrassing me, right?  Any criticism you feel you must make when contacting the seller should be very cautious, factual & polite.  Remember, like myself, many of us eBay sellers make our ONLY living on eBay and we put in many hours, lots of sweat & a few tears so be kind.

6)  If you win, pay in a timely manner (3 business days is generally considered timely).  If for ANY REASON you cannot make payment timely, contact the seller immediately.  Let them know you have a problem with your PayPal account, your grandmother died & you had to leave town, etc.  We are very patient souls when we know what's going on, but we are not mind-readers and if we don't hear from you we will either file a non-paying bidder dispute or offer the item to another buyer.  It's in your best interest to let us know and we really do appreciate it.  And remember to take into consideration what payment methods that seller accepts - don't give them a hard time about not taking a personal check when it's stated in BOLD & underline they will not accept them (this goes back to #1 - read the description!).

7)  Read your e-mails from the seller after the auction.  If you have those lovely Spam Blocker programs, ADD the seller to your approved list so their e-mails get through to you. Their e-mails often contain pertinent information about when your item shipped, what method, and an approximate delivery time-frame.  I, myself, send a personal message and PayPal sends a computer-generated message when I print the postage to ship.  Over 50% of my buyers never read these e-mails and ask me a few days later whether the item has shipped.  While I love to give my customers information & happily answer every e-mail personally, it is a bit time-consuming to look up the information when it was already sent.

8)  If the seller went above & beyond the call-of-duty, thank them!  eBay selling is a service oriented business and we really enjoy a pat on the back.

9)  When you receive your item, check it out.  If there's a problem (i.e. seller said item was new, but it's used; item isn't what was described; item does not work, etc.), contact the seller immediately.  Many eBay sellers have return policies, but if you don't contact them, they can't make it right by you.  Even eBay sellers that don't have return policies will often offer a partial refund, a discount on your next purchase, etc. if you contact them in a factual, polite and non-threatening manner.  This means, "if you don't give me a full refund, I'm leaving negative/neutral feedback" will not get you the desired results.  Threats are never rewarded.  If the item is as described or even better (often sellers describe on the cautious side), make sure to note that in your feedback for the seller.

10)  Leave factual feedback.  Remember, you are not only telling other buyers about your experience, you are directly affecting this seller's ability to sell & receive discounts based on buyer satisfaction. 

The DSR star rating system covers four areas of the transaction:  Item As Described (pretty self-explanatory); Communication (was seller informative when you contacted them; did they let you know they received your payment; did they inform you your item was shipped, etc.); Shipping Time (this one stumps both buyers & sellers - it does NOT mean DELIVERY time - it means how long after you paid did it take for the seller to ship the item - a same day or next business day shipment should always rate 5 stars - if you chose a slow method of shipping to save on your costs, penalizing the seller is a bit out of context and the same goes for international shipments - sellers have NO control over customs delays) and Shipping and Handling Charges (in my opinion if you bought the item and already knew these costs and agreed to them by bidding, you should never be rating under 4 stars, but just remember, the seller doesn't just press a button and the item is cleaned, protected, packaged, labeled and sent to the post office - it takes time, effort and that really expensive gas to get it off to you so take all that into consideration when rating them in this area).

I hope this Guide has been helpful.  I've tried to bring up points that are important and I have experienced to make it real.  Please rate it as helpful if it has been - thank you!