IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL BUYERS, ESPECIALLY NEW OR FAIRLY NEW EBAYERS!!  PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ TO HELP ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSACTION WITH ANY SELLER!

First, please read my GUIDES (look for "top reviewer" under my id and click there) for important information on how to protect yourself from scams & a very tricky somewhat new scam that happens while signed-in to Ebay.  You need this information to protect your account!  Many people are having their accts. hijacked because they don't know about this.  There are also guides on how to spot fake MAC products, and  one about why some MAC items are priced at retail or higher, in all sellers' stores or fixed price listings (this could apply to ANY brand, not just MAC and really helps the buyer understand the costs involved with selling on Ebay).

Next, as with any auctions, always, read the "fine print".  Not all sellers have the same policies.  The information found beneath the items' description, contains important shipping information for U.S. AND international buyers, and are my auctions terms/policies.  There is also combined shipping information at the bottom of that page.  Pay with Paypal!  This protects the buyer against fraudulent sellers.  I'm sorry this is so lengthy, but it is important information if you don't already have it!

**PLEASE NOTE:  The info below is basically tidbits of info but are important for smooth transactions.  These are NOT all problems that I have personally had to deal with, but have friends who are sellers too, & I also read alot of other sellers feedback (I also buy on Ebay), and see so many misunderstandings (sorry, but it is usually the new or fairly new Ebayer who doesn't understand so this info is aimed at helping your transactions go much smoother).  Much of this information will also help even the more experienced buyers.   I can not stress enough the importance of READING THE AUCTIONS COMPLETELY, rather than just looking at the pictures (yes, some just look at the picture & bid)!   You will need to read the auction to know what you're bidding on!  Some sellers use stock photo's rather than taking their own pictures also (I take my own pictures because it's important that the buyer see exactly what they are bidding on), so make sure the listing states if the item is new in box (NIB or BNIB for brand new in box), if looking for NIB items.  PICTURES:  PLEASE realize that all monitors are different, so the color will be slightly different (sometimes very different), on every monitor!!!  ESPECIALLY WHEN FLASH IS USED AND WITH CERTAIN COLORS LIKE BLUES, and others!!  Some sellers will give color descriptions, but not everyone's opinion of what the color looks like, will be the same.  We can no longer use the color description that MAC gives so it is my opinion (sometimes I do look to see what MAC claims the color is).  Some will still use the manufacturer's color description, until they are told not to (which can be even worse than the sellers description - sellers usually give a better description)!  Also remember that SIZE can be deceiving in pictures, so either read the auction or if the info isn't in the listing, PLEASE ASK!   It is NOT the sellers fault if the size or color you receive, is not what it appeared to be in the picture (unless the seller gives a measurement, & it is different).  Many sellers will carry several different brands - for example, of makeup.  This does NOT make them experts in ALL of the different brands!!  Remember, they are selling items in auction, & are not the manufacturer (who IS an expert but you aren't buying from them), so know what you are bidding on.   Some cosmetics will be full size and be 1 oz or 2 oz because these are the sizes SOLD RETAIL.  If you receive a 1 oz item,  this does not mean that the 1oz is NOT full size (please check before assuming it is a sample or trial size & accusing the seller of doing something wrong)!   The size should be listed if it is manufactured in diff. sizes!   Regarding unboxed items.  There can be many reasons for this (some companies sell items with damaged boxes or unboxed discontinued items at a discount - when sold to the wholesalers, so they can't be returned to the store for full credit after being resold).  The box could have been damaged in transit or while being stored before sold, or other reason.  It is RARE that I sell an unboxed item unless it's just not manufactured this way.

