when to round down (yep) for shipping question

[grouch_douglas]

I recently shipped an item that was about 2 lb 3 oz I ended up choosing to just round down to 2 lbs and sent it off media mail. No issues with the shipping or postage at all and it was very close to where I live actually (the buyer lived only a few towns over).

Now if I have something that is to be shipped priority that is the almost the exact same: 2 lb 3 oz (but closer to 4 oz) and will most likely go out of state can I still round down to two pounds?

I have heard many different things that only a fraction of an oz past the solid pound is okay to up to 4 oz over is okay to round down, again this is for a priority mail package.

[nobody*s_perfect]

No, you can never round down.  All USPS rates are "up to" a specific weight.  Even 2 pounds and 0.5 ounces should go at the 3-pound rate.  You might find that the extra pound postage that you owe shows up in your eBay invoice; the APV system Postage Due charges take a couple of weeks to show up.

https://link.usps.com/2017/10/05/what-is-apv/

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/ebay-shipping-partners/avoid-extra-postage-costs....

If you want to test this, go to any shipping calculator. Check the prices for 2 pounds zero ounces, 2 pounds 1 ounce and for 3 pounds 0 ounces.  Guess which rate will match the 2 pounds 1 ounce? Here's the eBay shipping calculator.

http://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator

[southern*sweet*tea]

---

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

  You might find that the extra pound postage that you owe shows up in your eBay invoice; the APV system Postage Due charges take a couple of weeks to show up.

---

If the OP is lucky.

If they are unlucky, the buyer will get a postage due notice, and that isn't good.

[a_c_green]

---

@grouch_douglas wrote:

Now if I have something that is to be shipped priority that is the almost the exact same: 2 lb 3 oz (but closer to 4 oz) and will most likely go out of state can I still round down to two pounds?

---

You can't "still" round down to two pounds, as you're not supposed to be rounding down in the first place. You may have gotten away with it previously (it remains to be seen whether the USPS's Automated Postage Verification bills you for the underpaid postage in the near future), but if you do escape without getting dinged for the difference in postage, that's most likely because the short trip you described for the Media Mail package didn't take it through any automated scanner scales. 

The Priority Mail package will get as much scrutiny as any other. You might want to compare the price you're charged for regular Priority Mail (which is zone-based and weight-based) with what you'd have to pay for either Priority Mail Regional Rate boxes or PM Flat Rate packaging (assuming that your item will fit safely in the USPS packaging), in case you can save some bucks that way.

[kensgiftshop]

---

@grouch_douglas 

---

Always round up, never down.

[luckythewinner]

---

@grouch_douglas wrote:

I have heard many different things that only a fraction of an oz past the solid pound is okay to up to 4 oz over is okay to round down, again this is for a priority mail package.

---

The many things you have heard do not carry any weight with the USPS.  

What carries weight with the USPS is what the USPS regulations state, and nowhere do the USPS regulations state that you can round down. 

The fact that you got away with cheating the postal service does not mean the postal service agrees with being cheated by you. 

[wrong66]

Say you ordered a lot of 24 items from a seller on eBay that would weigh 2 lbs. 2 oz. to ship. Would you be good with that seller rounding down to 22 items so he could ship it at the 2 lb. rate and save money? The trouble with rounding down is that someone gets cheated.

[caldreamer]

USPS checks weight on all EBAY packages and if you put fraudulent weights/measurements they will bill your EBAY account.   USPS will get their money any way....so not a good idea to try and cheat the post office.

[dbfolks166mt]

While it often does not make a difference in the shipping cost you should never round down but always up to the nearest ounce which is what the USPS does. Also if you are past two pounds you may want to compare rates on regular priority mail and other priority mail shipping options which while not a lot cheaper can potentially save you and/or the buyer $ on shipping costs. Regional boxes, flat rate envelopes and padded envelopes are sometimes cheaper than regular priority mail especially as the weight of the package increases. Even small, medium and large flat rate boxes can be cheaper than regular priority mail. While all of these have weight limits the exact weight of the package does not matter as long as it is under the maximum the USPS allows. 

[portkoop-0]

Yeah don't do that, sooner or later it will come back to bite you.