I offer various shipping rates which the buyers can choose according to how fast they want the item. I also tell them that a small handling charge is added to the postal charges. I try to re-use packaging whenever I can, but I do have to buy bubble wrap, mailers, and so on eventually.
As a buyer, though, I shy away from people selling one-cent items with a whopping shipping charge that makes no sense, based on the item’s weight.
Until recently, I had an eBay store, through which I sold prints of my photography. I charged $3.50 for Shipping *and Handling *for the first print, plus an additional $0.50 for each additional print. Nobody ever complained about the charge; in fact, it was common for people to pay $3.50 for *each *print in a multiple order. Of course, I reimbursed the difference.
Recently, eBay more than tripled their fees for the stores, hoping to get sellers to put their items on auction instead. Along with many others, I have closed my store, and will never again have anything to do with eBay.
There’s a huge difference between selling a CD at 1 cent (and charging $20 to ship it at the lowest rate) and, say, selling bonsai (which is what I used to do on occasion) starting at $10 and charging $25 to ship it over 2-3 days to make sure it gets there alive. Plants are heavy and require a lot of breathable materials to ship that way, so it takes time to ball up all those newspapers and place them around to cushion the plant from damage. The shipping would often be at least as much as the starting price of the plant, and it took quite a bit of packing materials to ensure that they arrived safely. If potential buyers balked at the shipping costs, they could have gone to any other seller who was selling bonsai at $70 with little or no shipping costs attached. They were going to pay for shipping and shipping materials either way.
Usually the charge is postage “and handling.” Which means that they are charging a little for the labor of shipping. I don’t object to a little. I won’t buy from someone who charges an outrageous rate for shipping.
I have flat fee shipping on each of the items I sell on eBay. I always give the option of upgrading from Priority to Next Day for a couple of bucks more, too.
Thing is, I’m in MD. Let’s say I’m charging $7.99 shipping. If I get a customer in PA, it might cost me $5.00-$6.00 to ship the package; but if I’m shipping it to CA or AK, it might cost me $9.00-$10.00 to ship it. Sometimes I come out a couple of bucks ahead, sometimes I lose a couple of bucks. But I always state the shipping cost up front, and if someone has trouble with that cost, I guess they won’t bid on my stuff.
I won’t gouge on shipping, though, and won’t do business with sellers who do.
Maybe it just strikes me as dishonest. Yes I understand how shipping works and that a $5 item could very well cost $10 to ship. That’s not what I’m talking about.
I understand ‘handling’ and have no problem with that either when it’s explained.
It does bug me when I see an item for a penny and shipping is $25. I just like dealing with people that are more upfront. And since there are lots of people selling on ebay that’s who I buy from. If I see someone who appears to be inflating the shipping price so it looks like the item is cheaper, I just don’t deal with people like that.
The people who sell things for one cent and charge $25 for shipping are indeed dishonest. Not dishonest to the buyer, but to eBay. Basically when they charge a penny for the item and get $25 for shipping an item that costs $5 to ship, they’re bypassing eBay fees. So while the rest of us sellers are doing it the right way, perhaps charging a slight handling fee to cover expenses (absolutely nothing wrong with that), you have others who are taking advantage of the system and making it cost more for the rest of us. I know the practice is frowned upon by eBay but I don’t know if they crack down on these sellers or not. I personally refuse to bid those types of auctions, and try to avoid sellers who jack up their shipping too high. I’m talking about the ones who charge $10 to ship a T-shirt.
Actually, the practice of over-inflated shipping prices does hurt the customers, not just eBay. My sister bought some rechargable batteries for a dollar, but the shipping was closer to twenty dollars. The batteries didn’t work, but the seller would only refund the item cost, not shipping. (It’s now in dispute with eBay.) So I never buy from those sellers, and agree that it is dishonest.
Best buyer I ever had:
She emailed me when her parcel arrived and said she’d noticed the postage cost me more than she’d paid for postage, and volunteered to send the difference. I reassured her that she didn’t owe me anything - she’d paid in American dollars, postage was in Australian dollars - and thanked her for her honesty and generosity.
eBay horror stories are a dime a dozen, so it’s nice to sometimes tell tales about the sales that go right 
Thanks, I get it now. I haven’t sold anything yet, but if I start I’ll need to know this sort of nudge nudge wink wink say no more.
If I buy a package, I charge for the package. But I normally have packages, so I don’t charge for them. I try to find out exactly how much shipping will be, and I charge that. One time I thought I was going to use a flat-rate box, and it was cheaper to box it myself and send it Priority. I refunded the difference. The last thing I sold was an MGB three main bearing transmission with overdrive. I estimated it weighed 80 pounds, boxed, and offered the buyer a choice: I could find out the exact shipping charge and send him an invoice, or I’d charge him $65 and refund any difference. He chose the latter option Turned out it was 90 pounds and it cost about $68. I told him not to worry about sending me another three dollars.
In the 7 years I’ve been selling on ebay, I’ve never charged more than $2.00 for handling. But, I don’t condem those who do, as long as it’s reasonable. Paying yourself $10 for the effort of putting an article of clothing into a free envelope, is silly.
When I buy on ebay, I use a points program that credits you for each dollar you spend. So, I look for items where most of the cost is reflected in the actual price, rather than the shipping.