I am by no means a "professional" seller, but I have sold a fair amount of goods through eBay. Thus, I write this guide to educate buyers on shipping costs.

1. If you have any questions about shipping costs, contact your seller- preferably in advance of committing an offer or before auction ends. GOOD COMMUNICATION IS KEY.

2. Please read auctions thoroughly. On expensive items that I have sold, I often time charge a packaging fee; of this fee, I receive $0 in my pocket and more often that not, I loose money on my shipping costs. If I overcharge a buyer by a quarter, I don't feel bad, but I know that 99% of the time I pay betwen $0.50 and up to $5 OVER what I have charged a buyer. Also, buyers don't realize this, but in order to guarantee insurance coverage through UPS, the seller/shipper HAS TO let UPS package the item. The standard fee for this is $4.95 (at least at my UPS store). I do this because I want to protect myself and my buyers against damage, loss and mostly just to protect us from the possibility of fighting.

3. USPS rates have SKYROCKETED over the past two years; It is often cheaper to ship via UPS ground, and the insurance is a better deal. I have never been reimbursed by USPS for damages incurred during shipment- even with insurance on the package/item(s).

4. When your package arrives, it will have a weight or price on it. You can research the actual cost of the shipping with this information. I do it often on items that I purchase and I compare it to what the seller has charged me. For the most part, the only time I ever get unhappy with shipping costs, is when an over-priced (shippingwise) item arrive packaged in what looks like used packaging or in a box out of a closet.

5. Most sellers are very gracious with requests; For instance, if I find an item I really want that is small and/or lightweight, I will ask the seller if they can ship First Class. This is usually the cheapest option.

6. If a seller e-mails you a delivery confirmation number, as opposed to PayPal or eBay shipping center, it typically means that the packaged was delivered and paid for at the post office. Why is this important? Because the post office charges an ADDITIONAL $0.75 for delivery confirmation on all packages except Priority, with is $0.65.

7. An unreasonable amount would be a pillow sham for $6 or a pair of shoes being sent Priority for $16. I see this all the time- and have, unfortunately, paid this cost. If you find two like items with slightly different shipping costs, please know that some sellers get shipping discounts- either through their business, their UPS pick-ups, etc... A large number of sellers though pay RETAIL costs- there is a difference!!

8. Sometimes a seller might charge a little bit more for shipping because they will ship it out the SAME DAY. Do not fault them for this; if you are not concerned with shipping times, ask the seller if there are additional fees on their auction and they may reduce the shipping price if they can ship your item out when their next item sells. I, on occasion, have been to the post office or the UPS store up to three times in one day!! That is a lot of gas in my car!!

9. Rate your sellers accordingly... Many buyers use the STAR rating system to compare with feedback ratings. Take time in doing this. Just because you think the seller overcharged you, make sure before you take away a star or more... This being said, buyers: if you are elated with your purchase, please, still take the time to rate the shipping charges fairly. Don't give a seller 5 stars on shipping costs if they don't deserve (make sure of this first)- it doesn't help anyone when you do this.

10. Please, please, PLEASE, keep open lines of communication. Find out what goes into the shipping process for each seller. Make requests, when you can. Know your seller, know the rates. And most of all, if you opt for USPS without (or even with) insurance, and your item is lost or damaged, do NOT blame your seller or expect them to file YOUR claim for YOU. If you buy something shipped via UPS and it's value exceeds $100, request additional insurance and MAKE SURE that the item is carefully packaged in order to insure coverages.

SELLER: I know there are a lot of you reading this, and some of you will disagree with what I am saying. Please keep in mind though, that lower shipping costs often produce significantly higher bids. I've seen items with high shipping sell for pennies, while the same item with fair shipping sells for 100% more, and the same item with free shipping will sell for 500% more (not always, but sellers- research completed listings and educate yourselves on the best sales tactics).