Mike Simmons wrote:
Rates are based on shipping a single item. Purchasing multiple items results in multiple shipping charges--there are no "per shipment" and "per item" charges, as there are when you buy directly from Amazon.com.
Is there a trick to circumvent this and get combined shipping? Or is it possible you're remembering your experience purchasing from another site, such as eBay?
I seem to remember emailing a vendor and saying, "look, I found all the items I needed... you carry them. Your shipping is pretty expensive if we add it up. Can you give me a deal so I can shop with you instead of 5 other people?" The person was pretty helpful. Of course, I was buying textbooks, not $2 dvds, so I imagine there's more of a markup there.
Sometimes, they will honor human decency. Sometimes, the only buck they make is on the shipping and they say no. Some folks have other websites and say "well put your order in on my site and it will get charged x." This is what happened with my textbook guy. I didn't make the purchase through amazon, I technically made it through the person's website.