Choosing the best shipping and postal scale could mean the difference between overinflated package shipping costs and an accurate reading every single time. Our evaluation focused on accuracy, weight capacity/increments, design (handheld vs. tabletop), and auxiliary features such as LCD screen, backlight quality, among other features.
After more than 12 hours of research, our top pick for best shipping and postal scale goes to the Smart Weigh Shipping and Postal Scale. It is an all-around winner with a 440-pound weight capacity, accuracy to +/- 1.7oz or 50g, and the ability to grams, kilograms, and pounds, making it useful in most regions. Keep reading to learn more about the Smart Weigh Shipping and Postal Scale and other best shipping and postal scales available for purchase. But before we go into detail, check the best office equipment you can buy today!
Top 7 Shipping and Postal Scales
#1 Smart Weigh Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: Thanks to 440-pound weight capacity and an LCD connected to an extended cord, we love this for shipping smaller and larger packages.
- Very accurate ( within +/- 1.7oz or 50g)
- Easy to read LCD screen
- Includes extended coil cord for easy weighing of larger packages
- Drains battery even when off (while researching, lasted roughly a month with limited use)
- Minimum reading of six ounces required
We love this shipping and postal scale’s design. A large 10.6″ by 10.6″ by 0.5″: stainless steel platform reading large packages up to 440 pounds. While researching, accuracy was on point to within +/- 1.7 ounces or 50 grams. There were very small to no variations when weighing the same single box several times. Kudos for the ability to read in grams, kilograms, and pounds, which fares well in most regions.
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An extendable cord connected to an LCD display is coiled, so it stretches up to 4 feet, making it great for weighing larger packages that could obstruct the view. Our only knock is that battery life could be much better, as battery tends to drain even when off, as observed in our research. Despite this, we love this Smart Weigh digital shipping and postal scale as it is an all-around winner.
#2 Accuteck ShipPro Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is the best postal scale for eBay thanks to a 110-pound capacity with accuracy to within 0.1 oz, making it an excellent choice for smaller packages such as jewelry and shoe boxes.
- Best for Ebay sellers thanks to high capacity
- Lightweight and portable
- Multiple ways to power (USB cable, AC adapter or batteries)
- The cord could be longer (only 2 feet long)
- Scale made of unsturdy plastic
This Accuteck ShipPro digital shipping postal scale is very easy to use. It has a 110-pound capacity and reads in 0.1 increments, making it work well with packages and letters. An LCD display reads in real-time, connected to the scale by a coil cord to work well with larger packages.
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With a slim and compact profile (8″ by 6.75″ by 1.5″) we love this best postal scale for smaller items. It is as equally good as a handheld as a tabletop display, easy to carry from place to place. All in all, we were very impressed with this Accuteck postal scale’s overall build quality.
#3 Weighmax W-2809 Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is the best postal scale for Etsy thanks to a 90-pound capacity, budget-friendly price tag, and one-piece design, making it easy to weigh smaller packages such as envelopes and parcels.
- Four reading modes (lb, kg, lb/oz, oz.)
- One-piece steel construction with connected LCD display and weighing platform
- Easy to use hold function to weigh multiple packages
- Not compatible with Stamps.com; need to manually enter weights
- Using rechargeable batteries may trigger low battery warning prematurely
This shipping and postal scale is very accurate, posting readings to within 0.1oz with a 10g minimum starting weight. Four reading modes and a bright LCD make it very easy to read. Plus, it offers a “one-piece” construction with no extended LCD attached to coil cords, so it is very compact and easier to move around.
We like this high-quality shipping and postal scale’s functionality, especially its hold function which allows users to lock in the weight after receiving a package off of the scale before adding another one. This prevents users from having to stack multiple packages together. Kudos for its stainless steel construction, which is more than capable of withstanding the occasional drop in a warehouse or work area.
#4 Dymo Digital Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: BEST SHIPPING COST
WHY WE LIKE IT: This shipping and postal scale comes with a handheld design and USB cable that connects to online shipping services, making it a great choice for eCommerce retailers who want to figure out the cost of shipping instantly.
- Connect to computer for quick cost calculation
- Accurate readings ( +/- 0.4 lb)
- Six different sizes (up to 3, 10, 25,100, 250, and 400 pounds)
- No backlit LCD
- Needs 3 AAA batteries; battery power could last longer
- Limited to 25 lbs
We love this heavy duty digital shipping and postal scale’s efficiency. There is the choice of different capacities, including 3 pounds, 10 pounds, 25 pounds, 100 pounds, 250 pounds, and 400 pounds, making it work well with packages of all sizes. While researching, it delivered accurate readings to within +/- 0.4 lb,. which is very respectable. Readings pop up in pounds/ounces or kilograms/grams.
Our favorite feature with this shipping and postal scale is its USB-compatibility. Simply connect a USB cable and connect to software to automatically calculate shipping fees. This beats having to weigh and generate stickers at the post office, saving precious time.
#5 Tomiba Digital Touch Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: BEST FOR JEWELRY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This shipping and postal scale weighs up to six pounds (3000 grams) and displays measurements in grams, ounces, OZT, DWT, CT, and CN, making it an excellent choice for weighing food, jewelry and other items.
