I have decided to make a short but useful guide to shipping prices,and how to avoid feeling shafted when that high shipping rate comes through in your invoice.

You should never have to feel ripped off by shipping prices from sellers.

I have seen many complaints from people who are unhappy with the fact they had to pay more for shipping than they paid for the price of the item they bought. There is a simple solution.

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Here is my solution, if I am interested in an item on ebay, I will check the shipping estimate given by the seller, or I will use the shipping calculator. If no shipping price is available, I will contact the buyer with a question about the shipping amount. If I don't receive a reply to my query, I will either not bid on the item, or purchase the item and accept the shipping costs, whatever they are.

Remember, when bidding on an item you are entering a contract with an obligation to pay.

I get tired of hearing buyers complain about shipping prices, especially when they failed to check shipping costs or didn't contact the seller before the auction ended before they bid. Just because you paid a certain amount of shipping on a similar item from another seller, does not mean that a different seller will offer the same rate for shipping. It is important to take into account the cost of the item AND the shipping amount when thinking about how much you are willing to pay for the item in total.

I have had quite a few seasoned ebayers with over 1000 feedback complain about shipping prices, and these people know better than to bid without reading all the terms in the description. Learn from the lessons of the experts before you, without making the same mistakes they had to make to learn. Always ask all questions before you bid, and be sure to read the entire description before making a decision to bid or buy. Like they tought you in school, read all directions thoroughly first and foremost, than begin with your process.

Caveat Emptor, "Let The Buyer Beware." It isn't hard to avoid getting burned by shipping prices on ebay. Be smart, open your eyes, and when in doubt, email with a question. It will avoid future problems and confusion, and will save you money in cases that you weren't expecting to spend more than you bargained for.

Be sure to see my guide on the flaws of ebay feedback and the problems that can be invloved in the process.