I am intrigued by the little signs following the name of the buyers or sellers.

[celnap]

I am intrigued by the little signs (emoticons)  following the name of the buyers or sellers, for example the stars or what seems to be a character. Could you tell me what they mean and what the different colors mean?

[karl*katz]

The little guy in yellow means they have been a member less than 30 days.

Here are some links for you...

Stars

http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/scores-reputation.html

Icons in Listings

http://pages.ebay.com/help/search/questions/icons.html

Other Icons

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/myebay-icons.html