Is Your Shipping Scale Calibrated?

[z50com]

We all have shipping scales.

Is your scale calibrated?

How do you know if it's accurate or not?

Is it high quality or chinese trash?

With the Post Office checking packages it's a good time to check and calibrate your scale.

My scale is a Toledo Y8213, made in the USA.

100 lb x .02 lbs

I check it's accuracy at least once a month.

[partial*eclipse]

Zinc isn't a form of bronze; it's an element.  

Bronze is an alloy that's mostly copper and tin.

[z50com]

US Nickels minted after 1965 weigh 5.000 grams

[a_c_green]

---

@thatsallfolks wrote:

---

@loveyourimagination49 wrote:

Mines calibrated by a penny. After 1982 pennies weigh 2.5 grams or 0.088 grams.

---

Can't they make up their mind?

---

What do you mean? An African or European swallow? 

Given the wear-and-tear on an individual penny that could reduce its weight, or a buildup of crud that could increase it, plus I don't know what degree of error I'd be looking at if my scale was telling me, say, 2.45 grams instead of 2.5, or 0.095 ounces instead of 0.088, I would suggest averaging out the, um, penny error by using a larger quantity of them as a weight standard. For example, how many of them would you need to make up a reasonably accurate 1-ounce weight, or a 1-pound weight, that kind of thing? If somebody wants to throw out a number here, we could try that same quantity on our own scales and see how closely they agree.

[postingid2017]

@a_c_green - your mentioning of your baby scale made me smile 🙂  I bought a vintage one for my now cat when she was a baby, but she never would stay on it long enough for me to get an accurate weight for her 🙂  

I had to go and look at my digital scale but it has always been accurate.  I purchased it here about 7/8 yrs ago.  My fav clerk at the PO (now retired) told me that I need to start to round up the weight on the label.  That was something that I never did, but now it makes sense.  Most items that I ship are about 2lbs or 4-8 for heavier coats, handbags about 2-4 lbs.  Handbags for me are the size and sometimes I need a larger box.  I also have an older postal scale from the 70s and the prices are funny in comparison to today's cost.  I'm sure the complaints were the same then as it is now.  

[loveyourimagination49]

10 pennies .8
15 pennies 1.2
20 pennies 1.8

That's my experiment.
Oh the nickel comes to 0.2

[southern*sweet*tea]

---

@z50com wrote:

We all have shipping scales.

Is your scale calibrated?

How do you know if it's accurate or not?

Is it high quality or chinese trash?

With the Post Office checking packages it's a good time to check and calibrate your scale.

My scale is a Toledo Y8213, made in the USA.

100 lb x .02 lbs

I check it's accuracy at least once a month.

---

75 lb digital Weighmax, purchased about 8 years ago. Made in China, but it is accurate . For years I used a manual kitchen scale, but it had a max weight of 5 lbs and I got tired of guestimating larger package weights.

I calibrate mine occasionally with a new quarter pound stick of real butter (no margarine, please - gross!) , which weighs 4 oz.  

[zzydny]

---

@postingid2017 wrote:

@a_c_green - your mentioning of your baby scale made me smile 🙂  I bought a vintage one for my now cat when she was a baby, but she never would stay on it long enough for me to get an accurate weight for her 🙂  

---

Cute!  My cat would never tolerate weighing either.

When I first started selling, I used an old Weight Watchers kitchen scale (I think it only went up to a couple of pounds) and that worked just fine until I could afford to buy a scale that would hold more weight.

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

I calibrate my scales with the twist of a knob to zero.  One is a 1950s kitchen scale that weighs up to 25 lbs. and the other is a 1974 desktop postal scale that weighs up to 2 lbs.  Both are manual scales, not plugged in to anything.

With the larger scale, unless the indicator falls exactly on, say, 3 lbs., I'm not concerned about a precise measurement.  Rarely happens -- although I've been known to trim a box flap or substitute a handful of packing chips for crumpled paper!

The desktop scale could mean the difference of half an ounce if I'm not careful, but even that is not a big deal.  First Class Mail costs the same for 1 to 4 oz. and the rates for 5 to 8 oz. are within pennies (retail).  I always charge a standard amount that easily covers any minor weight discrepancy. 

