Weight disputes: set up your packing station so the courier can't overcharge you

How weight charges work

Couriers bill on the higher of two numbers: the actual weight on a scale, and the volumetric weight worked out from the box's length, width and height. The result is rounded up to a slab. If the courier's scanner records a bigger box or a heavier weight than you did, you pay the higher slab, sometimes in both directions if the order comes back.

The shipping weight calculator shows how the slab is worked out for your box.

Why disputes fail

Most sellers notice a weight overcharge weeks later, in the payout. By then the only evidence is "I am sure it was lighter." That rarely works. Marketplaces and couriers ask for photos of the packed parcel on a scale, with the label visible, and sometimes with the dimensions measured.

So the dispute is won at the packing table, not in the support ticket.

Set up the station once

• A digital scale with a display large enough to read in a photo
• A measuring tape or a marked board behind the scale, so length and width are visible
• A phone stand fixed above or beside the scale
• Good light, so the label and the scale display are both readable

The routine for each parcel

You do not need to photograph every parcel on a busy day. Focus on:

1. Every new product the first time you ship it
2. Your best sellers, at least once a week
3. Any product that has had a weight dispute before

For each one, take a single photo showing the parcel on the scale, the weight readable, and the shipping label or AWB visible. Add a second photo with the tape across the longest side.

Keep a product weight sheet

For each product, note the packed weight and box size you measured. When a weight charge looks wrong in a payout, you compare it with this sheet in seconds. If your packed size is consistent, a sudden jump in billed weight stands out immediately.

Spot the overcharge early

Do not wait for a seller to complain or for a monthly review. Each time a payout arrives, scan the shipping charges for your top products. A weight slab higher than your sheet says is worth questioning. Our guide on weight slab overcharges covers the claim, and for D2C stores using an aggregator, auditing Shiprocket freight charges.

Fix your own boxes too

Sometimes the courier is right and the box is just too big. A slightly smaller carton or a poly mailer can drop a product a full slab and save money on every order. Measure honestly before you dispute.

Let the checks do the scanning

Veritally compares the shipping charge on each order with the rest of that product's orders and flags the ones that jump. You bring the packing photos; it tells you which orders to look at first. Checking is free.