Weights are rounded down?

[pvcliff]

Discussion on FB indicates an 8.2oz package ships at the 8oz rate and not 12 oz rate. I have always cut box flaps down to get a package down to the lower rate when possible. Folks are saying up to .4 ounces can ship at the lower rate, .5 pops you to the higher rate. I learned about cutting boxes down on this forum years ago, but don't ever recall a mention of "don't sweat it, .2 ounces ships at the lower rate". If this is really true, what a time saver!

[sin-n-dex]

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@jayjaspersgarage wrote:

"If you're putting 12 oz for a 9 oz package, that is not the correct weight of the package."

Why not add an ounce or two in the same four ounce range?  If enough sellers do that the plane won't get overloaded and might show up a little quicker.  (smirk)  I often input 4oz. when it is under 3 oz. because on a whim I add bonus items that might take the weight up above three ounces.  

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I'm with you on this... I put 4 oz on all my single coins, and 8 oz on most coinsets. I weigh anything that's obviously heavier. I've been refunded $1 by USPS every now and again because it measured at 8oz not 9oz.

I bought a postal scale on Amazon this weekend so I think I'm going to be checking more carefully so I don't spend more on postage than I need to. (And it will make the Russian guy happy who is upset that my food scale only does up to 4 lbs and I was a few ounces off weighing his package causing it to not be as stuffed with coins as much as we could). I told him I'd buy a scale, and we will weigh it within 3 oz of the maximum shipping weight for that weight class (which will be about 8 or 9 lbs).

C.

[katzrul15]

Yes!  While binge watching Netflix, I routinely cut flaps on boxes, remove labels, etc.  I love being able to ship up to 16oz for First Class.....this one area really saves me on shipping!  

[vintage-car-magazines]

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@pvcliff wrote:

Discussion on FB indicates an 8.2oz package ships at the 8oz rate and not 12 oz rate. I have always cut box flaps down to get a package down to the lower rate when possible. Folks are saying up to .4 ounces can ship at the lower rate, .5 pops you to the higher rate. I learned about cutting boxes down on this forum years ago, but don't ever recall a mention of "don't sweat it, .2 ounces ships at the lower rate". If this is really true, what a time saver!

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They're wrong.

The rates are UP TO  the class weight. Anyone playing that game may get away with it but they're eventually going to get stung. 

With the difference between 8 ounces and 9 ounces may be small...the difference between an international order that's 4 pounds vs 4 pounds 1 ounce is huge.

[johnrj1226]

Remember one thing - it is the USPS scales that count not yours.  Have always rounded up.

[99centhousefund]

If you're putting 12 oz for a 9 oz package, that is not the correct weight of the package.

The Post Office only cares if you are Underpaying postage. Putting 8oz on a 10oz package they care because 10 oz costs more than 8 oz.

Put 11 oz on a 9 oz they dont care as you pay the same if its 9 or 11.

But it can help you if your scale is wrong.  You dont want to put 9oz & have THAT postal worker weigh it & its 9.7oz & they return it for incorrect weight/insufficient postage!

If you say that cant happen I guarantee you it can & it has.

[jayjaspersgarage]

"I bought a postal scale on Amazon this weekend so I think I'm going to be checking more carefully so I don't spend more on postage than I need to."

The new scale will pay for itself.  I often add bonus items or my sister's book marks for her two mystery series that I help edit and also do plot development. 

[evry1nositswindy]

I got a package from a fellow eBay seller that was really rounded down.  As soon as I picked it up I knew it was over a pound, but it had first class postage.  Sure enough, it weighed 1.75 pounds.  I would never do that.  How do other sellers get away with that??  That's a big price difference, first class to priority.

[nobody*s_perfect]

They might not be getting away with it.  A couple of years ago, USPS installed special machinery at their sorting centers, which will detect underpaid postage and automatically charge the sender's account.  The package recipient doesn't have to deal with "Postage due" demands and it saves a lot of USPS personnel time.

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

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

[artbrahamlincoln]

Thanks for this discussion.  I have been doing it wrong all along.  I will change my ways before I get a postage due charge!

[eaux-de-vie]

And printing at least on eBay there are like groups of ounces that are the same price for box rate (1-4, 4-6 or 7, etc, not sure if they are all 3 oz ranges). I just put on the rounded up to the next ounce rate. 

[buyselljack2016]

Not sure how the "post office"  works at this point in time, but back in my day a package on the scale weighing 8.2 ounces was charged at the 9 ounce rate by the POS (point of sale) terminal

A package weighing 8.1 ounces was charged at the 9 ounce rate

A package weighing 8.05 ounces was charged at the 9 ounce rate

A package weighing 8.04 ounces was charged at the 8 ounce rate

[jayjaspersgarage]

I've never seen anything but four ounce tiers from the USPS since I started selling here in 2011.   As I said I give away free bonus items so if a package weighs two ounces I input four ounces and keep the envelope unsealed until it goes to the outbound station.  If the intent of what I proposed was universally accepted there would be more multi-millionaires in the world but alas, that would be from taking my real estate advice.

[jayjaspersgarage]

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@pvcliff wrote:

Well I'm glad to hear I haven't been pulling my hair out and taking an extra five minutes at least once a week to finagle a package below the weight threshold for no reason! The FB group moderator says she regularly goes over and has for years and has never had a problem. I was reading the comments thinking "that is NOT true" yet multiple people seemed to think it was. As mentioned up thread, I've only seen rounding down mentioned before in discussion of dimensions. 

Perhaps she just hasn't been caught. Perhaps her account has been billed for the postage due through the USPS APV system and she just hasn't noticed. Or maybe she's trying to get you in trouble."

People get charged for overweight items all the time.  Sometimes the customer pays the overage because it is a small amount. Years ago I used the wrong box for a delivery and was charged the difference which was a small learning cost that was an honest oversight.  Sometimes the postage due  gets billed back to the sender.

The important thing is that you don't want to intentionally game the system.  Anyone on Faceplace or Bookmug...whatever it is called, could be charged with a crime for encouraging people to break the law by fraudulently mailing overweight items intentionally.  Just because someone writes something on social media or here doesn't make it true.    

[vintage-car-magazines]

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@pvcliff wrote:

Well I'm glad to hear I haven't been pulling my hair out and taking an extra five minutes at least once a week to finagle a package below the weight threshold for no reason! The FB group moderator says she regularly goes over and has for years and has never had a problem. I was reading the comments thinking "that is NOT true" yet multiple people seemed to think it was. As mentioned up thread, I've only seen rounding down mentioned before in discussion of dimensions. 

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That FB Moderator reminds me of how my sons would see things.....when they were 13 years old.