Feedback is important for each and every buyer and seller on ebay.  It allows other members of the ebay community to understand and trust one another.  It is critical that feedback is given after transactions are completed and it is important that feedback is provided correctly. 

First of all, it is important to leave feedback.  As a buyer or seller accumulates positive feedback, other ebay members will be comfortable dealing with that individual.  If a buyer or seller is acting dishonestly, or not keeping the commitments they made on ebay, then the only way others can avoid the same situation is through negative feedback.  If feedback isn't left, either good or bad, ebay members are going to be blind while buying and selling.  The result will be sellers not getting fair prices for the items they are selling and buyers will end up buying from dishonest sellers.

With that in mind, remember that about 98% of all ebay buyers and sellers are honest and want to maintain the trust that prevails on ebay.  That being the case, at least 98% of all feedback ought to be positive.  Negative feedback should be reserved for very rare situations.  Additionally, negative feedback should be left only after you have tried desperately to resolve the situation with the buyer or seller in question. 

Most sellers will list their items honestly and accurately.  Additionally, most sellers ship their items well packaged and in good time.  None-the-less, misunderstandings can occur, but most problems can be easily resolved.  Most sellers are willing to offer returns or refunds on their items.  Many sellers provide tracking information on their shipments.  Very, very few sellers on ebay who would rather cheat a buyer and recieve negative feedback than work something out and provide an honest product and service for positive feedback.  Make sure to contact a seller and give them a chance to correct the situation before leaving any kind of negative feedback.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes a seller has a problem with a buyer.  Usually, this kind of problem is non-payment.  Buyers need to make sure to pay promptly in order to avoid negative feedback from sellers.  If a buyer is having trouble paying for an item on time, they should contact the seller.  Typically, sellers are willing to allow extra time to give the buyer the opportunity to make payment, but if the buyer never pays for their item and never makes any kind of contact with the seller, they can expect to recieve negative feedback.  Keep in mind that about 50% of buyers pay the same day as they win an item and about 90% pay within three days of winning.  Ebay allows 7 days to make payment before a dispute can be filed.  If a buyer hasn't paid for an item after this much time, they have probably just forgotten about bidding and will quickly respond and pay after being sent an additional invoice, message, or email reminding them.

You are better off leaving no feedback at all if you are considering leaving neutral feedback.  Neutral feedback seems like a decent concept, but most ebay members percieve anything other than positive feedback as a negative.  If you don't have anything particularly good or bad to say with your feedback, just don't leave any.  No feedback is the best neutral feedback.  If a buyer and seller agree not to complete a transaction, this is a good opportunity to leave positive feedback, rather than negative.  You can mention that even though the transaction fell through, the buyer or seller maintained good communication and were willing to work with you to resolve a difficult or unique situation. 

When creating comments to accompany your feedback, make sure you provide honest and detailed information.  Leaving a message such as "A+++++" doesn't really provide a lot of information about the transaction.  Instead, state whether the item arrived in the condition described, whether the item was well packaged, and whether it shipped quickly.  If the buyer paid on time or took the time to communicate with you as a seller, then mention that in your feedback.  Comment on the trustworthiness of the buyer or seller.  When or if you leave negative feedback, avoid calling the other person names, using all caps, or lying.  When other people read these kinds of comments, they will think much less of the person leaving them than the person they were left for and that defeats the purpose of your feedback.

Buyers and sellers who follow these simple guidelines will improve their own experience on ebay, as well as improve the experience for everyone else.  Please remember to leave feedback as often as possible so that the person on the recieving end won't have to beg you for it.  You have a great opportunity to try it out right now by rating this guide!