To All Honest Ebayers:

I will be touching on a rather "taboo" & seldom spoken of  aspect of  Ebay's current Feedback system.  It has become the 10,000 pound elephant in the living room which everybody chooses to ignor.

I have been Ebaying for several years and have come to the absolute conclusion that there are "members" of the "Ebay Community" who have learned the in's and out's of using the Feedback System, solely to their advantage.  As in any "community" there are always bottom-feeders. 

Non-payers, sellers who intentionally ship damaged goods, sellers who take a month or more to domestically ship an item, sellers who intentionally advertise items as "old", "rare" or "authentic",  buyers who promise the world and come through with the big zero;  these individuals have learned to target buyers and sellers alike who have outstanding Feedback,  knowing full well that the HONEST seller or buyer will be reluctant to post negative Feedback, due to retaliation.  In my opinion, and echoed by other members I have chatted with, this gutter mentality is nothing but sactioned extortion. 

Retaliatory Feedback is the last refuge of a scoundrel.  Those using retalitory feedback have a desease and wish to infect as many innocents  as possible.

Yes, it is true you can file a complaint with Ebay.  Their immediate remedy is to transfer you to to Paypal, if you were lucky enough to use Paypal.   However, the final decision rests with Paypal, which is solely owned by Ebay.  Otherwise, Ebay advises you to  "try to work it out with the other party".  Can't you feel the love!  Kind-of, sort-of  like sending flowers to your local pickpocket!

Here's a policy I try to adhere to:

I limit my buying to sellers with feedbacks above 98.9.  However, whatever the feedback rating,  I always review the seller's entire comments left from other buyers.  I then let my gut instinct rule.  Listen to that little voice inside!

When I do bid for an item and win,  I try to be as prompt in my payment as possible.  Any correspondance you have with your seller or buyer should be done ONLY using the internal Ebay messaging system!  All messages sent and received can easily be retrieved by Ebay or Paypal personnel in the case of a dispute.

Lastly, I,  like many millions of others, enjoy the Ebay experience.  I feel it is shameful that Ebay has not come up with some better way of exposing and eliminating those in "our community" who resort to extortion.

Thank you