eBay

I'm feeling a little discouraged. Possibly even a little stupid and disorganized.
Harsh words, but it seems that I am harder on myself than I would be on anyone else.

I have recently started selling on eBay. It is not garage sale season (here in the Midwest, garage sale season is short-lived, sadly), and I thought selling online would be a good way to make a little money and get rid of items as I clean out my house. While listing on eBay has proved easier than I thought, it turns out calculating the shipping cost is not. It has taken me several items to realize I need to look at the estimated shipping cost eBay provides on it's listing page, and add that amount to the recommended price. Why not charge shipping to my buyers? I'm not sure how they would pay me for a known unknown. And when I shop online (very rare) I love me some free shipping. So in an effort to hook buyers and actually sell my stuff, I decided to always offer free shipping. Turns out, this decision has cost me. Literally. I have paid more for shipping than I have gotten paid for my items. I'm running a dang charity over here.
It is very discouraging but I'm going to try to learn from my mistakes and keep on keeping on.
Additionally, I have gotten creative with my shipping receptacles. Today I shipped a puffy vest in an orange bag, inside a Food4Less paper bag. I, of course, have been on the lookout for boxes in the alley and I have decided that I would prefer to ship my items in once-used receptacles. It allows me to get creative with the recycling. Because of this creativity, I always write
"This is your eBay purchase"
on whatever I am shipping. God forbid someone thinks its a mail bomb.
Lastly, because I don't have a printer, I choose to handwrite my shipping labels, which does not allow me to get the eBay shipping discount.
Maybe I'm too much of a dinosaur to be taking on this 'momtrepreneur' endeavor.