A touchy subject- why is shipping so high?

People often wonder why people charge $2 or even $3 to ship a pair of earrings. The truth is that if your package is not completely flat, there's a charge of 1.31 to even ship earrings that weigh one ounce. Then there's delivery confirmation, which is essential for people who sell with paypal [18 cents]. There's also the cost of packaging the item. Tape, bubble wrap, bubble envelopes[if you can get them in bulk, 20 cents each, but you have to lay out the whole $30 or $50 at once]- this all adds up. I also use shipping software so I can have envelopes that are readable, that have all the zip codes down to the four digit extension, and so I can ship first class international without waiting for an hour at the post office. This software is in fact, not free, but it helps packages get there faster. How? If the post wo/man can't read the label, that slows down the mail, having the four digit extension slows it down, and being able to print things at home allows me to ship more days a week, thus causing faster shipping.