In the marketplace, the difference between having a great reputation, or simply just a good one is tremendous. On Ebay, it is maginified even further, since your feedback is the sole source of information a potential customer has to judge you by. This means, that no matter how small or large a transaction actualy is, it is paramount to treat each one as if it were solid gold. Now, with that being said, lets get down to the basics of positive feedback.

Positive feedback is just that, someone else's positive view of your actions during a particular transaction. It doesn't mean that it has to be a perfect seamless transaction (we have all experienced problems and difficulty during shipping and handling), it just means that the transaction has been handled in a manner which was acceptable to both parties involved. The key to achieving this in my experience, is through continuous courteous communication. As a seller, It is paramount to answer any and all questions or concerns that a potential customer may have, and to do so in as quickly of a manner as is physically possible. While you may be a power-seller or just plain busy in your personal life, a buyer does not care about the other 1000 transactions or life events that you might be experiencing, they are only concerned about the one transaction that they are involved in with you.  A quick reply  to an inquiry shows a buyer or potential customer that you are on top of things. When responding, make sure that you let your customer know exactly what course of action if any, that you will be taking to handle the situation or concern that they have expressed to you. This is one of the most important steps in achieving  a positive feedback rating. I have seen way too many premature negative feedback comments left for sellers, that were caused by a post office error etc.. I am quite sure that most of them could have been avoided, if the seller had just kept in constant courteous contact with their buyer throughout the entire ordeal. So, if you are selling any type of merchandise on Ebay, please remember the golden rule! Treat all buyers the exact same way  that you would want to be treated in a similar situation.

Now for the buyers. A buyers path to positive feedback is an easier one, but an important process none the less. The quickest way to receive positive feedback, is by posting a fast payment. Please note, this is the first step, not the only step, as many buyers would like to believe. As a buyer, it is more than likely going to be the most important step in the process. Think about it, both the buyer and seller want the transaction to sail along as smoothly as possible. So the sooner that a seller receives a payment, the faster they can go ahead and process their order and get it shipped out! The faster they can ship it, the faster you will be receiving the item. So by paying faster, you actually increase the positive experience for everyone. The quicker the transaction was from start to finish, the more likely that both parties involved were satisfied. The second thing that all buyers need to remember, is that your responsibility does not end when you send in your payment. You still need to keep in contact with the seller as well. You should check with the seller right away to make sure that there was no problem with their receipt of your payment. Confirm with the seller at this time, that he or she has your correct shipping address! If something out of the ordinary does occur, you need to work directly with the seller to resolve any and all problems that may have arisen. You should do so as quickly and as kindly as you possiblly can. If you do happen to encounter a problem, be realistic and show some patience. It is much easier if you empathise, and put yourself in the sellers shoes. No matter how hard we all try, not everything works exactly as we plan, and sometimes delays or problems are unavoidable. Just remember though,  "All's well, that ends well!" So as long as you keep in touch with each other during the entire process, both parties should conclude the transaction with a positive view of the other, which more often than not, will lead to positive feedback

Here are a couple more common sense principles, that apply to both buyers and sellers. 1) Do not just sit back and wait for the other party to leave you feedback before you go ahead and do so yourself. If you feel that it was a positive transaction, be upfront and say so, and you will more than likely receive some positive feedback in return. 2) Since nobody likes to play the fool, be as descriptive as you can possibly be in your listings. If you are upfront and honest about any imperfections in your merchandise, you will have a much greater chance of dealing with a satisfied buyer. 3) Follow-up! If someone forgets to leave you feedback, they may have had a problem that they are trying to figure out how to correctly deal with. Email them, and first make sure that they have received the item if you sold it, and if so, that it was in satisfactory condition upon arrival. If you are buying something, lots of power-sellers have automated feedback response, so be patient. If you leave positive feedback for them, most will usually respond with positive feedback for you within a couple days. If not, politely email  the seller and let them know that you have received their item and it was exactly what you had expected. Explain that you went ahead and left them positive feedback stating your pleasure. Then, politely ask the seller to let you know if they have any other issues or concerns with the sale, and if they do not,  could they please close out the transaction by returning the favor of positive feedback. Courteousness will get you everywhere!

In closing, being polite should go without say in any and all correspondence. It is true that you will catch more flies with honey, so make sure that your overtone is always professional and courteous. It is always harder for someone to say a bad word about  you, aka(neg feedback), when you have been nothing but kind and helpful to them along the way.

I hope you find this guide even 1% helpful in your Ebay experience. I run a P.R. department for a financial services company offline, so I figured I would share some of my thoughts after a few yrs of conducting business here.

Good Luck On All of Your Auctions,

Brian