Ship via a FedEx account? Step inside...

I usually just guess at the weight, but I imagine I am reasonably accurate. Just simply shipping a box is where most of the cost comes from. Trying to shave down the weight will save you some pennies, but not really anything substantial.

There are probably several threads to be found on this topic. There is a department within Fedex that is supposed to identify boxes with incorrect dimensions, weight, etc. Based on the other posters they obviously don't catch everything.

 

They always catch me, even if I'm off by a little. I've had estimates on price be around $18 then I get billed for $30. I just try to be super accurate so I know what I'm gonna get billed

 

The two Fedex locations I drop off at always weigh it in as it always changes during tracking, so I don't worry about it much. I try to guess close, but I don't sweat it when I'm off, whether it's by 2 lbs or 12.

 

I used to receive boxes that contained 15+ beers and the label read 1x1x1 and 1lb, something tells me that estimate was off by a little bit. I always measure and weigh my packages and enter the information correctly because I agree with Modor - inputting false information in this case is a form of stealing.

 

Whenever I drop off a box my local FedEx guy puts it on a scale at the store and gives me a "receipt" which lists the weight of the box. So I've never been able to get a box through the system that didn't come out at its actual weight. I do list almost all my boxes at 10lbs and 10x10x10 as its what the default is set at in my system.

As for payment, I don't get billed until about 3-7 days after the delivery of my box to my recipient. So when I drop off a 10lb, 10x10x10 box I don't pay anything. I get my automatic charge to my account (which is linked to my credit card / bank account) and that is the first time I find out the cost of shipping (aside from the calculator tool which is an estimate based off my default 10lb, 10x10x10 box).

The biggest variables in the cost of the box seem to be size and distance. I would be interested to hear from someone who works at FedEx / UPS how the dimensions are measured for billing purposes (I'd assume some sort of laser measuring device, but at what point in the process should this happen?).

Cheers!

 

I don't want to rehash this argument, but the whole notion that this is stealing really doesn't make sense to me. The whole print labels at home and drop off boxes system is built around the box being weighed to get a true weight for billing purposes. The amount I enter when creating my shipping label should have no bearing on the final amount billed (except as an estimate based on what you entered as weight and dimensions).

If this was a large problem, FedEx / UPS would remove the portion of the print at home labels that requested size and weight. This would then force them to not let boxes "get through the system".

My $.02.

Cheers!

 

I agree that it is ultimately on the shipping company to reinforce the weighing but what motive does a person have to minimize the dimensions and weight? Cost savings? If the info isnt input correctly and you would get a lower rate than you otherwise would have by being honest and just hoping that the box doesnt get weighed again then that to me is dishonest and an attempt at deceiving the shipping company. Whether they choose to enforce their policy and weigh the boxes on their own is another issue.

 

Try changing the weight of the package a few times on the website before you print the label. You'll see that the price difference is pretty negligible.

 

For what its worth, I asked the people at the FedEx place I drop off at if it matters if I'm off on the weight because I am just guessing at home. They told me they don't care what I put in, that they will re-adjust it when it gets there. That being said they almost never re-adjust it.

 

My local drop off always adjusts the weight (even the 2 times I overestimated!)

 

I am not always accurate with my weight, I use a bathroom scale and take that number and drop 2 or 3lbs (I've never had any readjusted), but I have received my share of boxes that are 10+lbs listed as 1lb. I am told they rarely if ever adjust even when the difference is so huge.

As far as do I think it is stealing? No. It is FedEx/UPSs job to ensure my information I entered is correct and charge me accordingly.

 

To the people who put one pound for all their weights: Would you take 10 pounds of produce to the self-checkout at the grocery store, put a single apple on the scale, and call it good? Because I'm not sure I see a big difference. If you don't have a scale and you're estimating the total weight to within a few pounds, that's one thing - but to deliberately abuse their trust to shave a dollar or two off the shipping cost... that just feels slimy to me.

One argument from the last thread about this went something along the lines of: "well, if they don't check the weight of the package, that's their fault not mine." To that, I say: how about you try a little personal responsibility?

/soapbox

To answer the OP's question, I estimate the total weight of my boxes, and I've always been within a pound. If I request a receipt when I drop it off, they always weigh it; otherwise they readjust the weight probably 80% of the time.

 

Here is the originally thread, mentioned by mordormongo, good read.
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/printing-fedex-shipping-lable-from-home-weight.11270/

 

This is the analogy as it applies to my shipping with FedEx. I bring my produce through self-checkout, and put 1 apple on to weigh for all of them. Then as I am leaving the store, the grocery store has lasers and/or scanners that automatically readjust the price and I pay the correct amount. I don't estimate the weight because I can't even justify the effort if I know they will adjust it to the exact weight afterwards, which they have every single time I've shipped with FedEx (estimated weight or not).

 

I have no scale, so I estimate. I estimate in increments of 5lbs. I will typically list a 12 bottles shipper at 25lbs, and a 2-3 bottles shipper at 5lbs. I try to get it in the ballpark, because there really is only a small difference in price when you're talking + or - 5lbs.

 

Are they all 22oz or 750s in the 12 shipper? I trustee for the Bruery and a full 12 pack shipper of 750s is 42 lbs, but to save my guys some cash I put 25lbs. Not sure how often they get readjusted though.

Cheers!

 

A typical shipper I might send is a mix of small and large bottles and even other non-beer extras sometimes. A shipper of Bruery beer is a different story...you are spot on with the 42lbs because my RS boxed are precisely that as well.

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This isn't pertaining to you, James, but a continuation of my original thoughts... but, I will say that after shipping a couple boxes UPS this Monday (FedEx wasn't running due to the Hurricane, but UPS did) that I am not really concerned with trying to save money on my FedEx shipments by cutting weight. I originally printed out labels with my FedEx account for two boxes going to a friend in TX (just a state over and an 8 hour car ride), with pretty accurate weight estimates and it was going to run me $8.38 for the 10lb box and $12.12 for the 25lb box, $20.50 collectively. When I found out FedEx wasn't going to be picking up at work, I used my UPS account to print labels instead. Same shipment, same weight, $32.51.​

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IMHO, a <$4 difference in price with a 15lb difference in weight is a negligible price difference. $12+ difference for the same shipment via UPS, highway robbery. I'm cool paying true-weight pricing via FedEx.​

 

I usually figure a pound a bottle, pound and a half for bombers, a pound for the box and wrapping. I am usually pretty close. I have never had it not weighed at the dropoff wheter it be a Kinkos, main distrobution hub or some shitty hole in the wall.

Entering a close approximation to the weight is more for me to see what I am paying than them because I know they weigh it anyway.

 

They weigh it more often than you realize. Just because the shipping label says "10 pounds" or "1 pound", it doesn't mean that they won't adjust it on the user's account when the bill goes through. The label is usually just printed out by the person at home with whatever weight they enter.

I would say that 9 out of 10 times I end up getting weighed. I don't put down "1 pound" type of nonsense either, I just estimate. Sometimes I actually over-estimate, and they will still weigh the box, even though it saves me money.