The purpose of this guide is to give a little insite on how to use the 5 star system in rating the ebay seller. There are 5 parts to this system. The first, Was my experience a positive one? Was my item as described? Was the communication process good? Was the shipping time acceptable? And were the shipping and handling charges fair?

Was my experience a positive one?

There have been times when things just weren't to my liking, not often, but it has happened. The first thing you should do is contact the seller and give the seller the chance to correct any issue. The seller may offer to replace the item or refund the purchase price. You may even agree on a partial refund. But always allow the seller the chance to make things right for you. On the other hand Everything went perfect your item was better than expected, you should go green and mark your experience a positive.

There are a few things that may make you select a neutral but I can't think of any that I would do this for.

A negitive feedback should be left only when you have given more than enough time and communication attempts to allow the seller to fix the issue at hand. It is sad to say but some just don't care. However if given the chance most all sellers want things to be right for you the buyer.

Was my item as described?

Did it look like the photos displayed? Did the item match the sellers the information given? If you can answer yes to these questions then a 5 star rating should be given. Keeping in mind we are all humans and we all make mistakes and see things differently. What I see as perfectly wonderful the next guy may see as so-so. Please use your best judgement when giving your numbered ratings.

Was the communication process good?

How quickly did the seller respond to your questions? Did they respond at all? If your like me I want an answer now! But keeping in mind people are not on there computers 24 hours a day 7 days a week, did they respond in a reasonable amount of time?  Now I had no questions and I won the auction. I received an invoice via ebay mail. I paid promptly and received an email via paypal that my item was shipped and here is the tracking number. Do I really need anymore communication than that. Not really unless I contacted the seller directly with a question. In this case I would think a 5 star rating is deserved.  If you did not get this communication via ebay and paypal is your security setting (spam filters) blocking the emails? If so you should not hold this against the seller. Please score the rating accordingly.

Shipping Time?

Did I get my item fast? First look at the post mark date to see when did the seller put my item in the mail. Was it with in reason and according to the sellers shipping specifications. Now the seller can not control how fast the carrier transit time is or if the letter carrier delivers to the wrong address in error. All these things should be taken into consideration. Be patient and allow for the process to take place. Think about it how many items have you purchased by mail-order or the internet that state allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. I think ebay sellers do an awesome job at getting things to us in a quick manner!  Score accordingly!

Shipping and handling charges are they fair.

This is a big topic for most. The charges are not just the actual postage cost! There are a lot of thing involved in the shipping process. Time, envelope, bubble wrap, labels, tape, paper, ink, electricity and I could go on and on. Now a days with the rising cost of everything but mostly gasoline, everything adds up. The packages from most sellers are packaged with care and shipping cost are kept as low as possible. This type of seller should get a 5 star rating.  On the other hand the seller that charges for example $12.00 for an item that was only $1.63 to $3.00 to ship that is not fair and you should rate them accordingly.  For the international buyer remember the cost of gasoline directly effects you shipping cost your package must be delivered to the post office so the customs forms can be processed, the seller can not jst hand them to the letter carrier.

In close the most important thing is to be fair with your ratings! Both buyer and seller should do what ever it takes to make things right to keep ebay a pleasant shopping experience. Now go leave your feedback and shop away. Most importantly have fun!!