How can sellers please a customer? Easily - treat them the way you like to be treated as a buyer! Here are some tips that might make your buyers experience a great one.

Think about your best buying experiences on eBay - what did your seller do that made you comfortable? Was it something as simple as a thank you? Was it a surprise gift with your purchase? Did you find your item in your mailbox in record time? There are many ways sellers can make a buying experience a good one for their buyers.

When listing your items, use the description to your advantage. Describe your items in detail, especially any flaws if the item is not brand new. Put in measurements for your items. How tall and wide is it? If you are selling clothes, add chest, waist, hip, inseam, sleeve length, shoulder to shoulder, collar to bottom of item measurements as applicable. A size 10 from one manufacturer may be a size 12 for another. You can avoid "fit" problems by listing measurements. For items like perfume, tell your buyer how many ounces they are purchasing. Is a a trial size? If so, state it - don't let your buyer think they are getting a full size item if they aren't. It is always better to over describe an item and have a buyer leave positive feedback saying "Better than described" rather than negative that says "Item not in the condition described."

Let your buyers know when you expect payment in your description. The minimum time to expect payment should be seven days, since you cannot file an unpaid item dispute before then. If you will only ship to a PayPal confirmed address, you need to state that as well. Tell a buyer when you ship - once a week, twice a week, etc.

Always post the shipping costs in a listing. Many buyers will hit the back button if no shipping cost is listed either with a flat rate or using the shipping calculator. Buyers don't want to be bothered e-mailing a seller for shipping information and you may lose last minute bids by not having the information listed.

Make sure you have good pictures of your item. Stock photo's should rarely be used, especially if your item is not brand new and looking exactly like the stock photo. Show any flaws in your picture so they are clear to the buyer.

If buyers send you a question about your item, answer them in a timely fashion and politely, even if the answer to the question may be in the description. Many sales are lost when sellers do not respond to questions from a buyer. If you get many questions about a listing, your description may not be adequate.

When your buyer pays, send a note thanking them for their payment and telling them when their item will be shipped. A little common courtesy goes a long way when people are sending their money to you. Some sellers send small token gifts with their purchase. I find free samples of products from various websites online and avail myself to them whenever possible. I can easily drop one of these into the package for repeat customers or customers that I've had great interactions with. It costs me nothing and adds to a buyers fun.

Ship promptly - to be protected under PayPal's Seller Protection Policy, a seller needs to ship within seven days of receving payment. To many buyers, that is too long. Most sellers ship several times a week. Many USPS customers are eligible for free carrier pickup - you can have the USPS pick up your items at your home or business if you prepay your labels and ship at least one item per pickup via priority mail. Take advantage of it if it's available in your area. The night before you expect to ship, go to the USPS website and request Carrier Pickup. You can tell the carrier exactly where you will leave your packages and the carrier will leave a receipt when they pick up your items stating the number of packages they picked up.

Protect yourself and use delivery confirmation when you ship. If you print your shipping labels from PayPal, delivery confirmation is free for priority mail and 14 cents for lesser mail classes. It's a small investment to ensure piece of mind knowing your buyer received their item, as well as a requirement if you take PayPal and want to avail yourself to the Seller Protection policy.

Have a refund policy established if there is a problem when your buyer receives their item. Will you accept returns for all items, will you accept returns only if the item was not as described? You may want to state something in your description, such as asking the buyer to contact you within 48 hours of receipt if there is a problem with their purchase. If you will not accept returns, you should also state that in your auction terms, but be aware that if you do state it and there is a problem with the item your buyer may simply leave you negative feedback, thinking you aren't flexible.

If you receive a less than polite e-mail from your buyer for any reason - walk away from the computer for awhile before responding. Never reply in anger - if you need to vent, use one of the Community boards to vent on and ask for suggestions from other eBayers on how to respond before you do. Boardies can be helpful in diffusing your anger so you can reply in a calm and professional matter.

And finally, leave feedback once you know your buyer has received their item and that they are happy. Your obligation to the buyer isn't over the minute you ship - it is over when the buyer has successfully received their item.