Postal shop less than a pound

I had a regular plain postal box shop assignment. I weighed my item before taking it to the post office and it was exactly 1lb.

After conducting the shop, it weighed only 10.9oz.

Has anyone ever had a shop approved for an item shipped less than 1lb?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2019 12:22AM by eyelove2shop.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Did they offer you Priority Mail first? I had one just under a pound when the old company had these shops. I was paid because they offered Priority Mail first. The scheduler explained to me that the "point" of the pound is so that it triggers the system to offer Priority first. She also said they built in a little bit of a cushion for just this situation as often scales differ by up to several ounces. I would put an explanation in about the box weighing exactly 1 # at the bottom of the report before submitting, if it's not too late. I don't know that this company follows the same rules or not, though.

The instructions are clear that it needs to weigh over one pound.
Next time make sure that it’s one pound 2 oz. Your scale is probably not correctly calibrated. The scales at the post office are routinely calibrated; sometimes you can see the calibration stickers on them.

I've done this shop 6 times and used the same scale. I'm not asking for suggestions on why it may have been under. I asked if anyone ever had a shop approved that was under 1lb.

I had a shop rejected this year (so same scheduling company as yours likely) due to being like an ounce short. It was super close (now I overpack lol). Prior to this scheduling company I had one short the same amount and it was approved.

Liz

I do hundreds of these and have had a few under the pound by just an ounce or so and they have all been approved. I agree that as long as it triggers the priority option you could be okay.

The instructions say to plan on mailing 18 ounces to guard against scales weighing differently. To be over 5 ounces different is a huge. I think you need to buy a 1 pound weight and use it to check your scale. Something is not right. Maybe you tared it incorrectly. I aim for 24 ounces (1 lb 8 ounces) since the price to mail it by Priority Mail is the same. A 1 pound dumbbell weight at Five Below costs $1.50 [www.fivebelow.com]

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@eyelove2shop wrote:

After conducting the shop, it weighed only 10.9oz. How is it possible?

It's not possible that the postal scale is off by over 5 oz.
That's 30% variance.

If your package was exactly 1.0 pound, then based on the guidelines, it should be rejected. YMMV

Oh, yes, my scale shows pounds/ounces OR the metric stuff.

Could you accidentally have had your scale on the metric setting?

I did a few years ago and quickly learned my lesson. It was probably the third time I had done a USPS shop. It was slightly under 1 lb. They didn't offer priority and my shop was rejected.

Yes i had one approved. It was the exact same box i had used for half a dozen previous shops, where it always weighed more than a pound. I explained this in the comments.

Although very rare, postal scales CAN be off! I had a shop last summer where the post office weighed my package at 2.2 lbs. and my scale (accurate) weighed it at 1.5 lbs. I told them their scale was way off and of course, they disagreed. I asked to have it weighed on the scale at the next workstation. Imagine their surprise when the box weighed 1.5 lbs. The clerk tried to tell me it was because a vent blew cold air on her scale??!! WTH? It is good to know the exact weight of your package beforehand to prevent this from happening.

I wonder how many customers got overcharged due to that scale being almost 3/4 lb heavy? I guess that's one way for the post office to get out of the red budget-wise...lol!

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl -- year after year..."

I go to Walmart and buy a 6x6x6 box and a can of beans for each shop I have scheduled. Stuff in a little newspaper, tape it up, it is about 750g. Well over a pound, well under two, the box is reimbursed and I'm out 50 cents for the beans- unless they get shipped back by a mail buddy, which they often do. If I'm doing a hazmat laptop battery scenario, I buy the 12" long box and stuff in a little more newspaper.

I take all of these I can get when they're close enough to make it worthwhile.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2019 12:54AM by panama18.

@Traveliz wrote:

I had a shop rejected this year (so same scheduling company as yours likely) due to being like an ounce short. It was super close (now I overpack lol). Prior to this scheduling company I had one short the same amount and it was approved.
Liz

I did one where I weighed it first at the self-serve at my own PO; was fine. Came in just under when I sent it. That was early on. Now I carry tape, scissors, and misc heavy little things in my car. "Oh, crud, I forgot the card" and then repack.

