But provided you tell people you are shipping to what the price is, then what's the issue? If they are going to pay that money, and you aren't losing any money,
The "original" money is not a problem, as long as the buyer accepts the cost.
My fear is what happens with problems. Let's say that I sell you a keyboard for $100 + $78 shipping to the UK. And with your customs, etc, you feel that you are buying something pretty precious.
Personally, I believe that if I have properly packaged and properly addressed the item that you bought, as soon as I hand it to the postal clerk and pay the tab, it has become "yours" and I can take no further responsibility for it since it is literally and figuratively out of my hands forever.
However, what buyers often expect, and what ebay makes explicit, is that the responsibility remains on ME until the item is placed into your sweaty hands in perfect condition.
So, if someone nabs it off your doorstep, I lose.
If it is set on the wrong doorstep, I lose.
If it falls of the truck into a drainage ditch, I lose.
If the truck rolls over it, I lose.
Even if it actually arrives at your house in perfect condition but you claim that it was damaged, I lose.
In the domestic US, despite the horror stories people love to re-tell, properly packaged items are rarely damaged, and tracking is usually accurate, if slow.
Given that, I feel that the risks I take on domestic sales are manageable, but the risks incurred when fragile items are sent out of country, with complete loss of control and considerably greater expenses for things like return shipping, it becomes seriously worrisome.
Mind you, I have sold hundreds of items internationally, over the course of nearly 2 decades, many of them fragile items such as rare LP records and keyboards, with a problem rate only in the 2%-5% range, but still, I have become resentful of the concept that I have to take responsibility for both the item itself as well as all the costs and risks associated with the shipping and delivery of it, even long after it has left my control forever.
