Whether you sell products online or work in a courier service business, there’s a high probability that you often encounter parcels or packages. Whatever your reasons are, you want to make sure that you know the weight of the item you’re sending. It would be great if you check out some weight scales and purchase one for your business from a trusted provider aaaweigh.com, because nowadays obviously nobody wants to visit the post office or weighting scale near them just to check the weight of packages, right?
If you’ve been around the market trying to look for the best shipping scale but to no avail, say no more. We’ll help you get started, and to do that, we need to answer an important question in your mind right now, “What should I look for in a shipping scale?”
What Should I Look for in a Shipping Scale?
When buying a shipping scale, you don’t want to waste your money on rip-offs or low-quality products. You need to ensure that the only options you have are great postal scales that’ll get the job done. These will ensure that you get the accurate weight of the product.
Otherwise, you may end up paying more once you get to the post office. You also need to consider the capacity and the overall design of your shipping scale to make sure it meets all your needs.
With that in mind, below are some vital things you need to consider when looking for a shipping scale.
Accuracy
First and arguably the most important of all, you need to make sure that your shipping scale is accurate. If you’re handling a business, the weight of the product is crucial. If you don’t get the exact weight, you might face some unexpected expenses because of shipping costs.
A shipping scale should be able to measure a product that’s about 0.05 pounds. If the scale you’re looking at cannot detect an object of about this weight, you can’t count on its accuracy.
Weight Capacity
This next consideration is quite a blurry one. That’s because the weight capacity of the shipping scale you should look for depends on what you often handle. Nonetheless, a wider range would be preferable to those who can only measure up to 10 pounds.
While a 10-pound capacity limit might be sufficient for shoeboxes or rings, you will have problems with larger packages. Some shipping scales can reach up to 400 pounds, but they might be a bit larger and bulkier.
It’s also important to note that the scale’s accuracy may be slightly off if it has a versatile range. Unless, of course, you managed to purchase top-of-the-line scales.
Design
When it comes to the design, shipping scales are generally divided into two: tabletop and portable. Tabletop shipping scales are what you use for medium to larger packages. They would often have a higher range that can reach from 50 to 400 pounds. On the other hand, portable shipping scales are for smaller parcels. One advantage of this type of scale is that you can bring it anywhere.
Digital vs. Mechanical Scale
While the three features we mentioned above should suffice in helping you pick a scale, there’s also another factor you may want to consider. Shipping scales can either be digital or mechanical. If you don’t know which one to go for, a quick discourse about their pros and cons may help you out.
Digital Scale
As the name suggests, a digital scale displays the product’s weight in an LCD screen underneath the weighing platform.
Pros:
One of the most significant advantages of a digital scale is converting the weight to other units. A few buttons near the screen allow you to change the measurement from pounds to kilograms, grams, or ounces, among other things. It will also provide you with an accurate weight of the product because of the easy-to-read screen.
Cons:
A major disadvantage of a digital scale is that it requires a power source. If the battery runs out or you don’t have an electricity source near you, it’s basically unusable.
Mechanical Scale
A mechanical scale uses a spring to measure the weight of an object. The more pressure the spring receives, the further the hand will turn around the dial.
Pros:
Aside from being more affordable, mechanical scales do not require a power source. You can use it anywhere you want without having to look for a power outlet or bring batteries.
Cons:
The problem with mechanical scales is that they aren’t as accurate as their digital counterparts. Additionally, they often have only one unit of measurement.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “What should I look for in a shipping scale?”, the answer lies within you. The truth is, the perfect shipping scale doesn’t exist. It all depends on what you’re going to use it for and whether or not you know how to use it.
If you have a list of things you want to find on a shipping scale, be sure to remember the three important factors we’ve mentioned here. Those will certainly help you find the best shipping scale for you.