so here goes my 2 cents...

Keep in mind, you are not just leaving feedback to let the person know what you think of the payment or the item itself, but the whole transaction, and more importantly, you are leaving feedback for the next buyer / seller to know that this person is trustworthy and has a tendancy to do business fair and honest. This is why it is important to leave feedback, because it is not just for you.

I currently always leave positive feedback as a seller when payment received, even if it arrives "late" just 'cause I am thankful the transaction went withohut any real annoyance. I am starting to rethink this mainly because the transaction is not complete just because the seller received payment and sent the item, the feedback refers to the whole transaction and what the experience was like to deal with this person.

Robert makes a good point and that is this:

Let's say you get an immediate paypal payment for a sale, and you leave positive feedback, you ship promptly, and then all of a sudden, the buyer decides to be a jerk and say he changes his mind and wishes he didn't spend the money on the item, there is nothing wrong with it, just buyer's remorse. Or maybe, he/she wants to make your day and demand a refund, and sends the item back to you damaged. Or what if they decide to be real slick and leave negative feedback with bad comments and they just made it up? They kept the item, liked it but just left negative feedback? Are you wishing you hadn't jumped the gun and left premature positive feedback? Since the transaction was not finished, you leave the door wide open for the buyer to screw you and they still have your seal of approval positive feedback to show to the next seller.

Dave C.
R-6666