Over estimating package weights.

[daniel-1818]

I am new to selling on ebay and i recently got my first sell. It was 3oz on the shipping label because i over estimated it and it actually weighs 24 grams which is less than 1 oz. Does this matter? Does it only matter if it was over what i said it was?

[susanb1872]

Do you have a scale at home? There should be no reason to estimate if you have a scale. Before I list an item, I always package it up except for the final taped closing, and then I weigh it. Since you are selling lightweight items you have a little more leeway if something is under 4 oz. If you over estimate on purpose, then your shipping cost might be higher than another seller and you could lose a sale that way.  It just takes a little practice to understand all the shipping nuances.

[itsjustasprain]

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@susanb1872 wrote:

Do you have a scale at home? There should be no reason to estimate if you have a scale. Before I list an item, I always package it up except for the final taped closing, and then I weigh it. Since you are selling lightweight items you have a little more leeway if something is under 4 oz. If you over estimate on purpose, then your shipping cost might be higher than another seller and you could lose a sale that way.  It just takes a little practice to understand all the shipping nuances.

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At last someone here has suggested getting a scale! 🙂 That will make accurate shipping so much easier. You can use Calculated shipping and when you plug in the correct weight and dimensions of your package then your buyers will see the correct charge to get the package to their doorstep and not a charge that could send the package clear across the country when it does not need to go that far.

[mam98031]

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@susanb1872 wrote:

Do you have a scale at home? There should be no reason to estimate if you have a scale. Before I list an item, I always package it up except for the final taped closing, and then I weigh it. Since you are selling lightweight items you have a little more leeway if something is under 4 oz. If you over estimate on purpose, then your shipping cost might be higher than another seller and you could lose a sale that way.  It just takes a little practice to understand all the shipping nuances.

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Excellent question.  And scales are really inexpensive on Ebay.  I bought mine some 20 years ago and it still works great.  

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I often use the maximum weight for the price tier when shipping USPS.

[a_c_green]

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@mam98031 wrote:
Excellent question.  And scales are really inexpensive on Ebay.  I bought mine some 20 years ago and it still works great.  

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I bought mine from the USPS themselves. 😁 Little blue plastic digital thing, complete with AC adapter, but can run on a 9-volt battery if desired. Had it for some time approaching 20 years now, and it remains dead accurate down to a tenth of an ounce, maximum 10 pounds. They're currently selling a slightly beefier (now 25-pound capacity) model on their website: 

https://store.usps.com/store/product/usps-digital-usb-postal-scale-25-lb-max-P_843031 

[mam98031]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:
Excellent question.  And scales are really inexpensive on Ebay.  I bought mine some 20 years ago and it still works great.  

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I bought mine from the USPS themselves. 😁 Little blue plastic digital thing, complete with AC adapter, but can run on a 9-volt battery if desired. Had it for some time approaching 20 years now, and it remains dead accurate down to a tenth of an ounce, maximum 10 pounds. They're currently selling a slightly beefier (now 25-pound capacity) model on their website: 

https://store.usps.com/store/product/usps-digital-usb-postal-scale-25-lb-max-P_843031 

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That's a pretty scale.  Mine is very similar looking, just black and weighs up to 55 lbs.  I'm pretty sure I paid less for it.  It would certainly cost a bit more now.

This is the search for the brand name of the scale I purchased, various maximum weights available.  I did only search for new ones.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=ultraship+scale+&_sacat=0...