OK, so as a buyer on Ebay, what do you do?  Shipping and Handling is so hard to understand.  I myself did not get it, until I became a seller.  It's multi-layered. 

Years ago, shipping items was about 40 cent a pound.  UPS did not measure box sizes, it was all by weight.  Now that much of the shopping is done on the Internet, and Ebay, the entire shipping market has changed. Shipping is big business.  

Shipping involves hidden costs - boxes, tapes, filler, bubble wrap, paper, stuffing, things that need 2 boxes, buying of boxes, driving to post office.  there is the weight of the item, the box, the filler, the bubble wrap, etc, costs do have to be covered by the shipping fees.  Big businesses have payroll costs to hire shippers.  

The new problem is gas prices.  It is now part of the higher shipping costs.  The saddest part of this increase is that the huge boxes now, even if they are light in weight are effected.  Years ago, I was shipping rocking horses that were just fabulous, and they were about $30 to ship, which was feasible.  Now, the last rocking horse is more than $60 to ship across the country, that's a huge difference, and it has not sold because of that.  And there's nothing I can do.  The prices are according to size, and that's a huge box over 3 feet long and 2 feet high, etc, and that's where it really hurts.  For now, it's important to just consider that before purchasing those huge items to sell.  As I buy more items to carry, I consider the size and shipping costs because cost is a new deterent on those big items, unless you can get them very cheaply when buying.

Buyers need to understand the shipping terms, and they should be spelled out for you.  You have to know the shipping costs before you can bid.  When a seller doesn't spell it out they could be losing your sale.   Noone has time to email everyone and ask what they charge for shipping.  We all need to know how much the seller charges, and not listing that is bad for business.   No one can guess.

Some auctions list an item for $1.00 with high shipping.  I am assuming that they are figuring if they only get that one bid, they are covered on the item cost and the shipping cost.  But as long as the terms are spelled out, the buyer can make a decision.  You add both costs together. 

My shipping terms are spelled out, and I require insurance because it's the only way to protect the items.  Once it leaves our hands, if you ship it regular mail, there isn't even a record of it.  If you insure it there is, and there is accountability on someone.   Insurance guarantees me that you will get it, or else we have recourse.  With UPS, it's included in shipping prices.

Buyers have a hard time understanding how it works. As sellers, we have fees to list our items by price range, we have fees for Ebay, store fees,  fees to accept Paypal, fees to print labels, etc, and certainly fees and costs involved in sending out the packages.  And now shipping is by zip code, by box size, and by weight. 

If you have the information to explain the the reasons behind shipping and handling fees, one can become more accepting of it, and be prepared when they buy.  And know the shipping terms BEFORE you place a bid. 

Mistakes are made when you bid and don't know the shipping terms.  I am a huge shopper, but I need to know exactly what it is costing me first.  I am willing to pay more for some things because they are so fabulous and not always available in my area, but I always know the shipping first.  I remember once when I wanted to buy 20 items from the same seller.  I could not get her to tell me the shipping total before I bid, she encouraged me to bid first, and then she would tell me.  I would not.  I needed to know would it be half of her total?, more?, less?   It would have been a nightmare.  So, I did not bid at all.  There were plenty more auctions, where I knew the total.  Not knowing the shipping is a setup for failure, I do not deal with anyone like that.  I think that is a bad way to do business.   I will tell anyone the shipping total before they bid if they want multiple items.  Everyone should feel free to ask, and get an answer.

I have been so lucky, but I am careful and love who I deal with.  Anything that does not feel right, is your best clue.  The majority are honest on here, but we need to be real, if something does not sound right, or feel right, we need to go with that.  This is a great system that is open 24 hours a day, is convenient, fast, and hugely accomodating.  And it arrives at your door!!!!!!!  

There is no way to do Ebay, without shipping, so we have to make it work.  Despite having insurance, claims are horrible to handle, and you may have bought some irreplaceable item.  So shipping and handling may be what saves all of these items from damage.  It's hard to put a price on that.  I just know it's part of the deal.