Parcel size and weight is mandatory when you add new products or edit existing products on Shopee. The logistic company will choose the higher value when choosing between the actual weight and the volumetric weight. 

 

What is volumetric weight?

Volumetric weight is the overall size of a parcel and is measured in volumetric kilograms, it is calculated with this formula: 
Volumetric weight(kg) = Height(cm) x Width(cm) x Length(cm) / 5000

You may often find that the shipping price is dictated by the volumetric weight of your parcel rather than the actual physical weight. This is because our pricing is calculated based on whichever is the greater out of the volumetric weight and the actual weight.

For example, the parcel size is 50cm x 50cm x 50cm, and the actual weight is 5kg. The calculated volumetric weight is 50 x 50 x 50 / 5000 = 25kg. Then the logistics company will charge you a shipping fee with a 25 kg package.

 

How to calculate parcel weight?

You need to set up the correct parcel weight to avoid overcharged shipping fees. To set up the correct weight for your Shopee products, there are a few things you can do. 

First of all, you need to calculate the actual weight of your package. It is not only the product weight, but product and packaging material weight. You need to add the package material to the total weight, it may include the package box, bubble wrap, or other materials. 

To get the weight more accurately, you need to make sure your scale is calibrated. You can also weigh the items separately, if you have more than one item in one package, you can just add the weights together. It is a good idea to input 0.5kg heavier than the actual weight. For example, if your actual weight is 2kg, you can enter 2.5kg in your products.

To calculate the volumetric weight, you can measure the length, width, and height of the package. It is important to measure the widest, longest, and highest points of your package. Any bulges, handles, tags or packaging that could break the beam of a measuring laser must be included. 

 

Overcharged shipping fees

Sometimes you may meet overcharged shipping fees by the logistics company. It happens when there is a discrepancy between the shipping fee calculated by Shopee and the actual logistic shipping fees. We will discuss what is shipping fee overcharge and how to prevent it for Shopee sellers.

Both Shopee and the logistics partners calculate the shipping fee according to the weight of the package. It always happens because of the wrong weight and dimension input in Shopee products. To check if you are overcharged shipping fees, you can check it in your transaction history on Shopee. I suggest you use BigSeller, it can help you to check the overcharged shipping fee clearly. 

 

Conclusion

Calculating the parcel weight is vital for Shopee sellers, you can avoid overcharged shipping fees if you input the correct package weight and dimension. Just check if you input the correct parcel weight in your Shopee.