As a seller I realize that people want something for nothing. In order to entice bidders, it's a good idea to start the auction at the lowest amount possible without a reserve,and since you never know what will happen it's best to pad the S&H to make sure you don't loose out in case you only get 1 or 2 low bids and you have to sell the item.
I don't want something for nothing. I want something for a price of what the market will bear (supply and demand). Padding the shipping by twice the amount just so a seller will get what they really want is just an attempt to short circuit this basic economic law. A person could make the similar argument that a seller wants to sell his "used" product for a "brand new" price.
Ebay started as an online swap meet, but now that the pros have gotten savvy to how to manipulate it, it's getting harder to find good deals.
Imagine going to a store, finding an item "on sale", taking it up for purchase, having it rung up, and then having them charge you for a)the employees salary (plus markup), b)the electricity to run the register (plus markup), c)the sack to put the item in (plus markup).
Taxes and VATs aside, when you buy an "on sale item" (or any other item), the cost of all those extras are still figured in to the price tag when it's on the shelf. If the store takes a loss, then they need to charge more for the item. If it doesn't move, that's not a license to penalize the buyer who wants it at a cheaper price.
You don't "have to sell the item" if you are not getting the price you want. You can always remove the item from bidding, which I have seen happen many a time. Or, you can set a reserve price to make sure you get at least what you want. If nobody is willing to meet your reserve, then the demand for your item does not meet your expectation.
Anyway, the monitor I got is cool! Looks great on my system!
