While reading through the feedback comments of many members, I find that there are many negative feedback wars and outlandishly childish behavior because of unaware buyers and crooked sellers. I hope to provide some pointers to help buyers have a good experience on eBay.

Many sellers have huge sales and titles such as "Power Sellers". But not all of these sellers are golden! They may have Positive feedback numbers at or above 98% but careful scrutiny of the actual negative complaints can bring to light bad habits that a buyer may encounter. As a rule, I will carefully read through any seller's feedback if the positive numbers are less than 99%.

One common complaint is poor communication. If I find a pattern of legitimate complaints - complaints written in a mature and factual fashion rather than childish and rude - that the seller does not respond to questions or complaints about an item, I will not buy from them.

Another is items not being delivered. Often the seller's response is item was sent and delivery was confirmed. But unless delivery requires a signature, there's still no gurarantee that the item was recieved by the buyer (I've found a few deliveries just left on my porch!). If there's a pattern of non-delivery, don't buy.

Yet another complaint is a poor quality product. There are several indicators that the item is of poor quality:  usually a hideously low price and a lack of a brand name. If you win a cordless power drill with no brand for 99 cents, it will probably break in short order. Avoid no-name "too good to be true" deals.

A disturbingly common complaint is shipping and handling too high. Be sure to read the item description and if you do not agree with the charges, don't bid! Also, beware of items that are extremely cheap but have a horribly inflated shipping charge: for example, a set of automotive underbody neon lights for $30 with a shipping and handling rate of $80. This seller is padding the low sale price by blowing up shipping. It is against eBay policy and it is a good indicator that the product is garbage. If you check the listing for a high quality set of underbody neons, you'll usually find the sale price at or near $100+ and the shipping around $20-$30. Those numbers are more reasonable. Some sellers will specify a shipping rate and when the package arrives, actual postage was many times less than what was paid. For example, a shipping charge of $15 and actual postage of only $5. The $10 difference is usually credited to packaging and travel expenses. But use your head:  if the shipping doesn't seem right for the item, then don't buy!

Hopefully these pointers will help buyers to make the right decisions and steer them away from those sellers that make a living off of dishonesty and poor quality products.