When I go to the PO, I always know what I expect to pay and rely on the PO's scales to be accurate.  I also pay attention to whether the clerk's hand or sleeve is anywhere near the scale or if any debris is on the scale.  One culprit is the credit card machine or its cord impinging on the scale's  surface.  On a couple of occasions over the past 30 years, I've requested that the clerk reweigh a package on a different scale.

~~C~~

[sockmonkeydave]

@z50com

Take a standar can of beans to the PO put them on the scale.

And an industrial size can.

This should cover you for most things.

[johnrj1226]

Personally, we are not really concerned about  the USPS up coming policy.  We use a 24 lb old spring type kitchen scale (comes real close to what our local PO scales) and a digital scale that goes up to 4 lbs.

We ship  the majority of our items via  USPS priority mail.  We use a  lot of flat rate padded envelopes,  flat rate boxes, regional rate A boxes and std Priority mail where rates change every whole pound increment, if  the total weight is near the x lb & 15 oz range we just add a couple extra  oz. and pay the next lb increment to be safe - this happens not all that often.  Occasionally, we  ship via FCP and add an extra ounce or two to  what our digital scale says.   Now we seldom ship anything over 8 lbs. and we  sell stuff that will fit in the  "free" priority mail boxes & envelopes.

We live in Georgia and ship 40+% of our stuff to the "left" coast.  As a result of the last USPS rate changes we  are using a few more medium/large flat rate  boxes for shipment to the West - for  some items they are cheaper that std priority and/or regional rate.

Finally, we  set our shipping/handling at a fixed rate for all & only ship to US locations & US Protectorates.

If we get dinged for "under postage" we may revist our policy but until then business as usual.

[mr_lincoln]

@sockmonkeydave

---

@sockmonkeydave wrote:

@z50com

Take a standard can of beans to the PO put them on the scale.

And an industrial size can.

This should cover you for most things.

---

The "industrial size can" would be a No 10 Can.  Smaller cans are like 211 x 300 (2 11/16" diameter by 3"-O/16" H) ... anyway, is the brand of the beans critical?  And would you recommend beans with the bacon or no bacon?  I'm thinking kidney beans for the smaller cans or maybe those garbonzo beans ... only because I like the name ... say it with me Dave ... GAR-BON-ZO!

[mr_lincoln]

@duchess-at-speakeasy

---

@duchess-at-speakeasy wrote:

I calibrate my scales with the twist of a knob to zero.  One is a 1950s kitchen scale that weighs up to 25 lbs. and the other is a 1974 desktop postal scale that weighs up to 2 lbs.  Both are manual scales, not plugged in to anything.

With the larger scale, unless the indicator falls exactly on, say, 3 lbs., I'm not concerned about a precise measurement.  Rarely happens -- although I've been known to trim a box flap or substitute a handful of packing chips for crumpled paper!

The desktop scale could mean the difference of half an ounce if I'm not careful, but even that is not a big deal.  First Class Mail costs the same for 1 to 4 oz. and the rates for 5 to 8 oz. are within pennies (retail).  I always charge a standard amount that easily covers any minor weight discrepancy. 

When I go to the PO, I always know what I expect to pay and rely on the PO's scales to be accurate.  I also pay attention to whether the clerk's hand or sleeve is anywhere near the scale or if any debris is on the scale.  One culprit is the credit card machine or its cord impinging on the scale's  surface.  On a couple of occasions over the past 30 years, I've requested that the clerk reweigh a package on a different scale.

~~C~~

---

Love it!  We use one of those that goes to 11 lbs and then I won one in a local auction lot that goes to 25 lbs, could probably sell that one for $$$ but it looks cool and is functional.  Have compared weights with the Post Office ... we run just a tad high at home so we're covered.  Have one of the floor bathroom scales for heavier items ... as long as I can get them to sit on it it is accurate enough to round up with.  Just weighed an 80 lbs 1919 Michigan Cash Register ... Local Pick up only right now but if I have to ship I will estimate the wooden crate required andwind up around 100 lbs estimate ...