... are hard to understand sometimes.

To keep a Top Rated Seller Status on eBay, ONE of the criteria is stellar feedback ratings. Feedback consists of 4 items: 1) Item as described 2) Communication 3) Shipping time and 4) Shipping and handling charges. I stay on top of all four of those, so you'd think the ratings would be pretty much equal. What's my lowest score (and always has been) you ask? COMMUNICATION!

Let's see here ... as soon as a sale comes through, I send a nice thank you message to the buyer and let them know exactly when I'll be shipping their package. Once I ship the package, I contact the buyer and let them know it's been shipped and to contact me if ANY problems arise in the process. I also attach the tracking info so they can track their package at any time they wish, from my door to theirs. I also include a nice thank you note within the package with all of my contact info, etc, in case of a problem.

Ok, it's not a huge deal, as I maintain a 5-star rating in ALL categories, but I'm just wondering, how much frigging communication does one expect? Should I include a Thump letter with the package?