Paul,
Can't say as I blame you for not having any faith in your fellow man. It may seem that people lack values today simply because we hear mostly the negative. Walter Cronkite when asked why the bad news is accentuated said, "simply because good news does not catch anyone's attention".
I do take issue with your implication that chippers charging more than actual shipping charges are less than honest. The two are not related, There is nothing wrong with any enterprise making a profit, period.

Everyday transactions on ebay are another example. Thousands of transactions are completed everyday with no problems. The few that are dishonest we'll hear about in a NY second. Point being, The vast majority of people do live by standards and values. Believe if you want that this is all bull, but I'll continue to believe most of us live by the golden rule.