Scale for weight to use EBay shipping
Hello,
Any recommendations on what type of scale to use if I decide to use Ebay shipping?
I won’t be shipping anything over 10 lbs
And what happens if I get the weight incorrect ( my biggest fear)
And being that there are different prices for different zones how do you know what to charge for shipping in your listing.
Thank you for your time
19 comments
teregonc-0
·3 months agoHi any recommendations for weight scale for home decor and/or small items on eBay? Any brand that you guys have been using? Thanks in advance
kalyoth
·1 year agoDepends on the size & weight of what ur shipping. I use this: Scale. It's been very good to me for accuracy & you are supposed to round up anyways for shipping accuracy.
dryophelia
·2 years agoIt doesn't matter where you purchase the label, you will need that scale.
deserdog
·2 years agoI sell mostly small items. I bought an EK5055 electronic kitchen scale at Wal-mart. Up to 11 lbs. I always have dimensions and weights writen on my packages. Most of the times, the weight on my scale and at the post office are the same, down to .1 ounce. It cost less than $20.00. If a box is large enough that it overlaps the readout, I have a small square box that i set on the scale, tare it off, and then weigh the package. Uses 2 AAA batteries, and they last a long time. I have been using this scale for years.
robbie31415
·2 years agoI don't think a fancy scale is needed.
I have used in the past a walmart kitchen scale that went up to 6 lbs and had no issues.
It was less than $10.
zakstreasuretrove
·2 years agoI use an Accuteck Digital Postal Scale Model W-8580-110B
The corded readout is a must for weighing bigger packages that would cover up the readout while weighing them. It is also accurate to 0.1 oz which is a must for 'first class' weights under a pound.
The weight limit is 110lbs on mine which is way more than I'll ever need.
My only gripe is that the scale is a bit small when weighing larger boxes. It will handle any box 12"x12" or under with ease. I frequently weigh boxes that are up to 20x18 and it does them fine, you just have to balance it on the scale a bit. I've never had the weight be off by more than 0.1 oz compared to my drop off weights. Usually they are exactly the same.
theo2112
OP2 years agoThank you so much for the information!
The scale is in a nice price range and I only have a few items that may be in larger boxes.
zakstreasuretrove
·1 year agoI just wanted to give an update on the scale I recommended in this thread. I have since bought another one as the previous one started giving me errors and I'll explain what it was doing.
When I would turn it on it would take a long time to 'zero' and then the weight would move up or down by a few ounces without being touched. Eventually it would start up fine, but I started getting different readouts from the USPS scale so....no good.
The new one works great as the old one did when I first got it.
I had the last one for nearly three years and I was not very gentle with it so I think the errors were more indicative of my handling then of the quality of the scale.
I'll be much gentler on this one and should at least get a couple years out of it. Until the other one started having issues, it's measurements were spot on, as is the new one.
chevymontecarlo88
·2 years agoThere are many different size digital scales that can be hooked up to a computer or run off a 9volt battery. Just make sure you tare the scale at times and having the feature that wastingtime states (holds weight on screen for a period of time) is good for larger items. If you are dropping off your items at the post office and are unsure of the weight, you can weigh the item at the KIOSK or have the counter weigh it as well. The same goes for UPS and Fed Ex if you drop it off at counter at those retailers. I paid $20 for the digital scale the last time but it was larger than the one pictured.
-Good luck
theo2112
OP2 years agoThank you so much for your help!
annadryl
·2 years agoFor years I've used a medium sized kitchen scale for small items, it goes to 15 pounds. I got it at the local Wal for about $18. It's always been great. As Richard noted, bigger boxes don't work on the small flat types so I put an empty box as a riser, zero that back down then place the larger box on top and read underneath it.
theo2112
OP2 years agoThank you again for your help!
wastingtime101
·2 years agoWhen you set up your listing, use calculated shipping not flat rate shipping. As long as you enter accurate weight (of the packed item) and accurate dimensions (measure the outer box dimensions) then buyers will be charged an accurate rate.
Make sure you're choosing the right shipping service, too. Don't offer buyers anything that says "First Class" which is an untracked service for letters / flats if you plan to ship a package. Offer a tracked package service like USPS Ground Advantage or whatever is appropriate to the carrier you're using.
If you get the weight or dimensions wrong the carrier will apply a cost adjustment when applicable which will be auto charged to your account by the carrier through eBay.
Once your package exceeds a pound in weight, rates are charged by rounding up to the next pound. So if your package weighs 2 lb 4 oz it ships at the 3 lb rate. If you enter 2 lb 4 oz and it turns out your package is 2 lb 14 oz, it ships at the same 3 lb rate.
Under a pound ounces are more important, and over a pound ounces matter most if it bumps you over the next pound.
As I said above, dimensions are also important as that can have a big impact on shipping cost.
theo2112
OP2 years agoWow!
Thank you for the detailed information and taking the time to explain everything!
Truly appreciated!
richard1rst
·2 years agoA digital postal scale is the best bet.
But I'll also tell you what you don't want.
My biggest gripe is when the readout is essentially parallel to the pressure plate. Similar to this picture (but not limited to this particular scale)
Now think about that for a second. If the box is bigger than the pressure plate how do you read the weight?
wastingtime101
·2 years agoI have a Weighmax that "locks" the weight on the screen after 5 seconds so all I have to do is lift the box to see the weight.
It appears the specific scale in the photo has a "hold" button to the right of the screen. I assume if you press that it will lock in the weight so you could move the box and read it.
There are some digital scales that you can connect to your computer with a USB cord so it feeds the weight to your computer / shipping software.
All I'm saying is there are options if that obstacle truly bothers you.
richard1rst
·2 years agoadamcartwright
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
I have an older Weigh Max digital scale and realized today that I need to replace it.
I compared the USPS scanned weights on three packages to the weights I got at home and they were all off by 3.5-4.5 oz. The strange part was that the USPS weights were lower in two cases, but higher in the third case.
I've never had an issue with underpayment of postage using this particular scale, so hadn't realized it.
Is your Weigh Max a newer model?
wastingtime101
·1 year agoMy current Weigh Max is at least 10 yrs old - it was new when I bought it here on eBay. @adamcartwright It's clunkier than the newer models.