Most of the forwarders charge the combination of the weight cost (cost/kg) and the parcel cost (fixed cost), some lines charge on every 100 grams or 500 grams. The parcel weight determines the total cost of the parcel. It’s important that you know the below and how it calculated to avoid the disputes:
B. Volume Weight: The space room is limited for a plane or vessle. The bigger sized product occupies more room and it’s costed more on the freight. Therefore, the forwarders charge on the volume weight, if it’s bigger than the real weight. There’s a general formula to calculate the volume weight: Length(cm) * Width(cm) * Height(cm) / Divisor.
– Most of the couriers like DHL, Fedex, UPS, TNT, etc. use 5000;
– Most of the lines of the other forwarders use 6000;
– Many dropshipping lines use 8000 during the off season but 6000 during the busy season;
– Some dropshipping lines for oversized products use 12000 or even higher.
For example, Yun Express is now using 8000 as the divisor for dropshipping parcels. Suppose there’s a parcel sized 40*20*10cm, the volume weight is 40*20*10/8000=1kg. If the real weight is less than 1kg, Yun will charge 1kg; If the real weight is more than 1kg, they will charge according to the real weight.
C. Invoice Weight: The forwarders always charge a bit more than we measured to protect themselves from any loss. They also use accurate laser machine to get the biggest sizes of the carton and then calculate the volume weight. As the industry practice, we will always:
– Weight 20g to 100g more on the real weight. (+20g for the parcel less than 200g, +50g for 200g to 1kg, and +100g for 1kg above);
– Plus 1cm bigger on each side we measured once the parcel charged by the volume weight.
To make it clear and transparent, all the agents should be responsible to provide the photos of the weight and the sizes, as requested by the customers. For any complaints or difficulties on the weight that can’t be resolved, please talk to the supervisor.
