oh man one of my favorite rants personally, but ill keep it brief this time (mostly because im tired).

some places really do gouge you on the shipping costs, people on ebay are a great example minimum shipping on the smallest thing is typically $5 ive seen them charge almost $10 to ship a video game or other small items.
its a way to ensure a certain amount of profit if their item doesnt sell as high as they hoped.
but like someone said email the company (or person on ebay) and ask them for a more cost efficient way to ship it, many times they will work with you to make the sales.

on the other hand ive bought a good deal of computer parts online and often got free shipping with them, probably due to how much i bought at once but still its nice get a good deal on parts and see "free shipping" on the label.