I get extremely frustrated when I read that buyers win a bid or make their purchases then complain about postage rates.  I ask you, the buyer..have you read the entire listing before you buy? If you can't find what you're looking for, do you contact the seller?

Do you know there's a table of weights and measurements on the Royal Mail site that will help you calculate your postage? You need to put in the type of parcel you're sending (IE:1st/2nd Class Signed For recorded/International/Small Packet/Letter etc..) weight, and the destination. Add to this the sellers shipping and handling fees and VOILA! You should know what the FAIR postage cost should be!

Now then, considering most decent sellers will wrap your purchase properly.  You will realize they'll use a protective layer or two of bubble wrap or styrofoam peanuts, or maybe both. They may use boxes and brown postage wrapping paper, tape etc. All of these essentials for a safe shipment shouldn't add up to much on the handling fees.  If the seller is charging an outlandish postage fee use your BACK button and don't make the purchase.  Unfortunately there are some sellers who will charge £5.00 postage for an item that weighs no more than a stamp! I have seen a seller asking £8.00 for posting a small Faerie Poppet!!! The cost for 1st Class, Signed For/Recorded is around £2.88, and with handling fees should be no more than £3.25-£3.75 depending on the size of the Faerie..Avoid these rip off artists! Let buyers know you wont be purchasing from them because of their over priced postage!

One other item I'd like to bring to your attention is this: Sellers are NOT supposed to charge you anything at all for using Pay Pal. Some Sellers do add on a fee for Pay Pal and this goes against Ebay's rules. No one needs anything that bad if they're willing to pay overblown postage and added on fees.

If ever you're unsure of the cost to send an item if you win or buy it now on Ebay, message your seller BEFORE you make a commitment to buy because once you hit that button you are responsible for the payment. READ the ENTIRE listing before you bid. And check the feedback. 1 or 2 negative feedbacks aren't neccessary a bad thing, but several in a month's time, and the way a seller replies to feedback should be an indication of the type of seller you're dealing with.

Ebay can be a pleasant experience if you know the rules and are careful with the listings and bids you make.