The shopping cart sounded like a good idea, but its current application is a disaster! Please see these two threads:
http://www.ebid.net/forums/showthrea...-shopping-cart
http://www.ebid.net/forums/showthread.php?161006-NEW-Mulitple-Item-Checkout-%28MIC%29-!!!!!
I have sold as many as 50 stamps at one time to a single buyer, so I am very familiar with the shipping discounts.
Shipping for a single stamp costs the buyer $1.10. I add 10 cents to the shipping charge for each additional stamp.
If someone buys 50 stamps, the shopping cart is going to calculate a shipping charge of $55.00
When I apply my standard shipping discount, the shipping charge for the same 50 stamps is $6.00
A buyer is going to look at that invoice, look at the shipping charge, and abandon the cart. We are going to lose a LOT of sales.
I use actual weight when combining larger items, but they have to be packed together and weighed before I know how much to charge the buyer. Some items cannot be combined in one package (such as an LP record and a heavy beer stein).
Please give us the option to opt out of the cart. The only way I want to use it is if you can develop an equation to use to adjust shipping charges. And it would have to be more than a simple percentage.