Too often on e-bay, I have seen many sellers charge way too much for sending particular items through the post, both locally and overseas.  This is an extremely dishonest way to make a little more money out of a sale and should not be tolerated.

Buyers should really shop around first and thoroughly check postage prices before making a purchase and later finding that they have been ripped off in the process.  If you find listings that are charging way to much for postage compared to other listings - don't pay the high price, therefore sending a clear message that excessive postage costs are not right!

I'll give a rough guide as to what good postage prices should be for common items like CD's, LP's and DVD's (in Australia at least, as prices vary a lot from country to country), to help newer buyers understand that going too far beyond these prices is majorly getting ripped off:

• For buying CD's you should be paying NO MORE than $3 postage for one disc, as it usually costs a person $1 - $1.50 for the envelope and around $1 - $1.50 postage costs.  Anything more than that you should be wary of.
• For buying LP's you should be paying NO MORE than $10 postage for one album, as it usually costs a person between $2 & $3 for the box/mailer and $6 - $10 postage costs (this varies a little from state to state).  I know that occasionally this exceeds the $10 I have listed, but a seller will not be charged this too often, and should wear this price as they usually balance out.
• For buying DVD's you should be paying NO MORE than $5 for one dvd, as it will usually cost a seller $1 - $1.50 for the envelope/packing and around $3 - $4 postage costs.

FOR ADDITIONAL ITEMS (that is, if you are buying more than 1 of the same item from the same seller) the prices should be:  additional CD's (no more than $1.50), additional LP's (no more than $3 - $4) and for additional DVD's (no more than $2.50).

Please also note that if you are paying less money for the postage prices I have listed, you may not be getting your full money's worth.  This means that a seller may skimp a little (or even a lot) on protecting your CD/LP/DVD, that is, may use plain ordinary envelopes and/or may not supply adequate protection to your item (eg bubble wrap, padding, cardboard liners, etc).  This can occasionally (but not always) damage your item (sometimes severely) whilst in transit, which can lead to major headaches to both buyer and seller of the item.

Once you receive an item in the post, always check the amount of postage (label or stamps) listed on your envelopes / boxes against the amount of postage you have paid for in the item description.  If it doesn't add up to within a couple of dollars, be very wary.

If you feel a seller is charging an excessive amount for postage, you should report them to e-bay.  E-bay policies prohibit sellers from charging excessive amounts for postage, and violators should be made examples of.