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams

Yep scales can be off by quite a bit. Only took me one time bafor I started carrying my shipping supplies in the car every route. It also helps to know the amount you expect to pay for the correct weight, so when a different price is stated, you'll know you have to question it.

I am doing one Monday and I put five cans in the box and I put the cans in plastic bags and I put more bags in the box.

When I weight it at home on my scale it showed zero.. May be I should hold it weighing my self and then weigh my self again and take away tifference

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2019 04:36AM by Isaiah4031a.

I’ve mailed the same boxes to myself so many times that I have forgotten what’s in them.... I always err a little heavy and think I have one over two pounds. It’s still under the reimbursement and I’ve never had an issue.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

Twice I've had postal scales off by over 8 ounces, once under, once over. I mail the same size and brand of canned dog food in every box and every box is the same size, purchased from Staples. I put a penny saver paper in each box as packing material. My boxes weigh 1 lb 5 oz each.

I do 60-80 of these shops a month. The only one ever rejected was the one that weighed in at less than 8 oz.

I live in a very small town and my post office has figured out what I am doing as I often mail the packages to myself. When those two packages came in, I asked my postal worker to weigh them. They both weighed in at 1 lb. 5 oz.

Isaiah, many of us have postal scales.
I recommendyou get one. They aren't expensive and its a tax deductible expense.

@Isaiah4031a wrote:

I am doing one Monday and I put five cans in the box and I put the cans in plastic bags and I put more bags in the box.

When I weight it at home on my scale it showed zero.. May be I should hold it weighing my self and then weigh my self again and take away tifference

How do you mail to yourself from your home post office? That would be zone 0.

@whiterosie wrote:

I live in a very small town and my post office has figured out what I am doing as I often mail the packages to myself. When those two packages came in, I asked my postal worker to weigh them. They both weighed in at 1 lb. 5 oz.

My home post office is too tiny to be shipped. I am a route shopper so the postal facilities are a long way from home.

We have rural carriers where I live. When I first starting doing this, I think my post office was concerned and confused. But once the new postmistress from the big city transferred here, she figured it out very quickly. Let's just say I get beyond exceptional customer service from my post office. I wish the same could be said about the post offices I shop.

I bought one like this about 10 years ago. I think that mine goes to 30 pounds, but I use it for 0-4 pounds mostly.

[www.ebay.com]

It has paid for itself many times over. It is also very accurate. I calibrate scales at work in the lab monthly.

JASFLALMT I live next to the border of another city/county. While I don't ship to myself often from those locations, I've done it a few times.

Where can you find a postal scale at and how much do they cost?

Can it be over 2 lbs. I weight it at work and it was 2.1 lbs.. I know the scale at work and their scale may be different.

If I go over 2.5 lbs will they accept my shop as long as they offrer priority mail first

Thanks

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2019 04:36AM by Isaiah4031a.

Isaiah, you can go over 2 lbs., but if you ship further away and go over the reimbursement you pay out of pocket. If you are shipping a 2-3 lb. package within a couple hundred miles you're fine.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2019 06:17AM by JASFLALMT.

They sell them at the post office, Amazon, ebay, etc.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I bought one like this about 10 years ago. I think that mine goes to 30 pounds, but I use it for 0-4 pounds mostly.

[www.ebay.com]

It has paid for itself many times over. It is also very accurate. I calibrate scales at work in the lab monthly.

I use a kitchen scale I bought on Amazon. It's great for weighing packages as well as kittens that need to be 2lbs in order to be fixed.

I bought one on Amazon. I just looked and found one currently on sale. It cost $11.85 and if it saves you from one failed shop, has paid for itself. Mentally, it pays for itself much faster. I aim for 1.5 pound. Once you get above 2 pounds, the price to ship goes up. [www.amazon.com]

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I bought a "kitchen scale" (digital) at my local hardware shop for less than $20.

My postal scale and my bathroom scales too have a knob to calibrate the scale. Look to see if your scale has one and if so every once in a while put your scale on a level hard surface and make sure it reads 0 with nothing on it. Mine has sometimes been set to over or under up to one or two ounces and I did not notice until I did the check.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Postal shop less than a pound

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine