"My opinion (and I could be alone in this) is that most sellers aren't really concerned about an item being "lost" but are simply trying to make more money and get around ebay fees with a hidden fee they call "insurance"."

I don't believe that is true at all. Most ebay sellers are only protecting the value of their merchandise against a few unscrupulous buyers they generally do not know, who occassionaly claim they didn't receive an uninsured package.

Those few "unconcerned sellers"...(not "most")... who gouge on P&I charges are in the very small minority in my opinion.