I thought it would be worthwhile to share what I have learned. We don't necessarily have to pay hazmet fees on shipping for small quantities of common items we all need like paint, primers, fuel tank sealant, firewall sealant, etc.
There seems to be a little-known rule called the ORM-D Consumer Commodity Rule, that works in our favor. If we all get aggressive in applying this rule, and insisting that vendors we buy stuff from use it, perhaps we can shift the tide in our favor. I recently had some paint and primer products shipped to me here in Oregon from a company in Oklahoma. They are the ones who told me about this rule. I didn't have to pay any hazmet fees, even though the primer I ordered normally carries hefty fees for hazmet shipping. The box came with the ORM-D blue label on the side (seen below). Sorry the image is a bit fuzzy.
I told the staff at Vans about it when I was there a few days ago to buy some firewall sealant. Let's hope they look into it and begin applying it as much as possible.
A google search on "ORM-D consumer commodity" turns up a host of websites with information on the subject. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can shed even more light on the subject.