Jeff,

While I haven't done any online auction chip sales for almost two years, I adopted a personal policy of "I pay all shipping and insurance" on everything that I was selling prior to that time frame back into the late 1990's. ...coulda been around this time of year in 1999 that I figured out that the price of postage should be included in my asking/minimum bid requirements, and, insurance was MY responsibility. I would be the one hurt if the product didn't arrive. I insured everything out of my own pocket. Trust in deals made in this medium should be a three-way deal. The buyer and seller have to trust each other at some level, and we both have to trust the party in the middle delivering the item(s).
The third party must be accountable for the first and second parties involved, so I buy the insurance.

...not only on chips worth a couple bucks. It is a regular business practice of mine on orders running into four figures to not charge the customer for insurance, but the purchase is still insured. Trust should only be a two-way street. If I don't receive what I thought I bought, the seller needs to make it right. So should all of my customers, and they (I don't think) should pay extra for receiving what they bought.

....that's just me, and how I do business. I see "shipping 'and handling' charges" added to final invoice charges and have to wonder out loud "How many people have to 'handle' what I'm buying before it is put into a box?!?!? Do some businesses require 40 people to touch what I ordered before they send it to me?

...sorry for the rant, but while I do biz on a global basis, I don't expect anyone other than me to cover my butt when making a sale.

Bob