[minimalist]

AFAIK, ebay charges fees on the subtotal including shipping. So if that practice still exists, it must be 1. out of habit or, 2. to make the prices appear cheaper (shipping costs aren't displayed as prominently, but at least sorting by price includes shipping).

I think the real reason why tipping is now pushed everywhere, including POS terminals and even online payment portals is because the payment vendor receives a cut of the entire transaction (inclusive of tip). So adding anything onto the transaction total is more money in the pocket of the payment processor.

I'm not sure what a non-legislative way to push back against this practice, since the incentives are clearly stacked to favor what we see today.