Is there a way to tell the shipping cost from a code on the package?

[jysgeek]

I am not interested in finding out if I paid too much for shipping.  What I want is to figure out the cost to send an item with about the same weight and shape to the same zone.  

ie:  Want to re-use the envelope, put something about the same in it and mail it to about the same distance away.   The USPS web site is convoluted and the eBay is only slightly better.  If I knew how much the seller paid  for shipping I would know about what to pay.

Possibly, the seller has a special "deal" with USPS and can ship cheaper than I can???

[divwido]

You could go to the shipping site using the data on the label and get a cost.  You have the originating zip code and yours plus the box size and weight.  But no, there is no secret price code on the label.  I will say as long as you stay under 15 ounces, the cost will be less than $ 6.

And no, not enough to matter. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

Most online labels will show the package weight and which shipping service was used..  You can use that and the two ZIP Codes (sender and recipient) to figure out the postage cost using eBay's shipping calculator.  

Note that you can choose whether to see the retail ("in store") price that you'd pay at the PO counter or when shipping with stamps, or you an choose to see the "eBay" (online) prices, which is what the seller would have paid for their online label.

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

Most USPS services are priced in full pound increments, and First Class package prices are in 4-ounce increments. So usually a difference of an ounce or two won't affect the postage cost but it's better to know the actual weight; you can use a kitchen scale.

If you just want to look up the postage cost for a weight and Zone, you can use the USPS pricing publication, Notice 123:

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

[divwido]

I don't know that I'd trust a kitchen scale.  You can buy a scale her for under $ 20.   Maybe cheaper if you don't need it to weigh more than a few pounds.

[nobody*s_perfect]

I wouldn't recommend  kitchen scale for regular seller use, but as a one-off estimate it will be close enough.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@divwido wrote:

I don't know that I'd trust a kitchen scale.  You can buy a scale her for under $ 20.   Maybe cheaper if you don't need it to weigh more than a few pounds.

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I've used a kitchen scale for years and it's absolutely accurate! (When I first started doing it, I checked at the p.o. just to verify and it was right on the money.)

[powell-memorabilia]

If this is just a one-off need, take it to the post office.  They can weight it and give the cost estimate to you.  

As others have noted, a postal scale is not expensive - you can buy them right on eBay 🙂

[tools*]

I have a couple of Ultraship U-2 digital scales that I bought from a major seller on eBay many years ago. I check them periodically with scale weights (1/2 oz, 1 oz, 2 oz, 1 lb, 2 lbs.) and they're surprisingly accurate. It's the best relatively inexpensive (Under $40) postal scale that I've found.

There are the commercial shipping scales designed for durability in a retail environment, but not needed by an individual seller. There are also the deli scales ($1,000+) that are inspected by the state and laboratory scales ($1,000+) that are extremely accurate, but not remotely necessary for shipping. Then there are the special automatic FedEx sorting center scales designed to increase profits.

[mtgraves7984]

Possibly, the seller has a special "deal" with USPS and can ship cheaper than I can???

@jysgeek 

Possibly. If the seller bought a label here, it would be cheaper than at the PO counter.

The USPS website is really easy to use. Go there, hover over 'Send' at the top and select 'Calculate a price'. Easy-peasy.