Whenever I leave feedback, I love to have it returned.  That's not always the case.  I know for myself I have left much more feedback then I have received.  Why?  A lot of people do not bother with this.  Newbies (The new comer to Ebay) do not use feedback because they don't know any better.  What is feedback?  Why is it important?  When shouldn't I leave feedback?  Why is honesty the best policy?

What is Feedback? Feedback is when you let the Ebay community know how the transactions with a certain person went.  Was it good? or not so great? Would you do business with this person again? This also applies to you as well.  What others write about you counts too. 

Why is it important to leave feedback? Feedback lets the Ebay community know how you handle yourself.  It also lets them know how you felt about the person, or persons, you dealt with. Was it a smooth transaction? or was it a nightmare?  This is your chance to let others know how things went down.  Leaving feedback is important because you can better determine if you want to deal with this person or not.  Ebay and all it's members care about what you think and what you say.

When shouldn't I leave feedback?  This is a tough one to answer.  A lot of my acquaintances on Ebay tell me they would much rather leave no feedback then get a negative in return.  I've known many people who left a neutral only to get a negative in return.  I've known people who left a positive only to get a surprise negative because a buyer was unhappy but never spoke to them about it.  So, when is it appropriate not to leave feedback?  For me, as a buyer I always leave feedback.  When I have received my item and know it works 100% I will leave my feedback. If I need to contact the seller I do and we can try to work it out.  For me, as a seller, I wait for someone to leave me feedback before I give feedback.  I do go over the list occationally.  If I see a buyer that is a newbie and has never left feedback before I normally will leave it.  I try to get in touch with people if I have a moment to make sure all went well.  It's not easily done, who has that kind of time?  If someone has not left feedback for me as a seller I usually just let it go and not leave feedback for them.  It's everyone loss though.  Use your best judgement, and what works best for you.

Why is honesty always the best policy?  Because it allows the Ebay community to know who to deal with and who to stay away from.  If you see negative after negative after negative with someone, you know there may be a pattern of not working well with the Ebay community, or someone being very stubborn and unwilling to bend.  "Even the mighty oak tree bends to the wind sometimes".  You'll see people who have 100% positive feedback, GOD BLESS, I wish I could have kept that status, (See my other guides for that story), and that's wonderful. These are usually the people who have been here a while and just do what needs to be done for themselves and others.  Honesty is always the best policy however communications is a big key to get to the bottom of any difficulty.  NEVER write feedback when you are angry... and remember what you say reflects on you.  Be cautious on how you word things, your feedback stays with you the entire time you are on Ebay, both what you receive and what you give. 

HAPPY SHOPPING! HAPPY SELLING!  And, please remember to Leave your Feedback too!