What is "cushioning"?

[gerdie0707]

seller says he did not cushion the shipping.  Does this mean charge extra?

[surplusdealdude]

Sounds like it.

Sellers are allowed to add charges for out-of-pocket expenses they incur (like boxes and such), that's called a handling charge.

It's possible that he's referring to adding even more to protect his profit, charge ebay fees and such, which is not allowed.

[femmefan1946]

Is English his first language? If not he may be confusing the word "cushion" for "padding" and is trying to say he does not pad the shipping with extra charges.

Now that eBay charges 9% on shipping fees, many sellers have taken to using "Free Shipping" which means that all the costs of postage, packaging, insurance (including self-insurance) , tracking, and profit are added into the asking price.

When making comparisons, don't bother with the breakdown. Look at the total.

Which is cheapest?

$5 item with $15 shipping

$15 item with $5 shipping

$20 item with Free Shipping.