Weighs anything from a card mailer to a boxed pair of boots.
Typical price
£18 to £28
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- £18 to £28
- Works with
A wrong weight costs you a surcharge if it's too low and overpaid postage if it's too high. This platform scale takes up to 50 kg, and its backlit display folds up 90 degrees, so you can still read it when a box hangs over the top.
Good for
- Most home sellers
- Boxed trainers and bundles
Not for
- Weighing a single card to the gram
Our approved alternative for the same job: 30 kg digital postal scale
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Mixed parcels, from mailers to boxed boots
You ship a mix: small mailers most days and the odd large box of homeware, a boxed pair of boots or a pile of vinyl. A 50 kg platform covers the heavy ones, and the display folds up off the edge so a wide box doesn't hide the number.
At £18 to £28 it costs a little more than a 30 kg scale, and the difference buys extra headroom and the fold-up screen.
Fold-up display, hold and 2 g steps
The display hinges up 90 degrees from the front edge, and the backlight helps in a dim garage. Hold keeps the reading after you lift the box off, and tare clears a tray or basket.
It reads in 2 g steps from 5 g up to 50 kg, and switches between kg, g, lb and oz. It runs on batteries or a USB cable, and you can hang it on a wall hook when the desk is full.
Floor or desk: placing the platform
Put the platform on the floor or a low shelf for heavy boxes, with the display folded up towards you. For lighter parcels, put the scale on your desk beside the label printer.
Tare off any tray you use, then weigh each sealed parcel with the label on. Compare the reading against your courier's current price bands and round up when it sits close to a step.
Kit for this step
Smaller scales for smaller parcels
The 30 kg digital postal scale costs less and handles any parcel under 30 kg. Pick it if your parcels stay small enough to leave the screen in view.
Add the 500 g precision pocket scale if you send trading cards or jewellery in Large Letters, where a gram or two decides the service.
The cost of a wrong weight
Declare too little and a courier can charge you the difference plus a fee, or return the parcel. Overpaying by one price band on every parcel costs you more with each order you ship.
At £18 to £28, the scale lets you catch an underweight parcel before the courier charges you for it. Test it with a known weight every few months to keep it accurate.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- A soft rug makes heavy boxes read low. Move the platform to a hard floor.
- Fold the display up before you load a wide box; folded flat, the box covers it.
- Weigh the finished parcel. A weight taken before you tape the box shut leaves out the packing materials.
- Round up when a reading sits on a weight step. Rounding down risks a surcharge.
Ranked in
Where it places in our rankings, and the reason.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Guides that use it
Step-by-step help where this product does a job.
Questions
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Do I need a 50 kg scale?
Only if you ship heavy or bulky boxes. For mostly small parcels, the 30 kg scale does the same job.
Why does the display fold up?
A wide box covers a flat built-in screen. Fold the display up at the front edge and you can read it over most parcels.
How do I check it is accurate?
Weigh something of known weight, such as an unopened 1 kg bag of flour or sugar, and compare.
Can it weigh small card mailers?
It reads from 5 g in 2 g steps. Near a Royal Mail weight limit, a 0.1 g pocket scale reads light mailers more precisely.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
500 g precision pocket scale
Card orders often sit within a few grams of a Royal Mail weight limit. A precise small scale tells you whether a mailer goes as a Large Letter or a parcel.
Typical price£8 to £14
See on Amazon30 kg digital postal scale
Covers the parcels most home sellers ship, up to 30 kg. Choose it when the 50 kg scale is out of stock.
Typical price£12 to £20
See on Amazon