This has been written strictly from my views, ideas & experiences as both a buyer & a seller. Nicknames I've given other things on my ebay page, etc. I hope you take everything in stride & enjoy funnies included! 

My Ebay page:  This page is so awesome for sellers and buyers to see everything at a glance!  Even the "teasers" show up there! Teasers are what I call watchers.  I get so excited when I have multiple teasers just knowing someone is interested enough to watch what happens with that item.  Bidders are even more exciting!  Is it an addiction when I check for more teasers and bidders multiple times per hour?  If it is, I haven't admitted it yet and will refuse to attend the meetings for it. Ha!

Feedback and fees: This new system for the buyer to rate the seller on shipping time, communication, etc. is great! Except... I think a lot of buyers do not take into consideration shipping costs and not sure they are being completely fair when choosing which star to wish upon in that particular section.  Since the Post Office has made major changes and even calculate shipping based on the actual size of the package, this has made shipping fees increase dramatically, not to mention the increase in postage a few weeks ago.  If we all stop to think what it would cost in gas, bus fare, time or whatever it would take for us to actually change out of our pajamas and leave the computer to go out and shop for what we have placed a bid on ebay,  I think that would make a vast difference in how shipping charges were viewed.  Wouldn't it be a great idea for sellers to get the invisible star rating to leave feedback in return too?  I know we all want to get something for nothing, but show me where to bid on that and I'll meet you there! Ha!  Buyers need to know that sellers have so much time invested in placing listings, plus pay listing fees and final value fees for each listing.  Most listing include a shipping amount quote. If you're not willing to pay that to get your item, don't bid!  It's just not fair to pay for something KNOWING how much you paid total, then choose "stars to the left on the scale" in feedback.  If shipping costs are not clear on the listing and you want to know shipping costs, always ask.  I don't know a single seller that does it to stay in the red! Not that red is a bad color, in fact it's my favorite!  But not in my checkbook! hehe!  So be kind to your seller in all categories unless they have really done you wrong, then contact them first to try to work things out.  Whatever happened to the golden rule anyway?  Some sellers have been known to "excessively pad" their shipping fees.  Excessively padded shipping is what I call "milking it for all they can" and NOT COOL!  If I can drive to the local mom and pop stop to get the same thing for less than 1/2 the cost of the shipping, that choice is pretty clear which way to go... isn't it?  What would be wonderful would be for all online stores to offer this star rating for us to see how they handle their customer service!  How many times have we "ordered" something from an online store and waited weeks and weeks to get our items after we paid for priority shipping?  All who knows how long it took is who we told. Word of mouth and that's it!

Buying:  Oh please, oh please remember to read.  Reading is the way to become informed.  If you feel you don't have the information needed to make your decision on any purchase, ALWAYS use the "ask the seller" link!  I know I do!  I've learned many lessons in the past on asking questions and will still have more to learn I'm sure.  That's pretty much it on buying. 

If a seller won't respond within a reasonable amount of time, chances are you aren't going to find out what you need to know.  REMEMBER that not all sellers sit at the computer 24/7.  If an item will end within just a few hours, you may not get an answer before something ends.  If you're a "teaser" and want to know last minute about a certain detail, you might lose out and not get a response before it ends.

My items:  I mostly list my handmade items.  I love getting custom special requests too! I simply adore getting repeat buyers and would hope folks would take the time to read my "me" page.  This is where I tell a little about me and toot my own horn a tad to let folks know what I have to be proud of and what touches my heart.  I've made some really great friends on ebay and found a lot in common with people all over the nation.  I've helped others learn lessons through my own mistakes and I'm still learning from them too! 

In conclusion, I hope you have enjoyed reading my little guide complete with opionions, tips, ideas, nicknames and comments.  But more than this, I hope you enjoy ebay as much as I do!