The cost of shipping a card:
- Postage
- Packing materials
- Insurance
- Labor
- Rent, interest, property taxes, etc.
- Utilities
- Machinery and equipment
- Inventory management software/IT infrastructure
- Risk
PWCC has a facility, which I'm sure has a large dedicated shipping & packaging area. The proportional cost of the facility, the utilities and the equipment are all shipping costs. The IT infrastructure that they have to monitor inventory and ensure packages go out quickly and accurately is a shipping cost. The labor is a shipping cost.
Why are shipping prices increasing? Their business is growing. Their current auction has 18,000 lots. Shipping 18,000 lots over a 2-3 week period requires infrastructure and investment.
Claiming that PWCC is screwing you for charging $25 for a "$7 envelope" is an insult to small businesses around the country. This is hard work.