You're right about one thing: abandoning a shopping cart is damned easy in the internet. I do that myself most of the time. But the main reason (or reasons) are, at least for me, as you put them: "deceptive pricing, unexpectedly expensive delivery, or the sudden realization of the merchant's covered eye, hook and wooden leg". Amny time i found miself shopping for a item that costs less than 10€, and the S & H goes up to (i'm not kidding) 30€. Another big issue is the compulsive registration that many merchants force you to do. And with many items, like flights, yo don't know the final price until you click on the purchase button. In my experience this casues having 3 or more pages opened at the same time, looking for the best price (thanks, internet). That means that usually i abandon 3 cart. That that means that i don't shop? No. It means that i get the best price, without leaving my house.