- Very durable stainless steel build
- Accurate piece-counting function; great for coins
- Easy to read, backlit LCD screen
- May turn off on its own while weighing items
- Buttons could be smoother to press
We love this scale, which offers the best of a compact size (only 4.92″ by 4.13″ by 0.6″) and accuracy with sensitivity down to sensitivity of 0.1 g. It even has a sensor to detect uneven surface placement, which works great to produce a true result.
Since this digital touch scale is designed for food, its stainless steel surface is very easy to wipe clean. kudos for a piece counting function, which counts the number of items on the scale (e.g. coins) by calculating based on the sample weight (first piece) and the overall weight of the items being weighed.
#6 My Weigh Ultraship Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: BEST FOR PAPER MAIL
WHY WE LIKE IT: This portable digital scale weighs items up to 76 pounds and comes with letter and mail/envelope holders, making it a fine choice for weighing paper mail.
- Weighs accurately to within .1 of an ounce
- Four weighing modes (pounds/ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms)
- Detachable display and keypad
- Requires four large C batteries or AC adapter (both not included)
- Measure in 5-gram increments; could be less
This 10.4″ by 9.2″ by 8.5″ digital scale is very serviceable.It also offers four weighing modes (pounds/ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms, which are the most commonly used for postal mail. Our only knock is that it measures in 5-gram increments, which could take on small but unnecessary shipping costs. Kudos for a tough plastic construction in which response to accidental drops well.
We like the fact this shipping and postal scale’s display is removable, with all readings kept intact with a 2-foot flex cord. This makes it easier to weigh taller or wider packages that could obstruct the digital display’s view. All in all, we were very impressed with this shipping and postal scale’s overall build quality.
#7 American Weigh Scales Shipping and Postal Scale
Award: BEST PORTABLE OPTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This shipping and postal scale weighs items up to 55 pounds and is very compact (8″ by 8″ by 2.8″) and light, making it easy to stuff inside a backpack.
- Compact profile; easy to fit in a backpack
- Reads to within +/- 2 grams for excellent accuracy
- Only needs one AAA battery to function
- Takes relatively longer than other scales to turn on and off
- Cannot automatically calculate shipping costs
Our favorite feature with this scale is its portability. This is a very lightweight scale (2.3 pounds) and can be carried anywhere, including a purse or backpack. Accuracy is on point, weighing to within +/- 2 grams with a sensitivity of roughly 0.1 ounces. While researching, we weighed several boxes consecutively with no variation detected between readings, so we are highly confident using this product.
A backlit LCD screen also makes numbers very easy to read. This shipping and postal scale also provide readings for packages weighing in pounds, ounces, kilograms, and grams. If you are looking for a good postal scale, this one is hard to beat.
How We Decided
In determining the best shipping and postal scale to buy, we explored accuracy, weight capacity/increments, design/types of postal scales (handheld vs. tabletop), and auxiliary features such as LCD screen, backlight quality, etc.
Accuracy is by far the most important consideration with any shipping and postal scale. Inaccurate readings could easily add to unexpected shipping costs at the post office. Look for shipping and postal scales that have high sensitivity in the 0.05 pounds (0,11 grams) range. TIn general, scales that weigh lighter objects have a higher degree of accuracy.
Weight capacity is an important consideration. For larger packages, look to a maximum weight capacity of 100 pounds or more. For parcels and letters, a 6-pound scale will do. It all depends on your shipping needs and the package weight of your products.
We also considered the shipping and postal scale’s design. Several come in lightweight one-piece construction with the display and weighing platform connected together. Others have removable displays or connections to coil cords to make it easier to weigh large objects which could obstruct your field of view.
Lastly, we looked into auxiliary features to round out our best picks. We love shipping and postal scales with easy to read and bright LCD screens. Kudos if it has backlighting.
Best Shipping and Postal Scale Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Accuracy
As you’re shopping for the best postage scale, make sure to look for shipping and postal scales that have enough sense to weigh in the 0.05 pounds (0.11 grams) range.- For higher weight capacity scales, this range could be a little looser. Accuracy is very important to get a true sense of shipping costs. This is important, as the best shipping scale for small business needs to be accurate to keep your costs lower.
- The less accurate, the more unexpected shipping expenses you can expect to incur. Tares functions are also very important for resetting before weighing another package.
- Weight Capacity/Increments
Weight capacity depends on the package type you are planning to weigh, especially if you’re using the best scale for shipping. It’s important to use precision so you’ll achieve accurate weights on the scale.- A 10-pound capacity scale is more than enough for small ring boxes and shoe boxes.
- For larger packages, our picks can top 400 pounds. So, if you’re shipping larger items, make sure you pick the top postal scale for a small business that works for you.
- Design
Shipping and postal scales generally come in two styles – portable and tabletop. Portable ones weigh as little as three pounds and can easily be carried anywhere, a godsend if you are working in a commercial area or warehouse with constant weighing. Tabletop or floor scales are best reserved for larger packages that don’t move as much as smaller items.
