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You snagged that adorable "Boy and Pig" Hummel figurine for a fantastic price. Now the seller is demanding $50 just to ship it. Suddenly, your fabulous deal is turning into a frightful rip-off. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde!

1. Do the math.

Using eBay's shipping calculator can protect you from some nasty surprises later so that it doesn't cost more to send the item than it did to buy it. Click to enlarge

eBay makes it easy for sellers to include a shipping cost calculator in with the bid. If the seller has included one, use it before you bid to avoid any unpleasant surprises later.

2. Ask the seller. If there's no shipping calculator, you're either dealing with a novice seller or one who was planning to pad the fees after the auction closed. In that case, you'll need to send the seller a question asking for an estimate of shipping costs to someone in your zip code. If the seller won't agree to a shipping price prior to sale, you should probably steer clear.

3. Hold onto your money. If the shipping fee is way beyond what you agreed to fork out, you can refuse to pay. You should notify the seller of your intent not to pay and see if you can reach a mutual agreement to not complete the transaction. If the seller doesn't agree, eBay can nullify the transaction without penalty to either party. eBay has a well-established procedure regarding unpaid items; be familiar with it before you enter a dispute.

4. Watch your (feed) back. If you don't pay, the seller may give you a negative feedback rating, which could mess up your eBay street cred. If this happens to you, file a grievance with eBay. You'll find a contact form on eBay's help page. In cases where the fees were truly unreasonable, eBay will help you recover from the bad rating.