I have long felt that most of the big auction houses with the glossy catalogs and large BPs charge too much for shipping. And, I have assumed this is due to (1) their refusal/reluctance to ship via the USPS, which is usually the most economical method, and (2) their intent to recoup ALL of their costs associated with shipping from their charges to the winning bidders.
I strongly feel (not that any of these AHs care what I feel) that their shipping charges should cover ONLY outside costs (and not their inside costs, such as a shipping manager - these inside costs should be covered by the BP!). I believe this is what most of the online-only AHs, such as B&L and Sterling, strive to do, and I applaud them for this.
Some have suggested that I stop bidding with the big AHs that "overcharge" for shipping. But, of course, I can't bring myself to do this because the "stuff" trumps everything. But, I do very definitely take the BP and shipping charges into account when I bid. In other words, if the exact same card were in both a SCP auction and a B&L/Sterling auction, I would bid higher for this card in the B&L/Sterling auction, so that my total cost would be the same with either auction.
Val
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