LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Weigh a package at home
Weigh a package at home with a kitchen scale for small parcels, or a bathroom scale for larger ones by weighing yourself with and without the parcel and taking the difference. Weigh the packed, sealed box, not the item alone, and round up.
The number that matters is the weight of the finished parcel: box, cushioning, tape, and label included. Carriers weigh parcels on their own scales, and a label bought for less weight than the parcel actually has can be adjusted later or held up. Guessing is the usual cause. A quick home weighing takes a minute and removes that risk.
Yes, for anything that fits on it. Most kitchen scales top out around five to ten kilograms, which covers a large share of parcels people mail from home. Put a tray or a board on the scale first if the parcel overhangs the platform, then tare it to zero, then set the parcel on top. An overhanging parcel can press against the counter and read light, so keep the whole parcel on the platform or the tray.
Kitchen scales usually read in grams, which is handy: carriers price by weight bands, and a parcel just over a band edge costs more than one just under it. If your parcel sits close to a band edge, double-check the reading with a second weighing. A scale on a wobbly table or a sloped counter can read off by a small amount.
Step on the bathroom scale holding nothing and note your weight. Step off, pick up the parcel, step on again, and note the new weight. Subtract the first number from the second. That difference is the parcel weight. It works best for parcels above a couple of kilograms, where the scale's rough resolution matters less.
Bathroom scales round to the nearest half pound or so on many models, and some only show whole pounds. That means a light parcel can read as zero by this method even though it has real weight. For parcels under about two kilograms, a kitchen scale, a luggage scale, or a post office counter scale gives a truer number.
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen scale | Parcels up to the scale limit, usually several kilograms | Parcel overhanging the platform reads light |
| Bathroom scale subtraction | Heavier parcels, rough checks | Rounding hides the weight of light parcels |
| Hanging luggage scale | Parcels with a handle or a loop of tape to hook | Swinging while reading; let it settle first |
| Post office counter scale | Any parcel, and the final word before buying postage | Needs a trip to the counter |
Weigh the parcel after it is fully packed and sealed, not before. Packing material adds weight: bubble wrap, foam, and a double-walled box can add a noticeable amount to a light item. Tape and the label add a little too. If you weigh the item alone and buy a label for that number, the finished parcel will weigh more.
Measure the box as well. Carriers also price large, light parcels by their size, a rule called dimensional weight: a big box of pillows can be billed as if it weighed more than it does. Measure length, width, and height at the widest points, including any bulge. A box that bulges at the middle measures larger than its printed size.
Round up. If the scale reads just over a whole kilogram or pound, declare the higher figure. Carriers round up themselves, so declaring the lower figure only invites an adjustment. When two methods disagree, trust the higher reading, or weigh again on a flat, hard surface. Carpet under a bathroom scale is a classic cause of low readings: the scale feet sink and the reading drops.
One more check: weigh the parcel twice, once before you print the label and once after taping the label on. The label itself weighs almost nothing, but the second check catches the case where you added last-minute filler or a packing slip after the first weighing.
A post office or carrier depot counter will weigh a parcel for free in most cases, and that reading is the one that counts. Some pharmacies and shipping outlets have a scale near the counter too. As a rough fallback, compare the parcel by hand to a known weight, like a bag of flour or sugar, but treat that only as an estimate, never as the number you put on a label.
LetterAgent provides Canada Post Xpresspost shipping labels for parcels within Canada, up to 5 kg. You ask your AI assistant for a label, approve the exact quoted price, pay once through Stripe, and receive a label PDF. Give your assistant the packed parcel's real weight and measurements so the quote matches the parcel. LetterAgent labels cannot cover parcels over 5 kg or shipments outside Canada.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com