I am sharing these views as a numismatic and stamp dealer, trading on eBay for over a year. However, they could apply to pretty much any product being sold on eBay.

       By offering entrepeneurs, big or small, the opportunity to expand and present their business to a worldwide customer base and by the same token delivering an expansive selection of goods to buyers everywhere, eBay is an exciting and promising tool for trade. Each member relies, directly or indirectly, on his fellow traders to fully access its great potential: As a trading community, all sellers benefit from cultivating a pool of happy, confident and faithful buyers and customers can keep enjoying a vibrant diversity of products and services by supporting sellers with their patronage.

       On eBay, as elsewhere, a business' long term success is ultimately dependent on a symbiotic relationship between buyers and sellers.

Nurturing the trickiest and most essential relationship on eBay...

Trust and communication

      Yup, just like marriage; maintaining trust and opened communication is at the foundation of a healthy trading community. Keeping this carefully in sight empowers both buyers and sellers and ensures no one gets sent to the doghouse.

Sellers: Be honest. It's that simple. Give your customers the best tools and ressources available for them to make a confident purchase and don't cheat them out of their money. Of course, you might not be a professional photographer or writer and even the most diligent dealer can make a mistake regarding grade or authenticity. You can counter this by offering a buyer- friendly return/ refund policy. In most cases, the advantages greatly outweigh the expenses. As a seller, over approximately two hundred transactions, I issued only one refund for a discrepancy between the buyer's grading and my own and about four for items lost in the mail. So I lost maybe a couple dozen bucks in eBay and shipping fees; a small price to pay considering the customers were ultimately satisfied and even happily surprised- in some cases- by the gesture.

      Buyers keep you in business, they deserve that much respect and at the very least, you save yourself a world of problems you just don't need if you are in this for the long run. 

Buyers: Being cautious doesn't necessarely mean being overly suspicious. True; they are some sellers who will doctor up pictures, lie, grab your money and run, cackling all the way to the bank... However, most sellers engage in transactions with good faith and to the best of their knowledge and skills. Give them a chance to prove themselves. You have fantastic tools provided by eBay to make this as painless as possible: Feedback ratings, the About Me page... Even if a listing is a bit 'amateurish' and the pictures are not exactly National Geographic material, look at the seller's policies or communicate with him/her. If they are willing to reasonably accomodate you, give them a shot.

      As previously mentioned, many sellers are a one-man team and don't always have high technology equipment. In many cases, the item might actually look better than pictured!

Communicate!

      While trading on internet, it is tempting for both buyers and sellers to hide behind a wall of anonymity. After all, with most information regarding transactions being posted on every listing and automated steps provided at check out, direct communication between buyer and seller becomes somewhat optional. Who wants to respond to an angry or rude customer complaint or face a pushy salesperson? Internet can pretty much eliminate those situations. However, I do believe they are responsibilities of doing business and online trading communities like eBay deserve the same attention, care and humanity than brick and mortar stores to expand and florish. There is no need to exchange lenghty correspondance, but mere 'Hello, Please and Thank You' make a big difference; 'I am sorry and How may I assist you further' take a business to another level yet. It is also important to answer customer questions, even if you couldn't get to it in time or if the auction was lost: That buyer showed interest, took the time to write and might very well bid on future auctions, if he/she felt properly acknowledged.

      It takes some effort, some sacrifices; but in the end, satisfied buyers gladly support sellers who respect and value them and there it's a great feeling as a dealer to see a familiar face ( alright; username... ) return to your store for more.