Have you ever wondered what the term "feedback" meant when visiting eBay, and why it's so important?

The answer is quite simple. When it comes to buying and selling on eBay, people look at different things before deciding to make their purchase. One of those things is feedback.

Does the seller have a high feedback rating; are the comments positive, mostly positive, or negative? You see, feedback, similar to a credit rating, is a quick way to help determine previous buyer's experiences, and provides an insight to the seller's reputation.

While most buyers and sellers acknowledge the importance of leaving feedback describing their experience on eBay, there are still some who choose to ignore it.

In most cases, after a sale the seller will leave feedback regarding the timeliness of the transaction, receipt of payment, and ease of communication.

The buyer may choose to withhold feedback until they receive their merchandise, to describe the condition received, timeliness of shipping, and whether or not the item purchased on eBay was received as described.

But in several cases, the buyer doesn't always follow up on that, which causes the seller to miss out on a very valuable selling tool. If you've ever experienced this for yourself, then you know how frustrating it can be.

A lot goes into listing, packaging, and shipping an item. It seems only fair those actions should be rewarded with a feedback acknowledgment to inform the seller how they did with that transaction.

Of course, there are other ways to determine when feedback should be left, so that both parties benefit and no one is short changed.

One of those methods is to leave feedback immediately after completing your transaction, even if to opt for the selection "will leave feedback later".

At least this way you've notified the buyer and/or seller that you've acknowledged the transaction and will follow it up after the sale.

Another alternative is to send a gentle reminder to the buyer notifying them that you have left feedback regarding their part of the transaction and request that they do the same upon receipt of their order. This method is generally well accepted and typically yields the desired results.

Let's face it, with today's busy schedules not everyone remembers these details until the next time they decide to buy or sell on eBay. Since feedback is how many buyers and sellers are evaluated for their ability to pay or ship items, it is equally important to provide it after your eBay transaction.

So, what does this feedback tell us? Simply stated, it describes each individual's transaction and experience on eBay. It tells us how well communications went between the parties involved. It provides information regarding payment, condition of item received and timeliness of shipping the item.

Without feedback you may be excluded from bidding on certain auctions, or required to contact the seller prior to making a bid on their item.

If you have negative feedback, you may be excluded from bidding on items at all. Negative feedback on eBay is not a good thing and is definitely something that should be worked out if at all possible; otherwise it may take awhile to rebuild your eBay reputation.

Most buyers generally feel more comfortable and confident in their eBay purchase if the person they are dealing with has a higher positive feedback rating.