when i bid on an auction, like probably everyone else, i consider the shipping cost and the bidding cost together in the total cost.
if the shipping cost from the country of origin seems out of line i either bid extremely low to stay within total cost, or i avoid the auction as i assume the seller is being unreasonable(forcing someone to pay high shipping rates) or profiteering (charging more than the cost of shipping). if i want insurance or a faster priority of shipping i could ask for it and pay the difference, but if the seller selects the most expensive shipping rate to begin with i cant generally be bothered to ask a seller for alternate shipping priorities..

i think alot of sellers shoot themselves in the foot by selecting expensive shipping.

most of my purchases are international, so, as someone else said, priority shipping only makes a difference until it leaves the country of origin.. most of the time spent waiting is in customs and then shipping within my home country (canada)

anyways.. gripe gripe gripe.. i wish sellers would offer cheaper shipping.