Purchased a 2 pound Priority Mail label 2 2

[Poekaymon]

What are the odds I get billed for the overage?

 

[electricprune]

In my experience, not very high.

[Poekaymon]

7 minutes ago, electricprune said:

In my experience, not very high.

It'd be worth it just to say it happened.

[ThothAmon]

Low to none. 

[Lightning55]

In my town, 100%.  They're like the mail Gestapo.

[Poekaymon]

7 minutes ago, Lightning55 said:

In my town, 100%.  They're like the mail Gestapo.

That's sorta been my experience too.  I've gotten dinged more than once for a 1 or 2 ounce overage on a 2 or 3 pound package.  .01 would take the cake though.

[Lightning55]

I get hit 2 different ways.  When I am the shipper and the package is just a bit overweight, they catch it, and I am electronically billed for the weight difference.  But somehow when I am the recipient, it comes postage due, mailman with his hand out.  That's just whacked.

I will also add that when I have put 3 lbs. postage on a 2 lb. package by accident, they have credited me electronically, without my having to ask for the credit.  So at least it works both ways on that front.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Lightning55

[01TheDude]

I read up on this years ago--- they allow a certain bit of overage as long as it isn't something like over by .15 ounces.

Now some mail clerks are extreme sticklers for rules and have their own set of standards but I find that if you print your own labels/postage and are close enough of weight, I simply put it in the box or leave it on the counter.

I've had some sellers send me stuff that weighs 12 ounces easily and they buy 8 ounces of first class. While others use media mail, do not use proper packing materials, then put like 12 ounces as the weight when they could have padded it better and used the full 1 pound increments that media mail uses.

In the end-- it is all sort of shady stuff going on all over the places - but nothing to get in a twist about.

[Lightning55]

17 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

I read up on this years ago--- they allow a certain bit of overage as long as it isn't something like over by .15 ounces.

Yes, "years ago", that was the norm. 

Now it's different.  Every box or envelope the USPS provides has a manufacturing barcode on it.  They know exactly which box it is.  The scanner sees it, and knows what size it is, if it's flat rate, and weighs it.  The tracking number and QR code on the label you purchased tells them more info, including how much you paid and if you paid a postage reseller, like Stamps.com. 

All that gets digested by the equipment.  If you are overweight, you're overweight.  They go to the next increment, and charge the difference to whatever electronic account you used.  If you get by it, it's an error on their part, but not for lack of trying.

If you used your own box, they won't know the box size.  But again they know the weight from weighing it, and pick up the amount you paid from the label.  If not a match, you're charged.

[Hollywood1892]

2 hours ago, Poekaymon said:

What are the odds I get billed for the overage?

 

Man

If they do

[valiantman]

Depends on whether you've already attached the label.

If it's 2 lbs, 0.1 oz and you still have to attach the label and maybe some tape... you'll need to weigh it again. 

[Lightning55]

Maybe your scale is weighing heavy, so you're NOT over 2 lbs.  I calibrate mine with a can of soup.  Yes, soup.  I brought the can in to the post office and asked them to weigh it on their scale.  Then we wrote the weight on the top of the can: 1 lb. 5.8 oz.  Now I can check any of my scales with it, but it always makes me hungry when I do.

I remember once, years ago, being just over on an international shipment.  Used every method I knew to keep the weight down - almost exact fit box with thin box walls, peanuts instead of paper, etc., but it was still just over.  I couldn't "round it down" and risk it being sent back for insufficient postage at those rates.  The next pound up was like $6 more.  There are 4 flaps on the top and bottom of every box.  I cut off the 2 inner flaps on the top and bottom each, and the weight was under again.  You couldn't do it with fragile contents, but this was not the case.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Lightning55

[01TheDude]

Weigh your stuff properly and use the proper postage. It is really that simple. If you honestly believe they are monitoring the mail so closely that they are weighing single pieces and don't allow a certain level of variance-- you do not understand what a variance is and you assume all postal facilities have the same level of sophistication.

I don't know why I got chastised over my comments. I don't cheat the post office and my digital scale is very accurate.

If you are stressing out over postage, maybe this is not the right thing to get involved with.

Edited July 26, 2020 by 01TheDude

[bobotski]

USPS scales probably has some margin of error (to account for a booger or a piece of tape/dirt picked up somewhere). I think that should be ok.

[Sensei Ryan]

If it doesn't go higher - at least in my experience - it will be okay.  Like someone above said, though, if you have to attach more tape and the label it'll go up another notch or two on the scale.  If you remove some excess tape it might put you down to 2.0 flat (if you have that option or haven't sealed it up yet).  Good luck and as long as it doesn't go higher I think you're fine  

[bug33fouf]

[Domo Arigato]

21 hours ago, Lightning55 said:

Maybe your scale is weighing heavy, so you're NOT over 2 lbs.  I calibrate mine with a can of soup.  Yes, soup.  I brought the can in to the post office and asked them to weigh it on their scale.  Then we wrote the weight on the top of the can: 1 lb. 5.8 oz.  Now I can check any of my scales with it...

 

So he didn't compensate for the weight of the ink?