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@quiltsandcrystals wrote:

so for you the buyer does not need to know the postage cost  is that whay your are saying. I disagree I think they do need to know.

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Several years ago in a previous life and occupation, I visited a factory that made fridges. While obseving the assembly line, the manager quietly pointed out that the actual manufacturing cost of a (large) fridge was around the $50 mark - the rest was taxes, transport, insurances, advertising....... Ever since, when I gaze at the baby I paid over $3000 for, I feel vaguely ripped off!

As a small, seasonal seller, I switched over to so-called free postage because even though I always post on the day of payment and had always charged slightly less than the stamp cost, I still was getting dinged from peope who thought it too much. I now pay commission on postage, get my 5 stars, and people can no longer tell how much postage cost. They same goes for the cost of signature on delivery - all of my customers automatically pay for it because when offered as an $3 optional extra, it always seemed that the ones who blamed me when an item went missing were the same ones that elected to save the $3.

I sell mainly clothing, and buy plastic zip lock bags, plastic posting satchels, bubble wrap, address labels etc - all of which are factored into the price. And this is before I consider eBay fees, Payal fees, business costs like insurance, and postage.

When buying online, if a buyer cannot accept that the true cost of an item is the total that it takes to get the goods safely to them, they shouldn't be buying. I wouldn't mind betting that if you spell out all the incidentals you include to pack your items well, you'll have somebody who wants you to leave out the extras and  just stick it in a paper envelope..... and then blasts you if it turns up damaged (or doesn't turn up at all!). 

Cheers,

Marina.