How shipping is priced: actual weight versus volumetric weight
When you ship a parcel, the carrier does not look only at what it weighs on a scale. It also looks at how much space the parcel takes in the truck or plane. So carriers work out two weights, actual and volumetric, and charge you for the larger one.
What is actual weight?
It is the weight of the packed box, as shown on a scale. A box with a pair of shoes may weigh one kilogram.
What is volumetric weight?
It is a weight worked out from the size of the box: length × width × height in centimetres, divided by a number each carrier sets. The bigger the box, the higher its volumetric weight, even when it is light.
Why does the carrier charge the larger one?
A big, light box takes up as much room as a heavy one, and the carrier cannot fill that room with something else. So the price covers the space or the weight, whichever is larger.
How can you lower the cost?
Choose a box close to the size of the product instead of a large box that is half empty.
Use less filling material. It adds size and no value.
Save your usual box sizes in your account, so the right price shows as soon as you pick a box.
Always enter the true size and weight. If the carrier measures a larger one than you wrote, you pay the difference.
How does Masar show the price?
In Masar you enter the actual weight and the box size. Masar works out the volumetric weight and the chargeable weight for you, and shows carrier prices for your pickup and delivery cities.