eBay, something really bothers me about buying and selling on this venue. It is indirectly related to buying/selling audio equipment. What is it you ask? SHIPPING COST, sHiPPiNg cOSt, SHipPINg cOsT, and last but not least shipping cost. Shipping cost means Nothing, yes you read that right…NOTHING. All parameters being the same, the total cost of the item is all that matters…PERIOD. As a long time eBay buyer the only thing as far as $$$ that means anything to me is total cost of that particular item. It doesn’t matter if shipping cost is $1.00 and the item is $9.00 or shipping cost is $9.00 and the cost of the item is $1.00. It’s six of one or a half dozen of the other, same exact thing. You know, glass half full, glass half empty.  Buying this item still comes out to $10.00 total. Or let’s look at it another way, the way of the ignoramus. Item cost $12.00 free shipping vs. $10.00 $1.00 shipping. Which choice would the cerebrally challenged buyer choose with all other variables being the same? You guessed it, $12.00 free shipping instead of $10.00 with $1.00 shipping. Yes, even though the auction with $1.00 shipping charge is cheaper they would choose the more costly “free shipping” choice. There are actually people who argue, complain, cry baby over shipping cost. Before you bid/buy/best offer on eBay you figure total cost. How does this apply to stereo equipment? It’s heavy and costly to ship. When you see a buy it now with “free shipping” the seller has already calculated his packing/shipping fee’s into the total price. It might state “FREE SHIPPING ” but that seller has already factored the shipping cost, etc. into the price of the total cost of the item. Trying to explain this simple math to many buyers / bidders is near impossible. You have a better chance of finding a winning lotto ticket on the sidewalk then successfully explaining total price vs. shipping cost. We are talking 5th grade math here, no make it 3rd grade. They just can’t grasp the concept of “total cost of the item.” I believe many people would pay more for an item as long as it has free shipping, lol. Seriously, no kidding.