What is it about e-commerce stuff that allows hosts to charge more, is there work or fees involved on the hosts side that requires the price difference?

Is it more difficult to work with?

Any light you could shed would be great, cause I am in the dark on this one.

Thanks,
Matt

SSL requires more CPU cycles. You have to install a security certificate. And if you are providing a licensed shopping cart, there's that cost to amortize.

Mostly, though, it's tech support that costs. If all your customers were experts, you could offer *very* low rates and come out smelling like a rose.