PAYMENTS: 

FEEDBACK & SHIPPING:  Most sellers take their feedback VERY seriously.  Negative & neutral FB (both are bad), are reserved for serious problems (fake items - AND HAVE PROOF BEFORE ACCUSING A SELLER OF THIS & DO NOT TRUST PUBLIC FORUMS, not receiving what is IN THE LISTING, old, rancid merchandise, etc. - if the seller is not cooperative or did this intentionally, becase mistake CAN happen).  Again, those are just examples of serious problems.  Always contact the seller first!  Neg. or neutral FB should NOT be left for sellers when you received exactly what was described in the listing, if the color wasn't exactly as pictured, if item was damaged during shipping - UNLESS the seller did not try to protect the item for safe shipping.  Remember that sometimes a package can be seriously mishandled by the shipping service & if it's damaged & the seller tried to protect it, it is not the sellers fault!  This is the shipping services fault (again, unless the seller just tossed the item in an envelope).   I have had maybe one damaged package (not the item itself), & was when the postal services machine, ate the package!  Most sellers do try to protect their items (if they do not & it's damaged, then report them).  NEUTRAL FB IS JUST AS BAD AS NEGATIVE FB TO SELLERS!

DETAILED SELLER RATINGS (Star system):  Please keep in mind that you are rating the seller ACCORDING TO THE TERMS IN THE AUCTIONS/LISTINGS!  You are NOT rating the postal service or customs!  Always check the date on the postage!  Some people rate all sellers as "average" (so a 3-4) on everything.  When you do this, it means that we pay higher Ebay fees!!  It also affects our ranking when someone does a search for products that we have.  So please consider giving all 5's, unless there IS a problem and always check the auction to be sure what the terms of the auction where so you don't give a seller, a bad score for doing exactly what they stated in their listings!  Also consider what is included in the shipping charges (see more below).  Delivery confirmation is always included in my U.S. shipping and insurance is always included for international packages ($2 for every $100 in value), so it is unfair to rate lower than a 5, unless the shipping is more than the actual postage costs and shipping supplies costs.  Some buyers are misunderstanding the use of this DSR system (i.e.  fair shipping should mean a rating of 5, not a 3-4 just because it "could" be less IF the seller eats the cost of shipping supplies - we already eat 50-100% of the Ebay and Paypal fees).  Some sellers DO include all fees in their shipping charges so this would qualify as a 3 or 4 rating (or less depending on the charges).

DELAYED PACKAGES: packages CAN be misdelivered, misdirected, stolen from the mailbox, or just lost in the mail.  This is NOT the sellers fault!  It is the shipping services fault.  Luckily, truely lost packages are rare (except with a few U.S. post offices).    Always check the postmark before blaming the seller for slow shipping!  Again, the package could have been misdirected, or shipping is also slower during holidays, summer vacation time, or due to snowstorms, icestorms, etc.  Also remember that first class is approx. 1-4 days slower than priority mail & parcel post usually takes 10 days for delivery (during Christmas, up to 11 or 12).  ******For international shipping:  shipping can vary alot!  Customs will hold onto packages if they are behind & will open many of the packages for inspection.  If your package was late, ASK THE SELLER if they know why, (check the postmark first).  The seller might have had a very good reason for the delay & wasn't able to notify every buyer or did notify you, but the email went into spam.  First class international IS TAKING longer than "airmail letter post" did, even though it wasn't supposed to.  We may also make a mistake sometimes.  Believe me, we usually feel worse about it, than you do!   Also, most sellers now, put delivery confirmation on all packages so they are trackable (in the U.S. only).  MOST sellers do NOT ship every day.  If they did, they would never have time to get any new auctions listed!!  So read their shipping information because most will state the days they ship.   Mine say Wed. & Thurs. but if I must, I will ship on Friday if there have been many late payments or pending payments that cleared late in the week, or when store items are purchased.   Essentially, Wednesday is the first day of the week that I ship on.  **One last note on feedback:  MOST sellers today, will return FB after it has been left for them (so they know you received the item & were happy with it).  Many sellers used to leave FB first, but too many newer Ebayers would not return the FB after it had been left for them so they stopped doing it this way.   ALSO, many sellers have Ebay selling programs & one of the options is to allow Ebay to automatically leave the FB, after it's been left for the seller (not all sellers have this, but many do).  Also regarding feedback: Don't believe most of what you read in the bad comments, unless many buyers are saying the same thing.  The reason is because, many will lie so their FB doesn't sound petty, or when leaving bad FB for something the seller had no control over.  In addition, nonpaying bidders who the seller has had to file against - in order to get even a portion of their fees back from Ebay, will make up very damaging lies in retaliation (they will say they paid & seller never shipped, or other damaging lies, rather than admitting they didn't pay).  There is also a spot on everyone's feedback page for those, "mutually withdrawn".  This can mean that someone left FB for the wrong person, left bad FB then realized it wasn't really the sellers fault, or can be due to Ebay removing neg. FB when left by nonpaying bidders or malicious buyers (usually other sellers who open new id's or use old accts. to win auctions/buy items, JUST to turn around and leave neg. FB - these sellers will be suspended PERMANENTLY).  You can usually read the comments and follow-up comments from the other party and tell if the FB is true or not.

