Holiday Note to eBay Buyers

Dear eBay Buyer,

Let me begin by thanking you for making your holiday purchases on eBay. Hopefully all were from ME!

No doubt the site looks different since your last visit, hence the purpose of this note.

While the changes on the site were meant to 'delight' you (the buyer), most of them did not come with a 'user manual' so we appreciate your persistence and, in fact, We (the sellers) are 'delighted' you found our items.

One change on the site has to do with the 'F-word' - FEEDBACK. (and yes, many sellers regard Feedback as the 'F-word').

This note will serve as your 'Buyer's Guide To eBay Feedback.' It involves a short lesson that will re-define a few words in your vocabulary and correct some previously held math concepts - so please bear with us and read carefully.

For your buying confidence & security, eBay Feedback allows you to see how your seller has performed during past transactions. This feedback was left by buyers who previously purchased an item from the seller. You will see general feedback (positive, negative or neutral) and comments.

You, too, will have the opportunity to rate your seller. Read on!

You will also see a box with yellow stars just to the right of the seller's Positive, Negative or Neutral rating. While you can 'mouse over' the stars for information, you'll find everything you need to know right here.

The stars refer to DSR's or Detailed Seller Ratings. These are additional ways in which the buyer can evaluate a seller. DSR's rate:

• How accurately the seller described the item
• How well the seller communicated
• How quickly the seller shipped the item
• How reasonable the shipping & handling fees were.

Now that you've purchased an item from me (and once again I thank you profusely), you can rate our transaction.

HERE'S THE TRICKY PART:

Remember how the DSR's are on a 5 star scale?

I'll bet you think 5 stars = excellent; 4 stars = very good, 3 stars = good; 2 stars = poor & 3 stars = fail. Right?

Wrong!! Here's where the vocabulary lesson comes in.

5 Stars = very (very accurate, very satisfied, very quickly, very reasonable)
4 Stars - accurate, satisfied, quickly, reasonable

While I won't bore you with details, suffice it to say eBay uses the DSR scores to advantage (or disadvantage) sellers in various ways.

Now here's the math lesson:

If a seller's DSR scores are below 4.3, they FAIL. Fail to get any advantages.

Bet you thought a '3' or below would be a failing grade! NOT! In the world of eBay, anything less than a 4.3 in DSR's is failing.

With this vocabulary & 'new' math lesson now completed, I once again want to thank you for purchasing from ME and taking the time to read this note.

Without getting on my virtual knees and begging, I encourage you to rate our transaction with 5 STARS. Any less and you may not find us here again. Enough said.

Your eBay Seller