First, shipping cost is totally irrelevant. If I am willing to spend $200 on a bike, it makes absolutely no difference if the bike was $1 and the shipping was $199 or if the bike was $199 and the shipping was $1. Guess what, it still adds up to $200, my total budget. What kind of tight-ass would you have to be to have a "bike" budget AND a "shippping" budget?
I have seperate budgets because I dont play the $1 for the item and $199 for shipping game. Ebay allows sellers to operate globaly for pennies. If Ebay didnt exist sellers would only have thier local newspaper and the occasional garage sale to move their goods. Ebay is providing a service, pay for it.
As far as the shipping goes...if I pay X dollars for a product and it gets to my house in the condition it was advertised as I wouldnt care how it got to my house.....pony express, UPS, bike messenger, padding, no padding, whatever.