How do you weigh your items for postage?

[Maelbrigda]

I use my kitchen scales for weighing items but often postage is more than i've quoted. I think once i package things it may take them over into the next band. Particularly rings and earrings. I quote for large letter but once wrapped they are often in small package rate which is 3 times the quoted figure. Any suggestions on how i can get it right? I tend to use recycled packaging so dont know what size it'll be

[Anniemcc2]

Do you have a Post Office gauge for checking sizes of packages?

If not, think I have a spare one you could have.

Always a good idea to sort of package an item to gauge LL or SP before listing - I've been caught out a few times in the past.

[Maelbrigda]

I dont i usually just try to measure them roughly

[moonwitch]

I dont i usually just try to measure them roughly

The postal rates for small items take into account the final measurements as well as weight so a gauge would be very helpful.

I have a plastic one (doesn't bend like the card ones)

[BigKidsAttic]

I use my kitchen scales for weighing items but often postage is more than i've quoted. I think once i package things it may take them over into the next band. Particularly rings and earrings. I quote for large letter but once wrapped they are often in small package rate which is 3 times the quoted figure. Any suggestions on how i can get it right? I tend to use recycled packaging so dont know what size it'll be

If you need a quick way to measure an item to see if it will fit into Large Letter or be bumped into Small Parcel, then use a DVD in a Padded envelope to gauge it.
I say that as a DVD in a bubble envelope just squeezes into large letter size with a max weight of 750g.

Hope this helps,
Jason

[JaBek1]

I use a postage scale which measures in pounds and grams. If dimensions are needed I use a fabric tape measure graduated in standard & metric.

[Maelbrigda]

I did look at postage scales but they're too expensive for me

[buttons-and-bows]

I have a LL size box at the ready put each item in it close and weigh before i list, if it wont fit in the LL box and close you are looking at £3+ or there abouts

[Maelbrigda]

great idea Buttons. I'll try that.

[johnwash1]

The postal rates for small items take into account the final measurements as well as weight so a gauge would be very helpful.

I have a plastic one (doesn't bend like the card ones)

Yes, I have a Perspex one too, really useful. It cost me less than 2 quid. None here, but 100s on greedBay, so when you buy you can tell them they should be listing here!

Probably not relevant for rings and earrings, but the dimensions for small parcels are really important too, makes the difference between £2.95 and over £12. Why are you so stupid, RM??? So what I've done is to take a cardboard box and jig it so 45x35x16 just fits inside it, quicker than having to measure.

For weighing I have a digital kitchen scale, which I think goes to a few kg. For heavier parcels I used to use the bathroom scales and then do lots of arithmetic... times 14, divide by 2.2... but eventually I bit the bullet and got a digital scale that goes up to 30kg and has a detachable readout, really useful because otherwise a big parcel would obscure the very thing I want to look at.

Weigh some packing materials that are like you often use so you get a rough idea how much it's going to add. E.g. for a lot of the things I send, the recycled cardboard boxes might add several hundred grams, so if my item is over 1.6kg unpacked I know I need to be careful how I pack it.

Or you could just do as some ebay sellers do, put the item in a black plastic bag with no bubblewrap, no protection at all, and hand out a refund when it inevitably arrives smashed. Plonkers.


[Added] Oh, and when I'm sending rather small parcels I've noticed the PO has trouble sticking the label on. So I've made a little guide out of some sheet acetate I had spare, with a rectangle cut out, the size of the PO label. Before writing the address I mark the parcel where the label will go, so I keep that area clear.

Did I mention I'm a control freak?