Communication:  Many computers today have the security levels set on high (lowering it does not always mean you will receive huge amounts of junk mail - ignore it/delete it, and most of it will stop), which means that anyones' emails, not in your address book will go into a junk or spam folder (some computers are set-up to automatically delete these emails every 24 hours).  So if you are emailing the seller and not getting a reply, it could be because they ARE responding but the emails are going into the junk/spam folder.  Most sellers do NOT ignore emails (but there ARE some sellers who do not respond to questions/problems).  If you seem to be having problems with communication, you can go to the advanced search area (top of every page) and enter the seller's id & the item number and Ebay will provide you with their contact number.  Don't always assume that the seller is ignoring you (if this is the case, they will probably have ALOT of feedback stating this).  **RE:  Communication:  We pay Paypal very well, and they do send payment notifications to all buyers, so few sellers will send these out again.  You also receive a shipping notification with tracking from Paypal (I send an email to all international buyers when I ship, since Paypal does not send shipping notifications to them).  So, if there was no other reason for communication, the seller should be rated at a 5!!

Again, this information doesn't cover everything, but does include most of the problems I've seen myself as the buyer or seller, read frequently in other sellers feedbacks, or heard from other sellers.  Just be careful, ask questions when needed & realize that most sellers are not out to rip people off by selling junk products or by other means - and most sellers are NOT idiots who can not hold down a "real" job.  Some sellers are doctors, nurses, or from many other fields, & either sell on Ebay because they enjoy it or many sell on Ebay due to disabilities or other reasons that prevent them from working outside of the home.  These sellers are usually the one's who care about their auctions and buyers, and who take feedback very seriously.   So always treat others as you would want to be treated!  There are some sellers who buy wholesale, in HUGE bulks & palettes and they have employees - they also are usually the sellers who don't respond to emails, don't take pride in the products they ship, and will have hundreds of negative feedback.  There are buyers who will be very rude to sellers rather than just asking a question.  They assume the seller is an idiot and only selling on Ebay because they are not smart enough to do anything else (believe me, I have heard this from a few buyers)!!  It is WRONG to treat anyone this way.  Buyers are no better than sellers - we are all human, so are equal.  We may not be as rich as some of our buyers, but that does not give them the right to treat us like lesser beings!

Last note regarding shipping charges:  Please understand that shipping charges include packaging materials (bubble wrap, padded envelopes, boxes - of all sizes), printer ink and paper, labels, etc.), monthly fees for online printing sites, Paypal fees, Ebay fees (in addition to listing fees, we are charged final value fees when each auction ends and on store listings, Ebay takes 12% right off the top plus the listing fees), monthly Ebay store or program fees, and many other hidden charges we as sellers incur in order to sell the item to you and ship it to you safely.  Shipping charges are usually clearly listed in every auction.  If they are not, always ask.  When you bid, you are agreeing to these charges and other terms in the sellers' auctions.  So if shipping charges are alittle more than the actual postage, this is NOT a reason to leave a bad feedback or rate the seller low on the DSR's!!!  If you are not happy with the shipping charges - then do not bid.  Most sellers end up losing money once they pay for everything else BESIDES the actual postage (of course there are those who charge far too much for shipping but you can easily compare what other sellers are charging and determine this).  I have seen some sellers lower their shipping to the point, where they ARE eating most of the shipping costs (including postage), just so they are not rated low on the DSR's.  If they get their stock at such low prices, that they can afford to do this (even when the items sell for low prices), then that's great - but I can't because I pay too much for my MAC!

Thank you VERY much for taking the time to read this information.  I hope it has helped some of you (you may not even know it has helped until you run into one of the situations)!