The Internet of shipping and handling … The small company winds up charging almost as much for shipping and handling as they do for the small goods they sell.. in the case of new darkroom lenses this is probably because the carrier charge is based upon the value the price of the lens..plus feigned loss of delivery. as well,  Amazon has negotiated such great  rates ,by becoming a major competitor to the 20th century cargo companies, that for them to stay alive ,to keep their fleet in the air and in that final mile ,the small guy pays more than what his prior share would have been…

calculating this is left as an exercise to the bored.

A flower pot example from my life: The $12 item in 1991 could be shipped anywhere in the United States for $3.99.. today [2026] that same item ,as a weight ,would ship for $18 . of sidebar interest that $12 item is no longer manufactured… The darkroom retouching world died.. 

electrons are the new friction …

in the small we find it all — not true in physics, so, why ever believe it