I have no argument with you in regards to excessive shipping charges.
I think you will agree however that retailers have their profit built into the product. By lowering or eliminating shipping charges, they are merely saying that they are willing to cut profits a bit.
How much profit is there in selling a $5.00 chip for $6.00 when you have to pay listing fees and commissions.
There are no commissions on shipping.
Why not just look at the overall price rather than try to segregate shipping charges?